This is what dinner looks like when I eat on my own.
I’m endlessly curious about what cooks prepare when they cook for one. Some people don’t bother if there’s no audience, others opt for no-cook comfort foods, some use the chance to enjoy foods their family dislikes, and some simply follow exactly what their appetite wants. I fall into that last group.
I rarely do breakfast cereal for dinner. My solo evenings revolve around two simple decisions: what dish I want to eat and what movie I want to watch.
I enjoy the closed-circuit thought process of planning a meal for one—my choices come straight from my stomach with no need to compromise. The cooking is usually simple, taking no more than thirty minutes from start to finish, cleanup included. Still, those thirty minutes are time I happily spend on my evening.
Nearly every solo meal I make shares two things: it’s vegetable-focused, and it can be eaten from a bowl with just a fork or spoon—essential for cuddling up on the couch while I eat.
In the example pictured above, shot on a Sunday night a couple of weeks ago, I sautéed zucchini with a large shallot, then added chickpeas I’d pressure-cooked earlier that day. At the end I stirred in cilantro, chopped black olives, and sliced almonds. A drizzle of finishing oil and a quick grind of black pepper finished the dish, and I was ready to settle in with a movie.
For dessert I might have a slice of cake if there’s some in the cake dome, or a chopped apple mixed with sheep’s milk yogurt and a little granola, or a couple of dried figs with dark chocolate—a simple treat I’ve enjoyed for years.
So tell me: what kind of solo eater are you? What do you cook, if anything, when you’re on your own?