What to Cook for One Person: 20 Real Dinner Ideas

When it is just you, the hardest part of dinner is the decision. You open the fridge, see a few random things, run through the same three meals in your head, and end up ordering in again. It is not that you cannot cook, it is that deciding for an audience of one feels like more effort than it is worth.

So here is a list to decide from. Twenty real dinners for one person, all sized to a single portion or easy to halve, most ready in around 15 minutes, and built so you are not left with three days of the same leftovers. Pick one, and the deciding is done. Most of these flex into a lunch or a bigger snack too, not just dinner.

What makes a good dinner for one

A good solo dinner is not a shrunk-down family recipe. It has a few qualities that make it worth cooking just for yourself.

1. It scales cleanly to one without weird half-quantities or a fridge full of leftovers.
2. It uses things you already keep around: eggs, pasta, rice, a tin, some frozen veg.
3. It is mostly one pan, because nobody wants to wash three pots for a meal of one.
4. It comes together in roughly the time it takes to want to give up and order in.
5. It still feels like a proper plate, not a punishment, so you actually look forward to it.

1. The one-pan chicken and rice

When you want a real, hot, sit-down dinner with almost no washing up, this is the one. Everything cooks in a single pan, so the rice soaks up all the flavor from the chicken.

1. Brown a single chicken thigh in a little oil in a small pan until golden, then lift it out.
2. Add a handful of rice and stir it in the pan for a minute so it toasts.
3. Pour in roughly double the rice in stock or water, and sit the chicken back on top.
4. Cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid is gone.
5. Stir a handful of frozen peas through for the last few minutes, then rest it a moment before eating.

2. Pasta that is more than just pasta

Pasta for one is the easiest dinner there is, but a few seconds of effort lift it from sad to genuinely good. The trick is to give it a sauce that clings instead of sitting in a puddle.

1. Boil a single portion of pasta in well-salted water until just tender.
2. While it cooks, warm garlic in oil in a small pan, or get your pesto and cheese ready.
3. Save a cup of the starchy pasta water before you drain.
4. Toss the drained pasta with your sauce and a splash of that water so it turns glossy and coats every piece.
5. Finish with cheese, black pepper, and any green like frozen peas or spinach wilted in at the end.

3. The clear-the-fridge stir fry

A stir fry is the perfect dinner for one because it bends to whatever you have. Any protein, any veg, one hot pan, ten minutes. It is the meal that uses up the odds and ends before they turn.

1. Get a pan properly hot with a little oil before anything goes in.
2. Add your protein first: leftover chicken, a handful of prawns, cubed tofu, or just an egg.
3. Throw in a big handful of fast veg, fresh or frozen, and keep everything moving for a few minutes.
4. Splash in soy sauce, a little garlic and ginger, and a pinch of sugar or honey.
5. Serve over rice or noodles, or eat it straight from the pan on a tired night.

4. Eggs as a real dinner

Eggs are not just breakfast. For one person they are the fastest hot dinner there is, and they always feel a bit comforting at the end of a long day. Treat them like the main event and they deliver.

1. Decide the form: a folded omelette, a soft scramble on toast, or eggs fried in a little chili oil.
2. Get a small non-stick pan to a gentle heat with butter or oil so the eggs stay tender.
3. For an omelette, beat two or three eggs, pour in, and scatter over cheese and any leftovers.
4. Cook just until the eggs are barely set, since they keep cooking off the heat.
5. Serve with toast and something fresh, like sliced tomato or a handful of leaves, to round it out.

16 more dinners for one to rotate

Once the four above feel automatic, here are sixteen more single-portion dinners so you never run out of an answer to what to cook tonight:

• Loaded jacket potato: microwaved potato split and topped with beans and cheese or tuna and sweetcorn.
• Quesadilla: cheese and any leftovers between two tortillas, crisped in a dry pan and cut into wedges.
• Tuna pasta: a single portion of pasta tossed with tinned tuna, lemon, oil, and chili flakes.
• Noodle soup: instant or fresh noodles in stock with an egg cracked in and a handful of frozen greens.
• Sausage traybake for one: two sausages and chopped veg roasted on a small tray with oil and salt.
• Halloumi bowl: seared halloumi over grains with tomatoes, cucumber, and a lemony dressing.
• Gnocchi in tomato: a pouch of gnocchi pan-fried with tinned tomatoes and torn mozzarella.
• Smashed chickpea sandwich: chickpeas mashed with mayo and lemon, piled on toast with salad.
• Burrito bowl: rice, beans, cheese, salsa, and any protein layered in a bowl, no wrap needed.
• Shakshuka for one: eggs poached in a small pan of spiced tomato sauce, eaten with bread.
• Fried rice: cold leftover rice fried with an egg, soy, and frozen peas in a hot pan.
• Soup and grilled cheese: a single tin of soup upgraded with frozen veg, plus a toasted cheese sandwich.
• Pesto gnocchi: a pouch of gnocchi boiled and tossed with pesto and a handful of spinach.
• Salmon and greens: a single fillet pan-fried and served with quick-cooked broccoli or peas.
• Stuffed pita: warm pita packed with falafel or halloumi, hummus, salad, and a squeeze of lemon.
• Big salad with a hot topping: leaves and grains topped with a warm fried egg or seared chicken.