My college roommate taught me this cheap dinner hack. Just 3 ingredients for the most satisfying salty and savory bowl you will eat this month.

This slow cooker 3-ingredient Spam and rice is the kind of cheap dinner hack you pick up in college and quietly keep making for decades. A former roommate showed me this trick during finals week: salty, savory cubes of Spam slowly render and baste a bed of sticky white rice, turning three pantry ingredients into a deeply satisfying bowl. It’s budget-friendly, requires almost no prep, and delivers that comforting, salty-savory hit you crave at the end of a long day.

Serve this straight from the slow cooker into deep bowls so you get plenty of the golden brown Spam and the flavorful rice underneath. A simple side of steamed or microwaved frozen vegetables (like broccoli, peas, or a stir-fry blend) adds color and freshness without complicating the ingredient list for the main dish. If you like, put out soy sauce or hot sauce at the table so everyone can adjust the salt and heat to their taste, and pair with iced tea, seltzer, or a crisp lager to balance the richness.

Servings: 4

2 cups uncooked white rice (short- or medium-grain, well-rinsed)

Rinse the rice under cold running water in a fine-mesh strainer, swishing with your fingers, until the water runs mostly clear. This helps the grains cook up tender and not overly sticky.

Lightly mist or rub the inside of your slow cooker crock with a thin film of oil to help prevent sticking (optional but helpful).

Add the rinsed and drained rice to the slow cooker, spreading it into an even layer across the bottom.

Pour the chicken broth evenly over the rice. Gently nudge the rice so it’s submerged and level, but do not stir aggressively; you want an even layer so it cooks uniformly.

Scatter the Spam cubes evenly over the surface of the rice. Do not stir them in; keeping them on top allows the meat to brown slightly and its rendered fat and seasoning to drip down into the rice as it cooks.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid. Cook on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or on LOW for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid. Avoid lifting the lid during the first 90 minutes, as that releases steam and can lengthen cooking time.

Once the rice is tender, turn off the slow cooker and let the mixture rest, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. This resting time lets the steam redistribute so the rice finishes cooking gently and any remaining moisture settles.

Fluff the rice gently with a fork or rice paddle, lifting from the bottom so the savory juices mix through the grains while keeping the Spam cubes mostly intact on top. Taste and adjust with a splash of extra broth or water if you prefer softer rice, then cover and let sit a few more minutes if needed.

Spoon the steaming rice into bowls, making sure each serving gets a generous share of the golden brown Spam cubes on top. Serve hot, straight from the slow cooker.

To keep this aligned with the spirit of the original college-style hack, the base recipe uses just three ingredients, but you can customize it once you’re comfortable. For a slightly lighter flavor, use Spam Lite or low-sodium Spam; for extra richness, try the bacon or teriyaki varieties. If you want a crispier texture on the Spam, you can briefly brown the cubes in a dry skillet over medium heat before adding them to the top of the rice in the slow cooker, though this adds a small extra step. You can also swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth if that’s what you have on hand; just note the flavor will be a bit softer and less meaty. For more seasoned rice, stir in a pinch of black pepper or garlic powder right into the broth before cooking, or finish the bowls with a drizzle of soy sauce or hot sauce at the table instead of adding more ingredients to the pot. Food safety tips: Use a reliable slow cooker that heats properly, and keep the lid on during cooking to maintain a safe temperature. Because Spam is fully cooked, the main concern is ensuring the rice reaches a safe, steamy temperature throughout; cook until the rice is soft and hot in the center of the pot. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, store in a shallow container, and reheat thoroughly until steaming hot before eating, adding a splash of water if the rice seems dry.