ISO Easy Bachelor Recipes

[PA Baker]

Someone very dear to us has just become a bachelor after quite a long time. At this point, his cooking abilities are pretty much limited to making salads, cooking spaghetti and grilling hamburgers or chicken breasts. He works retail so doesn't have the most regular schedule to cook meals, and I can't see him spending a day or part of a day making a bunch of stuff ahead.

I told him I'd put together a few pages of really basic recipes for him to try out when he's ready. I'd love your ideas on some easy, balanced meals he'd be able to prepare for himself.

 

[Katie H]

PA, your thread title really got my attention. I fully expected to find out how many bachelors it took to serve 6 or how to slow-cook a bachelor.

"Bachelor" cooking is akin to cooking for a college student or for 2. I'll have to give some thought to your request.

 

[SurvivorGirl]

it's been a commen theme around here lately, but a chili or soup may work. he could freeze it in portions and reheat as needed.

 

[Angie]

Buy ground beef in 1/2 pound pkgs instead of 1 pound...I'll think about recipes...

 

[The Z]

Stir-frys are usually pretty quick, easy and flavorful. There are a few different seasoning styles to choose from and left-overs are great.

 

[Toots]

When I met my husband, his regular dinners included tacos, Johnsonville brats and take-out chinese. The website he quite liked was Cooking For Engineers - it is written by a guy and it has tons of recipes and how-to advice on it.

Cooking for one is hard, especially for someone who isn't used to cooking. I'll give some thought to easy recipes.

 

[kitchenelf]

Once he is used to cooking and becomes comfortable he will be surprised how "fancy" he can cook.

A pounded out chicken breast cooks quite quickly - and a sauce of dry sherry (not the cooking stuff), mushrooms, a bit of butter, and some spring onions makes a nice meal. Saute the mushrooms in some butter, once done remove from heat and add some sherry, reduce, add a bit more butter for silkiness and top on plate with spring onions.

A pear and bleu cheese salad with a basic red wine vinaigrette is quite tasty alone or with a grilled piece of chicken - again, pounded flat and sauteed in a pan makes a great meal. Garnish that salad with in-season blueberries too!

 

[QSis]

,mmm let me see, PAbaker ....

- Shrimp scampi with already cooked/frozen shrimp; served with linguini and salad

- Chicken, ziti and broccoli with lots of garlic

- Pan-fried pork chops with vinegar peppers, baked potato and canned or frozen corn

- Grilled ham steak, store-prepared mashed potatos, frozen wax beans (I love this meal)

- Baked Buffalo chicken wings, celery and carrot sticks, bleu cheese dressing

- Meatloaf ( I LOVE Tempo meatloaf mix!), Success rice, frozen butternut squash

For starters.

Lee

 

[amber]

Sorry to hear about your friend's circumstance.

One quick thing I like to make is as follows:

Soft flour taco shells ( can be lightly warmed and browned in a pan)
sliced and sauteed chicken breast strips
Place the chicken on the warmed/browned taco shell, and some cheddar on top of the hot chicken, then add salsa, fresh spinach and fresh chopped tomatoe. Of course you can add any other veggies you love. This is so quick and easy, and very healthy too.

Side note: it's cheaper to buy whole chicken breasts and cut them into strips, rather than buying them precut. Freeze whatever chicken you dont use.

 

[tdejarnette]

Boneless pork chops seasoned on both sides with powdered BBQ seasonings, baked on an oiled baking sheet. Thin ones only take about 10 minutes or so on each side at 450. Sliced vegetables like potatoes, carrots, green beans, peppers, asparagus coated lightly with olive oil and seasoned with italian seasoning, garlic salt or rosemary. Bake at 450 until grilled a bit-about 15 to 20 minutes.

Quesadillas, wraps, reuben sandwiches
If he can do sphagetti, he can do fettucine and mac'ncheese and pasta salads
Good luck to him!

 

[Wuven]

assorted casseroles are a real good place to start. They take little time to make and can last several days. I like to make tater tot, tuna pasta, as well as several others. There are a ton of recipe sites to be found on the web, I am sure he can find something simple that suits his tasted.

 

[college_cook]

If he likes to cook pasta because it's fast, here's a sauce I threw together that's holding up really well over the past week. Goes really well if he wants to toss in some pre-cooked shrimp or something into the pasta as well.

Scald 1/2 a pint of cream in a large saucepot. Then add a 28 oz can of crushed tomatos, salt + pepper, a T or so of dried basil (or another dried herb), and maybe 4 T of store-bought minced garlic. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes and then whisk in about 1/3 stick of butter.

Simple and tasty creamy-garlicky-tomato sauce.

 

[college_cook]

Just thought of something else:

If he just wants a simple pan-seared chicken breast,steak,fish, etc. with a side, one thing I've been doing lately to get extra flavor into my meats without much fuss is using flavored oils. I've got a bottle of EVOO that came infused with garlic, thyme, oregano, and basil and really puts a nice flavor into my food. Goes great with some boiled veg.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I would suggest that learn to cook breakfast foods (if he enjoys them) Eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, pancakes, waffles. etc. etc. They can be good anytime of the day. There are frozen biscuits on the market that are pretty good for what they are....

 

[skilletlicker]

I'm a bachelor who cooks for himself more than 90% of the time and I don't understand your question. Shopping and cooking for one might present a challenge for someone accustomed to feeding a family but that isn't the situation you describe. If he has never cooked for himself, maybe he doesn't want to. In this day and age he wouldn't be alone by long shot. The restaurant, frozen food, and advertising economies need more folks like him.

If he does want to learn to cook he can google "recipe: [whatever is on sale or in the icebox]" For goodness sakes, he might even visit or subscribe to this forum!

If he wants to learn to cook but doesn't have internet access, or even if he does, then a a good comprehensive cookbook like Joy of Cooking or Bittman's How to Cook Everything would be helpful. He will need your help choosing the book because, left on his own, he will pick the one with the most cleavage on the cover.

 

[PA Baker]

Wow, you've given me some great ideas!!! Thanks everyone! I'll be sure to share them with him.

{hugs} to all of you!

 

[bowlingshirt]

Fish fillets are easy. Dip in seasoned flour and pan fry in a little olive oil. Serve with rice, veggies, salad.

 

[mish]

A roast chicken or roast beef with veggies & potatoes is healthy and doesn't take much time or prep. The leftovers can be used for sammiches and (pasta) salads.

A slow cooker might be a good investment. Everything can be put in the cooker in the AM, and ready when he gets home from work. Ribs come out delish too.

A well stocked pantry - pasta, rice, herbs/spices, tomatoes, - couscous takes a few minutes.

Frozen ravioli (there's a thread with a bunch of recipes). One that comes to mind is ravioli lasagna. Frozen manicotti or stuffed shells - just add sauce and bake.

Lasagna made with no-boil noodles.

Sandra Lee has some good ideas for semi-homemade dishes.

Crab cakes or any fish dish - salmon etc. takes a few minutes to cook.

Keep as many fresh fruit & veggies on hand, as possible - for a side, healthy salad or dessert.