Just a wild guess, but you probably go above and beyond in the kitchen when you have guests over but lean on cereal and microwave dinners when you’re dining solo. It’s time to change that. Presenting 40 recipes for one that are well worth treating yourself to for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert—from cauliflower crust pizza to velvety corn soup.
40 Recipes for One That You’ll Be Happy to Devour All by Yourself
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Published Mar 19, 2024
2. Easy Microwave Scrambled Egg Cup
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, high protein, make ahead
Fill a mason jar with meat, cheese and veggies, add an egg, stir and nuke. You can even meal prep a bunch of jars and leave them in the fridge for when you need them. (We recommend holding off on adding the egg until you're ready to cook ’em.)
3. No-Bake Gluten-Free Breakfast Cookie for One
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: high protein, make ahead
Finally, eating cookies for breakfast is acceptable. Oats, almonds and almond butter will give you all the energy and protein you need to make it to your lunch break.
5. Waffle Breakfast Sandwich with Chorizo
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, high protein
You can never decide between a sweet or salty breakfast—so why not have both? We’ll be drizzling ours with syrup, too. This recipe actually makes four servings, so freeze the remaining three for easy breakfasts in the future.
6. Single-Serve Egg and Chickpea Breakfast
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, <15 minutes
It all comes together in one skillet, and the minimal mess means more one-on-one time with your morning coffee.
7. Mini Cauliflower Crust Breakfast Pizza with Spicy Garlic Honey
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: high protein, vegetarian
We won’t tell if you start with a store-bought crust. And about that honey: It’s so easy to make, you might want to make a double (or triple) batch for future breakfast pizzas (and avocado toasts and fried-chicken sammies and—you get the point).
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian
Sweet, tangy and the slightest bit spicy, this purple sipper is so worth getting out of bed for. You can use fresh blueberries instead of frozen, but a handful of ice into the blender to keep the texture.
10. Individual Shakshuka with Hominy and Feta
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: one skillet, vegetarian
Let’s be honest: Mini skillets can make anything look delicious. But this brunch dish—which features briny feta and a bright tomato sauce—needs no extra help.
11. Healthy Homemade Egg Muffin
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
These freeze like a charm, so feel free to make a whole batch to last you through the week. Cook them as directed then wrap each sandwich tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil before storing in a gallon freezer bag.
12. 10-Minute Macaroni and Cheese In a Mug
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegetarian
No leftovers? No problem. Save yourself the dirty pot and make just the right amount of mac. (Though we wouldn’t blame you for whipping up a second mug.)
13. Salmon Bowl With Farro, Black Beans and Tahini Dressing
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: high protein, low sugar
Hellooo, omega-3s. Once you try the turmeric-tahini dressing, you’ll never go back to plain old vinaigrette again. Don’t look now, but you’re about to be the envy of the breakroom (as long as you don’t microwave the leftovers, that is).
14. Grilled Peach, Prosciutto and Mozzarella Sandwich
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
One bite of this sweet and savory sammie will transport you straight to barbecue season. Use a grill pan for the peaches if your grill is still in storage.
15. Blackberry-Peach Grilled Cheese
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <15 minutes, vegetarian
You know those days when you absolutely, positively *need* something to eat like, ASAP? You’re in luck, because this three-cheese melt only takes 10 minutes.
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
Dress up precooked chicken breast (or hey, shredded rotisserie chicken) with store-bought pesto, veggies and cheese. Bet you didn’t know you could cook pasta in the microwave.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, vegetarian, low carb
Cut the salad ingredients down to size depending on how hungry you are. But we do suggest making a big batch of dressing and saving the leftovers for future deliciousness.
18. Swanky BLT
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
Update the traditional ingredients with pancetta, escarole, balsamic-roasted tomatoes and sourdough bread. Even the mayo gets VIP treatment (read: malt vinegar and crème fraiche).
19. Mini Nachos
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
Having chips for dinner is a smart move, if you ask us. But mini nachos that have cheese and toppings in every single bite without a single naked chip? Now that’s ingenious.
21. Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
The simplest upgrade to the timeless PB&J is no doubt grilling it in butter. The best part is that, other than being a cinch to make, you can customize it with any nut butter and jam you want.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, high protein
This recipe makes enough for eight people, so use the leftovers to your advantage—or meal prep. Make the chicken ahead of time, then stuff a fresh pita with the meat, veggies and yogurt sauce any time you’re feeling peckish.
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, vegetarian
OK, picture that Michelin-caliber cheese board you made for your friends over the summer. Now, do that again—only smaller, so it’s a recipe for one. (Charcuterie for dinner? It’s totally a thing.)
24. 20-Minute Paleo Egg Roll Bowls
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, paleo
It’s got cabbage, scallions, ginger, carrots and ground pork, just like your go-to takeout spot (without all the grease). Serve the leftovers over rice or salad.
25. Cherry Cheeseball Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian
Sour cherry marmalade. Nutty pistachios. Creamy Camembert. Buttery challah bread. BRB, we’re suddenly *very* hungry. Make all the components ahead of time for seamless assembly.
27. Triple-Decker Grilled Cheese
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
Loaded with tangy goat cheese, salty sharp cheddar and soft mozzarella, this is a decidedly grown-up take on the classic sandwich. Pair it with a bowl of tomato soup if you really want to get nostalgic.
28. Easy 5-Ingredient Corn Soup
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian
If you have time to boil corn on the cob, you can make this easy five-ingredient corn soup. Don’t rob yourself of the sesame seed-brown butter topping. You really deserve it.
29. Ginger-Pineapple Shrimp Stir-Fry
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <500 calories
This main is super bright and fresh with lots of veggies, fresh herbs and acidic pineapple. But our favorite thing about it is definitely the lack of leftovers.
30. Avocado Pasta
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegetarian, <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
A runny sunny-side-up egg never hurts anything, including pasta. To that end, neither does a creamy sauce that’s made in the blender instead of on the stove.
31. 15-Minute Mediterranean Couscous with Tuna and Pepperoncini
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, make ahead, <15 minutes
This dinner tastes and looks so fancy that even you won’t believe it didn’t take all night to make. That’s because the couscous is as easy to make as it is to boil water. It soaks up the liquid off heat and before you know it, it’s fluffy and ready to eat.
32. One-Pan Eggs with Asparagus and Tomatoes
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, vegetarian, <30 minutes
Just roast yourself a serving of veggies, crack an egg on top and bake to yolky perfection. This sheet pan wonder works for breakfast or dinner.
33. Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Sauce
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <500 calories, high protein, low carb
Grill up as many skewers as you’d like and save the extra tzatziki for gyros, crudités or salad dressing. The biggest time commitment is waiting the 4 to 5 minutes per side for the skewers to cook.
34. Ultimate Cheese Plate with Roasted Grapes
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, vegetarian
We love raw fruit as much as anyone. But seasoning and roasting the grapes makes them complex and richly sweet, making them just the pair for your favorite cheeses.
- Time Commitment: 9 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, beginner-friendly
You know how plain white rice is never quite the same when reheated? This mug recipe can bring it back to life, and it’s as easy as adding an egg and some vegetables.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, vegetarian
Spicy arugula, fresh mozzarella and pantry staples take you from zero to dinner in minutes. For a heftier entrée, add leftover sliced chicken or slices of prosciutto.
37. Chocolate Chip Cookie In a Mug
- Time Commitment: 7 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
This one’s for those of us who can’t be trusted around a whole batch of cookies. In less than ten minutes, you’re ready to dive in with a spoon.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
Because you shouldn’t have to wait for next year’s summer bonfire to get your toasted marshmallow fix. (If you really want to take it over the top, add a scoop of ice cream).
39. 10-Minute Strawberry Cobbler
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
The key to this impromptu treat is instant oats, whole milk and chopped fruit. We’re partial to strawberries, but TBH, any type of berry would work.
40. One-Bowl Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie for One
- Time Commitment: 17 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, sheet pan recipe
There’s no bad day this sheet-pan treasure can’t fix. Even better, you don’t need a stand mixer to make it.
