Our meals for one are a delicious mixture of healthy, quick and tasty dinners that couldn't be easier to make.
Meals for one
When you’re used to a big crowd with the daily coming and going of a family, meals for one can sometimes be a tricky thing to motivate yourself to make. But when you next find yourself in the house alone and reaching for a bowl of cereal… stop, we’ve got much more exciting ideas to help you produce a tasty meal in minutes.
Whatever you’re in the mood for our recipes for one are sure to hit the spot. They’re a collection of some classics, a few new cuisines and a handful of speedy, healthy plates.
Some of our favourite meals for one come from celebrity fitness foodie Joe Wicks - also known as The Body Coach. His Lean in 15 recipes are really quick, but also really healthy. They focus on packing a big punch of flavour without having to use a huge list of ingredients and every utensil in the kitchen! From spicy prawns and potatoes to a naughty steak burrito, Joe understands flavour. Plus, he’s not afraid to use a little shortcut here and there which makes him our kind of cook.
If you’re looking for something simple and filling from your meal for one then we think you can’t beat an egg. High in protein and rich in vitamin B2 these little bites are the perfect final flourish to most meals we think. Some of our favourite ways to serve them are included in this collection, like baked on top of a pizza, or packed and served up with avocado and a miso dressing – delicious.
Finally, if your meal for one turns out to be a meal for more than one (thanks to kids, an unexpected arrival or cancelled plans) then there’s no need to worry. All our recipes are easy to serve up to more people – simply multiply the ingredients by the number of mouths you’ve got to feed.
Ready to decide what you’re going to have for dinner tonight (or maybe tomorrow, if you’re a forward planner!) then?
Click through our gallery of meals for one to explore the rest of our delicious, quick and healthy ideas…
Lean in 15 naughty steak burrito
One favourite of ours by Joe Wicks is this steak burrito, with its surprising sweet and sour flavours. Joe has combined pineapple, spring onions and jerk seasoning to make every mouthful moreish and delicious. We love this one for a sneaky weekend meal if everyone else is out the house!
Get the recipe: Lean in 15 naughty steak burrito
Tuna pasta
You can't beat a classic, so we've given tuna pasta a bit of an update rather than changing it completely. Using seared chunks of tuna makes it feel more grown up but we've kept it in a creamy sauce and used a handful of greens to make sure it still tastes familiar. This is a great one to make double of to have for lunch the next day, as it is fantastic cold too.
Lemongrass and Lime Herby Chicken Kebabs
This zesty recipe is the perfect example of how using just a few fresh ingredients you can rustle up something that tastes amazing. Garlic, lime, coriander and soy sauce combine to make a delicious marinade for the chicken skewers which, once cooked, seeps through and flavours the rice too. These handy skewers are delicious hot or cold - so perfect for a meal for one for lunch or dinner.
Get the recipe: Lemongrass and lime herby chicken kebabs
Baked egg pizza
The next time you find yourself at home by yourself why not rustle up this pizza instead of reaching for the phone to order a takeaway? Much healthier, cheaper and tastier - this baked egg pizza is assembled from a clever list of store-cupboard staples. Plus, since it is topped with three different veggies, we think this is the perfect precursor to pudding!
Get the recipe: Baked egg pizza
Poached eggs, avocado and miso sweet corn puree
Sometimes when you're after a meal for one you just want a few simple ingredients put together well. That's exactly what this dish is. Made with satisfyingly savoury miso paste, mellow sweetcorn and rich avocado, this vegetarian dish is simple but absolutely delicious - perfect for a speedy supper.
Get the recipe: Poached eggs, avocado and miso sweet corn puree
Chicken Caesar jacket potatoes
When it comes to meals for one we love a shortcut! This quick jacket potato is made using a microwaved potato for speed and a delicious fresh topping for flavour. The creamy Caesar dressing on the chicken works perfectly with the soft potato filling and the crunch from the lettuce tops it all off beautifully. This is one of those recipes you'll use time and time again.
Get the recipe: Chicken Caesar jacket potatoes
Lean in 15 spiced prawns and potatoes
With just a handful of ingredients and 15 minutes you can whip up these spicy prawns and potatoes by Joe Wicks, with its smoky flavour and oozing poached egg. We find his portions to be generous too, so depending on how hungry you're feeling (or how big the prawns are!) you could have some leftover for lunch the next day too.
Get the recipe: Lean in 15 spiced prawns and potatoes
Eat Well For Less homemade gammon noodle pot
Quick, rich and delicious, this homemade pot noodle is a genius recipe from the guys on Eat Well for Less, who know a thing or two about tasty recipes on a budget. This easy recipe for one uses lots of leftovers which means less waste too - a win win. We love this for a quick dinner but you can easily pack it up for lunch too, with instructions in the recipe to do just that.
Get the recipe: Eat Well for Less homemade pot noodle
No meat no dairy Buddha bowl
If you're after something healthy then our Buddha bowl is for you. Made from piles of fresh veggies on a base of couscous and chickpeas, this is a vegan recipe that packs a real punch of flavour. The best thing about this no meat no dairy Buddha bowl is that it can be tweaked to suit whatever you have in the fridge - almost any veggies work well.
Get the recipe: No meat no dairy Buddha bowl
Pitta pesto pizza
Our pitta pizzas couldn't be easier and are the perfect thing to whip up from just six ingredients when time is tight - or you just can't be bothered heading to the shops. They're made with fragrant pesto for that full-on Italian flavour and plenty of mozzarella for a satisfyingly stringy bite. You can swap up the toppings for whatever you fancy but we love this classic combo of salty ham and sweet cherry tomatoes.
Get the recipe: Pitta pesto pizza
Sizzling spicy scallops
Meals for one certainly don't have to be boring, in fact we think when you get a little time to have a meal on your own it's the perfect opportunity to treat yourself. For a really special supper try these sizzling scallops. They're made with zesty lime, punchy garlic and aromatic coriander for a really delicious dinner. The combination of these aromatics with the juices from the scallops makes the most amazing dipping sauce - so don't forget the bread!
Get the recipe: Sizzling spicy scallops
Lean in 15 recipes big juicy meatballs
This filling and flavoursome dish is comfort food at its best, and is so much better than our usual meal for one of beans on toast. Celebrity healthy eating blogger Joe Wicks has used a shortcut to ensure you can get this dish up in just 15 minutes, which we couldn't be more supportive of. When you're making a dinner just for yourself good quality ready-made meatballs are perfect, and by adding a homemade sauce made with plenty of veg and intense flavourings you'll hardly be able to tell the difference between ones made from scratch.
Get the recipe: Lean in 15 recipes big juicy meatballs
Hot steak salad
If your meal for one is an effort to be healthier (say goodbye to fish fingers with the kids!) then this steak salad is perfect. It doesn't feel like diet food but comes in at under 500 calories and tastes fantastic thanks to a rich mustardy dressing. With hardly a leaf in sight this salad is made up from warm roasted veggies for a really satisfying meal.
Get the recipe: Hot steak salad
Chicken and spring onion pancakes
If you think pancakes are just for pudding then think again! This savoury recipe for pancakes has an Asian twist that we love, with a pinch of nutmeg, punchy spring onions and leftover pieces of chicken. If you need any more convincing to try this meal for one then know that it's a real classic, having been tried and tested by hundreds of families since 1924, when it was first published in Woman's Weekly!
Get the recipe: Chicken and spring onion pancakes
Warm kale, avocado, pomegranate and quinoa salad
This recipe by health blogger Madeleine Shaw ticks all the boxes by using fresh and nutritious ingredients, while being really delicious at the same time. We love the burst of flavour and pop of colour that the pomegranate seeds bring, and because this is a vegetarian dish it's perfect for a meat-free meal for one we think!
Get the recipe: Warm kale, avocado, pomegranate and quinoa salad
Indian spiced rosti and 'fried' egg
At just 150 calories this delicious dish is the perfect food for a midweek feast that will leave you feeling positively saintly. The combination of heady Indian spices with the fresh flavours from the veg works so well and the egg provides the much-needed protein to help keep you full all evening. If you don't have courgettes or carrots this also works well with other veggies, like sweet potato, sweetcorn or peppers.
Get the recipe: Indian spiced rosti and 'fried' egg
Detox and glow Buddha bowl
Feeling like you could do with a good dose of veggies? This buddha bowl is perfect. It's packed with a rainbow of ingredients to help you get plenty of vitamins and minerals, as well as a healthy handful of oily fish. We've topped it off with a punchy Romesco sauce made from garlic, roasted peppers and paprika for full on flavour.
