Skip to content

Top Navigation

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Recipes
  • Cooking 101
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
SUBSCRIBE
Pin FB

Explore Cooking Light

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

      Our 31-day calendar of meals and tips shows you how to cook more and love it with fun, family-friendly meals that come together quickly and deliciously. Read More
    • Dinner Tonight: Quick and Healthy Menus in 45 Minutes (or Less)

      Hundreds of delicious recipes, paired with simple sides, that can be on your table in 45 minutes or less. Read More
    • Our Favorite Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

      Who ever said that chicken wings, doughnuts, and pizza couldn't be healthy? Read More
  • Recipes

    Recipes

    See All Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Recipe Makeovers
    • Quick & Healthy
    • Diabetic
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Cooking Light Live
  • Cooking 101

    Cooking 101

    See All Cooking 101
    • Essential Ingredients
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Meet the Chef
    • Cooking Resources
    • Budget Friendly
    • Smart Choices
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living

    Healthy Living

    See All Healthy Living
    • Weight-Loss
    • Health
    • Fitness
    • Home
    • Travel
    • Nutrition 101
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Recipes
  3. Easy Microwave Recipes

Easy Microwave Recipes

April 05, 2013
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Credit: Photo: Ryan Liebe
In most kitchens, the microwave is a reheater and a defroster. But there are ways to coax out delicious flavors and textures that you'd swear came from an old-fashioned, slow-cook oven.
Start Slideshow

1 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Microwave Magic

Credit: Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Microwave Sweet Potato Chips

We had a thousand-watt mission to demonstrate that cooks who use microwave ovens only to reheat coffee or to thaw and heat frozen foods are missing a fundamental point: The microwave can actually cook food.

By "cook" we mean deliver crisp textures and complex flavors associated with the dry heat of the much slower regular oven. We wanted a quick, moist meat loaf, for example, or a genuinely creamy risotto that takes half the stovetop time and requires half the amount of stirring.

First, you won't want to miss these Microwave Sweet Potato Chips. You'll need a mandoline to slice the potato thin enough to crisp. The results are delicious and easy, sans the hassle of the oven.

1 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Cod with Fennel and Orange

Credit: Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Cod with Fennel and Orange

This entrée cooks in 7 minutes, with very little cleanup. The bags we used (Ziploc) are dioxin-free and food-safe in the microwave.

 

2 of 13

3 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Almond Brittle

Credit: Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Almond Brittle

Substitute pecans, walnuts, peanuts, or pine nuts for almonds, if you prefer.

3 of 13

Advertisement

4 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

Credit: Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

This risotto is not covered while microwaving. Be sure you are using at least a 2-quart bowl to allow plenty of room for the liquid to boil.

4 of 13

5 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Everyday Meat Loaf

Credit: Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Everyday Meat Loaf

The meat loaf cooks in the microwave for just 8 minutes, a fraction of the time it takes for traditionally baked meat loaf. Broiling the cheese on top of the cooked meat loaf until it's brown and bubbly lends the dish a pleasing, oven-baked look.

5 of 13

6 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Quick Breakfast Tostada

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Quick Breakfast Tostada

This hearty dish, with eggs, beans, and cheese, is good for any meal. Add a little cooked chicken or ground beef for a filling breakfast-for-dinner option, or cook the eggs ahead and pack each ingredient separately for an assemble-at-work lunch. It's also good for kids to make themselves, as everything cooks quickly in the microwave, no stove necessary.

6 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Microwave Smashed Potatoes

Credit: Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Microwave Smashed Potatoes

If you’ve maxed out your oven and cooktop, let your microwave do the heavy lifting for smashed potatoes.

7 of 13

8 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Fudge

Credit: Photo: Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Fudge

Make the combination of peanut butter and chocolate even better by stirring in instant coffee granules and topping the fudge with chopped peanuts.

8 of 13

9 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Caramelized Onion-Stuffed Baked Potato

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Caramelized Onion-Stuffed Baked Potato

Baking the potato in the microwave makes this dish a snap to prepare. Fontina, mozzarella, or even Parmesan would work in this dish. Serve with filet mignon, flank steak, or a seasonal green salad.

9 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Soft Chicken Tacos

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Soft Chicken Tacos

Everyone loves tacos. These easy-to-make soft tacos can be spicy or mild, depending on the type of salsa you choose. Serve with a tomato-and-onion salad.

10 of 13

11 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Ham and Cheese Hash Browns

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Ham and Cheese Hash Browns

This recipe resembles a hearty potato hash and is a great use for leftover ham. Cooked entirely in the microwave, it's ready to eat in less than 15 minutes, so pair it with fresh fruit or a salad for a truly effortless dinner.

11 of 13

12 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Braided Salmon

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Braided Salmon

For an even shorter prep time, omit the braiding step. Cut salmon fillet into four (six-ounce) pieces, and cook as directed in braided method.

12 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Microwave Bacon Brittle

Credit: Photo: Ryan Liebe
View Recipe: Microwave Bacon Brittle

Making brittle doesn't get much easier than this! Forget the stovetop and candy thermometer, this microwave masterpiece is ready in under an hour.

13 of 13

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 13 Microwave Magic
    2 of 13 Cod with Fennel and Orange
    3 of 13 Almond Brittle
    4 of 13 Asparagus and Lemon Risotto
    5 of 13 Everyday Meat Loaf
    6 of 13 Quick Breakfast Tostada
    7 of 13 Microwave Smashed Potatoes
    8 of 13 Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Fudge
    9 of 13 Caramelized Onion-Stuffed Baked Potato
    10 of 13 Soft Chicken Tacos
    11 of 13 Ham and Cheese Hash Browns
    12 of 13 Braided Salmon
    13 of 13 Microwave Bacon Brittle

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Cooking Light

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    MeredithCooking Light is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Cooking Light may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Cooking Light. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.cookinglight.com

    View image

    Easy Microwave Recipes
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.