An unlimited buffet or made to order grilled cheese may seem like the sweetest deal you’ve ever seen the first few weeks of freshman year, but after a while we all know that it gets old. If you are tired of having the same burnt pizza day after day, or finding out that your hamburger is actually made out of turkey instead of beef, you might want to consider cooking on your own. It may seem a little intimidating, especially for those of you who had your Mama cooking for you until the day you left home, but over the past year I have found a couple of cookbooks and websites that are perfect for the college student who may not have a fully functional kitchen, and who may not be able to even boil water. The books listed here are under $10 and the websites are free, so it’s cost effective as well! Most of the recipes only need a microwave or a toaster. Happy cooking!
A Man, A Can, A Microwave by David Joachim
This book is great because not only are the recipes simple to follow, but each one has a picture of exactly what the ingredients you will need look like and a picture of the finished product. They also include the nutritional information. I wouldn’t recommend this book for vegetarians as it is mostly meat recipes, but it is definitely great for carnivores on a budget. A lot of the ingredients are canned and packaged, so it is not the healthiest book either, but it gets the job done. If you are looking for a really beginner cookbook, this is the one.
Recipes include: black bean dip, stuffed bell peppers,coconut curried chicken and tuna noodle casserole
This book can be found on Amazon for about $4
Not Your Mother’s Microwave Cookbook by Beth Hensperger
The recipes in this cookbook are more sophisticated than A Man, A Can, and a Microwave, and has more dishes with vegetables. It also does not tell you what brand of ingredients you should buy, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your cooking skills and budget. The recipes are a little harder to make, but the taste is worth it. It even has a whole section for drinks (like hot chocolate and lemonade) and desserts. The only thing this book is somewhat lacking in is meat dishes, although it does have some interesting fish and poultry dishes.
Recipes include: melted goat cheese in marinara dip, italian style eggplant, apple almond crisp and pesto shrimp pasta
This book can be found on Amazon for about $6
200 Healthy Dorm Recipes
If you are looking for something a little more healthy, this list of recipes is the place to go. Taralynn McNitt has come up with over 200 recipes for those living the college lifestyle, and have at least a toaster and a microwave. Organized into Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Snacks sections, it is easy to find what you are looking for. Most recipes include some sort of veggie or fruit, so the healthy part is definitely present.
Recipes include: pumpkin pie oatmeal, mixed berry avocado wrap, farmer’s market salad and tuna and fruit toast
Recipes can be found here
Reddit’s College Cookbook
This is a compilation of recipes from many different people that use the website Reddit and is pretty disorganized, but it does have a lot of simple and cost friendly recipes. A lot of them use stoves or ovens, so this may be more ideal for those who live in off-campus apartments, but still need to save money. Some of the recipes are not complete and don’t really explain how to actually cook them, but it is a good place to start looking for ideas.
Recipes include: latkes, black bean burger, vegetarian chili and mac and cheese pizza
Recipes can be found here
Spicing Up Your Ramen
Is ramen still a staple in your diet? Ever dreamed of going beyond the beef/chicken/shrimp flavoring? Well now you can, because Buzzfeed has compiled a list of recipes that show you how to spice up your average packet of ramen. From Chicken Chimichanga Ramen to Ramen Omelettes, this list has 27 different ways to make your ramen delicious.
Ramen recipes can be found here
Enter Your Ingredients at Supercook
If you don’t feel like going out and buying food from the grocery store, the website Supercook has a database that allows you to enter what ingredients you have in your house, and brings up recipes that include these ingredients in them.
Recipes can be found here