Food in a mug

As college students, especially those of us without meal plans, finding something to eat on campus can seem like a lost cause. Thankfully, there is always more than one way to ‘skin a cat.’ There’s always the sometimes expensive, but delicious, take out that students tend to use as a backup plan when the campus cafe doesn’t have anything appealing. Then there’s microwavable ‘T.V. dinners,’ that may or may not be good enough to eat. And our all time favorite cups and bowls of noodles. With these options alone, any student will get tired of repeating the same old eating habits. Now, there are different ways that students can cook for themselves on a budget using microwaves and mugs. Here are a few recipes to try next time you’re feeling lunch-y.

Appliances and materials needed: Microwave & 1 Mug any size

Recipe 1. Mug Lasagne. Provided by Gemma Stafford, Professional Chef from Ireland.

Ingredients needed:

3 tablespoons of pizza sauce ¾ cup (6 fl oz/180g) water

2 pasta lasagna sheets 4 tablespoons of your choice of cheese

1 teaspoon of olive oil 1 tablespoon of another type of cheese

You can also add 3 tablespoons of dried spinach and 2 tablespoons of cooked sausage optionally.

Instructions:

1. Break the pasta sheets and place into mug
2. Cover with water and olive oil
3. Microwave for 3-4 minutes or until pasta is tender
4. Drain away water, and remove pasta from mug
5. Add a tablespoon of pizza sauce to the bottom of your mug
6. Then add layer of pasta (spinach and sausage optional) and your first cheese
7. Repeat layers to the top of the mug
8. Once completed add the second cheese to the top
9. Place in the microwave 2 ½ to 3 minutes or until the lasagna is heated through (based on a 1200 W microwave)
10. Cool and Enjoy!

Recipe 2: Vegan Mac ‘N’ Cheese in a Mug. Provided by Rachel Gaewski, Tasty websource special feature.

For those with Vegan dietary needs.

Ingredients:

½ cup of elbow pasta 2 teaspoons of vegan butter

½ cup of water 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

2 pinches of salt Paprika (optional)

2 tablespoons sweetened almond milk

Instructions:

1. Add the pasta, water and 1 pinch of salt in your mug and stir
2. Microwave on high for 4-5 minutes or until 90% of the water has been adsorbed
3. Add almond milk, vegan butter, yeast, and 1 pinch of salt and stir well until combined
4. Microwave for 30 more seconds
5. Stir again and sprinkle paprika (optional)
6. Enjoy!

Recipe 3: Cauliflower Pizza Mug Cake. Provided by Kirbie of Kirbie’s cravings websource.

For those who need gluten free diets.

Ingredients:

½ cup loosely packed riced raw cauliflower ¼ cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 ½ tablespoon whisked egg

1 tablespoon marinara sauce 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese

10 mini pepperonis ¼ teaspoon finely chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. Combine & mix cauliflower, parmesan cheese, italian seasoning, egg in your mug. Mix until ingredients are covered in egg
2. Cook in microwave for about 30 seconds.
3. Spread marinara sauce over the surface of cauliflower bread. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over tomato sauce. Top with pepperoni.
4. Microwave for an additional 30 seconds or until cheese is melt-ly. Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!

Recipe 4: Veggie burrito in a mug. Provided by Wellmark cooking websource.

For those with Vegetarian dietary needs.

Ingredients:

1 cup pre-cooked brown rice 2-3 tablespoons salsa

1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt ¼ cup diced avocado

1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese ½ cup low-sodium black beans, drained rinsed.

Tomato, pico de gallo, tortilla chips toppings (Optional)

Instructions:

1. Combine rice, black beans, plain Greek yogurt, and shredded cheese in your mug.
2. Microwave for 30 to 60 seconds or until heated through
3. Top with diced avocado, diced tomato, pico de gallo, crushed tortilla chips, or other desired toppings.
4. Enjoy!