When you have to follow a complex recipe while lacking the expertise, it makes cooking a chore. That’s partially the reason why instant ramen was invented.
There’s something about the sentence sauté the onions until golden brown that translates to precisely lower onions into the oil at exactly 1.3506 minutes time, medium heat, and cook for 2.8566 minutes for some untrained individuals, including myself.
Luckily, microwaves bring the difficulty level down a notch while still carrying the promise of quality meals. For those students with the mind of a chef but the skill set of a fumbling toddler, crank up Single Ladies by Queen Bey and shimmy your way through these recipes.
1. Microwave Cheesy Spaghetti in a Mug
Photo by Fei Huang, Edited by Cheryl Ching
Spaghetti and microwave just don’t belong in the same sentence. They especially don’t belong in the same sentence when the meal involves melted cheese layered between and on the spaghetti and juicy sausage bits.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients:
1½ cup spaghetti, broken into segments
1½ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
1½ heaping cup shredded cheese
Dash of salt and pepper
½ cup sausage
1 clove garlic, finely minced
⅛ cup green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
Directions:
1. Break the spaghetti and then add it to a bowl. Add water and salt. Cover bowl and microwave for four minutes.
Photo by Fei Huang, Edited by Cheryl Ching
2. Stir and then microwave again for three to four minutes until the water is mostly absorbed.
Photo by Fei Huang, Edited by Cheryl Ching
3. Add milk, cheddar, and nutmeg. Mix evenly and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. In two mugs, divide up sausage, garlic, green onions and butter. Mix and then microwave for two minutes.
Photo by Fei Huang, Edited by Cheryl Ching
5. Separate the spaghetti into the two mugs and mix contents.
Photo by Fei Huang, Edited by Cheryl Ching
6. Top with more cheese and microwave for 3 minutes until bubbly and hot.
Photo by Fei Huang, Edited by Cheryl Ching
2. Microwave Quiche in a Mug
Photo by Cheryl Ching
Repeat after me: microwaves can make actual meals. Sure, poached eggs are handy when you just want a thirty second flash meal, but your eggs have so much more potential.
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute
Total Time: 3 minutes
Servings: 1
Ingredients:
1 large egg
1½ tablespoons whole milk (substitutes: half and half or heavy cream)
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
4 small grape tomatoes, halved
⅛ cup bread, torn
1 tablespoon cheese, grated
1 teaspoon fresh herbs of choice, chopped
Directions:
1. Cut each grape tomato in half and prepare the bread.
Photo by Cheryl Ching
2. In a mug, crack in an egg and add milk and melted butter. Season with salt and pepper and whisk.
Photo by Cheryl Ching
3. Toss in cheese, herbs, tomatoes and bread.
Photo by Cheryl Ching
4. Microwave on high for a minute.
Photo by Cheryl Ching
5. Add additional chopped herbs for garnish. And enjoy.
Photo by Cheryl Ching
Now that you’ve got your masterpiece of a meal in front of you, it’s time to sit back, relax, and admire this common kitchen appliance that we take for granted.
Instead of cooking enough for three Tupperware containers’ worth of leftovers, you can have a fresh, quick microwave dinner on those busy evenings. The best part is, it’ll probably taste better than reheated food from two days ago.
If you want to see more microwave uses, look no further and take a peek at the following: