31 Easy Recipes Every College Student Should Know

For many, college means learning independence, including in the kitchen. Living away from home is a great opportunity to explore different cuisines, develop culinary skills, master a few easy recipes and gain confidence in cooking for yourself. So, fill up the mini fridge and stock up on dorm-room essentials—we’ve rounded up recipes that coax big flavors out of short ingredient lists, use approachable techniques and give you dietary value to boot. For instance, this delicious breakfast takes 10 minutes, and you’ll only have to wash one pan afterward! Ham, cheese and baby spinach are used here, but you can swap them out for your favorite omelet fillings.

This from-scratch mac and cheese cooks in one bowl, and you don't have to boil the macaroni or cook the cheese sauce separately. Plus, it's ready in less than half an hour. A blend of American and Jack cheeses makes the sauce smooth and tangy.

A fully loaded baked potato can make for a hearty meal, but what college student has an hour to wait for a spud to cook?! This recipe yields a moist, steamy, fluffy potato with crispy skin in a fraction of the time.

Premade pesto delivers tons of herbal flavor in this 5-ingredient dish. The first step is simmering the chicken thighs in broth for 40 minutes, so you can study (or watch TV) while you wait. Then, simply shred the chicken, add it in with the spinach, and stir in some pesto.

Overnight oats surged in popularity a few years ago, and it’s easy to see why. They only take five minutes of prep, they’re super customizable and they’re nutritious—a breakfast trifecta! Not to mention, you can carry the jar with you if you’re rushing out the door. Registered dietician Min Kwon will get you started with this recipe, which is really a scaffold to help you choose your favorite ingredients and perfect your milk-to-oat ratio.

Mix flour, cocoa, chocolate chips and a few pantry staples right in the mug then microwave it for just 90 seconds. The result is a rich fudgy single-serving cake with a crisp top and gooey center perfect for satisfying a sudden sweet tooth.

Ground beef simmers with chili powder and smoked paprika then cooks right alongside the elbow macaroni in one pot so there's barely any cleanup after. It's a cheap and easy 30 minute dinner that beats anything from a box and stretches into a few days of leftovers between classes.

This quick, satisfying meal was inspired by the Korean rice dish bibimbap. Pre-cooked brown rice saves time, while eggs and bacon add satisfying, salty protein. Garnish with creamy avocado, sliced scallions and a simple, homemade kimchi sauce for a bowl of rich, tangy goodness.

This pasta recipe looks pretty, and it’s hard to mess up. The one-pot design means you add all of your ingredients to the pot, bring it to a boil, and stir until it comes together. Fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic are the stars of this dish.

If your dorm allows you to have a rice cooker, then you’re in luck because you can use it for more than just rice. For a fun treat, try making this spongy, Japanese-style pancake!

This microwave breakfast cake for one is a hearty meal with a sweet twist, making it an ideal quick fix for busy school mornings. It's easy to whip up and perfect for fueling your day without slowing you down.

This easy spin on pasta salad uses store-bought gnocchi and two cups of vegetables. Just cook the gnocchi, green beans and peas until tender, then mix with pesto, mayo, Parmesan, salt and pepper. It makes a quick side at dinner or for lunch the next day!

This vegan recipe is a fast, convenient way to eat your veggies. You’ll fill a whole-wheat wrap with hummus, toasted pine nuts, grilled zucchini and fresh bell pepper, spinach, onions and mint. The combination of fresh and cooked vegetables has great nutritional value! This wrap also makes a great lunch since it’s easy to pack and carry with you.

You only need a small amount of each ingredient to create this decadent chocolate, graham cracker, marshmallow treat—making it the ideal baking recipe for college students who don't have a full kitchen or lots of storage for ingredients. Plus, it cooks up in the microwave in a matter of minutes—and makes just two, individual mug cakes.

This clever recipe is another way to dress up instant ramen. The secret to creating bold flavor with few ingredients? Pickle juice. Yep, bread and butter pickle brine adds sweetness, saltiness and acidity to the sauce. All you have to do is pop open a jar.

Sick of the dining hall salad bar? Say goodbye to wilted Romaine lettuce and hello to this elegant kale recipe. It only uses five main ingredients: Kale serves as the base, dates and Honeycrisp apple chunks add sweetness, toasted almonds add crunch and grated Pecorino adds savory, umami flavor. Complete it with the simplest homemade dressing ever—lemon juice, olive oil and salt—and you’ll have a new favorite way to eat your veggies.

Ree Drummond’s mug omelet is a hearty, protein-packed breakfast with endless mix-in options—perfect for college students needing a quick, satisfying start on busy school mornings. Just grab a mug, microwave and you're good to go!

Smoothies are a quick, portable and delicious way to add more fruit to your diet. While you can make a smoothie however you want, this berry-banana recipe is a great place to start—hundreds of reviewers can vouch for it!

Quesadilla meets ham and cheese sandwich in this inventive, healthy recipe. Whole wheat tortillas are brushed with mustard and apple butter, then filled with ham, cheese and red onion. Garnish with apple slices tossed in lemon juice and cinnamon. It’s quick, nutritious and sure to get you out of a rut!

Sheet pan dinners are great because the meat and vegetables cook at the same time, totally hands-off. This variation takes the fuss out of making sausage and peppers—no grill required and no need to tend the vegetables as they soften. You’ll give the onions a five-minute head start, then add the peppers and sausage and stick the pan back in the oven for 25 minutes. Serve on a hoagie roll for a complete meal with minimal work.

Chili is an easy meal to make spontaneously because it uses lots of canned ingredients. That means you can stock your cabinets and save on time, money and trips to the grocery store. This recipe uses three types of canned beans (black, kidney and pinto), plus canned tomatoes and part of a can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. You’ll round it out with two fresh vegetables and some ground beef. This recipe also makes a big batch (10 cups!), so you can freeze your leftovers for a quick meal down the road, or better yet, invite your roommates and friends over!

If you’re stressed over school and craving the comfort of mac and cheese, don’t reach for the boxed stuff. Whip this up instead! With an additional 10 minutes of effort and a few more ingredients, you’ll end up with a pot of mac and cheese that you can actually be proud of. Plus, this recipe makes 6 servings at once, so you can hang onto the leftovers.

If you like cooking for friends, hotdish is also a great meal to have in your back pocket. The Minnesotan tater tot casserole mainly uses frozen and canned ingredients, so all you really need to do to prep is cook the onions and ground beef together. If you don’t have a baking dish, you can buy a pack of disposable aluminum ones.

Now, onto dinner. If you’re sick of instant ramen, throw out those flavor packets and use the noodles for this recipe instead! This 10-minute dinner includes vegetables (baby spinach and frozen corn) and protein (premade rotisserie chicken), plus kimchi for plenty of flavor. Garnish with fresh scallions and another pantry favorite: nori!

This five-ingredient salmon recipe is glazed with an unexpected combination of Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, maple syrup and fresh cilantro. It’s sweet, savory, bright and creamy all in one, and it all comes together in 20 minutes.

This hearty breakfast dish is packed with fiber—making a healthy start possible any day of the week.

Or, try this chicken, potato and broccoli sheet pan dinner. You’ll get started with the chicken and potatoes, then add the broccoli. Keep things simple by glazing the chicken with premade teriyaki and seasoning the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. There’s nothing better than a lazy, balanced meal.

Jet Tila’s Vegetable Egg Fried Rice is perfect for learning the technique behind fried rice. The ingredient list is a little longer, but it’ll ensure that your rice is flavorful and filling. Once you get the hang of the basics, you can customize your fried rice and use up the ingredients you have on hand.

Or, if you prefer, you can turn a smoothie into a filling meal of its own. It’s not more difficult than making a normal smoothie—just throw your ingredients into a blender, pour into a bowl and add your favorite toppings! You can finish this peanut butter smoothie bowl with chopped almonds, sliced bananas, cacao nibs, chia seeds or whatever else you can think of!

Don’t feel intimidated—this recipe is way easier than it looks. Instant grits do the heavy lifting while the shrimp cooks in butter in garlic. Garnish with lemon, parsley, salt and pepper. If you’ve got someone you want to impress with your cooking skills, this is the recipe to make.