Cooking for one or two people may sound easy enough, but as someone who does it regularly, I can tell you, it’s not always that simple. Recipes are often written for four or more people, ingredients are sold in large portions, and dividing things to get the exact amount of food you want can be tedious. Without a plan, you can end up wasting a lot of food, money, time, and even energy. However, with a few small adjustments, cooking for one or two people can be significantly less stressful.

Shopping for one or two

Before we dive right into cooking, here are some quick shopping tips to consider:

  • Go in with a plan — create a meal plan ahead of time. Check what you already have and write a list of what you need. Try to pick ingredients you can use across multiple meals and snacks.
  • Frozen fruit and vegetables — they typically cost less than fresh, they’re easy to portion out, and they’re good for months in the freezer. Canned varieties are another option, though, same with everything else, you want to check that the ingredients work for you.
  • Ignore unnecessary bulk “deals” — those two-for-five sales can seem good in the moment, but not when the second one goes to waste.
  • Upsizing doesn’t always save — the price per unit might go down as quantity goes up, but you’re not saving if you don’t use it all. Cheese is a good example here. Sometimes all you need is that wee 200g pack at $3.50. The 400g may be more enticing at $6.00, a savings of 25 cents per 100g. But if 100g of that goes mouldy, you might as well throw $1.25 in the trash.
  • When buying multi, family, or club packs of meat — most stores I go to only offer these. When purchasing meat, it’s good to have a general idea of what you’ll do with it. Maybe it works with your current meal plan, or you choose to freeze the excess for later.

And always check your expiry dates before leaving the store!

Cooking for one or two

Dividing a recipe might sound like an obvious solution, but it’s not always clear. When you divide a recipe to make fewer portions, it’s a good idea to do the math ahead of time and write it down rather than trying to do calculations as you cook. You can do the math yourself and use Google as a quick and convenient tool.

Personally, when I cook, I either half a recipe or go all in and plan for leftovers or freezer meals. Working with anything less than that can feel tedious, and it often underuses ingredients. What am I going to do with one-third of an onion?

Some recipes are also challenging to divide. It could call for a single egg or a whole package of cream cheese you won’t use for anything else. In those cases, it’s easier to cook the full recipe and divide it into portions. Before sitting down to eat, divide your meal and leftovers between their respective dishes and containers to keep your portions even.

You can also get creative with leftover ingredients. You can use roast chicken in fried rice, sandwiches, or salads. Spread the remaining taco ingredients over nachos or rice. Use tomato sauce on pasta for dinner one night and pizza the next.

Low-effort meals

Mix-and-match dinners are excellent for times when you don’t feel like cooking. They’re also a great way to use up leftover ingredients. You could make a snack plate, cut up some charcuterie, enjoy a sandwich — there’s no need for structure. Just use whatever’s in the fridge or cupboard and put together a meal that works for you. If you like this type of meal, you can even plan ahead so you’ll have a few easy dinners on hand.

Rice bowls and simple pasta dishes are also excellent low-effort options. I keep small portions of cooked and shredded chicken in my freezer for a quick topping — canned tuna works too. Sometimes I make and freeze rice ahead of time, but even cooking it fresh doesn’t take too long. Same with pasta. Throw in whatever veggies you like and you’re good to go.

Baking for one or two

I’m not a fan of mug cakes, and I don’t want to put in a large effort for just 8 cookies. But baking for one or two is possible, and it doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck with 48 cookies or a whole cake on a short timeline. While some desserts do last a bit longer in the fridge, you can keep them even longer in the freezer. Here’s what I do.

  • If a recipe is easy to halve, like my favourite oatmeal cookie recipe, I do that first. Bake it. Freeze half. This will take up less space and allow for more variety. Also, depending on how many portions you end up with, it might be fine on the counter or in the fridge until it’s gone.
  • If the recipe is too much of a hassle or not worth halving, I bake the whole thing and freeze the majority. Usually, these are items with fewer servings anyway, like cakes, cinnamon buns, brownies, etc.
  • When I want a treat or dessert, I let it come to room temperature on the counter. If it’s a pie, tart, or something else I can enjoy warm, I heat it.

A lot of recipe creators will include storage information (counter, fridge, freezer, etc.) in the notes section. If you can’t find the information there, do a quick search on Google to find a trusted source.

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There you have it. How to cook for one or two. I get it! It might seem like a lot of effort for just one meal, but that’s why I prefer it when I plan to use leftovers or freeze for later.

What are some of your favourite low effort or freezer meals?