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If you live alone, what meals do you cook on a regular basis?

18 replies

LudoBear · 22/03/2021 16:48

I'm terrible at making myself cook proper meals. I live on my own. What do you cook on a regular basis if you live alone?

OP posts:
ElizaLaLa · 22/03/2021 16:57

I used to have

Pizza made from wraps.
Spag bol/Stews/Soups and freeze leftovers to make microwave meals.
Salads.
Meat like chops & veg.

Amorousfrog · 22/03/2021 17:08

When dd is with her Dad, a stew made in the slow cooker for the week is good.

BiddyPop · 22/03/2021 17:21

I have had significant periods of being alone (and DD hating my food so really cooking for 1).

I do a batch of various freezer meals on occasion, and enjoy 1 portion fresh and freeze maybe 4 more for other nights. Things like lasagna, spag bol, various curries, chilli con carne, cottage pie etc. Mostly they either need just reheating the sauce while some rice/pasta/potatoes cook, or throw it in the oven and ignore for 30 minutes or so.

If I am in the mood for stir-frying type meals, I will usually do a LOT of peeling/chopping of various veg, enough for 2 nights, and cook 1 lot but put the second lot in the fridge for following day to just toss and fry up. But possibly do 1 using diced chicken and the 2nd using fresh prawns, probably using 2 different sauces (whether from packets or just throwing bits and pieces into the pan like Chinese rice wine and soy sauce, or thai red curry paste/fish sauce/small tin coconut milk etc) and sometimes varying between different types of rice or noodles.

I will do a "cheat's roast" sometimes. I like doing diced potatoes that I season with garlic granules, pepper and olive oil, and throw into the oven. I also like to do roasted mediteranean veggies (I dice a load of peppers, courgette, red onion, mushrooms, tomatoes etc to the same size, add whole cloves of garlic, season with olive oil/balsamic vinegar/salt/pepper/herbs like basil/oregano/rosemary) as they are a great side dish and can be generally ignored as they roast, but leftovers can be served on pasta or frozen for another night.

And for meat - sometimes I would still do a small chicken and strip the carcass for other meals. But often I would just use a part boned breast or a couple of oyster thighs on their own. Sometimes plain, sometimes with lots of lemon, sometimes with some feta and thyme leaves under the skin, etc.

Decent sized lamb chops also roast nicely, or a lamb shank.

Very occasionally, I will do a full sized roast (if I am feeling energetic or will be busy later in the week so leftovers are useful or there's a good deal on) - enjoy a nice dinner that night, do lots of leftover things over a few days or sometimes even freeze leftovers for another time altogether. Gravy can reheat well, throw meat into that to reheat while you boil potatoes and fresh veg. Or very thinly slice before freezing and use in chinese type stirfries (these are great to use as various mixed meats from freezer, not just a single type).

Leftover chicken is the most versatile - risotto, soup, in a wine sauce with mushrooms, with various chinese sauces, or curries, in pasta with a tomato sauce, Spanish omlette for dinner and leftovers for next day's lunch etc.

But sometimes a slice of rare roast beef or lamb fried up on the pan with a dippy fried egg and some chips is devine. (Both are relatively versatile for other leftover meals). Pork is great for chinese type meals.

Bacon I would often use with cheese sauce, lots of veggies and pasta - and leftovers can be frozen and reheated as a pasta bake another time.

M&S sell various forms of "rarebit" (cheese in a teracotta pot) that needs heating in the oven - I cook a couple of part-baked bread rolls at the same time, and throw some sliced spring onions over the top if I am feeling fancy.

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utterflapdoodle · 22/03/2021 17:23

All sorts really. I tend to batch cook at weekends, portion up and bung it in the freezer.

I make soups, macaroni cheese, tuna pasta bake, veggie lasagne, aubergine parmesan, mini quiche, chick pea curry, fish cakes. I also bake my own bread and make pizza from scratch. It helps that I enjoy cooking and have a big freezer!

Sometimes like tonight I'll have something simple like fried eggs on toast or a salad with smoked salmon and potatoes.

BiddyPop · 22/03/2021 17:23

Oh and I don't mind making a large portion of cauliflower cheese as that also freezes well, so can be reheated in the oven with a potato baking as I grill a lamb chop, for example.

lastqueenofscotland · 22/03/2021 17:41

I usually make enough for two and have leftovers the next day

Curry
Stir fries
Risotto
Pasta dishes
Gnocchi and home
Made pesto
Soups and bread

cheezy · 22/03/2021 17:45

This thread makes me realise how much I love living on my own Grin

RunningFromInsanity · 22/03/2021 17:46

Meatballs, pasta sauce, tagliatelle

Sausage meat, spinach, onion, pasta

Chicken with lemon sauce (jar) and rice

Mince tacos

Chicken fajitas

emmathedilemma · 22/03/2021 17:51

spag bol
chilli
pasta & homemade sauce (usually tinned tomatoes, veg & bacon or tuna)
curry
chicken breast, veg & gravy
roast veg tray with chicken or chicken sausages
stir fry
jacket potato & salad
steak, wedges & veg / salad
pie & veg (either shop bought pie or make & freeze the filling and freeze ready rolled pastry in portions)
pizza
I rarely cook just one portion, things like stir fry I'd do 2 portions and have it the next day or spag bol and things like that I make 4-6 portions and freeze it.

tellmetologoffIamaMNaddict · 22/03/2021 17:54

This isn't healthy really but I make big vats of cheese sauce and freeze in single serve oven dishes. Defrost them and add macaroni and/or cauli. I add loads of strong cheese and mozarella and sometimes bacon

user1493413286 · 22/03/2021 18:13

I often end up eating alone due to DHs work and I eat;
Salmon, pasta and pesto (other portion of salmon goes in freezer for next week)
Home made Chicken kebabs with pita bread (again other portions of chicken go in freezer)
Frozen veggie sausages and mash
Chicken breast, veg, mash and gravy
Also batch cook things like chilli and lasagne or make enough curry for 2 and freeze it

AdaColeman · 22/03/2021 18:15

I don't do much in the way of batch cooking, instead I buy things that come in one/two portions, such as salmon fillets, chicken portions, fish such as Dover or lemon sole, trout, sea bass etc.

As it's almost spring now, I'll be eating chicken Caesar salad, salade Niçois, Moroccan style lentil salad with salmon fillet, salmon or chicken in a creamy sauce with rice or linguini.

I also like simple soups such as Asian style soup with gyoza or shredded chicken or prawns, and simple pasta dishes like pasta primavera or spaghetti carbonara.

When you live alone, it can be difficult sometimes to find the enthusiasm to cook proper meals for yourself. This is especially true when the evening is rapidly passing by and you've still made no decision about dinner. It's tempting to just eat toast.
So I try to decide a menu earlier in the day, gather ingredients together if possible, and have a plan!
Tonight there is lemon sole for dinner! Wine Wine

WeavingWandering · 22/03/2021 18:26

Not sure where I found it but it’s an absolute life saver since it’s mostly cupboard food!

Spices fried with onion and garlic, add a can of chopped tomatoes and some passata, add some spinach and tinned butter beans (or whatever you happen to have !) ... simmer for a bit , then crack an egg or two in and let it cook in the sauce . Ridiculously simple and takes no time but it’s so filling and yum!

Jojo19834 · 22/03/2021 18:33

Love this, I love alone and need some inspiration, lot here!!

MangoChutnee · 22/03/2021 19:03

I'm terrible at the moment- quick things involve:

A lot of tapas style lunches- combo of coleslaw, potato/quinoa salad, bean salad, prawns, ham, green salad, ready cooked omelettes (shudder, actually quite nice!)

Ready made soups, sometimes with a crusty roll with ham or cheese

A whole plate of salad, layered up with some of the above

Dinners-ready made fish pie, cottage pie, beef stew, fish fingers, breaded cod, jacket potatoes, vegetarian grills eaten as burgers in between cos lettuce leaves, with large portions of brocolli, kale, carrots or salad etc.

Favourite treat at the moment is frozen raspberries with yoghurt.

When I am being good, my go to meals involve:

  • batch cooking organic beef mince into portions with tomatoes, sometimes with black beans - so versatile as can be served with rice, pasta, jacket potato, under sweet potato mash as a pie. I also batch cooked lamb rogan josh at one point, that was amazing.
  • stirfries with chicken, turkey, prawns, steak and black rice noodles, lots of veg
  • a super easy one - cod cut into chunky strips, marinated in yoghurt and tandoori spice, and grilled, served with rice or quinoa
  • salmon with veg, I usually buy a side of salmon then cut it into smaller portions and freeze, very economical
  • sometimes I roast a chicken or joint on a Sunday and live off that for a couple of days

The Roasting Tin is quite a good CBA cookbook, as it says it all goes in a tin.

MangoChutnee · 22/03/2021 19:06

@BiddyPop

I have had significant periods of being alone (and DD hating my food so really cooking for 1).

I do a batch of various freezer meals on occasion, and enjoy 1 portion fresh and freeze maybe 4 more for other nights. Things like lasagna, spag bol, various curries, chilli con carne, cottage pie etc. Mostly they either need just reheating the sauce while some rice/pasta/potatoes cook, or throw it in the oven and ignore for 30 minutes or so.

If I am in the mood for stir-frying type meals, I will usually do a LOT of peeling/chopping of various veg, enough for 2 nights, and cook 1 lot but put the second lot in the fridge for following day to just toss and fry up. But possibly do 1 using diced chicken and the 2nd using fresh prawns, probably using 2 different sauces (whether from packets or just throwing bits and pieces into the pan like Chinese rice wine and soy sauce, or thai red curry paste/fish sauce/small tin coconut milk etc) and sometimes varying between different types of rice or noodles.

I will do a "cheat's roast" sometimes. I like doing diced potatoes that I season with garlic granules, pepper and olive oil, and throw into the oven. I also like to do roasted mediteranean veggies (I dice a load of peppers, courgette, red onion, mushrooms, tomatoes etc to the same size, add whole cloves of garlic, season with olive oil/balsamic vinegar/salt/pepper/herbs like basil/oregano/rosemary) as they are a great side dish and can be generally ignored as they roast, but leftovers can be served on pasta or frozen for another night.

And for meat - sometimes I would still do a small chicken and strip the carcass for other meals. But often I would just use a part boned breast or a couple of oyster thighs on their own. Sometimes plain, sometimes with lots of lemon, sometimes with some feta and thyme leaves under the skin, etc.

Decent sized lamb chops also roast nicely, or a lamb shank.

Very occasionally, I will do a full sized roast (if I am feeling energetic or will be busy later in the week so leftovers are useful or there's a good deal on) - enjoy a nice dinner that night, do lots of leftover things over a few days or sometimes even freeze leftovers for another time altogether. Gravy can reheat well, throw meat into that to reheat while you boil potatoes and fresh veg. Or very thinly slice before freezing and use in chinese type stirfries (these are great to use as various mixed meats from freezer, not just a single type).

Leftover chicken is the most versatile - risotto, soup, in a wine sauce with mushrooms, with various chinese sauces, or curries, in pasta with a tomato sauce, Spanish omlette for dinner and leftovers for next day's lunch etc.

But sometimes a slice of rare roast beef or lamb fried up on the pan with a dippy fried egg and some chips is devine. (Both are relatively versatile for other leftover meals). Pork is great for chinese type meals.

Bacon I would often use with cheese sauce, lots of veggies and pasta - and leftovers can be frozen and reheated as a pasta bake another time.

M&S sell various forms of "rarebit" (cheese in a teracotta pot) that needs heating in the oven - I cook a couple of part-baked bread rolls at the same time, and throw some sliced spring onions over the top if I am feeling fancy.

Ooh these ideas are so up my street!
MangoChutnee · 22/03/2021 19:08

I also do a sausage bake, so easy- good quality sausages, tin of white beans, mediterannean veg and tin of tomatoes- bake et volia. Lasts several days and not terrible if frozen.

helpfulperson · 22/03/2021 19:15

Since Christmas I've been getting a gusto box every 2 weeks. And on the other weeks doing my favourite of the recipes

It's not cheap but not horrendous price either £30 for 6 main meals. And no food wastage.

Its really kick started my bothering to cook.

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