First of all, let me just say this: if cooking isn’t your thing, that’s fine. Fishing isn’t my thing. Nor is CrossFit, or needlepoint. None of these things are likely to change, so I have no reason to try to convince you to change your mind about cooking.
On the other hand, if you don’t mind cooking but are the sort of person who finds yourself saying things like “It’s just so hard to cook for two,” I’m here to help. And I’m here to suggest that it really isn’t all that hard, if you change the way you think about making meals.
If you spent a number of years with children in the house, you probably got used to thinking in quantity: a casserole, for instance, allows a group of four or five to have dinner, even when two or three of that group are likely to eat quite a bit and the rest are not. After my children moved out and started college, the most challenging part of making dinner was revising my repertoire. I had to cut way back on casseroles (unless they freeze well) and come up with options that work better for a party of two. Otherwise, Mike and I were going to be eating a lot of King Ranch Chicken for a week or so.
But these tips and tricks have made cooking for two easier for me.
Think in multiples of two.
I spent a lot of time in the meat department of my grocery store looking for packages of two chicken breasts, two pork chops, etc. Sometimes you can find them, which makes life easier. When you can’t, though–or when buying the larger package is significantly cheaper–buy a pack of four or six. Take out the two servings you need right away and portion out the rest for the freezer–two servings per bag.
Here’s a great trick: Add some marinade to the freezer bag before you place your meat in the freezer. Allowing frozen meat to thaw in marinade serves a dual purpose: transfer it from freezer to refrigerator in the morning and it will be both marinated and ready to cook by dinnertime.
This multiples-of-two principle also works well for things like soup or small casseroles: if you’re making a recipe that yields four servings, have two for dinner and set two aside for lunch the next day–or freeze those extra servings for later reheating. Two meals, one prep.
Think in terms of categories.
Because I was used to making multi-ingredient meals (think enchiladas), I’d sort of forgotten that meals can be really simple if you focus on three primary categories: protein, vegetable, starch. They don’t have to appear in the same recipe, and making them on their own allows for an infinite number of combinations. Sometimes Mike and I skip the starch and have two vegetables, which is an even healthier option. But salmon, rice, and broccoli is a staple in our dinner repertoire.
Of course, there’s no reason you can’t combine things. But thinking in terms of categories and the items you have on hand makes it easy to see that pasta with bacon and peas would make a terrific dinner.
Keep it simple.
While you’re thinking in terms of categories, remember that a simple pork chop with a side of green beans and some roasted potatoes is a perfectly lovely meal. It doesn’t need a fancy name or French sauce to make it tasty, though it might have one or both if you went to a restaurant and ordered that very same combination. Focus on what you like to eat. Learn how to prepare it in ways that you like. It really is that simple.
My favorite way to prepare vegetables: roasting them in the oven. I love this because it’s a completely hands-on off preparation. Just chop your veggies into bite-sized pieces (or buy them pre-chopped, if you prefer), toss them with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt pepper, and turn them out on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Roast them at 400 degrees, keeping in mind that firm veggies (like potatoes and carrots) will take 30-45 minutes, and softer veggies (like green beans) will take only 10 minutes or so. Roasted cauliflower with a little sprinkle of parmesan while it’s hot from the oven is about as good as a vegetable can get.
And that’s all there is to it. In many ways, cooking for two is actually much easier than cooking for a crowd.
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