I’m looking for suggestions for small-ish dishes, or meals suitable for one person. My main requirement is to NOT make large amounts of something & then freeze lots of portions of the same thing, and I’d like to avoid leftovers in general as much as possible.
No allergies or dietary restrictions, but my health is better overall when I stick with a protein-heavy diet. Frankly I prefer animal protein (dairy, red meat, fish etc.) and fat/calories are not a concern here.
But the best part about being single is the leftovers.
When I’m in “No leftover” mode, I usually buy single serving sides at the store. I buy the microwave ready rice in a bag, (real) mashed potatoes single servings, and Mac n cheese. There’s also a plethora of veggies you can buy.
For the entrees I have a stack of frozen hamburger patties, as well as chops and chicken breasts.
The hamburger patties are great, because I can go straight from the freezer to the pan. I haven’t tried that with the breasts or chops.
So right there you have a decent combination of dinners you can cook with no LOs. And all these dinners can be cooked and on your plate in less than 10 minutes to boot.
Hamburger(as noted) is your friend. Me, I deliberately make a large serving specifically to have something to put in the freezer for later(cooking in advance) however, one of my faves is to brown some hamburger, add in a can of corn and a can of green beans for color. This is the base, you can then add taco seasoning or whatever flavoring of your choice and eat it on a tortilla or as part of another dish. I do sometimes buy a package of ground beef and divy it up into individual portions to be frozen. Steaks, chops, chicken legs wings breasts can all be portioned the same way.
Chicken Piccata. It’s really easy. Here’s a recipe from food network.
I buy thinly sliced chicken breast from the grocery to make it faster. There are generally 4 pieces in a package but you can make 1 and freeze the rest in individual packages. Since they are thin they will thaw out quickly when you want to cook another.
Get some frozen vegetables and you have a meal.
The pan sauce is great on mashed potato’s. I think Bob Evans makes single servings (at least here in Ohio).
I also like Knorr side dishes. I make the alfredo noodles and add brocolli to it for a vegetarian meal. You could add chicken to make it more protein rich. These may be 2 servings per package. How do you feel about splitting a package before cooking it and putting half in a baggie for another day?
One sausage (kielbasa or other smoked), cut up into bite-sized pieces
One potato, similarly cut
One small onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
Oil of choice
Heat oil in a pan heated to med to med-hi. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and toss in the pan to brown and cook. Test one to see if it’s about done. Add the sausage and onion and continue to cook until the sausage is browned. Dump in on a place and eat it.
This was always my go-to meal when I was traveling on my own and staying somewhere that had a kitchen. You could also add a diced up pepper (hot or mild) for more interest. I still make this dish on occasion.
Salty Oatmeal. What’s that? It’s a loosely ramen-inspired bowl of oatmeal.
Prepare 3/4 cup of oatmeal with chicken stock instead of water. Add some fresh ground pepper, a touch of cayenne pepper, a little soy sauce and some sesame oil (maybe a teaspoon of each). As soon as the oatmeal starts to simmer, crack an egg into the oatmeal (or fry egg separately over easy if you like better presentation with more dirty pans). Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and chopped green onions. For more protein, add more eggs. You can also add stir fry-size vegetables as you choose. I usually include bok choy but whatever you have around will work. Carrots need a little extra cooking, so if I add carrots, I start by boiling the chicken stock with the carrots, then add the oatmeal.
You’re almost all the way to hoppel poppel, the German answer to the French omelette, the Italian frittata, and the Spanish tortilla.
Sauté the onion and potato until the potato is nearly done. Add leftover chopped meat or a cut up sausage, cook till browned, then pour over as many beaten eggs as you want to eat. Stir around until egg is cooked to your liking, then scrape onto a platter.
This is a big brunch/lunch dish throughout Germany.
My husband doesn’t like fish. So sometimes when he is out of town I buy a small fish ir a fillet and saute it for myself. Butterfish are good. Tilapia often comes in a one-person size. You can buy a small piece of a larger fish.
For that matter, one lobster is a nice meal for one person, and my supermarket will cook it to order. Serve with a little quinoa and an apple, or other fruit or veg.
I think I first had it at some sort of festival near WDC. I believe the dish was touted as Polish. But yeah, when I make a frittata, it’s very similar to this but with eggs, of course, and I usually use Italian sausage or breakfast sausage, top it with cheese and pop it under the broiler to melt and brown once the eggs are set.
I’m always willing to eat leftovers for a second night, sometimes two, but a week of the same meal is very wearing. I find sausages convenient, and will cook them in different ways - one night chopped in with hash browns and veggies and another with a pasta and sauce. Things like jarred spaghetti sauce can be frozen after it has been opened so it won’t go bad. Eggs are terrific. Omelet one night, egg salad another day, egg and cheese on toast is great when I’m in a hurry.
My mother came up with the idea of using muffin tins to freeze portions of food for quick thawing and using as the urge strikes me. This is what I do with taco meat, barbecue beef, homemade spaghetti sauce, etc. Once it is frozen, you can pop it out of the tin and store it in a ziploc bag.
