10 Dorm-Friendly Thanksgiving Recipes
10 Dorm-Friendly Thanksgiving Recipes
Whether you’re working with a full kitchen or a MicroFridge, you can still put together a delicious meal
If you’re planning on hosting a Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving dinner in your dorm this year, you may find yourself scrambling to prepare the traditional recipes you know and love with limited kitchen space. Regardless of your culinary skills, putting together a feast for your friends can be challenging when your only means of cooking is a microwave. To combat this, we’ve compiled six simple, dorm-friendly Thanksgiving recipes your guests will be sure to gobble up. Enjoy!
Microwave Mashed Potatoes
The ultimate comfort food. For those working without a full kitchen, ditch the boxed stuff with this microwave mashed potatoes recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds (453 grams) russet potatoes, ½ pound each, rinsed and dried
- 1½ cups (354 ml) heavy cream, warmed in the microwave for 1 minute
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
Serves four (Recipe courtesy of culinaryginger.com.)
Stuffing
Sometimes cooked inside a Thanksgiving turkey, this classic is known for its variation in taste and appearance. Whether you typically make your stuffing with sausage, dried fruits, vegetables, or even oysters, this simple stuffing is sure to win over the crowd.
Ingredients:
- 8 cups breadcrumbs
- ½ cup minced onion
- 1 cup minced celery
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 dash pepper
Serves 10 (Recipe courtesy of food.com.)
Sweet Potato Casserole
Here’s an age-old debate: “Is it a dessert or a side?” When it comes to sweet potato casserole, there are no right or wrong answers. Whether you prefer your casserole with or without the classic marshmallow topping, this recipe is sure to make a splash at any celebration.
Ingredients:
- 5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced ⅓ inch thick
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, plus more for greasing
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- zest of one orange
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 cups marshmallows
Serves six (Recipe courtesy of food.com.)
Microwave Mac and Cheese
You can never go wrong showing up to a celebration with a dish of homemade mac and cheese in tow. Use this simple recipe for an elevated take on microwave mac and cheese.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup elbow macaroni
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons milk
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- fresh chive, to garnish, optional
Serves one (Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com.)
Turkey Cutlets
The turkey: la pièce de résistance of a Thanksgiving feast. Many families spend entire days toiling away to perfect this signature dish, but attempting to roast a whole turkey in a dorm kitchen may be a little ambitious. To avoid the headache, mess, and time commitment, try this recipe for turkey cutlets instead.
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper, divided
- 1 package (17.6 ounces) turkey breast cutlets
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
Serves four (Recipe courtesy of tasteofhome.com.)
For those working with a microwave, try this turkey cutlet recipe:
- Turkey breast
- 1 stick butter
- 1 envelope onion soup mix
- 1 envelope Italian dry seasoning salad mix
Serves one (Recipe courtesy of cooks.com.)
Pumpkin Pie
To top off your Thanksgiving meal, check out this five-minute no-bake take on a pumpkin pie. Or you can always opt to pick up a premade pie from the Star Market near campus—no one’s judging.
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1½ cups Cool Whip
- graham cracker crumb pie crust
- 1 cup milk
- 2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 15 ounce can pumpkin
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Serves 12 (Recipe courtesy of butterwithasideofbread.com.)
Non-alcoholic Cranberry Spritzer
You can’t leave your guests thirsty. A Cranberry Spritz is the perfect drink to impress your friends. You can even learn how to make the drink to order instead of in advance if you want to take the dare of being a mixologist, as found in the step-by-step instructions below.
Ingredients:
- Cranberry juice: this recipe will work with both 100% cranberry juice or cranberry juice cocktail.
- Sparkling water: add just the right amount of sparkling water to create a bubbling effect for the drink.
- Lemon: 1 slice for each glass is enough to add a touch of citrus to the spritzer.
- Mint leaves: add contrast color to create a more vibrant and stunning look for the drink.
- Sugar: combine it with water to make a simple syrup.
(Recipe courtesy of cookmorphosis.com)
Cornbread
It’s not Thanksgiving without cornbread. You can prepare a store-bought cornbread mix with an extra egg and a bit of milk in the microwave or cook it from scratch with this recipe!
Ingredients:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Serves six (Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com)
Gravy
Let’s not forget the gravy on top! Who would have guessed that even gravy is microwavable?
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons each of butter and flour,
- 1 1/2 cups turkey broth,
- 1 teaspoon each of soy sauce and Worcestershire,
- 1/4 cup of heavy cream and a sprig of thyme.
(Recipe courtesy of foodnetwork.com)
Pumpkin Rockey Road Microwave Fudge
This recipe is not the typical chocolate fudge. Marshmallows, pumpkin spice chips, cranberries, and pecans all together make the perfect combination for a thanksgiving recipe. The best part is that it will take you five minutes to make!
Ingredients:
- 12 oz white chocolate chips
- 8 oz pumpkin spice chips (See Note 1)
- 1 tbsp hot water
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup dried cherries chopped
- 1/2 cup pecans rough chop
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
Serves sixteen (Recipe courtesy of keviniscooking.com)
Thanks for reading, Terriers. Let us know what recipes you tried down below, and feel free to share any recipes of your own.
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