4 Perfect Recipes When Cooking for One

An added bonus: They are both elegant and healthy.

By

Susan Marque

 
Published March 12, 2026
Overhead view of Lemon Scallion Pasta in a pan with lemons and a polka dot napkin
Scott Suchman (Prop and food stylist: Lisa Cherkasky)

Hot, homemade dinners are deeply satisfying, yet many people default to frozen meals, takeout or cereal for dinner when they are cooking just for themselves.

I love a good breakfast-for-dinner meal, but my strategy for staying energized and feeling good is rooted in varied meals. I just do not want it to take a long time. When dinner feels complicated, it is easy to skip the cooking and go right for dessert or make snacks a meal, so I focus on dishes that are easy but still feel nourishing.

A note on cutting: This is something that will make or break how easy it is to put a meal together. Unless you want to exist on sandwiches or packaged food, cutting skills and a good sharp knife are essential. If you never learned how to cut with the tip of the knife on the cutting board for control or have been using a paring knife for everything, please take a moment and look up some videos on knife skills. It will save you so much time and energy from now on.

I admit, I can fall into ruts. I will make a tofu stir-fry the same way night after night, swapping in different vegetables, until I finally push myself to try something new. When I am in a groove, my dinners rotate naturally. I vary the protein and use what I have in different ways. A whole head of cabbage or a bunch of radishes can go in a salad, be quick pickles or go into a stir-fry. A single cauliflower can easily become soup, sauce or even be folded into millet with onions for a creamy, hearty mash.

Fish in Yogurt Ginger Sauce

This is a one-pan fish and veggie dish with a creamy sauce that feels far more elegant than its simplicity would imply.

Ingredients:

1 fillet of orange roughy or fish of your choice (approx. 7 ounces)

1/2 cup plain coconut yogurt (or yogurt of your choice)

2 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon peeled and grated ginger

1 large carrot, chopped

1 small bulb fennel, sliced

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice of 1/2 lime (optional)

Place the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for a minute or two. Add the ginger, carrot and fennel. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper. Stir and simmer for a minute. Add the water. Stir in the yogurt. Add the fish.

Put a lid on the pan and simmer for 5 minutes on each side until the fish is cooked through. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped fennel tops. If using lime, add it after cooking.

Lemon Scallion Pasta

One night I had no garlic, but I had scallions and kale and found a way to make a meal that was wonderfully satisfying and easy.

Ingredients:

1 serving of pasta (I like spaghetti, but use what you prefer)

Water to boil the pasta

2 green onions, chopped

2 large leaves of kale or other dark leafy green, chopped

2 tablespoons Parmesan (vegan or regular)

Pinch of sea salt and a dash of pepper

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons olive oil

Boil your pasta in a pot according to the package directions. While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the green onions, stirring them for a minute. Add the kale and stir. Add salt and pepper. Add the lemon zest. Cook for a minute or two.

Add the cooked pasta and approximately 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid (if you didn’t read ahead and already tossed it, just add a little water to the pan). Add the cheese. Cook until the cheese melts and stir well.

Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. Serve.

Tofu Stir-Fry with a Twist

A little sweetness goes well with salty soy sauce, garlic and ginger. It’s standard for most Asian cooks to add a little sugar. I often use agave, but adding a touch of blackberry jam gives a lovely note to this incredibly quick dish.

Ingredients:

1 cup cabbage, sliced thin

5 red radishes, trimmed, washed and cut in half or sliced

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 serving of tofu (your favorite kind)

2 teaspoons olive oil (or your favorite oil)

1 teaspoon blackberry jam (or to taste)

Tamari (to taste)

2 tablespoons water

Ginger juice (to taste)

Optional: Lime juice

Place the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, radishes and cabbage and stir. Add the tofu and sprinkle with tamari. Stir. Add the water, ginger juice and jam, adjusting to your own taste. Stir. Simmer until the liquid is reduced. Serve with rice and a squeeze of lime.

Note: To make ginger juice, take a piece of ginger and grate it on a microplane grater. Pick the gratings up with your fingers and squeeze the juice out.

Green Curry Chicken

Instead of coconut milk, this dish uses green curry paste to coat the chicken and vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 small chicken breast, cut into chunks

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 medium parsnips, peeled and sliced

2 collard leaves, sliced

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon green curry paste (if you love spice, you will want more)

Tamari to taste

1 teaspoon agave (or sweetener of your choice)

2-3 tablespoons water

Place the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green curry paste and mix with the oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to almost nothing and the largest piece of chicken is cooked through. Serve with rice or noodles.

What's YOUR favorite meal to cook for yourself? Let us know in the comments below.

Susan Marque is a Los Angeles-based writer and actor whose work appears in the Los Angeles Times, Healthline, Apartment Therapy, Vitacost and AARP’s digital properties, among others. She holds an MFA from The New School. Find her at susanmarque.com.