Four Healthy, Tasty Dishes You Can Make with Just a Microwave

This stuffed spaghetti squash is topped with spinach, marinara sauce, and low-fat mozzarella cheese. All you need is a MicroFridge. It’s one of four recipes, with videos, you’ll find below, created by Sargent Choice Nutrition Center dietitians. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi

If you’re living in a dorm room, chances are your only kitchen appliance is a MicroFridge. It can be hard to figure out what to make besides the same old ramen noodles, canned soup, and frozen dinners. So BU Today reached out to the team of talented dietitians at Sargent Choice Nutrition Center and asked them to provide four tasty, healthy, easy-to-prepare dishes. All you need are the ingredients and that handy MicroFridge. We’ve included the recipes and four easy-to-follow videos below. You’ll find great ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even a seasonal dessert.

The veggie frittata is ideal for any meal, with the red and green bell peppers and green onions adding a pop of color and great taste. The loaded sweet potato recipe calls for Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, and the hint of cumin and sprinkle of fresh cilantro pack a ton of flavor. The spaghetti squash recipe uses the squash as the noodles and the vessel in a delightfully novel entrée: the squash is topped with spinach, marinara sauce, and low-fat mozzarella. For those with a sweet tooth, there’s a yummy apple crisp recipe. It’s the quintessential fall dessert.

Take a look. You’ll be cooking like a pro in no time.

The secret to making this veggie frittata is stirring the egg mixture every 30 seconds—that way, the vegetables don’t sink to the bottom.

Microwave Veggie Frittata

Makes one serving

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp chopped green onion (about 1 small green onion)
• 1 Tbsp diced red bell pepper
• 1 Tbsp diced green bell pepper
• 2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Pinch of salt
• Cracked pepper

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the bell peppers, green onions, cheese, and salt and pepper.
2. Coat the inside of a small bowl or ramekin with nonstick cooking spray, and pour egg mixture in.
3. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir egg mixture. Microwave 30 seconds and stir again. Microwave 60 seconds, until eggs are just set.
4. Pair with a whole-wheat English muffin or wrap and a piece of fruit for a balanced meal.

This recipe adapted from PowerHungry.com.

This loaded sweet potato recipe uses Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, giving the meal a little bit of tang and richness on top.

Microwave Loaded Sweet Potato

Makes one serving

Ingredients

• 1 medium sweet potato
• ¾ cup canned black beans, rinsed
• 1 small tomato, diced
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp ground coriander
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp reduced-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Prick sweet potato with a fork in several places.
2. Wrap sweet potato with wet paper towel. Microwave until tender all the way to the center, approximately 10 minutes.
3. While sweet potato is cooking, combine beans, tomato, oil, cumin, coriander, and salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
4. Remove sweet potato from microwave and let cool.
5. Microwave bean mixture on high until just heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Slash sweet potato lengthwise, press open to make a well in the center, and spoon the bean mixture into the well.
7. Top sweet potato with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of cilantro.

This recipe adapted from EatingWell.com.

For this vegetarian entrée, spaghetti squash not only is the “noodles”—it’s also the vessel for the yummy filling.

Microwave Spaghetti Squash

Makes two servings

Ingredients

• 1 small spaghetti squash
• ½ cup spinach
• ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup marinara sauce

Directions

1. Poke holes in spaghetti squash with a fork.
2. Microwave 8 to 12 minutes to soften.
3. Use heat-resistant gloves to handle hot spaghetti squash. Cut in half, lengthwise. Remove seeds with a spoon.
4. Place each half of squash flat-side down in ½ inch of water in the bottom of a microwave safe dish (example: 8”x8” glass or ceramic casserole dish).
5. Microwave for 10 minutes.
6. Scrape flesh of the squash with a fork until all of the flesh looks like spaghetti noodles. Leave squash in casserole dish skin side down.
7. Layer ½ cup spinach, ⅓ cup reduced-fat cheese, and ¼ cup marinara sauce on top of each squash half.
8. Return to microwave for 3 minutes.
9. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Rolled oats and chopped walnuts supply the crunch in this healthy microwave adaptation of traditional apple crisp.

Microwave Apple Crisp

Makes one serving

Ingredients

• 1 small to medium size apple, sliced
• 1 tsp dried cranberries
• 2 Tbsp rolled oats
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1 Tbsp plain yogurt for topping (optional)

Directions

1. Place apple slices in bowl. Sprinkle on cranberries.
2. In a separate small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Add canola oil. Stir with fork until incorporated into dry ingredients. Stir in nuts, if using.
4. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Microwave until apples are tender and topping is cooked through, about 2 minutes.
5. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top with a dollop of plain yogurt, if desired.

This recipe adapted from Health.com.

Alan Wong can be reached at alanwong@bu.edu.