Have you ever noticed that every recipe you come across is made to feed a family of 37? Okay, maybe not 37, but it sure feels that way. And if it’s just you and one other person in your household, you could end up living off that recipe for an entire month if you don’t alter the ingredients to cut down the number of servings. But instead of breaking out your calculator and trying to do the math, you could just use these five tasty recipes designed just for two.
1. Easy Peasy Chicken
This chicken dinner is both easy to make and very tasty, and since it’s designed for two people, you won’t have leftovers for days.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut into strips
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2/3 tsp garlic powder
- 2/3 cup barbeque sauce
Directions:
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add in the barbeque sauce, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add in the chicken strips, stirring to coat.
- Cover the saucepan and simmer until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove cover and re-stir the chicken so that the chicken is covered.
- Allow the chicken to continue cooking until the sauce thickens.
2. Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese
Grilled cheese is a very easy meal to make for two people, and when you add in the flavors of this jalapeno popper sandwich, you’ll never go back to just cheese.
Ingredients:
- 4 pieces of bread
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 10 jalapenos, sliced and de-seeded
- 4 tsp butter
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
- Put butter on one side of each piece of bread. Place 2 pieces of bread on a skillet over medium heat or on a griddle with butter side down.
- Place shredded cheese on top of bread, then the slices of jalapeno and then a hefty spoonful of cream cheese.
- Place the last two pieces of bread on top of each sandwich with the butter side facing out.
- Continue to flip sandwich so that each side is nicely browned and inside cheese has melted.
3. Mushroom Burgers
Why waste all that beef to make burgers for two people when you can buy mushroom caps instead and make this tasty meal?
Ingredients:
- 2 hamburger buns
- 2 large Portobello mushroom caps
- 8 roma tomatoes, diced
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup basil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, mix together the tomatoes, parmesan cheese, basil, garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat grill and oil the grate.
- Grill the Portobello mushroom caps for about 15 minutes or until juicy.
- Place tomato mixture on top of the mushroom cap and grill for an additional 20 minutes.
- Add cheese to the top of the tomato mixture and grill for 2 more minutes or until cheese has melted.
- Place mushroom cap onto hamburger bun and serve.
4. Baked Salmon
If you enjoy fish, this dish is perfect for you plus one.
Ingredients:
- 2 salmon fillets
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp basil
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, mix together the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and basil.
- Place salmon fillets in a baking dish and cover with marinade.
- Let marinate in the fridge for about 1 hour, turning occasionally so that all sides of the fillets have been marinated.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place the salmon fillets and marinade in aluminum foil and seal.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
5. Two-Person Pasta
This pasta dish is the perfect amount to feed two people without all the leftovers.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup pasta
- 1 cup pasta sauce
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup mushrooms, diced
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a baking dish, mix together pasta sauce, mushrooms and drained pasta noodles.
- Top with parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
Lauren Williams is a health specialist and avid writer. She enjoys blogging about healthy meals, nuts and nutrition, and recipes in her spare time.
