Here you are in your new student rental in Columbus, Athens or whatever college town, and this is the first time you’ve ever lived on your own. There’s a lot to unpack here – including, of course, all your stuff! – but one thing you’re especially anxious about is how on earth will you feed yourself?
Sure, you know how to prepare snacks for yourself – you can whip up a great peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the best of them. And Ramen noodles? No problem. But how ’bout an actual nutritious and tasty meal? Following are three tried-and-true entrees that should help get you through your first year living on your own. Once you have these down, in no time at all you’ll be competing on Netflix cooking shows.
(With all of these, if you doubt you’ll want to eat this particular dish all week long, make half as much as what we’re suggesting.)
Of Course We’ll Start With Mac ’n Cheese
We’re going to move up a few levels from Kraft (well, actually, Kroger or Walmart generic) mac ‘n cheese. The homemade stuff is a totally different experience. Boil up 12 ounces of elbow macaroni (or veggie rotini or other types of pasta if you prefer). Don’t overcook it since the pasta will be cooking in the oven as well. Preheat the oven to 375.
Decide what sort of cheese you want to use. This is really up to you, and is a great way to put your own personal stamp on the mac ‘n cheese. We prefer a mixture of mild and sharp cheddar. If you can afford to splurge, try adding some quality swiss or other boutique cheese. However, it works just fine if you just use mild cheddar.
Now put your mac ‘n cheese together using a layered approach. Pasta at the bottom, then some chopped onions, a coating of cheese, and a splash or two of milk. Then just repeat till the ceramic cooking bowl is full, with the final layer a thick coating of cheese. Cook for about a half hour and it’s done! There’ll be enough to eat for a few days, or else invite friends over to your Athens or Columbus apartment or rental house for dinner.
Get Creative With Quesadillas
This is another dish that you can personalize to your heart’s desire. Ingredients must include medium or large-size wheat tortillas (either regular or whole-wheat) and grated cheese. Optional ingredients can include lightly sautéed veggies (various peppers, mild or hot, chopped green or red onions, black beans or refried beans (seasoned preferably), black olives, chopped tomatoes, salsa, basically whatever you want. (We’re not recommending certain amounts – that’s up to you based on what you like.) While the aforementioned ingredients are for veggie (not vegan) quesadillas, you can add your precooked meat of choice as well.
Preheat the oven to “warm” (or 180 degrees). Set all of the ingredients in front of you and begin building your quesadillas. (It’s better to have them all ready to cook, rather than building one or two at a time as you cook them.) Place a tortilla on a plate and begin placing cheese and other desired ingredients onto one side of the tortilla, then fold it over. Set aside and make the next one. And the next one…
Heat up a skillet until a slice of butter starts sizzling. Place two quesadillas into the pan next to each other, then cover the pan while it cooks at medium or medium low. Check them after two or three minutes, and if they’re lightly browned, remove from the pan just long enough to add another slice of butter. Place the turned-over quesadillas back in the pan, cover and cook a minute or two until done. Watch closely so they don’t burn. Repeat this process until you have enough quesadillas to eat for the rest of the week.
You’ll love the way the cooking fragrances waft through your student rental. Eat them with salsa or guacamole on top. Left-over quesadillas heat up nicely in the microwave.
Sautéed Fish, Easy and Delicious
Fish is healthy and relatively cheap if you buy the right kind. Many rookie chefs make the mistake of wanting to recreate the fried fish and chips they enjoy eating at restaurants. You can fry up your fish and potatoes at home, for sure, but don’t expect this to produce anything resembling the restaurant-grade meal. At least not until you’ve perfected the process with a lot of ruinous trial and error.
Start your fish adventure modestly with sautéed fish. Some types of fish that are ideal for pan-cooking are cod, haddock, flounder, walleye, halibut, swai, lake perch, sole and any sort of salmon or trout (though wild-caught is preferable). You can find an assortment of fish at Kroger or Walmart in two-pound frozen packages. Once thawed, these flash-frozen fillets are likely to be fresher than the fish that’s ostensibly sold as fresh behind the seafood counter. Just take a whiff of the fish that’s sitting out on display to get an idea of how “fresh” it really is.
To thaw, put the desired number of fillets on a covered plate in the fridge overnight, or else, for quick thawing, run cold water over them in the sink. Pat dry them with a paper towel. If the fillets come in individual plastic wrap, remove the wrap before thrawing.
Preheat a non-stick skillet with a couple slices of butter. Season your fish however you like – just salt and pepper, or perhaps add paprika or some other seasoning. Take a minute and Google “seasoning for sautéed fish” to get an idea of your options. Cook the fillets at medium for two or three minutes each side, adjusting the time based on the thickness of the fillets. If you’re cooking two or three “shifts” of fillets, place the finished ones in the “warm” oven on paper towels, then add a bit more butter to the skillet and cook up the next shift of fish.
Sautéed fish are also excellent to use in fish tacos or quesadillas.
Don’t Forget Veggies
If you’re feeling guilty about not adding a veggie course to your mac ’n cheese, quesadilla or sautéed fish entrée, it’s easy enough to rectify that omission. The easiest way is to purchase an assortment of frozen veggies in microwavable packaging. With some of these products, you don’t even need to vent the packaging. Just put your mixed veggies, peas and carrots, green beans, Brussel sprouts or whatever into the microwave and cook for as long as directed on the package. This is an inexpensive but tasty option.
