Easy Dinner Ideas – Meal Planning For One – Week 2

Cooking For One? A weekly meal plan answers the question, “what am I going to have for dinner?” a week at a time. Meal planning and meal prep saves you money and best of all, no leftovers! This is the second of the series of weekly meal plans complete with a grocery list.

Welcome to week 2 of our new Meal Planning For One series. We received a lot of great feedback from our Meal Plans and hope you enjoy the recipes we have featured this week 2 installment.

A person cooking for meals for one may often find that it isn’t always easy to reduce a recipe. The thought of doing that every day or deciding what to cook each evening for dinner, without repetition can be a daunting task.

We hope to take some of the pressure off with our “Cooking For One Meal Plans”.  

Other Single Serving Meal Plans

• Cooking For One Meal Plan – Week 1
• Cooking For One Meal Plan – Week 3
• Cooking For One Meal Plan – Week 4
• 14 Day Meal Plan

Along with the meal plan, you will also find a grocery list (see link at the bottom of this page to download – pdf document) which will include all of the ingredients you will need to make the 5 or more recipes each week.

If you choose not to make all of the recipes on the meal plan, no worries. Just cross those items off of your grocery list.

These meals for one plans are designed for people who live on their own, a parent who wants to indulge themselves while their kids have their favorites, couples that can’t agree on what they want for dinner or caregivers providing meals to a parent or friend.

For now, the weekly meal plan will be posted every two weeks. It will feature a recipe for Monday through Friday, a detailed grocery list and a bonus recipe and cooking tips.

We get asked all the time for meal plans and I hope this new series fills that need. Have a look and please let us know what you think.

Meal Plan

Easy Dinner Ideas

Baked Penne For One

5 from 11 votes

This single serving baked penne recipe is a flavorful dish made with roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, and a blend of cheeses. Tossed with pasta and baked until golden and bubbly, it’s a delicious and satisfying meal.

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Shrimp Creole For One

4.95 from 17 votes

This Shrimp Creole recipe features tender shrimp simmered in a flavorful tomato sauce with the classic Cajun trinity of onions, bell peppers, and celery. Served over rice, it’s a classic Louisiana dish with bold seasoning and a touch of heat.

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Baked Chicken Legs For One

5 from 20 votes

Indulge in a hassle-free one-pan meal with Baked Chicken Legs, perfectly roasted over seasoned carrots, onions, and garlic. An easy, flavorful dinner ideal for those cooking for one.

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Chili Baked Potato

5 from 9 votes

This Chili Baked Potato is a hearty meal made with a fluffy baked russet potato topped with a simple homemade chili. It’s an easy, satisfying dish that’s perfect for lunch or dinner.

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Broiled Salmon For One

4.72 from 7 votes

This single serving broiled salmon sheet pan meal is a quick and easy way to prepare a flavorful dish with minimal cleanup. Served with seasoned zucchini, it’s a simple, delicious meal ready in minutes.

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Bonus Recipe

Hot Chocolate For One

5 from 16 votes

Enjoy a rich and creamy hot chocolate made just for you! This easy-to-make recipe creates enough for one generous mug or two smaller cups, making it the perfect treat to pair with freshly baked goodies at home.

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Grocery List

Click here to download the grocery list (printable pdf document)

Cooking Tips

• I love the combination of the cheeses found in the Baked Pasta recipe, however, cheese can be expensive. Feel free to purchase just one type of cheese for the pasta. Singularly, the Smoked Gruyere, the Fontina or even the Cheddar would be quite delicious if used on their own. The recipe is best using the ingredients recommended, however it can also be quite tasty with the substitutions. Often, in the deli sections of some grocery stores, you can find very small quantities of pre-cut cheese. If not, don’t feel the need to purchase several different types of cheeses for the recipes.

• You will need zucchini for two recipes this week, 1 medium to large zucchini will be enough for both recipes.

• Friday’s Broiled Salmon with Roasted Vegetables calls for the dish to be made in a toaster oven, however it can also be baked in a regular oven at the same temperature called for in the recipe.

• If you’re trying to reduce your salt intake, try a squeeze of lemon instead of using salt in savory recipes.

For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.

For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.