Three Easy Dinner Recipes for Two

For some men and women, cooking for two is a major challenge. For others, cooking for two is simple. It’s just a matter of adjusting your portions and cooking less than an entire package. It means saving some ingredients and using less of others. It’s not that difficult, even if it seems like it for a couple whose kids are suddenly grown up and out of the house, leaving them with the problem of figuring out how to go from cooking for four or five to cooking for two. These three simple recipes should get you started.

Summer Pasta

This complete dish is simple enough to work for a light meal. You’ll want to toss a few pieces of chicken into the oven – boneless strips are the best – and a cup and a half of pasta (bowtie is pretty) on the stove to boil. Place a quarter cup of olive oil on low heat and add some salt and two cloves of chopped garlic to simmer for five minutes. While that’s simmering, cut a dozen small cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the garlic and olive oil mixture. Leave the heat on low and let the tomatoes simmer in the mixture for another five minutes.

While that’s simmering, chop a handful of basil and keep it on the side. Once the tomato mixture is finished, pour it into a big bowl. Your chicken and pasta will go into this bowl when they are finished. You’ll want to cut the chicken into small pieces. Once everything is in the bowl, mix it up and top with your chopped basil and a little fresh parmesan cheese and you’re ready to go.

Salmon

Start by making a small salad. You can make the salad in two bowls, cutting your favorite vegetables in quantities only enough for that. Place the salad in the fridge and start on the rest of dinner. You’ll want to small pieces of salmon from the fresh seafood section in your grocery store. Cut a lemon into four slices and place them onto two pieces of foil about a foot wide (two lemon slices per foil). Next, place a piece of salmon on top of your lemon. Place a tablespoon of cold butter on top of your salmon, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and close the foil around the salmon. Place it on a baking sheet in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

Next, take fresh broccoli and place it in a cake pan. Sprinkle it with a little olive oil, sea salt and pepper, and a little garlic and wine seasoning if you have it. Place it in the oven with your salmon for the last 20 minutes and pull it all out together. Grab your salad, fill your plate and enjoy.

Sausage and Peppers

This is a favorite for two. You’ll want two pieces of sweet chicken sausage (you can cook them however you want, I prefer a grill pan on the stove). You will cook a cup and a half of pasta (penne is good for this dish). While that’s cooking, chop one green and one red bell pepper into slices and place it in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil. Next, add a half an onion cut into strips and add it to your peppers. Cook it on medium heat until everything softens.

When the sausage is done, cut it into pieces and toss it into two bowls. Drain your pasta, split it between bowls and add the veggies. Mix everything in each bowl and you have simple meal for two.

(Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Electrolux)