Cooking is like furnishing your apartment; you buy the essentials first. A comfy bed, a couch to watch movies on, a chair to sit on, and eventually, these will be the items you take with you on your next journey. The same goes for recipes! When experimenting with cooking, you learn the basics and gradually add to your long list of recipes! Here is a list of easy stovetop meals for every newbie chef or hungry college student.
One-Pot Stovetop Lasagna
Skip the oven! Make this cheesy stovetop lasagna in 20 minutes. This recipe only requires three ingredients:
- Lasagna noodles
- Spaghetti sauce
- Italian cheese mix
You can add your flair if you want! Other things you can add are:
- Spinach
- Peppers
- Hamburger meat
- Onions
- Ricotta cheese
- Turn your stovetop burner on high, combine your pre-cooked meat (if you decide to add meat), half the container of spaghetti sauce, and one cup of water to the pot.
- Add seasoning to your mix and wait for the mixture to boil.
- Once your mixture boils, turn your stovetop down to low, break your lasagna noodles into fourths, and layer over the sauce mixture.
- Pour the remaining sauce on top of the noodle layer and cover the sauce mixture with the rest of your broken noodles.
- After layering your noodles and sauce, place the lid on top of the skillet. It’s essential to put the lid on top of your skillet because the heat and moisture cook the noodles, and we can’t have uncooked noodles!
- Stir your lasagna twice during the process to ensure that the noodles don’t stick together.
- Place your cheese on top and watch it melt into cheesy goodness!
And just like that, in 20-minutes, you have a solid meal!
Fried Rice
Say goodbye to ordering take-out! To make fried rice, you will need:
- Day-old rice (so your rice won’t become mushy)
- Eggs
- Carrots
- Green peas
- Garlic
- Onions
- Soy sauce
- Sesame or olive oil
You can add shrimp, steak, or chicken if you want to add meat to your meal!
- Add olive or sesame oil to a pan on medium heat and stir in the carrots and green peas until they soften.
- Once they soften, slide your veggies to the side, add your garlic, and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side.
- Scramble your eggs and mix them with the vegetables.
- Add your rice and pour soy sauce on top until it’s heated throughout and you’re ready to eat!
Breakfast Skillet
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Why not kick off your day with this super easy breakfast skillet?
To start your day off right, you will need:
- Eggs
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Frozen cubed hashbrowns or fresh potatoes
- Onion
- Minced garlic
- Bacon or any breakfast meat
- Cook your bacon over medium heat until it’s finished cooking.
- Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels, but leave a little grease.
- Add your onions and potatoes to the pan, stir to coat them in bacon grease, and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add water and cover the pan so that the potatoes and onion can steam.
- Cook your potatoes for about 15-minutes or until they’re soft, only flipping once or twice.
- Stir in garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add seasoning to taste.
- Carefully move your potatoes to the side and cook your eggs to your liking. Sprinkle cheese and bacon (or other breakfast meat) on top, and voila! You have the breakfast of a champ!
Cooking easy recipes doesn’t always mean grilled cheese sandwiches and air-fried chicken nuggets. By following these easy stovetop meals for every newbie chef, you will go from a beginner to a Michelin star chef in no time!
