Cooking for one: Making mealtime matter again

Chef Tissany Gilmore

Portrait by Gloria Towne - All Around Towne Photography

If you live alone in Thurston County, you are part of a much larger community than you may realize. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey, Thurston County has 118,899 households, including 31,575 one-person households. That means about 1 in 4 households in our county is home to someone living alone. 

For many older adults, cooking for one is an opportunity to prepare meals they genuinely enjoy. As a chef and food educator, I believe cooking for yourself is a form of everyday self-care. With a little planning, one cooking session can provide dinner tonight and the foundation for several meals throughout the week. 

Cook once, create options 

Cooking for one does not mean preparing a single serving every time. Making a little extra can simplify your week when you have a plan for using it. 

If you roast vegetables for dinner, prepare enough for another meal. The next day, those vegetables could become part of a grain bowl, omelet, soup or wrap. Cooked beans can become tacos, soup or a salad topping. Rice can be paired with different vegetables, proteins and sauces. 

This is where “just enough” comes in. It does not necessarily mean cooking exactly one portion. It means preparing an amount you know you can use. 

Plan first, shop second 

Before your next grocery trip, check your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. What do you already have? 

Think about two or three meals you would enjoy during the week. Build your grocery list around those meals and choose ingredients that can be used more than once. 

Vegetables might work in a stir-fry, soup and grain bowl. Fresh herbs can brighten meals, while cooked grains can serve as the base for combinations of vegetables, beans, eggs or other proteins. 

Planning this way helps you get more value from what you purchase. 

Make leftovers work for you 

Not everyone enjoys eating the same meal two days in a row. Instead of viewing leftovers as yesterday’s dinner, think of them as ingredients for your next meal. 

Single-serving freezer containers are useful when you cannot eat food within a few days. Portion it, label it with the name and date, and then freeze it for a day when you do not feel like cooking. 

Refrigerated leftovers should generally be used within three to four days. If you will not eat them within that time, freeze them sooner. For best quality, use most cooked leftovers within two to six months in the freezer, although frozen food kept continuously at 0°F (-18°C) remains safe indefinitely. 

Leftover roasted vegetables can become an omelet filling or soup ingredient. Cooked chicken can become tacos, a salad or a sandwich. Beans can be turned into soup, a spread or a filling. 

The goal is not to fill your refrigerator with food you feel obligated to eat. It is to cook with intention and give yourself choices. 

Make your meal worthwhile 

Cooking for yourself should be something you look forward to. Use ingredients you enjoy and add fresh herbs, spices, lemon or a flavorful sauce.  

Even a simple meal can be nourishing, colorful and beautiful. You are worth cooking for. 

Maybe the answer is cooking together 

Cooking for one does not mean cooking alone. Invite a friend or neighbor to share a meal, trade recipes or prepare a dish together. 

Older adults living alone could create neighborhood cooking groups where members share recipes, prepare meals and sit down together. Three or four neighbors might take turns hosting, with each person contributing to a dish. 

The food matters, but so do the conversation, laughter and connection around the table. 

Learn something new in the kitchen 

Community cooking classes offer another opportunity to discover recipes, build confidence and connect with others through food. Learning to prepare a favorite dish from scratch can make cooking more enjoyable, while introducing techniques you can use at home. 

I will be hosting Classic Italian Holiday Dinner: Lasagna from Scratch on Nov. 9 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at GRuB Farmhouse, located at 2016 Elliott Ave. NW in Olympia. This hands-on cooking class is offered by donation and will give participants the opportunity to learn new culinary skills, while discovering the joy of making a classic Italian dish from scratch. 

For details and registration, click here.