The cast iron skillet is the quinoa of cookware: trendy, easy to use and a staple in the diets of hipsters. Yet again, the hipsters got it right. Cast iron skillets have naturally non-stick surfaces (aka easy clean up) and maintain flavors in food better than other cooking pans.
Better yet, there are so many one-pan recipes for cast-iron skillets, making them the only pan you need in your dorm room kitchen. Check out these easy cast iron skillet recipes with quick clean-ups for your residential kitchen.
1. Cheesy Asparagus Spinach Dip
Bonding with friends starts with food and ends with alcohol. Start off your friendships right by sitting around your cast iron skillet scooping up this bomb dip with your favorite chips. Then, get drinking.
2. Garden Egg White Frittata
Whip up this easy skillet frittata with friends for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. Don’t have the exact veggies that the recipe calls for? Don’t sweat it– you can use any leftover vegetables you have on hand. Everyone knows the cheese is the star of the show anyways.
3. Pull-Apart Caesar Salad Bread
Rule of thumb: If salad is in the name, it is healthy. Don’t question it, just eat it (directly out of the skillet). Want to make this meal even healthier? Make some spinach and artichoke dip to go with it. You are SO healthy.
4. Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet
It does not get easier than this well-balanced skillet dinner: only seven ingredients (plus salt and pepper) and done in under 30 minutes. Plus, it really is healthy.
#SpoonTip: Top this skillet stir-fry with sriracha to add some heat.
5. Skillet Deep Dish Pizza
There is nothing college kids love more than pizza, and this skillet pizza is definitely deserving of love. The cast iron skillet creates the ideal crust: crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Make sure to let the pizza cool before serving– skillets keep food unbelievably hot.
#SpoonTip: Want to save time? Use pre-made pizza dough (like the Trader Joe’s brand) and sauce.
6. Honey-Garlic Salmon
Are you afraid of the dry, unnaturally colored fish in the dining hall? Make your own salmon in just 15 minutes and load up on your omega-3’s.
7. Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken pot pie is the ultimate comfort food. This skillet pot pie is perfect for dinner on a cold, winter day (or any other day where you want to be metaphorically hugged by food).
8. Enchiladas
The best part about cooking enchiladas in a cast iron skillet is you can scoop out the extra filling with tortilla chips. Hello, improvised nachos.
9. Bacon Cheddar Cornbread
Recipe for happiness in a cast iron skillet: combine carbs, cheese and bacon.
10. Dutch Baby (German Pancake)
Cast iron skillets are great for more than just savory dishes. Whip up this German-style pancake in your skillet for a fancy and delicious breakfast or brunch. It might even cheer you up if your friends are studying abroad and you’re still stuck in America.
#SpoonTip: Whip up some sautéed apples in your skillet to top your Dutch Baby.
11. Maple Syrup Cinnamon Rolls
Sure, you could have cinnamon toast crunch in the dining hall– or you could make actual cinnamon rolls in a cast iron skillet. Just saying.
12. Ultimate Skillet Cookie
Sure, there are a lot of cast-iron skillet cookies out there, but there is only one ginger, apple cinnamon, snickerdoodle AND pumpkin spice skillet cookies. This epic, fall cookie truly earned its “ultimate” title.
13. S’mores Dip
This is arguably the most dangerous recipe on the whole list because it is ready in 5 minutes. It literally takes longer to boil water to make ramen than it takes to make this s’mores dip. What are you even waiting for?