Anyone Have any one-pot recipes for one?

mattig89ch

Hello all,

I'm been subsisting on frozen diners during the majority of my weight loss journey. Simply put, I never found cooking to be particularly enjoyable.

Still, the repetitiveness of the frozen diners is starting to get to me.

So I wanted to ask if anyone had any good, single pot recipes for a single person? Or knew of a site to find any low calorie, single pot recipes?

MaltedTea

If you don't like cooking (I feel you on that one) but are single/living alone then you may be more efficient in asking for freezable crockpot meals. Make 1-2 or those a week, prepare in serving sizes, then stick it in your freezer. Instead of cooking 1 or 2 servings you may have as many as 6+.

Trust me, you'll be elated on super lazy days when all you have to do is warm the oven or heat your microwave for 2 min.

I don't have specific sites to suggest per se. I just Google 2 or 3 ingredients I have on hand but want to use up then add the word "freezable" ensure there are at least some positive reviews and go from there.

whoami67

Here're some one-pot recipes from my favorite recipe website. Most of the recipes are 2-4 servings, but on the website, you can change it to 1 serving and it scales the ingredients down so you know what to use for 1 serving. This is not a diet recipe website. Most of the meals are around 400-500ish calories per serving which is quite reasonable for losing weight. Not all of the recipes have nutrition info...I believe they're in process of adding that...but you can look up the calories in the ingredients on myfitnesspal.

https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/one-pot/

mattig89ch

@MaltedTea good idea. Now I just need to get some ingredients...have any suggestions?

@whoami67 thanks for that link!

MaltedTea

I don't know what you like to eat lol

How bout chili? It's tasty, freezable and can be adapted for many eating approaches like vegan, vegetarian, etc.

Actually, most stews have the same upside (although I'd triple check on ones with heavy starches like potatoes or eggs).

If you can roast a whole chicken (or just your fav parts of the chicken, animal protein, or your non-animal protein substitute), you can freeze that in portions too.

mattig89ch

my food tastes are very simple. beef is a favorite of mine, hotdogs too. but chicken seems to be more affordable.

Don't like asparagus, califlourer, brussel sprouts. And I just moved, so I have nothing but soda and water in the fridge! And frozen diners the freezer ofc

MaltedTea

Yes, I recall you mentioning your move in another thread. Congrats on going through a major life transition during a global pandemic! You're built Ford tough!

If you still have energy to muster just throw some veg, oil, spices and chicken on some tin foil, wrap it up and throw the resulting bundle in the oven.

⬇️

It doesn't have to be complicated but search "fool packet dinners" or "tin foil dinners." Good luck 🤗

Leezy55

Rotisserie chicken from the grocer. You can get organic, seasoned.... Ready made, good for a few meals and versatile. One meal can be traditional chicken dinner, sandwich, salad...

littlegreenparrot1

In the UK cuts of beef for stewing are often cheaper.

If you can set aside some time one day to make a big pot of beef stew it will be worthwhile, it needs hours to cook slowly though to be really good. It doesn't need any attention though so you can wander off and do something.

tinkerbellang83

I have a few go to one-pot crockpot meals that I just throw in my slow cooker and leave for 6-8 hours.

• Chunky Chilli - Stewing beef, Tin of chopped tomatoes, Kidney Beans, whatever veg I have in the house and some chilli powder and beef stock.
• Thai Green Curry - Diced Chicken Breast/Thigh, Tin of young jackfruit, Beansprouts, shredded cabbage, random veg, chicken stock, coconut milk and thai green curry paste.
• Chicken, Chickpea & Chorizo Stew - Diced Chicken Thigh, Diced chorizo, Tin of chickpeas, chicken stock, red wine and thyme/rosemary.
• Shredded Buffalo Chicken - 4 Chicken Breasts and a splash of water slow cook for around 6 hours and then shred with 2 forks, add some buffalo or hot sauce and mix with some spring onions. Great sandwich filler or salad topper.

With slow-cooking you can get away with the cheaper slightly fattier cuts of meat such as stewing beef, chicken thighs, etc which would normally be tougher and they will cook beautifully. There are millions of recipes online, just add a couple of keywords for ingredients you already have at home. You can also do a roast in there and throw your veg and potatoes underneath it and finish it off in the oven to crisp it up.

Our slow cooker is by far one of the best investments I have made and it was only around £30 ($40)

PennycillinEQ

I'm a fan of sheet pan dinners and the internet has tons of recipes and ideas (Google" Sheet Pan Dinners"). So easy. If you line the pan with foil, you don't even have a pot to wash! A favorite at our house is Johnsville Sweet and Spicy Sausage with peppers, onions and potato cubes. A little olive oil to keep it from sticking and salt, pepper and garlic powder on the vegetables. Oven time and temperature depends on how large you cut the chunks of potato.

lnd7047

An easy blueprint that you can change up with multiple options: I use a rice cooker to make a batch of rice or quinoa. Once it's finished cooking, I add in canned or frozen vegetables (beans, peas, corn, chicpeas, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, carrots, choose as many or few as you like in any combo). I mix them in along with a jar of sauce (sweet and sour, butter chicken, vindaloo, curry, peanut sauce, sometimes even just some sour cream). Sometimes I mix in cheese or some chopped nuts on top. Really the combinations are endless, but it's a simple (or "lazy") way to do it quick and easy in one pot!
It's super easy (and fairly cheap!) to stock up and have these ingredients, jars/cans in the cabinet and bags of veggies in the freezer. I change it up depending on my mood that week, usually in a batch large enough to make my lunches the whole week. I stir it all into the rice cooker 'bowl' after the rice is done so I don't get another pan dirty. You could add a meat like diced chicken or pork, or some scrambled eggs if you want, but that'll mean dirtying a skillet.
We also do sheet pan (or cast iron skillet) dinners, whatever fresh veggie we feel like plus the meat of choice.

MeganD1704

I am a fan of how @MaltedTea suggests to cook- however I use my instapot -mostly because I continually forget to take meat out of the freezer and most things can cook from frozen, that baby can cook a whole roast in 2 hours (a 6 lb roast!). I also hate to stand there while things cook so this gives a really good option to walk away haha.

Meal ideas for one/saving for week using an instapot:
Breakfast: Quiche, hardboiled eggs, "egg bites" , oatmeal with whatever toppings you like
Lunch/ Dinner: pasta casseroles, large batches of chicken breasts you can use like the rotisserie chicken below, pulled pork, roast with veggies, crack chicken etc.
Some recipe links if you would consider buying one(I mean you could use a crockpot-just gotta adjust times accordingly) :

https://www.thekitchn.com/instant-pot-meal-prep-plan-267491
https://www.changeinseconds.com/healthy-instant-pot-recipes/
https://recipesfromapantry.com/instant-pot-freezer-meals/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=658293088_25656668_439322

For quick things I will grab from the store: Rotisserie chicken (you can make things like quesadillas, pasta+sauce+chicken, rice and chicken and veg etc), pre made soups, sausage/crackers/cheese

mattig89ch

Interesting, I never heard of pan sheet Diners before. But I like the sound of that better.

Thanks for the ideas all!

Lietchi

My favorite one pan meals are risottos. Beetroot risotto with goats cheese, mushroom risotto, fennel risotto with shrimp... All variations on the same recipe/meal.

A bonus is that they are very filling and fairly low calorie (if you don't go crazy with the parmesan cheese) and easy to make a large amount that will last for days.

Slacker16

If cost is a concern, here's a very cheap one-pan meal that got me through grad school. It's not haute cuisine but, as far as bachelor meals go...

- cook rice in stock with a drop of oil in the pan (I like to toast the grains and add a little onion, but up to you)
- plate the rice, add another drop of oil in the pan and fry some eggs
- plate the eggs on top of the rice and eat

Throw in a piece of fruit for dessert so you don't get scurvy and you have a full meal, and you can jazz it up with veggies, spices or different ways of cooking the eggs. The pan will also be super easy to clean because the eggs will have absorbed whatever the rice left behind.

mattig89ch

interesting. they do sell rice down at the local walmart. how do you cook rice though? And you mean cook the rice in a frying pan?

Slacker16

At its core it's just boiling water + rice + waiting until the water is absorbed, and there's usually instructions on the bag. Your first two attempts will suck and then you'll get the hang of it

And yes, a normal frying pan is just big enough to cook one serving (~300 calories) of rice.

To cut down on calories even further, you could replace the rice with a nice portion of frozen veggies and do a quick stir-fry, but personally I'd need a little bread to eat the eggs then.

Maesneuadd

Really easy and really nice is "Briam" or Greek ratatouille.

• 3 courgettes/Zuccinni cut into 3mm slices
• 1kg potatoes cut into 3mm slices
• 2 red onions cut into 3mm slices
• 100ml olive oil
• big bunch of parsley chopped (or dried stuff)
• salt and black pepper (generour seasoning)
• 1 can chopped plum tomatoes

Lay in a baking tray and mix all together. Not too deep.

Put in a medium oven for 90 mins and then enjoy. Only add water if it is getting too dry during cooking.

Great with fish or on its own with crusty bread

Limsha2

You may also want to try a students cook book or download, offers quick, inexpensive recipes and in single portion.

mattig89ch

That an app?

acpgee

I second the rotiserie chicken.
Day 1. Microwave a jacket potato to have with your chicken and some salad with commercial dressing on the side. Eat wings, drumsticks, backbone on day 1 because thighs and breasts are easier to deal with as leftovers. Be sure to prick the potato all over with a fork so steam can escape to avoid explosions.
Day 2. Chicken caesar. Lettuce, store bought croutons, store bought caesar dressing, some chopped chicken and a few parmesan shavings.
Day 3. Vaguely mexican salad. A store bought jar of tomato salsa, a chopped avocado, a handful of chopped cilantro and some leftover chicken. Have it in taco shells or a wrap.
Day 4. Avglemono soup. Boil some leftover chicken with a handful of rice and a chicken stock cube and the juice of a lemon. When the rice is tender in about 20 minutes beat an egg in a small bowl. Ladle some of the hot soup into the egg and beat. Turn the heat to very low and pour the egg mixture back into the soup. Stir until the egg thickens the soup. Have that with a greek salad. That's tomato, olives, cucumber, feta cheese and commercial italian dressing.
Day infinity. Remember to save all the bones from your chicken carcass and dump into a ziploc bag in the freezer. On a day you are puttering around at home simmer the bones with a quartered onion for a few hours. Then strain and keep in the freezer as stock. Next time you make avgolemono soup you won't even need to have the chicken.