Cooking for One: What’s Your Go-To Single-Serving Dish?

SatNavSaysStraightOn

SatNavSaysStraightOn

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I’m on my own all next week, which means I’ll be cooking just for myself. I'm trying to avoid the "have breakfast cereal for my evening meal" approach. I don’t mind that approach, but being the only one home means I can also try something new or simpler, or more experimental than normal.

So I’m curious:
What do you cook when you’re making exactly one portion?
Not leftovers-for-three, not “I’ll freeze half”… literally one plate, eaten right away.
It might be something quick, something indulgent, something strange-but-brilliant. Anything from “fried egg and whatever’s in the fridge” to a perfect solo risotto counts.

Photos, recipes (links only please), or just descriptions welcome. I’d love some inspiration before I need to go shopping at the weekend. I can veganise as needed, and I suspect I’m not the only one who ends up cooking solo more often than expected.
 
Tricky...
As I do cook for 1, but generally cook more meals in one go (freezer or eat the next day).
But I got a couple

Noodle stir fry (just throw the 2 minute noodles in hot water and let stand till you need them. Meanwhile fry veges)

Noodle soup

If you make any rice dish, just cook double the amount of rice and use the left over rice for fried rice the next day

Omelette with lots of filling

Pizza or toasted sandwich

Salad, think beans, pasta, rice, lots of raw or cooked veges

I'll come up with more of hem later
 
I generally go down the pasta route. We're huge pasta eaters, so there's always 3-4 kgs of dried pasta in the house. I usually make a basic tomato sauce once a week (it'll last for at least a fortnight in the fridge - no need to freeze) and then I've got pasta with variations. I can go aglio e olio, I can go arrabiata, by adding chiles to the tomato sauce, I can go putanesca with some olives, capers and peperoncini (and anchovies), I can add some bacon, or red peppers, or spinach - a whole load of options, and they only take a few moments (as long as it takes to cook the pasta) to put together.
 
I tend to eat the things on my own that you eat normally. Beans on toast and runny egg 👍
If I can be bothered I’ll think of something no-one else would like to eat and that usually ends up being chicken liver salad!
But I’m a huge fan of doubling up when I cook and using one of the components in another dish the next day. It’s thrifty and saves time.

Both of my sons cook for one (occasionally they’ll cook for the two of them) and noodle stir fry appears the most.
They also cook things they can split the packet of like frozen sausages, Fishfingers, breaded chicken etc.

Mostly I take it as an opportunity to not cook so large quantities of chocolate 😊 or a sandwich or some soup or a noodle pot or other shop bought item that I’ll zhuzh up all eaten in front of a good TV prog works for me.

Sometimes though I’ll order something expensive that buying enough for four big would be extravagant but for one is perfectly reasonable. Last time I went up a notch I had lobster Thermidor and a glass bottle of Chablis 😋
 
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When my arthritis is bad I do a quick and easy meal of instant mashed potatoes, spinach and gravy. Everything in the microwave except the gravy.
 
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