10 Tasty “Dinner For One” Meal Inspirations

Last updated on June 30, 2017 by Liza Hawkins

From soup and salad to grilled cheese and pasta, there are plenty of delicious ways to get your grub on when you’re flying solo!

I come from a family that adores savory snacks. Don’t get me wrong, we like our sweets too, but there’s nothing better than taking a salty cracker, slathering it with salty butter, and gorging.

I’ve posted about “buttery saltines” before, and was surprised that almost no one had heard of the wonderfully paired combo. People thought I was nuts! This swath of buttery, salty goodness was a childhood favorite of mine, spurred by my father who’s an expert at matching spreads with crackers.

When I’m on my own for dinner sometimes I like to keep it extra simple and heat up a bowl of soup or leftover chili. Except, I can’t have a bowl of soup or chili without also having buttery saltines. Some might say the soup is a formality and the buttery saltines are the real dinner. Because buttery saltines are good. Like, really good. Cravingly good. Especially when they’re dipped in hot soup so the butter gets a little melty, but the cracker itself is still crisp … YUM!

I don’t believe you can get the same buttery goodness from just any cracker combo, though there are loads of others I enjoy nearly equally.

In order to have the full experience, you need to use saltine crackers and name brand or generic, it doesn’t matter. But what does matter is that you must use salted butter. Not margarine, not sweet cream butter, not “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” butter, REGULAR SALTED BUTTER. Trust me. And don’t skimp on the crackers either—these days saltines come in a variety of styles: salted tops, low salt, low fat, no salt, etc. Stick with the original, and enjoy.

And, while you’re at it, check out some other yummy meals for when you’re flying solo!

10 Tasty “Dinner For One” Meal Inspirations

1. Soup and Crackers

Need I say more? Okay, how about a few soup recipes (think “leftovers” for a few)!

• Minestrone Soup for One from One Dish Kitchen
• Instant Pot Chili from (a)Musing Foodie*
• Tomato Basil Soup from One Little Project at a Time
• Instant Pot Ham & Bean Soup from (a)Musing Foodie

*If you’re still living without an Instant Pot, click here right now to buy one for yourself! I’m not sure how I lived without it for all these years.

2. Grilled Cheese

The classic white bread with American cheese is still a popular option, but if you’re looking to up your grilled cheese game, try one of these:

• Turkey Bacon and Avocado Grilled Cheese from Tidy Mom
• Parmesan Crusted Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese from Rachel Cooks
• 15-Minute Philly Cheese Steak Grilled Cheese from Sweet & Savory by Shinee
• Apple Gouda Grilled Cheese from Domestic Superhero

3. Individual Pizza

The key to making homemade pizza on the fly is having pizza dough ready to go in your freezer (or fridge, depending when you made it), so all you need to do is thaw it quickly in the microwave and wait for your oven to preheat!

• Thin crust pizza from (a)Musing Foodie
• Pizza Toast from The BakerMama™
• Prosciutto Arugula Pizza from A Cedar Spoon

4. Quesadillas

Keep corn or flour tortillas and cheddar on hand, and you can easily make dinner in less than 15 minutes. Or, get a little more creative with something like these:

• Chicken Avocado Quesadillas from Gimme Delicious
• Greek Quesadillas from Damn Delicious
• Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas from Tastes Better from Scratch

5. Salad

Whether you’ll plucking the freshest veg from your garden when it’s in season, or throwing together the latest grocery store goodies, sometimes a salad just really hits the spot.

• Chicken Bacon and Ranch Mason Jar Salads from My Recipe Magic
• Honey Mustard Chicken, Avocado + Bacon Salad from Cafe Delites
• Chickpea Salad from Spend with Pennies
• Blueberry Broccoli Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Ranch from Peas and Crayons
• Tart Cherry Tuna Salad Avocado Bowls from Love & Zest

6. Breakfast for Dinner

I could eat breakfast for any meal, really, but when I’m cooking dinner for one it’s one of my most common go-tos. Quick, filling and oh-so-satisfying!

• Fried Eggs from (a)Musing Foodie
• Spinach and Bacon Omelette from Valentina’s Corner
• Easy Country French Toast from Country Recipe Book

7. Cereal

And, let’s be honest, sometimes a big bowl of cereal (with sliced bananas for me) is perfection.

via GIPHY

8. Baguette and Cheese

A crusty loaf of bread and a few different hard and soft cheeses, and dinner’s made for me. Throw in some fruit, or maybe some jam, and I’m in heaven.

9. Chips and Dip

I have a number of favorite dip and chip combos, but when I’m making a meal of it, I usually gravitate to refried beans, queso, diced tomatoes, green onions and avocado with a big dollop of sour cream—downed with half a bag of tortilla chips. Or, you could try one of these:

• Buffalo Chicken Dip from Brown Eyed Baker
• Crab Rangoon Dip with Wonton Chips from 4 Sons ‘R’ Us
• Cowboy Caviar from Culinary Hill

10. Pasta

Pasta, ahhhhhh, pasta. Just like “breakfast for dinner” I could eat pasta nearly every night of the week and be completely satiated. It’s just as easy to feed a crowd with a pasta recipe as it is make a single serving (and if you end up with leftovers, those are usually amazing, too)!

• Easy Spaghetti Carbonara from (a)Musing Foodie
• Creamiest Mac and Cheese from NeighborFood
• One Pot Beef Fajita Pasta from Slimming Eats