Last-Minute Little Dinners for One: Tips, Ideas, and 25 Recipes

A few months ago, our own Jaime posted a piece called Little Meals for One. It was a brief, well thought-out article all about simple, small-scale home cooking. I loved it, as did many readers who were looking for both inspiration and validation. (A spoonful of peanut butter IS TOO a meal, dangit.)

Because sometimes? You just want food in your mouthhole. You want it in a single portion, and you want it a.s.a.p. Why? Well, maybe you’re late coming home from the office. Maybe it’s a lazy Sunday afternoon in August, and you have no great urge to further heat your already-sweltering apartment with a 450ºF oven. Maybe you’re just really hungry, and whipping up a whole lasagna for one person seems totally freaking insane.

Unfortunately, quick, single-portion recipes are hard to come by, probably because it’s difficult to prepare most gourmet meals in smaller serving sizes. So, how do you do it? How do you make a convenient, speedy meal without resorting to A) expensive and unhealthy processed food, B) takeout, or C) licking crumbs off your kitchen floor?

Well, first, it’s good to keep tricks these in mind:

• Keep your refrigerator, pantry, and freezer stocked with food easily portioned into small servings: eggs, cheese, pasta, etc.
• When you buy bigger packages of food (meat, veggies, etc.), portion them off in smaller grab-and-go bags as soon as you arrive home from the supermarket.
• Look for recipes where you broil, grill, steam, sauté, boil, and microwave. Avoid recipes where you roast, braise, soak, brine, or marinate.
• Keep low-cost, high-impact condiments and ingredients handy. Stuff like soy sauce, capers, olives, roasted red peppers, parmesan, curry powder/sauce, Dijon mustard, and horseradish can lend big flavor to tiny dishes in a hurry.
• Don’t limit yourself to traditional dinner cuisine. Breakfast and lunch foods taste just as good at 7pm.
• Don’t limit yourself to traditional American cuisine. Soups, curries, and stir fries are healthier and just as fast as burgers and hot dogs.
• Consider raw fruits and vegetables for side dishes. They’re healthy as all get out, and take zero time to prepare.
• Load up your freezer to your heart’s content. Frozen meats and produce can be defrosted quickly and cooked even faster. Consider canned versions of certain foods, as well, but be discerning when it comes to both sodium content and taste.
  
• Before you do anything, scan your fridge for ideas and ingredients. Bits and pieces can become ingredients in larger, more delicious meals.
• Speaking of bits and pieces, consider using many smaller foods to create one large meal. Eggs, a piece of fruit, and a side of refried beans never killed anyone.
• Most of all, K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple, Sistah)
  

After that, it’s always a good idea to refer to the basics: a.k.a. Dinners You Learned to Make When You Were 12. Often, these are the easiest options because you already have the ingredients on hand AND you're familiar with the foods. Like:

• Bagels (with low-fat cream cheese, lox, butter, PB&J, etc.)
• Baked potatoes
• Breads (with dips, cheese, veggies, or quick soups)
• Chicken or turkey sausages
  
• Cottage cheese
• Couscous mixed with anything (chopped vegetables, beans, etc.)
• Crackers with toppings of your choice
• Eggs (omelets, scrambled, sandwiches, baked, etc.)
• Fruit
• Grilled or broiled chicken or pork tenders
• Mashed black, pinto, or cannellini beans
• Oatmeal (sweet or savory, a la Mark Bittman)
• Pasta (with sauce, vegetables, cheese, etc.)
• Pierogies (boiled/steamed)
• Pizza bagels/English Muffin pizzas
• Portobello mushrooms
  
• Raw vegetables with simple dips (hummus, baba ghanouj, etc.)
• Rice mixed with vegetables and/or salsa
• Salads (vegetables, fruit, bean, or otherwise)
• Sandwiches (hummus, PB&J, grilled cheese)
• Shish kabobs (meat, veggies, or fruit broiled on a stick)
• Smoothies
• Steamed or sautéed veggies
• Stir fry
• Turkey burgers
• Wraps and/or soft tacos
  
• Yogurt
  

If those fail to float your boat, you might want to do a quick search for some recipes around the web, using the terms "Meals for one," "single serving," or "15 minutes or less." Here are some fast, simple, cheap, healthy suggestions from CHG. All of them can easily be rescaled to feed one person.

• Autumn Apple Salad
• Baked Eggs
• Black-Eyed Pea Salad
• Bodega Beans
• Broiled Eggplant Japonaise
• Creamy Parmesan Orzo
• Egg Drop Soup
• Egg McMuffins
• Eggplant Mini Pizzas
• Garlicky Broccoli Rabe
• Grape and Feta Salad with Rosemary
• Hummus
• Light Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
• Light Garlic Bread
• Miso Soup
• Moroccan Beet Green Omelet
• North African Style Chickpea Salad
• Pancakes (Buttermilkand Whole Wheat Buttermilk)
• Parmesan-crusted Portobello Mushrooms
• Pea Soup
• Polenta
• Refried Beans
• Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Parmesan
• Shaksouka (Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce)
• Stuffed Peppers

Sweet readers, how about you? What do you eat when you need something small, fast, and nutritionally sound? Do tell. Let's make this the biggest single meal list, ever.