Everyone agrees that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For a college student though, the late night snack is equally crucial. When I get home from a late night, whether it’s from a party or an all-nighter at the library, I head straight for the kitchen. I usually end up going for a peanut butter sandwich or a bowl of cereal, but once in a while I get creative with my post-party food.

I’m lucky enough to live in a house with eleven other hungry kiddies who share my love for late-night snacking. We have developed something of a reputation for our late-night pasta. The first person home from a night out gets a start on boiling water and chopping onions and garlic and by the time everyone is home we are all gathered in the kitchen eating pasta and homemade tomato sauce from Solo cups. Though cleaning up the mess the next morning is never fun, I swear our “drunk pasta” is a magic hangover preventer.

Not every college student is as lucky as I am to have a full kitchen at their disposal for late-night cooking. Besides, I have a few little scars from my less than perfect night-time knife skills. Below are the two recipes I often turn to after a late night that don’t require any scary chopping.

Katharine spent her junior year indulging in delicious food (and doing a little studying) in Lyon, France and Bologna, Italy. Back home, she loves cooking Ina’s Perfect Roast Chicken.

**Recipes**

Summertime Tomato Sandwich
Serves 1

First, we have the Summertime Tomato Sandwich. My mom makes this sandwich all the time during the summer when it’s too hot to cook. As one of the pickiest eaters the world has ever known, I used to balk at the idea of a sandwich with *gasp* tomatoes and *yuck* mayonnaise and worst of all, no peanut butter. I’m glad I got over my bad habits because this sandwich has become a major staple in my quick snack repertoire (I like to add avocado these days). Best of all, it’s easy and doesn’t require any sharp knives for post-midnight munching.

Ingredients
1 piece of bread
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
½ tomato, sliced
½ avocado, sliced (optional)
salt
pepper

Toast the bread

Spread the mayonnaise and layer on the tomato and avocado slices.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Eat!

 

Drunk Pasta with Cheese
Serves 4-6

This recipe originated from one of our late night pasta-fests when we had run out of canned tomatoes. We ended up adding whatever we could find into the pasta and the result was a huge hit. The ingredients seem a little strange (milk and white wine?) but it tastes great. The pasta is close to a mac-and-cheese but the red pepper flakes give it a nice kick. Serve in heat-safe Solo cups with plastic utensils to minimize the cleanup.

Ingredients
1 lb pasta (oriechette, pipe rigate, or shells work best)
1 ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4-1/2 cup milk
splash white wine
pinch garlic powder
pinch red pepper flakes

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-12 minutes or until al dente.

Drain pasta but be sure to save a little bit of pasta water in the pot.

Return the cooked pasta to the pot and, while stirring, add the Parmesan cheese.

While continuing to stir, pour in a splash of milk and a splash of white wine (I promise, it’s good).

Add several shakes of garlic powder and red pepper flakes to taste.