I Made All of My Meals in a Toaster Oven for a Week

By: Alexis M Peters ‘20

Okay, I’ve done some pretty wild food challenges in the past (check out my adventure of eating raw vegan in the USC dining halls for a week, here!) but this time, it wasn’t voluntary. I’m gonna let you guys in on a secret: Adulting is hard.

This is my first year living off campus in non-USC housing, and my roommates and I completely forgot that paying for our own gas is… a thing? For those of you who have had the wonderful fortune of living in university housing, where they take care of that stuff for you, let me explain.

Your landlord does not pay for your gas! (Well, sometimes they do, but check your lease agreement to be sure!) And guess what? Stoves and ovens run on gas! 

So… for an entire week, while my roommates and I waited for the gas company to come and flip a switch to get our stove up and running, I had to make do with the few appliances we had: a rice cooker, an electric kettle, and my one true savior: a toaster oven.

I had to get really creative, since we didn’t even have a microwave yet, but I actually made some things that I enjoyed, and will continue to make even now that our stove is finally turned on. Let’s do a meal-by-meal breakdown, so if you’re ever in a pinch, you’ve got some inspiration for a quick and easy meal for the toaster oven, that’s not just toast!

Breakfast

Baked Eggs:

Okay, I know that when a server asks how you’d like your eggs, no one ever says, “Baked!” but trust me, these taste just like regular eggs. And they’re super easy. I had a lot of eggs during the week…

Directions:

1. Grease a ramekin.

2. Crack two eggs. (Do not break the yolk; the eggs will not bake evenly.)

3. Sprinkle salt and pepper, then bake in the toaster oven at 400 for 10 to 12 minutes.

4. EAT.

Baked Oatmeal:

I was honestly a little scared about trying this out, but I am an oatmeal fiend, so I was willing to do anything. It actually turned out great! And I found that if you chop a few bananas into the ramekin while it’s baking… delicious! Then I love to pile on the toppings: more bananas and walnuts, and sometimes berries too.

Directions:

1. Fill ramekin with oats (quick cooking, steel cut, rolled, any type will do!)

2. Fill with favorite milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk.). Optional: chop in a few slices of banana

3. Add honey, cinnamon and stir.

4. Bake in toaster oven at 400 for 10 minutes.

5. Add desired toppings.

6. EAT.

Pancakes:

This one really could have gone sideways, but I was pleasantly surprised by the results! I used the pancake mix I had in the kitchen, which was this Paleo mix I got from Whole Foods. Plus I added some blueberries for fun!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Mix together pancake batter of choice.

3. Grease ramekin.

4. Pour in batter. Optional: Add blueberries.

5. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

6. EAT.

Lunch

Quesadillas:

I actually made this quite a few times during the week because of how easy and delicious it was! I put a few cherry tomatoes on the side along with cucumber and green onion as a sort of salsa, and then had strawberries on the side.

Directions:

1. Sprinkle cheese on one half of a tortilla. Optional: add desired veggies (I usually did bell peppers and green onions) and/or meat.

2. Fold tortilla.

3. Bake at 400 for 5 to 7 minutes.

4. EAT.

It’s almost too easy to be true. But these quesadillas made my day.

Dinner

Honey Garlic Salmon and Roasted Broccoli:

Yes, I did successfully thaw and cook salmon in my toaster oven, and no: it did not turn out to be sushi! I paired it with some roasted broccoli, which is one of my favorite veggies. Can we just talk about how delicious that looks?

Directions:

1. Preheat toaster oven to 400.

2. Thaw frozen salmon in warm water (about 20 minutes).

3. Drizzle honey and sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper on top of salmon.

4. Broil in toaster oven for 10 minutes.

5. Toss broccoli in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and set aside.

6. Add broccoli to tray and broil for another 10 minutes, or until broccoli is a vibrant green color, and salmon is a beautiful cooked pink.

7. EAT.

Pizza:

This was so tasty, I couldn’t wait to photograph it before taking a bite! Pizza is a pretty straight forward dish to make in the toaster oven. I just used the same tortillas as I did for the quesadillas, regular pasta sauce, and piled on all my favorite veggies: spinach, tomatoes, green onions, and peppers. Easy as pie!

Directions:

1. Spread sauce on tortilla, sprinkle cheese and desired toppings.

2. Bake on 380 until pizza is warm and cheese is melted.

3. EAT.

Honestly, the whole week felt like one of those crazy challenges on The Great British Baking Show.

But I actually managed to whip up some good meals. So, if you ever find yourself in a pickle where your stove doesn’t work, fear not! A toaster oven could be your new favorite appliance!

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