Chef Katie is happy cooking for ten…or just cooking for one

Navigating the plant-based cooking world can be challenging. Also, cooking for one can be daunting. When you combine the two, it can seem overwhelming to create delicious, healthy vegan meals for a single person. On one hand, you don’t want to have a lot of leftovers. Yet, you want interesting variety. Plus, you want a shopping list that isn’t 10 pages long. And, you want to keep things budget-friendly. There’s a lot to consider!

I’m here to help. I’ve put together my helpful tips on how to manage solo-cooking. Here are my Essential Chef’s Tips for Cooking for One on a Whole Foods, Plant-Based Vegan Diet:

Tip 1: Prep Ingredients Once, Use Twice

When preparing ingredients for one plant-based recipe, go ahead and prep extras. Rather than dicing just half an onion, dice the whole thing. If slicing mushrooms, cut up the entire container. If you’re roasting a sweet potato, do a couple extras. These extra prepped ingredients will come in handy later, saving you time for future healthy vegan recipes. You’re much more likely to add mushrooms to a quick pasta dish if they’re already sliced and ready to go.

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Four Ways - Healthy Meal Prep Recipes and Tips Plant-based, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free Vegan from Plants-Rule — Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Four Ways – Healthy Meal Prep Recipes and Tips Plant-based, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free Vegan from Plants-Rule

Chef Katie’s Pro Tip: Spices are the key to different flavors. Understanding how to use spices can add a lot of variety to the same basic whole foods ingredients. You can sauté peppers and onions oil-free with Mexican spices for a Oaxacan fajita bowl one night. Then, sauté the same peppers and onions with Italian seasonings for a pasta dish the next night. On the third night, turn those same peppers and onions into a vegan chipotle chili with chili powder.

1 Middle Eastern Green Lentil Stew with Potatoes - Healthy, Plant-based, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free Hearty Vegan Soup Dinner Recipe from Plants-Rule — Ras el Hanout is a Middle Eastern blend of spices that includes cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, and black pepper

Tip 2: Rework those Leftovers

Leftovers offer a great opportunity to create another delicious plant-based meal. Similar to prepping extra ingredients to use twice, you can rework those leftovers to reuse in a new way. Extra Tex-Mex Quinoa Stuffing can be used in wraps or on salad. Chickpea Falafel can be served with basmati rice and hummus one night and then stuffed inside whole wheat pita for the next day’s lunch. Rework those vegan Potato Tacos into a breakfast hash with Avocado Lime Dressing. Stretch that Tofu Scramble you made for breakfast by adding more veggies and a roasted sweet potato for a a satisfying, healthy dinner.

Or, when in doubt, combine those extra roasted veggies, cooked grains, and simmered beans into a big Buddha Bowl. Drizzle with a quick tahini sauce or top with a couple of slices of avocado. Now, your leftovers have a whole new plant-based twist.

Quinoa Buddha Bowl with Sweet Potatoes, Chickpeas, Kale, Spicy Tahini Dressing - Healthy, Vegan, Oil-Free Recipe from Plants-Rule — Quinoa Buddha Bowl with Sweet Potatoes, Chickpeas, Kale, Spicy Tahini Dressing – Healthy, Vegan, Oil-Free Recipe from Plants-Rule

Tip 3: Have a Plant-Based “Clean out the Fridge” Recipe

It’s helpful to have at least one plant-based recipe that cleans out the fridge. These types of recipes are often stews, pastas, vegan Buddha bowls, or oil-free stir-fries. When you have extra veggies or other plant-based ingredients laying around, use these recipes. This will help prevent you from wasting food. Plus, it will save you money and extra grocery shopping.

Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Sauce Tip: One of the keys to creating a quick “Clean out the Fridge” recipe is to have some delicious oil-free sauce on hand. Keep extra Tomato Marinara, Almond Butter Pad Thai, or Guajillo Salsa to add to those leftovers. Yet, if you don’t have those on hand, don’t worry! You can keep your pantry stocked with soy sauce (or tamari), jarred salsa, and a good oil-free marinara.

Vegan Singapore Udon Noodles Oil-Free, Plant-Based, Asian Stir-Fry Recipe from Plants-Rule — Stir-fry makes a great recipe for cleaning out the fridge.

Tip 4: Cut Big Vegan Recipes in Half…But Not for One Serving

When adapting vegan recipes for one person, it may be tempting to try preparing just one serving. However, the results can end up disappointing. Instead, simply cut the number of servings in half. A recipe for 4? Try making it for 2. A dish that feeds 6 or 8? Well, 3 or 4 is much more manageable.

Broccoli Cauliflower Farro Gratin Casserole – Whole Foods, Plant-Based Dinner Recipe from Plants-Rule — Portion this gratin into smaller pie tins for individual-portioned versions of the casserole

Chef Katie’s Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet Tip: Adjusting to a whole foods, plant-based diet, your serving sizes will look different. By ditching oil and eating less calorie-dense food, you may need to a larger quantity of food to stay satiated. Having leftovers on hand is key. Give yourself permission to eat a second (or even third!) serving as your body adjusts to the increased fiber, water, and nutrients in a whole foods, plant-based diet.

Tip 5: Meal Prep and Freeze Extra Portions

Think of meal prep as a way to help your future self make healthy decisions. When you have a few hours to devote towards whole foods, plant-based cooking, prepare ingredients that you can simply reheat and assemble for later meals. While you’re at it, freeze a few portions. Some of my favorite meal prep dishes are Buddha Bowls, Mexican Salsa Verde Casserole, Vegan Sweet Potato Chili, and all varieties of Veggie Burgers.

Garden Veggie Burger with Baked Russet Chili Fries - Healthy, Plant-Based, Gluten-Free, Essential Oil-Free, Vegan Dinner Recipe — Veggie Burgers are great for meal prep. You can make a big batch and they freeze really well!

Chef Katie’s Pro Storage Tip: Clearly label anything that goes in the freezer. I often see freezers that have become the food graveyard for leftovers. Things might get thrown in the freezer and left for months, covered in a layer of ice that is unappetizing. Before you put something in the freezer, use a piece of tape to label it with:

The name of the dish
The date you made it
Set a reminder on your phone one month later to pull it out
Place it in a spot where you will see it (not buried beneath the frozen pizzas and tubs of ice cream)

Tip 6: Make Extra Oil-Free, Plant-Based Sauces

It can be particularly challenging to find oil-free, plant-based sauces at the grocery store. Many of the jarred and bottled options will have added oil, sugar, and tons of salt. When making a healthy, oil-free vegan sauce at home, always make extras. Even if you don’t plan on using a big batch soon, sauces freeze really well. Plus, they’re very forgiving if you forget to thaw them out ahead of time. There have been a few times I’ve pulled a sauce out of the freezer and gone right to a small pot or the microwave.

Chef Katie’s Sauce Essential Tip: There are a few essential sauces that are always nice to have in your cooking repertoire. Oil-Free Marinara, Avocado Lime Dressing, and Vegan Roasted Garlic Buttah can be used in a variety of plant-based recipes.