15 Winning Meals for One

Make great meals without leftovers

Chicken Breast in Parchment Paper

The Spruce

Cooking for one has never been so easy or delicious. We've collected the best breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes that serve one person. Plus, you'll find a few recipes designed to leave you with leftovers that you can freeze and reheat later.

  • 01 of 15

    Thai Toast With Peanut Butter, Sriracha, and Cilantro

    Thai Toast With Peanut Butter, Sriracha, and Cilantro

    Grilled Cheese Social

    Peanut butter toast is a simple and delicious way to boost your protein intake in the early hours of the day. Tweak your usual breakfast toast with sriracha, lime juice, and cilantro, for a great, wake-you-up morning meal.

  • 02 of 15

    Vegetarian Breakfast Burrito with Scrambled Eggs

    Vegetarian Breakfast Burrito with Scrambled Eggs

    mphillips007/Getty Images

    Vegetarian breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs, salsa, and cheddar cheese are a yummy, satisfying way to greet the day. This recipe for one takes only 5 minutes, and is a fun change from the usual cereal bowl.

  • 03 of 15

    Avocado and Poached Egg Toast

    Avocado and Poached Egg Toast

    The Spruce/Leah Maroney

    You don't need to travel to a restaurant to enjoy a trendy breakfast of avocado toast. Just layer toasted bread with creamy avocado, top with a perfectly poached egg, and add a squirt of Sriracha if you enjoy spice. Simple, satisfying, and soul-soothing.

  • 04 of 15

    Spinach and Feta Breakfast Wrap

    Spinach and Feta Breakfast Wrap

    Leah Maroney

    Breakfast wraps are quick, portable, and a delicious way to get your day started. This Greek-style wrap-up includes spinach, scrambled eggs, feta cheese, and Kalamata olives, rolled into a whole wheat or flour tortilla.

    Continue to 5 of 15 below.
  • 05 of 15

    Chorizo Avocado Rice Bowl

    Chorizo Avocado Rice Bowl

    Laura Agra/Katie Workman/themom100.com

    Craving a quick, satisfying lunch with minimal clean-up? Assemble an easy, delicious rice bowl with crumbled cooked sausage, ripe avocado, cherry tomatoes, onion, and queso cheese. Want to make it meatless? Swap out the sausage for drained canned black beans.

  • 06 of 15

    Turkey Club Sandwich

    Turkey Club Sandwich

    The Spruce

    Use deli meat or leftover cooked turkey for this classic club sandwich with bacon, lettuce, and tomato. If you have canned cranberry sauce in the cupboard, it makes a great addition that will remind you of favorite fall holidays.

  • 07 of 15

    Chicken Omelette

    Chicken Omelette

    Leah Maroney

    In 10 minutes, you can whip up a tasty lunch that's filling enough to hold you over until dinner, but light enough not to weigh you down. You'll wonder why you never thought of folding cooked, shredded chicken into a fluffy, cheese-flecked omelette before!

  • 08 of 15

    Chicken Quesadillas

    Chicken Quesadillas

    The Spruce

    Got leftover cooked chicken in the fridge? Try making these super-easy chicken quesadillas. You need only 4 ingredients, and the recipe is easily halved to serve one. Or make a big batch, and freeze what you don't eat in a ziploc bag for reheating later.

    Continue to 9 of 15 below.
  • 09 of 15

    Toasted Tomato Sandwich

    Toasted Tomato Sandwich

     Jeff Kauck/Getty Images

    If you grow tomatoes in your garden, or love finding perfectly ripe ones at the market, you probably want to eat them at every meal when they're in season. This lunchtime sandwich makes the most of juicy, fresh tomatoes, and couldn't be easier, with only 4 simple ingredients.

  • 10 of 15

    Instant Pot Pizza

    Instant Pot Pizza

    The Spruce/Diana Rattray

    This instant pot pizza is a snap to prepare, and just the right size for a quick lunch or filling snack. Use convenient refrigerated pizza dough (or your go-to homemade crust recipe), and dress it up with your desired toppings.

  • 11 of 15

    Broiled Salmon Steak

    Broiled Salmon Steak

    DragonFly/Getty Images

    Use your outdoor grill or oven broiler to prepare a meaty salmon steak for your weekday supper. A little butter (and any dried spices you favor) is all that's needed to accent the natural sweetness of America's favorite fish. Serve it with rice or potatoes, and a side green vegetable or salad, for a complete, nutritious meal.

  • 12 of 15

    Vegetarian Rice and Cheddar Stuffed Peppers

    Vegetarian Rice and Cheddar Stuffed Peppers

    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

    Rice and cheese stuffed peppers are a filling, nutritious dinner option for vegetarians, or anyone wanting a meat-free meal or side dish. Enjoy one or two as a meal, and use up the rest within a week. Or freeze them up to 3 months in an airtight plastic bag, for easy reheating later.

    Continue to 13 of 15 below.
  • 13 of 15

    Chicken Breast in Parchment Paper

    Chicken Breast in Parchment Paper

    The Spruce

    Oven-steaming a plump chicken breast inside a parchment paper packet is a foolproof way to turn out moist, juicy meat every time. You only need a slice or two of citrus fruit, salt and pepper, and your choice of dried spice, to create wonderfully flavored chicken. Slice it for sandwiches and salads, or enjoy it for an easy dinner with rice and veggies.

  • 14 of 15

    Grilled Portobello Burger

    Vegetarian Portobello Mushroom and Avocado Burger

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

    Trying to eat meatless, but missing the heft of a burger for dinner? Give this awesome portobello mushroom burger a try. Topped with a tasty roasted red pepper tapenade, it's savory enough that you won't even miss the meat.

  • 15 of 15

    30-Minute Chili With Ground Beef and Beans

    30-Minute Chili With Ground Beef and Beans

    Diana Rattray

    This easy ground beef chili is hearty and delicious, and takes only 30 minutes from start to finish. Make it for your freezer, storing it in portions, for easy reheating on the stovetop. Serve anytime with cornbread, biscuits, or crackers for a comforting, warming dinner in a bowl.