Christmas Meals You Can Make Right In Your College Dorm Room

Easy, dorm-friendly microwave recipes every college student can enjoy during the holidays.

Planning to celebrate the holidays in your dorm? Whether you’re staying on campus or gathering with friends before heading home, you can still enjoy holiday comfort food without a full kitchen.

Regardless of your culinary skills, these simple dorm-friendly recipes let you celebrate right from your dorm room.

For those working without a full kitchen, ditch the boxed mashed potatoes and try microwave mashed potatoes instead. This recipe eliminates waiting for a large pan of water to boil and helps the potatoes peel more easily and quickly.

Mashed Potatoes

For creamy mashed potatoes, buy russet potatoes and pierce them all over with a fork. Then microwave one side of each potato on high for at least two minutes, turn and cook the other side for another two minutes, repeating with all the potatoes. If the potatoes are larger, you may need to turn them again and repeat the process two more times.

Allow the potatoes to cool for at least 10 minutes, then peel the potatoes and add to a large bowl to mash the potatoes well or to your preference. Then stir in some warm heavy cream or milk, softened or melted butter, salt and pepper, or seasonings of choice. Garnish with some chives, or to give your potatoes a rich, creamy texture and tangy flavor, add some sour cream, and there you have it, some creamy mashed potatoes perfect to pair with turkey.

Now, along with boxed mashed potatoes, we will also be ditching boxed macaroni and cheese and instead opting for a simple macaroni and cheese.

Macaroni and Cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, cook elbow mararoni or cavatappi, also known as spirali -perfect for capturing the cheese sauce in macaroni and cheese – in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through for about 7 to 8 minutes.

While you bring the pot to a boil, melt the butter in a saucepan. Then, add flour, salt and pepper, or seasonings of choice, and stir until smooth for about 5 minutes, pour in milk slowly or heavy cream, stirring occasionally until mixture is smooth and bubbling, add shredded cheese of your choice until melted. Drain the macaroni and add the cheese sauce, stirring until fully coated.

While the recipe uses a stovetop, it can be made in a microwave instead of bringing the pot to a boil. Combine an equal amount of dry macaroni and water in a microwave-safe bowl, microwave for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring almost every minute. Then use a microwave-safe bowl to melt the butter, add flour, salt, and pepper, or seasonings to the bowl, stirring until mixture is smooth, add the milk or heavy cream, and the shredded cheese to the bowl, microwave to melt the cheese, then add the cheese sauce to the macaroni, folding until fully coated.

Sweet Potato Casserole

A sweet potato casserole is the perfect recipe for any special holiday. Using a microwave-proof baking dish, you want to grease the baking dish with coconut oil and layer the unpeeled and sliced sweet potato slices in the baking dish. In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, brown and white sugars, orange zest, orange juice, and salt, pour the mixture over sweet potatoes, cover with Saran Wrap, and microwave for 10 to 12 minutes. Let the casserole sit for a minute, top with marshmallows and heat in the microwave to melt some of the marshmallows or throw in the oven for about 5 to 6 minutes to brown the marshmallows or until the marshmallows are the color you like. 

Cornbread

Cornbread is an easy make, you can either use a box of cornbread mix or make a 5 minute microwave cornbread.

In a bowl, mix ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup cornmeal, ½ cup milk, 1 large egg, two tablespoons sugar, two tablespoons vegetable oil, two tablespoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Heat in the microwave for about 3 minutes, and there you have it, cornbread ready to serve.

Stuffing

Stuffing is a very traditional and typical dish for the Holidays. Sometimes cooked inside a Thanksgiving turkey, try a simple stuffing made with breadcrumbs or cornbread mix, ground sausage or turkey, and vegetables or dried fruits. Mix 8 cups of breadcrumbs or cornbread, 1 cup minced celery, ⅓ cup melted butter, 1 cup chicken broth, 2 teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning, and a dash of pepper. Microwave for 4 to 6 minutes, and you have microwave stuffing.

Kale Salad with Cranberries

Easy to assemble and the perfect complement to any main course, make a kale salad with cranberries, shallots or red onions, orange zest, and sliced almonds, topped with a zesty, sweet orange oil-and-vinegar dressing. This dressing calls for 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar, two tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, one tablespoon honey, three tablespoons orange juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground pepper.

And we can not forget about desserts. Dish out a healthy apple crisp made with tart apples, topped with old-fashioned oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or opt for a classic pumpkin pie.

However you celebrate, these dorm-friendly recipes will help you enjoy a comforting and delicious taste of home, bringing the holiday spirit right to your dorm.