How to Make a College Approved Meal

Cooking can be challenging! Especially trying to decide what to make. Photo by Pixabay

You don’t have to be in college to need a quick and easy meal. Sometimes you’re running late or sometimes you just don’t have the energy to whip up an amazing meal like you usually do. On those days there are many options, but here I am going to give you a step by step for making one of my favorite college approved meals.

Step 1: Gather Ingredients

Delicious ingredients make delicious meals. Photo by Pixabay

The first step for any successful recipe is to gather everything you need. If you wait, you’re likely to forget something or end up running around like a chicken with its head cut off while trying to do everything else!

For this meal you need your choice of pasta, a can of your favorite kind of cream of, a can of beans, a can of corn, cheese, and anything extra you might want. I like to add broccoli and chicken.

Here’s a pre-Step 1 tip. If you are going to be using vegetables, fruits, or anything that needs to be cut, prepare them beforehand and then refrigerate them for easy use on your busy days.

Step 2: Prepare Noodles

Pick the right size pot and put your noodles on to boil. Photo by Buenosia Carol

You’ve picked your favorite pasta, now it’s time to get it ready. You probably know how to do this one. Get your pot and fill it with water. When the water is boiling add your noodles and cook until they are done how you like them. Then strain them. You can rinse them if you want, but make sure it isn’t in cold water.

Step 3: Get Everything Else Ready

Making sure you have gathered everything you need will help you be more organized. Photo by Kaboompics.com

This step can be done while Step 2 is happening. This is where you want to cut anything you need, gather any ingredients you forgot (garlic salt, pepper, etc.), and cook any meat you are going to use. This step helps everything move more smoothly once your pasta is ready.

Once everything is prepped and the pasta is done cooking you are ready to move onto the good stuff.

Step 4: Mix it All Together

This is where it all really starts coming together.

The best part! Use the pot you boiled your pasta in (for less dishes later), and combine all your ingredients. If you get everything in the pot and it’s not saucey enough for you add another can of cream of or throw in more cheese. And you want to make sure it is heated all the way through.

While your food is heating, it’s a good time to do a little clean up. Ideally you would be cleaning the whole time you’re cooking, but even if you do that you’re bound to have some mess at the end. So while you’re waiting do a quick cleanup. Trust me, you’ll be grateful later on.

Step 5: Enjoy!

Food is perfect for sharing! Photo by Rawpixel

This simple meal is one of my favorites. If you get to the tasting and feel like it’s missing a little something, add a flavor of your choice. I really like soy sauce or sweet chili sauce. Both are delicious and help boost the meal a little. But feel free to add in whatever you like best!

There are hundreds of quick and simple meals out there. They often do take a little planning though. So during your weekly meal plan, make sure to include one or two of these meals. It will make your life so much easier and you’ll thank yourself when those busy days come.