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Cooking for one without wasting food starts before you turn on the stove, with smaller grocery hauls and ingredients you can use more than one way. These tips show you how to shop smarter and cook single servings you’ll actually finish, so less food ends up in the trash.
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“This is a great site and so are your recipes! I do enjoy cooking and recipes that serve 4-6 just aren’t easy to cut down to 1-2. I hate to make more just in case I don’t like it! Your site has saved me. Great recipes, healthy food, and just the right amount! Thanks!!”
– Jan
Why Cooking For One Doesn’t Have To Be Wasteful
The worst part of cooking for one used to be the end of the week. I’d open the fridge and find what was left of a recipe built for four: half a casserole I was sick of, a pepper I never got around to using. Most of it went in the trash, along with the money I’d spent on it.
For a long time I figured that waste was just part of cooking for myself. It isn’t. Whether you’re newly on your own, an empty nester, or just making dinner for one tonight, you can cook something real and actually finish it, with nothing scraped into the bin come Friday.
That’s why I started One Dish Kitchen. I’ve cooked for over 35 years and wrote a cookbook on cooking for one, and I build every recipe here to make a single serving from scratch, so there’s nothing left over to waste in the first place.
What I love about cooking this way is that it’s low-pressure, with no guilt at the end. You make exactly what you want, in the amount you’ll eat, and you finish all of it.
If you’re just getting started, try my baked chicken breast, pancakes for one, or apple crisp for one. Each is sized for one, so you cook it, eat it, and you’re done, with nothing headed for the trash.
Shop Smart To Waste Less
Most food waste is decided before you turn on the stove. When you cook for one, the grocery store is where you either set yourself up to waste less or bring home more than you’ll use.
Take Inventory First
Before you write a list or head to the store, look at what’s already in your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Half of cooking for one without waste is using what you have before it goes bad. Check what needs eating soon and build your next few meals around it. You’ll skip buying a second jar of something you forgot you owned, and you’ll clear out the food most likely to end up in the trash.
Shop The Bulk Bins
Bulk bins let you buy one-person portions instead of a full bag you won’t finish. Scoop the exact amount a recipe calls for, which is ideal for spices, grains, pasta, and nuts. They’re also the cheapest way to try something new. If a recipe needs a teaspoon of a spice you’ve never cooked with, buy a teaspoon and find out if you like it before a whole jar goes stale in the back of the cabinet.
Buy From The Butcher And Deli Counters
Skip the pre-packaged trays. At the meat, seafood, and deli counters you can ask for exactly what you need, whether that’s one chicken breast, a single salmon fillet, or two ounces of sliced turkey. You waste less, and the counter staff are glad to cut a smaller portion. Buying one piece at a time also means nothing sits in the fridge long enough to spoil.
Choose The Smaller Size
When something comes in a big package, reach for the smaller version even when it costs a little more per ounce. A smaller onion, a half-pint of cream, or a single sweet potato runs higher per unit, but you’re paying for the part you’ll actually eat instead of the part you’d scrape into the trash a week later.
Use The Salad Bar
The salad bar is one of the most underused tools for cooking for one. When a recipe needs a handful of spinach, a few sliced mushrooms, or a little diced onion, grab just that much. You get exactly the amount you’ll use, and there’s no half-empty bag of greens turning to liquid in the crisper drawer.
Keep A Few Flexible Staples On Hand
A small stock of basics makes single cooking faster and cuts down on last-minute trips. Keep canned beans, diced tomatoes, rice, pasta, and broth around, since they last a long time and stretch in a lot of directions. A few homemade spice blends earn their shelf space too. Mix up a small batch taco seasoning, Creole seasoning, or garam masala so you can flavor a small meal without opening a full jar that goes stale before you use it again.
Cut A Full Recipe Down To One
When a recipe you love is written for four or six, one option is to size it down yourself. Halving is a reasonable place to start. It just doesn’t always get you there. Cut a recipe in half once or twice and things start to break: the egg won’t divide cleanly, a quarter teaspoon of baking powder throws off the rise, and the ratios that made the original work stop holding. Baking is the least forgiving, since a small shift in one amount changes the whole result.
That’s why I build our recipes from the ground up rather than shrinking a big one. Getting a single serving right usually means testing the proportions from scratch until they work for one, which is harder than it sounds and part of why so few sites do it.
If you want to size a recipe down on your own, I cover the spots that actually trip people up, halving an egg, the measurement math, cookware, and cook time, in my full guide on how to reduce a recipe. Or skip the guesswork and start with a recipe that’s already built for one.
Use The Half You Couldn’t Avoid Buying
Some ingredients just don’t come in one-person sizes. You can’t buy half a can of beans, a single tablespoon of tomato paste, or three sprigs off a whole bunch of cilantro. The other half is where a lot of cooking-for-one waste hides, so the trick is to have a plan for it before it turns.
Freeze The Rest In Portions
Most of these leftovers freeze better than they sit in the fridge. Move the extra out of the open can first, since food shouldn’t be stored in one. Freeze beans and diced tomatoes in small containers, tomato paste in tablespoon dollops on a lined tray, and broth or coconut milk in an ice cube tray so you can grab exactly what the next recipe needs. Label everything with the date and what’s inside.
Plan A Second Meal Around It
If you’ll cook again in the next few days, buy with the leftover half already spoken for. Half a can of black beans becomes tonight’s black bean tacos and this week’s taco soup. Half an onion goes in one night’s skillet and the next night’s eggs. Deciding the second use up front is what separates using the rest from finding it a week later.
Turn Delicate Produce Into Something That Lasts
Fresh herbs are the worst offender, since you buy a whole bunch for a spoonful. Chop the extra and freeze it in olive oil in an ice cube tray, or work it into a compound butter you can slice off as needed. Citrus is the same idea: zest it before you juice it, then freeze the zest and the juice separately. A little prep now saves the part that would otherwise wilt in the drawer.
Buy The Version That Keeps
When you have a choice, reach for the form of an ingredient that won’t race you to the finish. Frozen chopped spinach instead of a fresh bag, jarred garlic or ginger paste instead of a whole head or knob, tubes of tomato paste instead of a can you’ll open once. They last for weeks, so there’s no half-used original going bad in the meantime.
Not sure what to make with what’s left? Our Leftover Ingredient Recipe Finder takes the ingredients you already have and shows you single serving recipes that use them.
Cook Around One Main Ingredient
Cooking for one gets easier when you build a few meals around one main ingredient instead of buying something different for every dinner. You cook once, use the whole thing, and nothing gets forgotten in the back of the fridge.
Roast a chicken on Sunday and it can carry you through the week. Shred some into chicken enchiladas one night, toss it with pasta for chicken spaghetti the next, and turn what’s left into a chicken salad for lunch. The same idea works with a pot of rice, a batch of roasted vegetables, or a pound of ground beef split across two or three different meals.
This cuts waste for two reasons. You use the whole ingredient, and you don’t get bored. Leftovers usually get tossed when they show up as the same plate for the fourth day running. Change the form so chicken becomes chicken tacos one day and chicken soup the next, and it reads as a new meal instead of a chore you’d rather scrape into the bin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cook for one without wasting food by shopping in small amounts, making recipes already sized for a single serving, and having a plan for the leftover half of any ingredient. Buy from the bulk bins and the butcher counter so you take only what you need, freeze extras in portions, and build a few meals around one main ingredient so nothing sits in the fridge until it spoils.
Use our Leftover Ingredient Recipe Finder to turn leftover ingredients into a single serving meal. Enter what you already have, like half a can of beans or two ripe bananas, and it shows you recipes that use them. It’s the fastest way to cook down odds and ends before they spoil.
Cook for one on a budget by buying only what you need and using all of it. Shop the bulk bins for grains and spices, ask the butcher counter for single portions, and choose smaller package sizes so nothing gets thrown away. Cooking several meals around one ingredient, like a roast chicken, stretches a single purchase across the week.
Yes, freezing leftovers in single portions is one of the best ways to cook for one without waste. Divide soups, sauces, and extra proteins into small containers or an ice cube tray, then label each with the date. Most cooked leftovers keep 3 to 4 months in the freezer.
Cooked leftovers last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, according to the USDA. Refrigerate them within 2 hours of cooking, keep them in airtight containers, and reheat to 165°F. To keep them longer, freeze them, where they last 3 to 4 months.
Scale a recipe down by converting cups to tablespoons and teaspoons so the amounts divide evenly. Then match your cookware to the smaller batch. Halving is only a starting point, since true single serving recipes are usually built from scratch. Our guide on how to reduce a recipe covers the measurements and the egg question.
When you’re not sure what to make with what’s already in your kitchen, our Leftover Ingredient Recipe Finder turns what’s left into a single serving meal. And when you’d rather start fresh, every recipe here is built for one, so you can browse dinners for one, breakfasts for one, and desserts for one knowing there’s nothing left to waste.
After losing my husband. I felt it very difficult to cook for myself. I want to be able to cook simple healthy, easy meals and with your help I know I can do this, thank you.
Thank you so much for your kind note. I’m truly sorry for your loss. I know how hard it can be to find joy in cooking again when you’re just cooking for yourself, and it means so much to know the recipes are helping in some small way. I’m so glad you’re here, and I hope you continue to find comfort and ease in the meals you make.
Whay am I not able to see the quantities or volumes for each of the ingredients in your recepies?
Hi Helena, we list ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions in every one of our recipes. You can find this information in the recipe box at the bottom of every recipe page. Either scroll down the page to see it or use the big “Jump To Recipe” button at the top of each page to go straight to the recipe box.
been trying to cut down my grandmother’s recipe(a old german) Butter Ball Soup.
This is just a godsend for me your site. I work and my husband is constantly on business trips so there is simply no time to cook. I want that it would be quickly cooked and delicious. So your site is just a gift for me. Thanks. Everything is delicious and fast!
I love Vanilla Pudding. It has a unique taste and flavor. My children’s are also fond of it. It could be a great menu for evening snacks. Anyway, thanks a lot for sharing this article with us.
I like how you mentioned that the first step of cooking for one is planning your meals for the week so that you can make sure you have all the ingredients that you need. I live alone, and it’s often hard to find meals that I can cook for one person.The next time I make a meal for myself, I will definitely keep your great cooking tips in mind!
Hi there, I must say after spending a ton of time on pinterest looking for post-baby freezer meal prep recipes I am so thankful I came across your website! It is all here. Thanks for the variety of healthy freezer and regular meal prep ideas. I want to try them all!!
I am so. Happy to have found you. As a very recent widow, I have spent the last month eating strangely and not too healthy as I had lost my appitite, but made a menu and went shopping today. I love your recipes!
Thank you, Joan. I’m so happy you found our site and hope you enjoy the recipes.
My husband passed a few months ago, he loved to eat, and starting to cook for one was very hard for me. I was eating out but found it saddened me too much to eat out alone Then I saw your recipes and thought I would try a few, the risotto, Minestrone soup and the fried rice were all excellent. I have printed up several more of your recipes and I am anxious to try them. Thank you so much for having this information.
Hi Janet,
I’m so sorry for your loss. Thank you for your kind note, I am so happy you found our site and have been able to enjoy a few of the recipes. Hopefully you will find many more recipes to try. If you have a favorite dish that you would like to see scaled down to a smaller serving, please let me know.
Have a wonderful week.
Joanie
Are you on FB?
I’ve been a widow for a year now and my eating habits have been a rollercoaster. I started eating healthier in the last two months, but have been in a rut so I am really looking forward to trying your recipes.
Thank you, Mary. I hope you find many new recipes to try.
Thank goodness for your site. After having 4 kids it was hard to cut down cooking all that food. Left overs left overs yukkk…I have found out that your recipes are perfect for my husband and me. Just enough and NO LEFT OVERS……Even I’m gluten sensitive I can adjust and substitute GF ingredients. Thank you
Thank you so much for reaching out to let me know you are enjoying the recipes, Nancy. Comments like yours mean the world to me and I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes and adapting them so they work for you and your husband.
Have a great week!
Joanie
Joanie,
I’ll look forward to a few of your recipes adapted for the microwave! I’m sure a few other of your readers would like that too! I also have osteoporosis, AND i’m lactose intolerant, so while dairy products are wonderful sources of calcium, and I love them, I have to be careful about eating them. I wonder about substitutions sometimes.
Thanks,
Doris
Joanie,
I’m looking forward to trying many of your recipes. Cookbooks with recipes that serve 4 or 6 are ridiculous when you live alone. I’ve experimented with cutting them down but it doesn’t seem to work. Especially as I don’t really enjoy cooking to start with.
May I make a suggestion that I think would help a lot of us who cook only for ourselves? Could you make alternate cooking suggestions for cooking in the microwave, please? I know that wouldn’t work for all your recipes, but it would for a lot of them. I don’t want fancy, I want things I can prep quickly, cook quickly, and eat with pleasure. I’ve been printing out many of your recipes, hoping I can make them work this way. Please help those of us who’d like to cook at least some stage of your recipes in the microwave!
Thanks so much for focusing on those of us who want to cook for one!
Doris
Hi Doris,
I’m so glad you found our site and hope you find many recipes that you love. Thank you for your suggestion to add microwave cooking times and instructions to some of our recipes. I’m sure that would be a benefit to many people. We’ll see what we can do.
Thank you again and have a wonderful weekend!
Joanie
Thanks Joanie. I check your site most days. Although I have been a one for more years than you have probably been alive. I still have difficulty occasionally — especially with the meal planning. I should do that and I just look and grab.
Glad you are around!!
Hi Donna,
Thank you for your kind words. Have you seen our meal plans? Here is a link to go directly to them – https://onedishkitchen.com/cooking-for-one-meal-plan/
‘m glad you found our site, please let me know if you have a favorite dish that you would like to see converted to a single serving.
Have a wonderful day!
Absolutely love your site. Have been looking for one person websites. Your’s is the best.
Thanks for all that you do.
Hi Donna, thank you so much for letting me know you are enjoying the recipes. If you have a recipe that you’d like to see scaled down to a single serving version, please let us know and we’ll try to work on it for you. Have a wonderful day!
I really enjoy reading your website and trying some of your recipes. Have you published a print cookbook. I haven’t found mention of one. I’d buy it in a heartbeat. Just sent the link for busy college girl recipes to my granddaughter. Hope she’ll try some them. Thanks so much for this great resource.
Hi Lucinda, I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes and thank you so much for sending a link to the recipes to your granddaughter! I hope she finds a few recipes that she loves. We are currently working on our cookbook and hope to have it published soon. I’ll keep you posted. Have a wonderful weekend!
Thank you for these amazing tips and your recipes also look delicious.I would love to share your tips with my mom. Your post is really very useful keep sharing such posts.
Looking forward to your recipes!
This is a great site and so are your recipes! I do enjoy cooking and recipes that serve 4-6 just aren’t easy to cut down to 1-2. I hate to make more just in case I don’t like it! Your site has saved me. Great recipes, healthy food, and just the right amount! Thanks!!
Thank you so much, Jan. I’m so happy you found us and are enjoying the recipes!
Thank you do very much for these recipes for one! I’ve been single for 8 years now after cooking for a family or hungry husband. Truth be told I refuse to cook for one. Up to now that is. I do love to cook but not have 3 or more leftover meals from one. I am looking forward to actually cooking great meals my two cats will fight me for! 🙂
I just found your site and I’m looking forward to the emails. I really need the recipes and tips. Thanks for onedishkitchen.
I’m so glad you found us, Linda and hope you enjoy the recipes!
Love your site and recipes. Am a recent widow so cooking for one is not easy to do at this time in my life, but you are a lifesaver. Eating way better now then in the past. Thank you.
Thank you, Chris. I’m so happy we can be a resource for you.
This is what I have been looking for! I have lived alone most of my adult life. It has been a struggle to try and balance healthy cooking and convenience. I have relied so much on convenience because it was always so difficult and uninspiring to make a recipe for 4 or more and eat on the leftovers. I have tried meal box services, CSA half-share or just going to the farm market for what I need. Yet I end up wasting hundreds of dollars of food and produce. Thank you for finally doing the work! Now I will have single serve recipes to try.
Hi Wendy,
I’m so glad you found our site and hope you enjoy the recipes.
Thank you.
Joanie