Find yourself feeling peckish while working from home, but you’re about to have a meeting real soon? If you have a microwave, your problems are solved.
I’ve always wondered what the difference between an oven and a microwave was, and I realised that they’re actually close cousins. The microwave, or “microwave oven”, uses radiation to heat up food, while the oven uses a heating element that heats up the air in it.
Many may think that microwaves can only be used to reheat leftovers or heat up instant food, but they are capable of so much more. With these three easy microwave recipes, we’ll show you how to create delicious midday snacks with just your microwave and minimal ingredients.
1. Mac n’ Cheese
This delicious snack needs no fancy introduction—I’m sure it played a part in many of our childhoods. In this recipe, I’ll be making creamy Mac n’ Cheese in the microwave with raw ingredients. Yes, that means you don’t even need a pot for boiling the pasta because the microwave will do it for you.
If you’re thinking of making a portion for lunch or dinner, feel free to double up the ingredients. The best thing about this recipe is you can use any leftover meat you have in the fridge like ham or bacon to jazz up this timeless classic.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup of elbow macaroni
- ⅔ cup of water (depends on the strength of your microwave)
- ⅓ cup of shredded Cheddar cheese
- 2 tsp of milk
- Any leftover meat you have in your fridge (optional)
Tools
- Microwave
- Mini casserole dish (You can use a heat-resistant mug if you want to!)
Recipe Preparation
- Put the elbow macaroni in your microwavable mug or casserole dish. You can also use a bowl if you want to, but make sure it’s a big one or the water will boil over.
- Add the water into the mix and microwave for 6 minutes. Check on it and stir when you have 4 minutes, 2 minutes and 1 minute left to cook.
- If you have a stronger microwave, you might have to add more water into the mix. Ensure that your macaroni isn’t dried up and it has been cooked thoroughly.
- Once your pasta is cooked, there should be some thick pasta water left at the bottom. Do not throw it out or strain it.
- Add the cheese and meat of your choice (optional) to the mix and put it back into the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds to ensure that the cheese melts.
- Stir well and add the milk in.
Recipe (In Pictures)
Step 1: Prepare all your ingredients beforehand for a smoother cooking experience.
Step 2: Put your elbow macaroni in a microwavable mug or casserole dish. In my case, I used a ramekin and realised it was too small to hold the bubbling water in the microwave.
I switched over to use a mini casserole dish instead. Make sure whatever you use is big enough to hold the boiling water.
Step 3: Add the water into the mix and microwave for 6 minutes. Check on it and stir when you have 4 minutes, 2 minutes and 1 minute left to cook.
If you have a stronger microwave, you might have to add more water into the mix. Ensure that your macaroni isn’t dried up and it has been cooked thoroughly.
Step 4: Once your pasta is cooked, there should be some thick pasta water left at the bottom. Do not throw it out or strain it.
Step 5: Add the cheddar and meat of your choice into the mix and stir well. Return to the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds to allow the cheese to melt.
I had to use mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar, which resulted in a less creamy version of Mac n’ Cheese than I had expected. Play around with the different cheeses to find the one most suited to your preference!
Step 6: Add in the milk and stir well. If you fancy more milk in your Mac n’ Cheese, you’re welcome to add more.
Step 7: Garnish the dish with a little parsley and serve it.
Ta-da! A cheesy, creamy and fulfilling portion of Mac n’ Cheese. For those who don’t have an oven, it’s so easy to make it in your microwave. What’s more—it takes less than half the time than it would if you bake it.
I absolutely adored how the ham tasted with the sauce, and the pasta was cooked till al dente with a springy bite. I just felt that the cheese might have been a wrong choice because the dish overall wasn’t cheesy enough. You might want to avoid using mozzarella and experiment with other cheeses instead.
This is definitely a great midday snack that you can fix up for yourself and savour while you’re in the middle of your endless pile of work. Undoubtedly a crowd favourite, you can even make portions for your family—even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy a good ol’ plate of Mac n’ Cheese!
2. Chocolate Lava Cake
This might just be one of the only recipes that surprised me the moment I was finished cooking. Taking only 70 seconds to cook, this has got to be the fastest record time I’ve seen a lava cake produced.
A delightful sweet treat, lava cakes are famous for their trademark contrasting hot and cold temperatures from the molten chocolate “lava” and vanilla ice cream.
Here’s a super-easy way to make a lava cake from the comfort of your own kitchen, in just 70 seconds.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup of flour
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 2 tbsp of sugar
- 2 tbsp of cocoa powder
- A pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp of oil
- 2 tbsp of milk
- 1 chocolate truffle (I used the Lindt Lindor milk chocolate truffle)
- 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream
Tools
- Microwave
- Bowl
- Ramekin (You can use a heat-resistant mug or a microwavable bowl)
Recipe Preparation
Preparation time: 5 minutes; Cooking time: 1 minute 10 seconds
Feeds one
- Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cocoa powder) together in a bowl and mix well.
- Add the wet ingredients (oil and milk) into the mixture and combine until you form a paste.
- Put half of the mixture into the ramekin (or your microwavable kitchenware) and place the chocolate truffle in the middle.
- Add the rest of the mixture on top of the chocolate truffle.
- Microwave for 70 seconds.
- Top it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and serve.
Recipe (In Pictures)
Step 1: Prepare all your ingredients beforehand for a smoother cooking experience.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cocoa powder) together in a bowl and mix well.
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients (oil and milk) into the mixture and combine until you form a paste.
Step 4: Put half of the mixture into the ramekin (or your microwavable kitchenware) and place the chocolate truffle in the middle.
Step 5: Add the rest of the mixture on top of the chocolate truffle.
Step 6: Microwave for 70 seconds.
Step 7: Top it off with vanilla ice cream, and serve.
Voilà! You’ve made your very own lava cake in such a short amount of time. Do be careful when handling the ramekin because it’ll be too hot to touch with your bare hands.
This cake made me feel absolutely accomplished because of how perfect it turned out.
I felt like I might have put too much flour into the batter, making the cake a little drier than I had hoped. If you’re making this dessert, I suggest you lower your flour measurements a pinch. The ice cream is optional, but it solved the “dry cake” issue very quickly, and I do believe that it’s essential to every molten lava cake.
It was absolutely chocolatey and delicious, and I was so tempted to whip up another portion. I even shared a bite with my brother and he loved it, proving that even the pickiest eater will wolf down this dessert without question.
Indulge in this delectable dessert that you can make in less than 10 minutes while you’re working from home! I’m sure the boss won’t know you had snuck away when you’re making this dish because you’ll be in and out in a flash.
3. Baked Potatoes
If you love potatoes, you’re going to love this recipe. Although this one takes around 20 minutes to prepare, you’ll hardly notice it’s taking that long because you’re “baking” these in the microwave!
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes
- Toppings you want for your baked potatoes (I used leftover meat I had in the fridge)
Tools
- Microwave
- Tongs
Recipe Preparation
Preparation time: 5 minutes; Cooking time: 20 minutes
Feeds three to four
- Wash the potato skin thoroughly.
- Put the potatoes in a bowl and coat with a little olive oil and salt if you fancy.
- Lay a paper towel in the microwave and place the potatoes on top of it.
- Cook for 10 minutes, and then flip them around to cook for another 10 minutes.
- Add your toppings on top of the potato. If you’re adding things that need to be cooked further (like uncooked bacon or shredded cheese), pop the loaded potatoes back into the microwave for another 4 to 5 minutes.
Recipe (In Pictures)
Step 1: Prepare all your ingredients beforehand for a smoother cooking experience.
Step 2: Wash the potato skin thoroughly. This is optional, but you may put the potatoes into a bowl and coat them with olive oil and salt.
Step 3: Lay a paper towel in the microwave and place the potatoes on top of it. You don’t need to use a container or a bowl.
Step 4: Cook for 10 minutes, then flip them around to cook for another 10 minutes. They should be soft to touch now.
Step 5: Make a slit on the potatoes but do not cut them all the way. This is to hold your toppings, if any.
Step 6: Include the toppings you want for each baked potato. I included sour cream, bacon, pepperoni slices, ham and shredded cheese.
Step 7: If you have uncooked food as toppings for the baked potatoes, pop them back into the microwave for 4 to 5 more minutes.
And you’re done! You’ve made your very own baked potatoes with just your microwave at home.
Just looking at these reminds me of baked potatoes I’ve had at Jack’s Place when I was younger. Loaded with scrumptious toppings, I could already tell they would go extremely well with the soft, fluffy potato.
You’re more than welcome to switch up the toppings to whatever you find most appetising. As a cheese lover, this satisfied me more than I could ever imagine.
I was pleasantly surprised at how cooked through the potatoes were—I never expected that a microwave’s heat could be this powerful.
I would say that the midday snack I enjoyed the most was the baked potatoes. Savoury and delicious, it’s hard to comprehend that it was made only in a microwave. I guess I now see the many uses of a microwave apart from it just being able to reheat my leftovers. If you’re feeling peckish throughout the day, try out some of these recipes at home—it’s fairly easy and not time-consuming at all.
Hoping for something more up your alley? Check out our other simple stay-home recipes to challenge yourself. Bon appétit!
