Cooking for one can be challenging if you like to cook. I don’t want to make a lot of something and then freeze it. I don’t mind eating a serving of leftovers for lunch or a dinner later in the week so I typically cut recipes in half or even quarters.
Most ground meat is sold by the pound. You could freeze part uncooked for later or you can come up with some different meals that use the same base protein but go in different directions for some variety.
This past week I bought a pound of ground chicken. First I made a 1/2 recipe of Half Baked Harvest’s Better than Takeout Szechuan Noodles because I had some baby bok choy to use up. I doubled the bok choy and would probably triple it next time. I used store bought chili oil but homemade pappardelle noodles because I wanted to make some pasta. (I froze the leftover pasta dough in 1/4 pound portions.) This was super good and I ate it two nights in a row with no complaints.
Then I made her chicken tacos with about 1/4 pound of the chicken. I also cooked up some pinto beans and frozen most in 1 or 2 cup portions, leaving some out for burritos or a side dish.
Tonight I had about 1/4 pound, maybe a big more, ground chicken and made sloppy Joe’s with a side salad.
Three different recipes with very different flavors and starches from the same protein. How do you keep things exciting in the kitchen when you’re cooking for one?
Leave a Reply