As a college student, there is nothing I love more than a quick and easy meal. Even better yet, I love to know I can get all the ingredients from just one store. “The I Love Trader Joe’s College Cookbook” presents the perfect opportunity, listing off 180 fun recipes which only require ingredients found in Trader Joe’s stores.
The cookbook is divided into 12 chapters, highlighting different categories such as breakfast, pastas, and simple sides. It also has sections for microwavable and air fryer meals for those really in a time crunch, as college students often are. Across the board, the recipes are quite simplistic and felt very approachable for a novice in the kitchen such as myself. When it comes to making a recipe, I am always intimidated by the idea of buying all the ingredients, especially in the chance I can’t find everything I need. Knowing that everything can 100% be found in a Trader Joe’s definitely made me more willing to try out something new.
Brown Butter Ravioli
I decided to try out both a pasta dish and a dessert recipe. For my pasta dish, I went with the ravioli with brown butter sauce. As for the dessert, I went with the monkeybread. As someone who truthfully avoids cooking at all costs because I’m not great at it, I was super intrigued to see how it would go with the help of this cookbook.
The ravioli recipe called for just 3 ingredients: 2 packages of cacio e pepe ravioli, 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter, and ⅓ bag of arugula. I’m not a huge fan of arugula so I did not know how that would go over… but I liked it! The recipe was very easy, only requiring the cooking of ravioli and melting of butter, then finally adding arugula to the mix. The combination of the cacio e pepe flavor and buttery sauce was delicious, and this is a meal I would make again! It was so super quick with a cook time of just 10 minutes. A success for my first meal out of the cookbook!
Monkeybread
I then decided to make the monkeybread as a fun treat for me and my roommates. Again, this recipe called for just three ingredients: 4-5 pieces of English toffee with milk chocolate, ⅓ cup unsalted butter, and 2 containers of jumbo cinnamon rolls. This recipe was slightly more involved, as you had to crush up the toffee and arrange the ingredients specifically in the pan.
The construction of the monkey bread went well, however, I faced some troubles with the baking. I’m not sure if it’s due to my apartment’s old oven or my inability to bake, but a corner of the bread loaf was raw, despite leaving it in for 10 extra minutes. The top of the monkey bread was also a little burnt, even with its semi-raw insides. However, the other 75% of the monkey bread was great (and cooked). It was a hit in the apartment!
I love Trader Joe’s more and more every day
My experience with the “I Love Trader Joe’s College Cookbook” was lots of fun and surprisingly easy for a college student with limited time, kitchen space, and cooking skills. The recipes were easy to follow, required minimal ingredients, and tasted amazing. I’m excited to make my way throughout the book and try as many of the recipes as possible. Cooking now feels less intimidating than it ever has before, and it’s great to know that it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complex. Some of the cookbook’s recipes will surely become staples of mine throughout the rest of my college years.