Life

12 Easy Meals To Make When You're Cooking For One Person

As the very wise Anna Kendrick once tweeted, “Cooking for one sucks because no matter how I portion it I seem to end up wasting food. Also loneliness." Just like with so much else, she basically hit the nail on the head.

If you're a single girl eating on your own most nights, then you already know that the struggle is real. Finding recipes that only make one serving is difficult, especially if you’re looking for healthy recipes. Making a six-serving recipe into a single-serving recipe is hard, because math is annoying. And just giving up and making a recipe that would serve an entire family either means leftovers you’ll probably forget about, or you eating way too large of a portion size.

So, you probably end up ordering out most nights, wasting your money on food that isn't even that great for you. Hopefully after you look through these healthy single-serving meals, your life will change. That’s our goal, anyway.

Image: A Cozy Kitchen

by Jessica Booth

Kale Chef’s Salad with Chopped Egg, Walnut, and Avocado

Make a classic salad even healthier by subbing in kale and a delicious, light dressing. This recipe from Big Girls Small Kitchen is easy to follow, and will definitely leave you feeling like you ate more than just rabbit food.

Image: Big Girls Small Kitchen

Massa Brown Rice Egg Bowl

This recipe from The Kitchn should be a staple in any single girl’s kitchen, because it’s so simple, so versatile, and so good for you. Adding frozen veggies is really easy, but if you have more time, you can add any fresh veggies you’d like, as well as chicken, shrimp, or tofu.

Image: The Kitchn

Tadka-Topped Roasted Root Soup

Take it from me — it’s really, really difficult to find a single-serve soup recipe. Most soup recipes make at least six servings. This is great when you want to eat the same bowl of soup for dinner every night for a week, but if you just want something for one night, try this root soup from Big Girls Small Kitchen. Take advantage of winter veggies to make this, and stay warm on a cold night.

Image: Big Girls Small Kitchen

Perfectly Baked Salmon

This salmon dish from What’s Cooking Good Looking is proof that sometimes a good piece of fish really doesn’t need much embellishment. Wrapping your fish in parchment paper keeps all of the flavor exactly where you want it.

Image: What’s Cooking Good Looking

Quick Ramen Bowl

This delicious soup from Budget Bytes will not only help you save money, it will also keep you cozy no matter what the weather is like outside.

Image: Budget Bytes

Healthy Spelt Pancakes

Sometimes you just want pancakes, but everyone knows that leftover pancakes kind of suck. Oh She Glows has this wonderful healthy pancake recipe that makes just enough for one person.

Image: Oh She Glows

Cacio de Pepe

This pasta dish for one from A Cozy Kitchen is super simple and requires very few ingredients. It’s also super satisfying, and will help you with any carb craving you may have.

Image: A Cozy Kitchen

Southwestern Turkey Burgers

These homemade turkey burgers from Kitchen Confidante are a perfect option if you’re meal planning. This recipe serves four, so you can eat one and save the rest in the fridge or even the freezer. It’s good to have homemade burgers like these on hand for the nights you don’t feel like cooking.

Image: Kitchen Confidante

Autumn Udon With Vegetables

If you’re looking for a healthy, Asian-inspired meal that you can cook on your own, look no further than this one from The Kitchn. The noodles and broth will keep you warm, while the vegetables and tofu are healthy options.

Image: The Kitchn

Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Spicy Dressing

This roasted cauliflower dish from Healthful Pursuit will be so delicious, you’ll actually want leftovers just so you can eat it again. It only makes two servings, so it’s easy to split up and you won’t be drowning in cauliflower.

Image: Healthful Pursuit

Grilled Fig and Peach Arugula Salad

Who says you have to have other people around to make a seriously impressive meal? This gorgeous salad from A Cozy Kitchen will make you more than happy to be eating alone.

Image: A Cozy Kitchen

Mixed Grains Bowl with Scallions and Sauteed Radishes

This recipe from Big Girls Small Kitchen has enough vegetables for one person, as well as a few servings of mixed grains thrown in for good measure. What more could a person want?

Image: Big Girls Small Kitchen

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