What are some legit meals you can make in your microwave that will save you money and time? There are quite a number of them. This can save you loads of money because the average American household spends $3,000 yearly when dining in restaurants.
This isn’t as much of a concern in today’s post-pandemic world but many cities are opening up as we speak. Again, what are the best microwave-ready meals? Keep on reading in order to find out for yourself the truth.
What are the Best Microwave-Ready Meals?
The best microwave-ready meals are those that are homemade. You don’t need a lot of effort or time in order to get a microwave-ready meal prepared. For example, you can make mac & cheese or macaroni and cheese meals for a quick snack or a packed lunch.
You can also avail of TV dinners or microwave-ready meals from the convenience store that requires about a minute or three to cook in the microwave. However, they won’t reduce your food expenses unless you buy the super-cheap and super-fattening junk food microwavable meals out there.
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The Appeal of Microwave-Ready Meals
Home-made microwave-ready meals are superior to other stove-prepared dishes in terms of their instantaneous preparation. You don’t need to use your conventional oven and its preheating requirements a stove to cook your microwave-ready meal.
You mostly need a few ingredients and a microwave to prepare these dishes. Additionally, $3,000 annually is a lot of money you could save for your retirement fund, your children’s college fund, student loan debt payment, your mortgage payment, or for your savings goals.
Further reading: What are the Best Microwave Meals for Work?
Mac & Cheese
You can make macaroni and cheese for 5 minutes. In one serving, you can use the following ingredients. You need ½ cup of water, salt and pepper (to taste), 3 tablespoons milk, ½ cup of elbow macaroni, one fresh chive (to garnish, optional), and ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese.
Get a Microwavable Mug or Dish for the Macaroni
Put the water, salt, and macaroni together in a microwaveable mug or dish. Microwave the concoction for 2 to 3 minutes then stir. Alternatively, you can microwave in 1-minute increments then stir every increment until you reach 2 to 3 minutes to even out the heat.
Add salt, pepper, milk, and cheese into this concoction then stir some more. Microwave that for another half-minute and then stir. Afterwards, garnish the finished product by sprinkling in slices of 1 or more chives.
Mug Omelet
It takes about 3 minutes to prepare an omelet or omelet in a mug. You’ll need the following ingredients though. Get about 2 eggs, salt and pepper (to taste), 2 slices of ham that’s been diced, ¼ cup of fresh spinach, and ½ bell pepper that’s been diced.
Combine the Ingredients in a Mug with No Particular Order
Preparing it is as easy as can be. Just combine all the ingredients in no particular order inside your ceramic or microwavable mug. From there, cook it for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir halfway through the cooking process or about a minute in or a minute and 30 seconds in.
Alternatively, you can cook per minute then stir the omelet every minute increment. Be careful that the egg doesn’t bubble over and make a mess. Just in case, put a bowl beneath the mug to catch the bubbling concoction.
Chicken Quesadilla
It takes about 4 minutes to prepare your own chicken quesadilla. For one serving of quesadilla, you need the following ingredients. Get about ½ diced bell pepper, 2 medium flour tortillas, 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning, ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, and ½ cup chicken strip or shredded chicken.
Half a cup of chicken strips or shredded chicken should be precooked. The tortillas should first be microwaved until they’re crispy. They’d then dry out a bit while cooling down. Microwave them in 1-minute increments until you get the desired toasty crispness.
Mix the Chicken and Seasoning in a Bowl
Mix the taco seasoning, peppers, and chicken together in a bowl until you get an even consistency filling. Afterwards, cook them in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or until the peppers become sufficiently soft.
Spread the mix evenly on the tortilla. Cover with cheese in an even manner as well. Afterwards, top the other tortilla above it. Now cook the complete quesadilla for another half to a whole minute. Slice it up then serve while hot.
Fully Loaded Baked Potato
It takes about 10 minutes to prep and bakes this potato in your microwave. One serving requires ingredients such as 1 russet potato that’s been scrubbed and washed, fresh chive (to serve), sour cream (to serve), ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, 2 slices of bacon, salt, and 1 tablespoon of oil.
As for prepping the potato, do the following. Use a fork in order to poke holes in your potato. These will serve as pressure release points while microwaving. Afterwards, rub the washed potato with salt and oil. From there, place the bacon slices on the same plate as your potato for microwaving.
Microwave Potato for 7-9 Minutes until Tender
Microwave the potato for 7 to 9 minutes. How fast it’s cooked or baked will depend on how many watts your microwave oven has. Microwave up until that point or up until the bacon is crispy while the potato itself has become tender. Avoid burning the bacon and remove it as soon as they’re crispy.
After cooling the crispy bacon, crumble it up. Slice your steamy cooked potato in half and then use the fork in order to make its insides fluffy. Sprinkle it with cheese up top then microwave the potato for an additional 30 seconds.
Finish up by topping the delicious baked potato with the crushed bacon bits, sour cream, and chives for the most delectable of presentation and most scrumptious of taste when push comes to shove.
When All Is Said and Done
When all is said and done, if you’re strapped for time then whipping up a hot meal at home for later consumption at school or in the office is much better than buying food when you barely have enough savings as is. There are indeed some fantastic microwave meals for you to try out.
Some of these meals are so delicious that they rival the usual treats provided by your nearby cafeteria. What’s more, a well-made macaroni & cheese can be quite impressive if you use quality cheese like parmesan or Velveeta.
References:
- Kathleen Elkins, “7 legit meals you can make in a microwave that will save you time and money“, CNBC.com, December 9, 2017
