When I reflect on my college dining options, I remember pizza delivery and a pitiful dining hall buffet. Fortunately, college dining has changed tremendously in recent years.
This up-and-coming generation favors fresh, sustainable and innovative recipes. According to Food and Beverage Insider, Gen Z is “reshaping the food world through their adventurous palates, reliance on social media for food discovery, and desire for both familiar favorites and new flavors.”
To meet students’ demand for quality global cuisine, dining halls are now often designed like food courts, offering a smorgasbord of international choices. Some campuses have food trucks and grab-and-go cafes. And many residence halls offer communal kitchens that allow students to create their own meals.
While campus cooking is hardly a new trend, Gen Z is taking dorm dining to new heights. Social media features recipes that can be made in minutes, and small kitchen appliances have opened up a new world of possibilities for dorm-cooked meals. Whether it’s cooking up a late-night snack after the dining halls have closed or a homesick hankering for home-cooked food, dorm dining has become a key part of the college experience.
At many universities, including the University of Georgia, college students are allowed coffee makers, popcorn poppers and microwaves in their living spaces. Many residence halls also have community kitchens where students can make their own food. The list of approved appliances that University of Georgia students are allowed to bring in includes air fryers, slow cookers, sealed-unit electric hot pots or skillets, toasters and toaster ovens.
Quick, easy and cheap are the primary guidelines for dorm dining — college hasn’t changed that much! Heading off to school is often the first time these young adults are responsible for their meals. These Gen Z-friendly recipes use readily available components that you can find at most grocery stores, store-bought ready-made ingredients and small appliances that are allowed in the dorm room or communal kitchen.
RECIPES
This trio of recipes gets an A-plus for quick and easy dorm dining: Cheesy Potato Kale Smash is a plant-forward dish that aces the comfort food test. The Bulgogi Lettuce Wraps acknowledge the Gen Z global gourmet and also include a nontraditional mushroom addition, upping the vegetable intake. Lastly, the S’mores Pizza is an instant hall party courtesy of the toaster oven and store-bought pizza dough.
Credit: Virginia Willis
Credit: Virginia Willis
Cheesy Potato Kale Smash
Gen Z may be adventurous eaters, but everyone still loves good old-fashioned comfort food. In this recipe, microwave-cooked mashed potatoes are amped up with butter, cheese, kale and a smattering of red pepper flakes for heat.
1 unpeeled russet potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons water
5 ounces baby kale
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, or to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Place the cubed potatoes in a microwave-safe baking dish. Add the water and cover with plastic wrap or lid. Cook on high until the potatoes are just tender, about 5 minutes, depending on the strength of your microwave. Remove to cool slightly.
Carefully remove the lid or plastic wrap. Add the kale, Parmesan cheese and 1/2 tablespoon butter. Stir to combine. Return to the microwave and cook, uncovered, until the kale is wilted, about 2 minutes.
After removing the dish from the microwave, season with salt and pepper. Using a fork or potato masher, smash the potatoes and kale until well incorporated, but still slightly chunky. Top with remaining butter and red pepper flakes. Serve immediately.
Serves 2.
Per serving: 210 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 8 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams total sugars, 5 grams fiber, 10 grams total fat (5 grams saturated), 22 milligrams cholesterol, 497 milligrams sodium.
Credit: Virginia Willis
Credit: Virginia Willis
Bulgogi Lettuce Wraps
At first glance, pricey steak may not seem to work within a college budget, but Korean barbecue is hugely popular with Gen Z and even more expensive to eat out. For around $15, thrifty chef-minded students can prepare this well-liked dish in their dorm kitchen with an electric hot pot or skillet and a bottle of store-bought sauce.
8 ounces sirloin steak, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
4 mushrooms, stem ends trimmed, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1/4 cup Korean bulgogi barbecue sauce, such as Ajumma Republic
4 romaine leaves
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Gochujang or hot sauce, for serving, optional
Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the steak, mushrooms and onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender and the steak is no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sauce coats the meat and vegetables, about 1 minute.
Divide the meat mixture between the 4 lettuce leaves. Top with green onions, sesame seeds and optional gochujang or hot sauce. Serve immediately.
Serves 2.
Per serving: 342 calories (percent of calories from fat, 45), 27 grams protein, 20 grams carbohydrates, 14 grams total sugars, 2 grams fiber, 17 grams total fat (6 grams saturated), 85 milligrams cholesterol, 415 milligrams sodium.
Credit: Virginia Willis
Credit: Virginia Willis
S’mores Pizza
As campfire favorites, s’mores are typically graham crackers sandwiched with toasted marshmallows and milk chocolate candy bars. For college students, this dessert pizza mashup is made with marshmallow fluff and dark chocolate chips. It’s a snap to make in a toaster oven for a hungry crowd.
16 ounces pizza dough
1 (7.5-ounce) container marshmallow fluff
1 cup dark chocolate (60% cacao) chips
8 squares (2 ounces) graham crackers, broken into bite-size bits
Heat the toaster oven or oven to 400 degrees. Pat dough evenly and up the sides of a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Prick the dough with a fork all over. Transfer the baking sheet to the toaster oven and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet with the crust from the oven. Spread the marshmallow fluff with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to cover the dough evenly. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and crushed graham crackers evenly over the marshmallow fluff.
Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the chocolate is soft and melted and the marshmallow fluff is warmed, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool slightly. Slice and serve immediately.
Serves 20.
Per serving: 168 calories (percent of calories from fat, 26), 2 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 5 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 137 milligrams sodium.
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