Easy Weeknight Dinners for a Party of Two

Enjoy everything from patty melts to miso fish soup with these weeknight dinner ideas for two.

By
Marta Rivera
Marta Rivera
Marta Rivera
Marta has 25 years of experience in the food service industry and has been developing recipes for 3 years. She is the author of Taste & See Cooks: Recipes to Inspire, Equip and Enjoy.
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Published July 29, 2021
Marta Rivera
Easy Weeknight Dinners for a Party of Two

Simply Recipes

It can be frustrating, when look for weeknight dinners to enjoy and all the serving sizes feed 4 to 6 people (or more). These recipes are all about cooking for two: parent-and-child, couples, or roomies, who don't need to feed an army but still want delicious home cooked meals on the table.

It's also a great idea to check out whether the recipes that catch your eye can be easily divided in half. Sometimes recipes are easy to scale down or make small batch versions. For instance, when you think of lasagna, you think of a huge casserole, but we’ve provided you with a small batch recipe that’s made in a loaf size pan! So you’re able to take a recipe that typically feeds a crowd and scale it down.

Even when it comes to recipes you love, but that make tons more food than you can eat, freezing half of the dish is a great way to cut down on future meal prep. Because I'm a huge fan of leftovers as a way to be more eco- and wallet-friendly, I encourage you to invest in a good set of meal containers to store any food to enjoy the next day.

If scaling recipes down and having leftovers isn’t in your wheelhouse, no worries! Here are 8 weeknight dinner recipes great to share with one other person.

  • Loaf Pan Lasagna

    Horizontal view of white plate with slice of small batch lasagna and garnished with chopped parsley. A partial view of the baked lasagna in the glass pan is to the right of the plate. Above the plate to the left is a small bowl of lettuce and a tumbler. A fork is on the left of the plate.
    Sally Vargas | Banner Art Credit: Elena Resko

    This is a small batch lasagna recipe made in a loaf size pan (your bread pan will work here). It serves two generous portions and is ready in less time than a large casserole would be. This recipe is also make-ahead friendly. Just assemble the lasagna the day before, stash it in the fridge then, bake as instructed the following day adding an additional 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.

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  • How to Make an Omelette

    Egg Omelet recipe
    Sally Vargas

    Omelettes are not just for breakfast! It’s an ingenious way to make a quick, filling, any-time meal with very little effort. What makes it even more genius is the versatility with which they can be prepared. Fold in fresh greens, chopped proteins, your favorite cheeses, or a handful of fresh herbs to create endless versions of the same dish. A simply dressed side salad is really all you need to make this a complete meal. This recipe serves one but can be doubled as needed!

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  • Easy Miso Fish Soup with Soba

    Two white bowls filled with quick and easy Miso Soup with fish, peas, herbs and soba noodles on a marble background.
    Sally Vargas | Banner Art Credit: Elena Resko

    Because fish fillets are often sold in smaller portions, it is an ideal protein to use when cooking in onesies and two-sies. The miso used in this recipe adds profound flavors to the soup despite its short cooking time. Use firm white fish like Atlantic cod, halibut, or flounder for this recipe. Play around with the vegetables you add to the soup, too. Wedges of baby bok choy or spinach are some of my favorite add-ins.

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  • Steak on the Stovetop

    A cast iron skillet with steak cooked on the stove. Oregano sprigs are at the bottom of the pan. Oil and juices are visible in the pan.
    Aaron Hutcherson

    Steak is such a couple-friendly dish because you can customize it to your appetite. For example, my husband is a hearty meat-eater so we buy his steak much larger than mine. When it comes to this recipe, any cut of steak will do. Swap out herbs, use flavored butters, and throw onions or mushrooms into the pan after searing the steak to switch things up a bit. Baked potatoes or a medley of vegetables are great sides to serve with these steaks.

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    Continue to 5 of 8 below.

  • Classic Tuna Salad

    Crusty sandwich bread with the best tuna salad inside. A green salad of lettuce and tomato halves is to the left on the china.
    Sally Vargas | Art Banner Credit: Elena Resko

    Want to have dinner for two on the table in under 15 minutes? This is a quick and easy tuna salad that can be jazzed up in so many ways. You can add chopped capers, olives, scallions or pickled peppers to the mix for added texture and flavor. Scoop the tuna salad over a bed of greens and veggies or sandwich it between two slices of your favorite bread (and don't forget the chips).

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  • Easy Salmon Foil Packets with Vegetables

    Roast salmon filet on foil with roast grape tomatoes, chopped cilantro and thinkly sliced lime on top.
    Sally Vargas | Banner Art Credit: Elena Resko

    These "meals-in-a-pack" remind me of my favorite sushi—spicy salmon. This recipe uses harissa, which is a spice paste from the North African country of Tunisia, and when blended with mayonnaise, it gives the salmon a subtle, spicy flavor. If you can't find Harissa paste, use a dried Harissa spice instead. If finding Harissa at all proves to be a feat, replace it with sambal oelek for an Indonesian flare, or you could even use sriracha. 

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  • Instant Pot Ginger Soy Tilapia

    Pressure Cooker Ginger-Soy Tilapia with an Instant Pot set behind it.
    Sally Vargas

    Did the week get away from you and you have no idea what to make for dinner? These tilapia fillets go straight from the freezer into the Instant Pot for a quick and flavorful meal. The fish is steamed in a mixture of ginger, soy sauce, and mirin. And, you can go ahead and use any other flaky white fish you have on hand. Pollock, flounder, and cod work great in this recipe.

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  • Classic Patty Melt

    The best patty melt sliced in half and stacked on top of each other. The sandwich is crispy with melted cheese, caramelized onions and beef patties visible.
    Nick Evans

    This Classic Patty Melt is a meatier, more adult alternative to the plain grilled cheese sandwich. The onions are a must for me, but you can turn this plain patty melt into a Philadelphia cheesesteak patty melt by adding mushrooms and bell peppers to the sandwich. I usually serve our patty melts with simple side of potato chips.

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