I Asked College Students for the Best 2-Ingredient Dinners

I’ll be the first to admit it: An entire dinner made from only two ingredients sounds a little too good to be true. Coming up with a full meal that is delicious, filling, inexpensive, convenient, and at least somewhat nutritious is already a challenge. But to meet all of these criteria in under two ingredients—impossible... right?

Wrong. It turns out there are actually plenty of experts you can turn to when you need one of these super simple recipes—if you know where to look. No, these crafty cooking connoisseurs aren’t famous chefs, recipe developers, or food influencers. They're college students. 

As a rising college junior myself, I might be a little biased. But, with minimal kitchen access, busy schedules, and small budgets, it's hard to deny that college kids are forced to quickly become experts in convenient cooking.

I've personally learned my best meal hacks over the last two years of school. And I don’t intend to outgrow them. There is always a time and place for a quick and easy bite. Regardless of your age or cooking expertise, you can always make use of a dinner that takes just a couple of ingredients and less than a few minutes to put together.

To round up the best two-ingredient dinners, I reached out to those who know dorm cooking the best: my college-aged friends. Here, I've gathered their most popular recommendations (with some recommendations of my own) for you to turn to the next time you need an easy dinner, too.

No-Knead Flatbread

This recipe was a recommendation from my friend Mia, and it might be my favorite idea of the bunch. While it feels gourmet, this easy flatbread only takes two ingredients and a short amount of time. Mia says she makes her flatbread by mixing Greek yogurt with self-rising flour to make a dough. She rolls it out into a circle, then cooks it in a pan with some olive oil until she has a golden brown flatbread. She cheats the two-ingredient rule by topping her flatbread with sliced tomatoes, salt, and pepper. You also could dip this treat in hummus or top it with cheese and pepperoni to make a pizza. This recipe is so easy, protein-packed, and delicious, I’m still not over how genius it is.

Microwaved Pasta

While this suggestion might seem a little obvious, there was overwhelming support for pasta made in a microwave from the college students that I asked. “You MUST add microwave pasta,” my friend Yana texted me when I asked for recommendations. Obviously, I had to listen. “Extremely successful, 10/10,” she added, suggesting jarred vodka sauce as the perfect addition to penne pasta made in the microwave. Another genius hack is to use a store-bought dip as a pasta sauce to maximize flavor and add variety. 

I got several recommendations for a microwave pasta maker to make easy meals for one. My friend Barclay said that she often used hers to make buttered noodles because she doesn’t find the stereotypical college meal of instant ramen appealing.

Rice and Beans

In college, my mom’s favorite two-ingredient meal was rice and peas. She passed her obsession with this strange food combination down to me, but I’ve never found anyone besides the two of us who finds this meal appealing. The biggest problem with this dish is likely that this meal lacks protein. So, I turn to its more popular (and filling) older sibling for this list: rice and beans. 

I’m not sure there is a more nutritious meal that can be made out of two ingredients. All it requires is a can of beans of your choice, rice, and a microwave. My friend Delaney says she recommends adding a packet of taco seasoning for flavor, a trick she learned from her brother.

Ramen Noodles and Eggs

Who would I be if I didn't include instant ramen noodles in this recipe round-up? I can't fail my fellow college students by leaving out the most classic dorm meal to ever exist. Ramen noodles are an easy meal staple, and it makes sense: They are easy and delicious. Plus, there are so many ways to make this meal more hearty without compromising their convenience.

It all starts with a good noodle: I have tried a wide variety of ramen noodle packages, and Momofuku ramen noodles are by far my favorite when I am lucky enough to get my hands on them. I don't object to Trader Joe's ramen noodles either. More often than not, however, I settle for whatever I can find at my college's convenience store.

If this dinner suggestion is a little too reminiscent of your college days, there are plenty of upgrades you could give your instant ramen to make them feel more like a meal. Probably the most obvious answer is an egg. My preference is scrambled eggs, but you also could go for a soft-boiled egg if you feel like it. Some less obvious adaptations include stirring in some peanut butter with your sauce, turning your ramen into carbonara, or even mixing raw noodles with a bagged salad for ramen noodle salad.

Hash Brown Waffles

Your waffle iron is useful for more than just your standard waffles. While I'd never object to having a waffle for dinner, sometimes you want to get a little more creative. During summer grilling season, my mom likes to make hash brown waffles as a side dish for flank steak with chimichurri. While delicious, steak is definitely too advanced for dorm room cooking. So, I'll settle for just the hash brown waffles (They were always my favorite part, anyway).

All you need to do for this one (!) ingredient dinner is throw some frozen, shredded hash browns into a waffle iron that has been sprayed down with cooking spray. If you are feeling fancy, I highly recommend tossing in some shredded cheese as well for some extra flavor. While your average waffle iron works, a great dorm hack is to use a personal-sized iron instead. You can eat this extra crispy hash brown waffle on its own, with ketchup, or add more hearty toppings such as bacon, avocado, or an egg.

Charcuterie Board

If I'm being honest, this "meal" is a college kid's fancy way of saying: I just ate the snacks I had in my fridge and called it dinner. But, this wouldn't be a complete round-up of college kid meals if I didn't include it. Charcuterie boards are a fan favorite among my college friends. We love them so much, we even collaborated to make one big charcuterie board for Friendsgiving this past year. 

My friend Sarine is a Trader Joe’s expert and says she likes to turn to crackers and Brie when she is feeling like an easy meal or snack. Another Trader Joe’s fan, my friend Lindsey, agrees, saying that she adds some sliced apples and almonds if she is “feeling fancy.” Charcuterie boards are an easy way to make eating those random snacks and leftovers hanging around in your pantry feel like a real meal. This dinner hack is especially tasty if you collaborate with others to share a wide variety of ingredients—popcorn, hummus, veggies, and salami are some of my favorites.

Overnight Oats

When it comes to easy dorm meals, breakfast for dinner is always a good idea. I’m thinking: frozen waffles, breakfast sandwiches, and, my personal favorite, oatmeal. It’s easy to underestimate oatmeal, but it makes a great base for a variety of both sweet and savory ingredients. Hot oatmeal is easy to put together in the microwave. But, for a grab-and-go option, overnight oats are also a genius suggestion. 

All you need to do is follow a simple overnight oats recipe by mixing together equal parts of oats and milk of your choice, then letting it sit in a jar in the fridge overnight. To amp this recipe up, my friend Colleen says she recommends adding bananas and peanut butter for an easy breakfast (or, in this case, dinner).

Similarly, my friend Kate says she loves to make overnight oats as an easy meal, but adds a few more ingredients to make them more nutritious, such as Greek yogurt, protein powder, and chia seeds. While you could technically stick to just two ingredients—milk and oats—adding other flavors that you might have, such as chocolate chips or berries, is an easy way to make it extra delicious.

Chicken Nugget Salad

Don’t overthink it, embrace your inner child, and whip up some chicken nuggets (Bonus points if they are dinosaur shaped). When asked her favorite dorm room meal, my friend Zoe simply responded: “Chicken nuggets.” I’ve already expressed my similar enthusiasm for fried chicken on salad, so a great way to make this meal more grown-up would be to put these chicken nuggets on top of a bagged salad. This way you get your veggies and protein, while still having fun at the same time.

While I am eager for the day I have access to a real kitchen for "real" dinners, it's nice to know these two-ingredient dinners are never going anywhere. The only downside to these super simple recipes is that I'll no longer have an excuse to order takeout the next time I don't know what to do for dinner. Now, you have these easy meal options for when you need them, too.