10 Microwave Meals That Go Beyond Your Standard TV Dinner
If you’re in a dorm, you need to know some microwave meals. To hell with culinary artistry! You aren’t in college to be a friggin’ chef after all (unless you are, in which case… why?). Your options for cooking apparatuses are going to be relatively limited. Crock-pots are always a good option but who has six to eight hours for every meal? Then there’s the microwave- great for heating up leftovers sure, or maybe a corn dog or some really unfortunate TV dinner. However, there are other ways to harness the cooking potential of your little microwave, and these 10 microwave meals can help you do just that!
1. Pizza Cup
If you’re alone and really want pizza, but can’t bring yourself to endure the shame of eating a whole one to yourself, this quick and easy microwave meal ought to be just what the doctor ordered!
Ingredients:
Pre-made pizza dough
Drizzle of olive oil
1-2 tbsp of pre-made pizza sauce
Italian herbs
Shredded mozzarella cheese
5 slices of pepperoni
Directions:
1. Put 1/2-1 inch of pizza dough at the bottom of the biggest friggin’ cup you’ve got.
2. Spoon in a layer of sauce – I’ll more or less leave sauciness levels to you, but no more than 2 tbsps, lest it turn into a pizza soup.
3. Throw in cheese, at least a layer that covers the sauce completely, or more if you’d like.
4. Place pepperoni slices on top of the cheese layer.
5. Microwave for about 2 minutes, or until the pizza rises and toppings start bubbling.
2. Souper Ramen
The perfect microwave meal for when you have some leftover meat from the night before, or even if you’re just lacking in f**ks to give and the gas station down the street is as far as you’re willing to go for dinner tonight.
Ingredients:
Cup o’ Ramen (chicken flavor
Egg
Chicken broth (optional)
Teriyaki sauce
Soy sauce
Sriracha sauce
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Leftover meat (if applicable)
Directions:
1. If you have leftover meat of some kind- chicken, pork, brisket, hamburger, even hot dogs, or meatloaf, cut it into small pieces rather than large chunks on a microwave-safe plate or bowl. Same goes with any veg that you might want to add. Then pour a layer of teriyaki over the meat, cover with a paper towel and microwave for 1 minute. Take out, stir, and leave covered to retain warmth.
2. Open ramen cup, but leave the lid half-on. Add flavor packets and dried veggies and so forth (unless already added), as well as 4 tbsp of teriyaki, 4 tbsp of soy sauce, a tiny squirt of the sriracha (unless you like your ramen nasal-clearingly spicy), half a table spoon of garlic powder and same with onion powder.
3. Add chicken broth halfway to the fill mark, hot water the rest.
4. Nuke it for 2 minutes. Take it out quickly, throw in your teriyaki meat and throw it back in for another 3 minutes (if you don’t have any meat, just microwave it for 4 straight minutes).
5. Take it straight out, take off the lid, and throw in your egg whilst simultaneously stirring as thoroughly as you can to ensure the egg is cooked in the boiling-hot broth. No lollygagging on this step! Food heat produced by microwaves can be a fickle thing.
Side note: if you don’t trust that the egg was cooked thoroughly enough, you can nuke it for another minute.
6. Let stand for a bit until cool enough to eat – and enjoy!
3. Banana Bread Cup
This microwave meal makes for a delicious breakfast, snack, or desert, not to mention it’s great for getting rid of any over-ripe bananas!
Ingredients:
1 ripe-overripe banana
1/2 cup of banana bread mix
1 Egg
Canola or coconut oil
Directions:
1. Mash up banana in a mug, then crack in the egg, and throw in the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
2. Nuke it for about 3 minutes.
3. Let cool for a minute. Add any toppings you’d like. Great with Nutella, powdered sugar, whipped cream, or whatever.
4. Mac n’ Cheese for One
If you need a quick lunch or a cheese fix, this microwave meal is the one for you! Mac n cheese for one is perfect for the discerning bachelor/bachelorette or drunk person who looks at the box and thinks “boil water? What am I a chemist?”
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of cheese (cheddar for classic but try different cheeses or a combo if you wish)
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of macaroni pasta
1/2 teaspoon of salt (or however much you prefer, but you can always add more salt later)
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper (though also a matter of preference)
1/4 cup of milk
Directions:
1. Put the water, salt, and noodles in a microwave-safe bowl, preferably one with a lot of extra room to prevent boiling over.
2. Microwave for three minutes. If the noodles aren’t cooked all the way, go again for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the milk and cheese. Stir quickly to mix all the goodness up and throw it back in for another 40 seconds.
4. Add the black pepper, stir, enjoy!
5. Scrambled Egg Cup
What more need be said? Use this microwave meal for a quick breakfast or protein boost.
Ingredients:
1 egg
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1 tablespoon of cream (or milk alternatively)
1/8 cup of cheese (something like cheddar or pepper jack)
Note: you can also add ham, peppers, tomatoes, salsa, tobacco sauce or whatever else you want.
Directions:
1. Crack egg into a bowl and whisk with all ingredients (as well as those you’d like to add).
2. Nuke for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes until fluffy. Eat as soon as cool enough. Enjoy!
6. Brownie Cup
Whether you just need a quick and last-minute dessert or you’re having midnight chocoholism withdrawals, this quick brownie recipe is a microwave meal is something you have to try.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of brownie mix
2 tablespoons of canola oil, coconut oil, or melted butter
1/4 cup of water
Chocolate chips or M&Ms
Directions:
1. Throw brownie mix, water, and oil/butter into a mug and mix thoroughly.
2. Add chocolate chips/ M&Ms.
3. Microwave for 1-2 minutes.
4. Let stand for 1 minute.
5. Add desired toppings, such as whipped cream, powdered sugar, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce or whatever!
7. Quick Smothered Burritos
This microwave meal is perfect for those who have neither the time, money, nor patience to eat healthy. You just want refried beans and melted cheese in your life ASAP.
Ingredients:
Plate of frozen burritos (however many you can eat, and whatever flavor)
Canned enchilada sauce
Jarred nacho cheese
1/4 cup of shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey, or pepper jack cheese)
Other toppings optional
Directions:
1. Assemble your burritos (on your microwave-safe plate)! Microwave 1 minute and 15 seconds for 1, 2 minutes and 30 seconds for 2, and so forth.
3. Smother in enchelada sauce, followed by the nacho sauce. Nuke for 20 seconds. You need to be careful with the microwave at this point, otherwise the sauce closest to the edge and the top is going to get weird and dry.
4. Throw on cheese. Microwave once more for 15 seconds or until final layer of shredded cheese is melted.
5. Add hot sauce, sour cream, or whatever else you want and monch down!
8. BLT
A hot and crispy microwave meal can be yours in mere minutes, and all you need to do is nuke some bacon and make a quick and easy BLT sandwich!
Ingredients:
Sliced bread
Bacon (however much you want or think you can fit on a a sandwich)
1 tomato
Lettuce
Mayo
Directions:
1. Just cook some bacon and slice a tomato! Here’s a trick though: cook the bacon on a flipped plate on another larger plate or several layers of paper towels to drain the grease to keep your bacon from getting soggy.
2. Microwave your bacon for 4-7 minutes or until desired crispiness has been achieved.
3. From here, simply assemble the sandwich with bread, mayo, sliced tomato, lettuce, and however much bacon you want. It’s your world!
9. Chilaquile Cup
This microwave meal is a tasty Mexican-inspired breakfast dish (or should I say mug) that is the perfect way of curing those cheese-craver hangovers as well as utilizing leftover ingredients and mexican food. Making this in a pan is probably the way to go, but let’s assume you don’t have a pan (or the willpower to make yourself use one) – just a microwave, an egg, and some leftover nacho stuff from the other night.
Ingredients:
About 6 corn tortilla chips (restaurant style is fine, or Doritos if you wanna flavor it up)
1 egg
4 tablespoons of pre-made green Chile
1 1/2 tablespoons of queso asadero (cheddar, pepper jack, or Monterey are also acceptable)
Some queso fresco crumbles
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Toppings, if desired (recommended):
1 dollop of sour cream
Chopped green onion
Glob of salsa
Directions:
1. Crack an egg into a microwave-safe mug. Add salt, pepper, queso asadero, and 3 tablespoons of green chile, and mix until everything is coated and well-blended.
2. Microwave for 40 seconds.
3. Quickly take out and stir. Break 4 tortilla chips into smaller pieces and add to the mixture, stirring and coating the chips in the egg mixture.
3. Microwave for another 30 seconds.
4. Take out, stir, and add the final tablespoon of green chile (leave unstirred).
5. Microwave for a final 15 seconds.
6. Stir, add the remaining tortilla chips (crushed), and stir again. Add desired toppings and chow down!
10. Blueberry Pancakes in a Jar
There are few things in this world better than rolling out of bed to be met by a plate of blueberry pancakes. While this jarred version may not make itself while you’re asleep, it will be ready in just a few short minutes after beginning.
Ingredients:
Cooking oil
1 cup of pancake mix
3 tablespoons of melted butter
1 cup of milk
Handful of blueberries
Preferred toppings:
Blueberry compote
Whipped cream
Directions:
1. Coat inside of the jar lightly with cooking oil.
2. Stir pancake mix, milk and melted butter in a separate bowl.
3. Put blueberries on the bottom of the jar, then fill half of the jar with the pancake batter you made.
4. Microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes
5. Add toppings and eat immediately.
Note: you can replace fresh blueberries in the recipe with blueberry compote if you wish, which usually comes in packages of blueberry pancake mix or in the form of canned blueberry pie filling.
