The stress surrounding finals week is already all-consuming, but what often gets overlooked is having to finish all of your groceries before move-out. The date approaches faster than you can prepare for, often leaving college students to throw away some usable ingredients from the fridge before they leave for summer. It’s hard to prepare for because of the awkward time between trying to resist going back to the store, but also lacking the time or typical ingredients to make truly satisfying meals. But instead of wasting food or ordering excessive takeout towards the end of the semester, here are some easy fridge clean out meals that will help you use the groceries you thought you couldn’t before leaving for summer.
1. Turkey + Veggie Egg Bake
We can’t waste eggs in this day and age! My roommates and I randomly had a ton of eggs to use last week before we moved out, proving my point that the egg-bake is a college lifesaver. This easy recipe from @jenneatsgoood on TikTok combines lots of eggs with other need-to-use ingredients you probably have in your fridge, and can be enjoyed as a breakfast or lunch during finals week. It’s also easily reheatable for everyone studying hard, making it a game changer for maximizing time in the library.
2. Steak (Or Another Meat) + Tomatoes
Steak and tomatoes is a fancy-feeling recipe to enjoy during the end of the semester, but actually takes little time to prepare and uses tons of leftovers you probably have laying around in the kitchen. This video from @babytamago breaks down how to use every last ingredient, like herbs, garlic, and veggies, in a meat dish to make dinner enjoyable even when your fridge feels bare. Not everyone may have steaks lying around, but any meat or plant-based protein alternative can be substituted in this lunch or dinner.
3. Burger Bowls
The best way to use up some frozen stuff is burger bowls, as they are adaptable and customizable for whatever looming ingredients you have. In addition to cooking your burgers, add some veggies like lettuce, tomato, or onion to a bowl of rice (or whatever base you prefer). To make it even fancier, fry an egg to include on your patty like @laurendoesntspend2025 for a brunch-inspired alternative. This meal is also great with frozen veggie burgers or Beyond meat if you want to make it meatless.
4. Veggie Pasta
Pasta is probably the most obvious college pantry staple, and this meal is the perfect way to combine it with random leftover veggies to make something filling and delicious. As seen in this video from @brennan.kai, you can easily sauté any type of vegetable with garlic and oil to make it taste good. Once your pasta is cooked and drained, add it to the pan of veggies and combine both parts into a gorgeous dish. This will definitely leave you leftovers if you’re making the whole box of pasta, so keep it in the fridge during finals week for a reheatable dinner to pack for long nights at the library.
5. BBQ Chicken Salad
Another ingredient in almost every college kitchen freezer is ready-to-eat chicken tenders, so let’s combine them with the leftover veggies to make a balanced and delicious barbecue chicken salad. This recipe from @loganraehill uses up all the random things in your fridge into one satisfying dish. As the caption states, you really can make something out of nothing! Chop up the veggies and mix them in a bed of lettuce, coating the mixture with ranch and barbecue sauce to make it more flavorful. Cook your tenders according to the packaging and add them to the salad. You now have a salad that actually tastes good and uses up the fridge contents you were desperately needing to get rid of.