The Ultimate List of Quick & Easy Dorm Dinners (even if you don’t have a kitchen)
In just a few short weeks, a new class of college students will descend upon campuses across the country. And like teens everywhere, those students will be hungry. And they are going to need optons for quick and easy dorm dinners.
Of course, most students will have ready access to a dining hall (or four) with unlimited swipes and all-you-can-eat buffets. But for many kids this isn’t an appealing option. No mater how exciting the menu makes it sound, the dry burgers, gummy pastas and overcooked chicken just don’t quite taste like mom’s. Or dad’s. No disrespect to the dining hals here. It’s an impossible task to keep tens of thousands of college students all with unique tastes and prefernces and satsified.
Luckily, most colleges today have fresh salad bars, yogurt bars, and smoothie stations, but facing a sea of the same foods day after day gets old real fast.
And for the students with food allergies, sensitivities, or special diets, eating in the dining hall can be downright dangerous. Colleges have come a long way in accommodating food allergies, thank goodness (and, oh yeah, it’s the law). However, every dinisg hall handles allergies differntly.Many schools have one allergen-free line (also a misnomer becasue people are allergic to all kinds of foods) that is free from the top nine most common allergens (cow’s milk, fish, shellfish, peanuts, treenuts, eggs, wheat, soy, and sesame).
I get it. I really do. But have you ever eaten something that doesn’t contain any of these items? It tastes like sh**. (My heart goes out to anyone who has to avoid all these foods. It really does.) Most people only need to avoid a handful of these allergens. Forcing everyone to eat food devoid of all these ingredients is practical and economical, but not realistic. Or very appetizing.
And of course . . . college kids are busy. They have class and sports and activities at all hours of the day and night. Sometimes going to the dining hall just isn’t possible. I get tired of going out to eat on vacation. And usually there are good restaurants and we are gone for only a week. I can’t imagine having to leave my home for ever meal for the next sixteen weks (the length of a typical semester). Often, dorm dinners just make sense.
Some kids have access to full kitchens (like my daughter who has on-campus apartment) and they can cook for themselves. Others are limited to a hall kitchen (in some cases) and a microwave. Different schools allow different small appliances. I know we had a toaster back in the day. And it seems that some schools still allow toasters and air fryers and crock pots, while others prohibit anything with an exposed heating element. So microwaves and crock pots it is.
Today’s post of quick and easy dorm dinners includes suggestions for all of these options except the full kitchen. For those kids, I’m going to do a month long series of quick and easy meals and snacks that college kids can whip up in their apartments, while sticking to a budget. You’ll find lots of dorm dinner ideas for
If you have a kid going off to college this year, be sure to bookmark this post with quick and easy dorm dinners for later:
Dorm Dinners with a Microwave and Refrigerator
The vast majority of college kids fall into this category, so I’m going to start here. While a lot of these suggestions read as more “snacks” than dinner,, they are in fact things my entire family eats for dinner, including my husband and always-hungry 15-year-old son. The key is quantity, as well as a good dessert.
Apps and Snacks
Veggies and dip (we love ranch or Everything But the Bagel Dip)
Hummus and veggies or pita chips
Chips and salsa with avocado and corn
Spinach dip and veggies or bread (pumpernickle is the traditional option, but we also love it with sourdough or ciabatta)
Cheese and crackers
Cream cheese stuffed mini peppers
Charcuterie board (cheeses plus meats and/or fruits)
Nachos – put tortiall chips in microwave with black beans and cheese
Sandwiches
Cream cheese and jelly sandwich
Sunflower butter and jelly sandwich
Veggie cream cheese, muenster cheese, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches
Turkey and red pepper sandiches
Turkey reuben – turkey, Cole slaw, Swiss cheese and thousand island dressing or Sir. Kensington’s special sauce
Hot roast beef sandwiches – combine deli roast beef and canned gravy in a icrowave safe dish and heat for 2 minutes until gravy is hot. Serve over bread or rolls. Add prepared mashed potatoes (or maybe swipe some from the dining hall and store in the fridge for a day or 2.)
Ham and cheese sandwiches
Buffalo chickpea salad sandwich – I love this on a soft brioche roll. But its also delicious served on a bed of lettuce.
Caprese sandiwch – fresh mozzarella, sliced toamtoes and basil on crusty bread. Swap tomatoes for roasted red peppers for a different taste.
Rotisserie chicken – this may not be a “cheap” option, but it is very flexible and can be used for everything from nachos to chicekn salad to a quick chili or chicken soup
Breakfast for dinner
Scrambled eggs (yes, you can cook them in a microwave)
Poached eggs – For almost-instant poached eggs, crack an egg into a bowl or mug with 1/2 cup water and cover. Microwave for about 1 minute for just-set eggs, and follow with 10-second intervals if you like yours more done.
Oatmeal
Dorm Dinner Ideas
Sweet and sour meatballs (frozen meathballs, jarred sweet and sour sauce, soy sauce; add some small thinly-sliced veggies like peppers, onions and carrots and cook; combine everything together in a bowl, cover, and cook for about 6-8 minutes.)
“Baked” squash – grab an acorn squash and slice in half or pick up chunks of butternut squash, season with olive oil, salt, pepper and spices (we love cinnamon and maple syrup for a sweet option or garlic, tumeric, and chili powder for a savorty option) and cook for 8-10 minutes.
Ground beef – crumble 1/2 pound of beef into a 2-qt. microwave-safe dish; add onion. Microwave, covered, on high until beef is no longer pink, 2-3 minutes; drain. Use to make pasta, enchiladas, tacos, bowls, nachos, etc . . .
Beef enchiladas – Combine ground beef, 1 cup cheese, 1/4 cup enchilada sauce and green chiles in tortillas. Roll and place in a 11×7-in. microwave-safe dish sprayed with pam, seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce. Microwave, covered, on high until heated through, 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook, uncovered, until cheese is melted, another minute or 2. Serve with lettuce and sour cream. (Don’t like beef, swap for ground turkey, chicken or imposible meat. Or use rotisserie chicken instead – you don’t have to precook it, just proceed to assmbling the enchiladas.
Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes – although the skin doesn’t get as crispy as in the oven, potatoes cook great in a microwave. Add cheese, veggies, bacon bits, sour cream, etc . . . to make your potato a meal.
Microwave mac and cheese – So much better than those plastic containers. One dish and you don’t have to boil the noodles first.
Black Bean Soup – Swap the chicke broth for veggie broth for a vegetarian option
Microwave Chili – You do need some spices on hand like chili powder, gralic, and cumin to whip up this chili, but they last forever and can be used with lots of microwave meals.
Veggies and Sides
Frozen vegetables – I am partial to corn, green beans, and peas in the microwave. I also like the Asian-sauced vegetables to serve with rice.
Steamed Vegetables – the microwave is great for steaming broccoli, cauliflower, green beans (in a bag), and carrots (cut into chunks).
“Sautéed” Mushrooms – Place thickly sliced mushrooms in a microwave-safe bowl. Add a dollop of olive oil or butter. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once.
Corn on the cob
Rice – You can buy those special bags or cups of rice made for the microwave. They are definitely quicker than this recipe. But if you have time, I prefer the taste of regular rice so much better. Note, this recipe does take about 25 minutes to cook.
Combine 1 cup long grain rice, 1 3/4 cups chicken broth or water, 1 teaspoon butter or olive oil and salt in a LARGE micorwave safe bowl (remember rice doubls in size when cooking), microwave uncovered on high for 10 minutes, then microwave uncovered on medium-low for 10 -15 minutes (until rice is tender.) Begin checking at 10 minuts and continue cooking in one minute increments if necessary. Do not stir rice at anytime during cooking process. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Dorm Dinners with a Toaster Oven or Air Fryer
If you are allowed to have a toaster oven or air fryer, you have even more options. Back in the day, we had a toaster and my friend down the hall had a toaster oven. It was heaven. Today, many dorms prohibit anything with an open heating element. Bye-bye toasters!
But air fryers do not [usually] have an open heating element. And they are great for heating up leftovers or cooking from scratch. Just a smidge of cooking spray and a fraction of the time you’d need to prep a meal in the oven.
If your dorm allows either of these small appliances, be sure to try one of theas easy dorm dinners:
Toasted cheese – like a grilled cheese, but toasted in the toater oven or air fryer
Quesadilla – you could be brave and try the infamous Tik Tok toaster quesadilla, but I’d recommend a toaster oven or air fryer
Chicken bites – cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Toss with conrstarch and spices (we like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and italian seasoning) and bake or air fry at 375 degrees for 8-15 minutes. Air fryers typically take less time than toaster ovens.
Pita pizza – top a pita woth sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings and toast or air fry.
Mediterranean flatbreads – toast a naan or pita bread and top with hummus, tomato, cucumber, roasted red pepper strips, olives, and feta cheese
Baked chicken breasts – drizzle bonelss chcken breasts with olive oil and lemon and bake or air fry at 375 degrees for 10-20 minutes
Frozen pizza
Air fryer ravioli – serve with sauce for dipping
Dorm Dinner with a Slow Cooker
First things first . . . A slow cooker and a crock pot are the same thing. Crock pot is just a brand name of slow cookeres.
If you have a slow cooker, there’s not a lot you can’t make. Seriously. A slow cooker will up your dorm dinner game.
Mexican Chicken – combine chicken breasts and a large jar of salsa in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 6 hours. Shred chicken. Serve with rice, tortillas, cheese.
Corckpot ravioli – Three ingrediernt are all you need: a 45-ounce jar of pasta sauce, a large bag of frozen ravioli, and package of shredded mozzarella cheese (buy the big bag). aSpray your clow cooker with cooking spray. Pour 1/3 of the jar of sauce on the bottom of the pot. Cover with a layer of ravioli and cheese. Repeat the layers ending with cheese. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Spinach is also a great addition to this meal.
Dorm Dinner Desserts
After you’re delicious dorm dinner, you’ll probably be cravng some dessert.
The good news is, there are tons of sweet treats you can make even if all you have is a the microwave. With an air fryer or toaster oven, the options are almost endless.
There are endless variations of mug cakes. If you search you can find everything from coffee cake to cookies and cream mug cakes.
Microwave Apple Crisp – Slice one small apple. Mix with 2 teaspoons melted butter, 1/4 teaspoo cinnamon, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon flour in a mug. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of softened (not melted) butter, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 3 tablespoons flour. Sprinkle topping over apples and microwave for 3 minutes. Serve warm, preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
If you have an air fryer or toaster oven, you can prepare the dessert in an oven-safe pan and bake for 8-12 minutes.
Did you know you can even make brownies in the microwave? You can!
Microwave brownies – Melt 1 tablespoon of buttter and 2 ounces of quality dark chocolate in a microwave safe pan. (I like to use a glass rectagnle pan lined with parchment paper so I have traditional bars that can be shared with friends. My pan was 8 X 4 inches.) Heat on high for 30-40 seconds (keep an eye on it). Once melted, add 4 tablespoon sugar, 3 tablespoons of room temp milk, 1 cup + 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle with chocolate chunks and microwave on high for about 1 1/2 minutes. Check the brownie after 1 minute. DO NOT over bake. You can either enjoy your brownie right away with a spoon or allow the brownie to cool 15-20 minutes to allow it to set. Please be precise and use the exact amounts in the recipe.
Okay! That’s all I’ve got for today.
I hope this post gives you some new ideas for quick and easy dorm dinners and desserts.
And if you have a favorite I did not include, please comment and let me know. I’ll be updating this Dorm Dinner post in the future!
Off we go!
