5 Easy Meals a Student Can Make in a Rice Cooker
With a life as busy as yours, of course, you don’t have time to spend hours cooking your meals! If that’s about you, a rice cooker is your blessing in disguise. With it, you’re not limited to rice-based dishes only: you can prepare just about anything that involves boiling or steaming!
Rice cookers also solve a different problem for college students that live in dorms. That problem is not having access to a proper kitchen or kitchenette. You can plug it in almost anywhere and have it prepare your next meal.
And on top of all of that, you don’t have to be a chef to nail preparing meals with a rice cooker: it’s as easy as 1-2-3!
So, if you’re torn between “I don’t have time to prepare my meals, I already need Essaypro to write my essay for me” and “I’m not a chef at all,” rice cooker meals are the healthiest and most delicious option on the table for you. Here are five easy recipes you can start with.
Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese may be the childhood meal that reminds you of home. Or, you may just like it for how straightforward it is to make. Whatever it is, you don’t have to have a stove and oven to prepare it – all you’ll need is a rice cooker!
To prepare this meal, you’ll need:
- Macaroni – 2 cups;
- Chicken stock – 1 ½ cups;
- Salt – 1 teaspoon;
- Whole milk – 1 cup;
- Shredded cheese – 1 ½ cups.
Here’s what you’ll have to do, step by step:
- Put the macaroni, chicken stock, and salt into the rice cooker and cook them for 15 minutes (use the “white rice” setting);
- Add the shredded cheese and whole milk after those 15 minutes pass and leave it for 20 more minutes;
- Check and stir your meal from time to time to avoid unpleasant surprises;
- Enjoy your mac and cheese!
Ground Beef Chili
Is chili your comfort food? Good news: you can make it in a rice cooker, too! But even if it’s not, consider it anyway.
It’s inexpensive to prepare, which is great if you want to eat healthy on a tight budget. Plus, the prep will take you just five minutes – and the rest is up to the rice cooker. So, you can catch up on your reading or homework while it does its magic.
To prepare this meal for three servings, you’ll need:
- Olive oil – 1 tbsp;
- Ground beef – ½ lb.;
- Can diced tomatoes – 15 oz.;
- Can tomato paste – 3 oz.;
- Kidney beans – 15 oz.;
- A chili seasoning packet;
- Water – ¾ cup.
Here’s what you’ll have to do, step by step:
- Put the olive oil and ground beef into the rice cooker and set it to “white rice”;
- Stir regularly until the beef becomes browned (that’ll take around five minutes);
- Once it’s browned, add the chili seasoning packet to the mix, stir, and let it sit for a minute;
- Add kidney beans (without the juices), diced tomatoes (with the juices), tomato paste, and water, and stir;
- Leave the mix for another 30 minutes;
- Taste, adjust the seasoning if needed, and enjoy!
Potato Soup
If winter is right around the corner and you want something warm and liquid to keep you cozy, this potato soup should be on your to-make list. This homey recipe has been adapted for a rice cooker, so you can easily make it in your dorm. Plus, you won’t have to do a huge cleanup after you’re done preparing and eating!
To prepare this meal for two large servings, you’ll need:
- Water – 3 cups;
- Small russet potatoes – 2;
- Soup base – 1 tsp.;
- Ground black pepper – ½ tsp.;
- Green onions – 2;
- Smoked ham – 2 slices;
- Milk – 1 cup.
- Tomatoes and cilantro for garnish
Here’s what you’ll have to do, step by step:
- Chop the potatoes, green onions, and smoked ham;
- Add the water, potatoes, soup base, and ground black pepper to the rice cooker. Turn it on and leave the mix for 15 minutes (the potatoes should be fork-tender by the end of this step);
- Mash the potatoes;
- Put the onions and ham into the rice cooker and leave the mix to get prepared for another 10 minutes;
- Add milk and leave it for two more minutes;
- Salt, stir, garnish and enjoy!
Frittata
This is one of those dishes that look complicated on the outside, but once you start preparing one, you realize it’s not that complicated at all. It involves some chopping and stirring – and then your rice cooker will take over.
To prepare this meal for four servings, you’ll need:
- Frozen spinach – ½ cup;
- Fresh button mushrooms- ½ cup;
- Green onions – 2;
- Large eggs – 4;
- Ground oregano – ½ tsp;
- Ground thyme – ½ tsp;
- Salt and ground black pepper;
- Grated parmesan cheese – ¼ cup.
Here’s what you’ll have to do, step by step:
- Drain the frozen spinach and squeeze it dry;
- Clean and slice the mushrooms, chop the onions, and beat the eggs;
- Take a medium bowl and mix the spinach, onions, and mushrooms;
- Add the following ingredients to the mix in this order: the eggs, oregano, thyme, a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper, and the parmesan cheese;
- Mix all of the ingredients well;
- Put the mix into the rice cooker, set it to “White Rice”, and leave it for 12-15 minutes;
- Serve and enjoy!
Cheese & Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
Looking for a healthy meal option to boost your cognitive functioning that you can prepare in a rice cooker? Look no further: this quinoa casserole includes broccoli – the vegetable that’s great for your brain. On top of that, this is a vegetarian-safe recipe!
Warning. You’ll need the steaming feature for the broccoli. If your appliance doesn’t have it, you can either microwave the broccoli or put them on top of everything after the mid-preparation stir.
To prepare this meal, you’ll need:
- Broccoli – 1 small head;
- Garlic – 4 cloves;
- Butter – 1 tbsp.;
- Salt;
- Pepper;
- Quinoa – 1 ½ cups;
- Juice from 1 lemon;
- Water – 3 cups;
- Grated cheddar or parmesan-style cheese – 2 cups.
Here’s what you’ll have to do, step by step:
- Put the garlic and butter into the rice cooker and turn it on for a couple of minutes;
- Add the quinoa and stir;
- Put in the water and lemon juice and let it cook until most of the liquid at the top gets absorbed;
- Chop the broccoli in the meantime and place them in the steaming container when the condition above is fulfilled;
- Once it’s done, add the broccoli to the quinoa mix, stir, and enjoy!
In Conclusion
Here they are, the five meals that are perfect for dorm dwellers. After all, they are easy to make, don’t take a lot of time, and require only a rice cooker. Who’d want more?
Before you rush to your new favorite appliance to prepare one of these meals, you might still have some questions about using it. Let’s answer the three most common ones:
- Are rice cookers allowed in dorms? That depends on your college and its rules. Typically, though, if the appliance doesn’t have any exposed heating elements, you should be fine. Still, check your dorm policies to be sure.
- What else can you prepare in a rice cooker? Apart from the five recipes above, you can also make virtually anything in it! People are known to have prepared anything from ribs and pizza to pancakes and oatmeal in it.
- Is this appliance worth it? If you’re pondering this question before getting one, the answer is, “it’s 100% worth the investment.” It’s a versatile tool that’ll help you save money and doesn’t require sophisticated preparation skills.
About the Author
Twigs cafe staff is comprised of editors, writers, food & drink experts, nutritionists, and researchers to create informative and helpful content for health-conscious people.
