Cooking for one is hard enough, but cooking for two adds on a whole new element of fear. When you’re feeling the pressure to impress your someone special with your cooking skills, these meal prep for two recipes will literally save you. Not only will they be blown away by your mad cooking skills, but you’ll be able to keep your sanity and save some time as well.
1. Overnight Oats for Two
Overnight oats are the breakfast trend of our generation. They’re easy to whip up the night before and will be ready to eat when you get back home from picking up your plus one from an early flight. All you need to do is whip up two batches and let the fridge do the rest.
2. Slow Cooker Oatmeal
Oatmeal is so easy to prep and feeds a crowd. The best part about this oatmeal recipe is that the slow cooker will make enough leftovers that can be used in many different ways.
3. Mason Jar Parfaits
Mason jars are a life saver when it comes to portioning out meal prep for two dishes. This mason jar parfait is quick, easy, and fun to prep the night before for breakfast or for snacks to have. Layer it up with your favorite fruits, yogurt, and granola.
4. Breakfast Burritos
I personally live on breakfast burritos because egg scrambles are easy to make and they make a ton of food. You can easily meal prep 10 breakfast burritos in an hour or so, throw them in the freezer, and feed you and bae for five days.
5. Egg Cups
Egg cups are all the rage right now. They allow you to put any veggie or topping in your muffin pan and then just pour scrambled eggs right on in. After baking them, you’ll have 6-12 egg cups (depending on the size of your pan) and they keep for a week.
#SpoonTip: You can also freeze egg cups and heat them up in a toaster oven weeks later.
6. Mason Jar Salads
Continuing with the mason jar trend, if you are taking your guest on a picnic or a busy day of sight seeing, try some mason jar salads. These quick lunches are portable and easy to make in advance. Stack your ingredients from dressing and heaviest items on the bottom to your lettuce on the top to prevent wilting.
7. Tacos
If you’re wanting a more flavorful lunch meal prep for two, try tacos. Tacos may take an extra five minutes to build, but they are exciting and still very easy to make. You can chop all the toppings and cook the filling in advance, and then reheat and build when you’re ready to eat.
8. Soups
Soup is the best thing to meal prep for lunches on cold days. This lentil soup is a healthy, tasty way to warm you and bae up when you are snowed in. Soups are the leftovers that just keep on giving and never disappoint. Check out these 14 healthy one-pot soups for more inspiration. Soups also make awesome dinners, too.
9. Pasta Salad
If you love pasta but also love carbs, pasta salads are the best compromise for you. Pasta salads can still provide a whopping amount of healthy veggies, while making you feel happy and wholesome by giving you the carbs you crave. This pasta salad recipe gives you the basics so you don’t break the bank.
10. Turkey Burgers
Turkey burgers are an easy, healthier alternative for meat lovers. They’re also super easy to meal prep because you can bag the toppings and buns in easy to grab baggies. Just pop them in the microwave for about two minutes and you have an easy, on-the-go lunch or dinner!
11. Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed peppers are exciting, easy, and hearty. If you double this stuffed pepper recipe, you have a quick reheatable dinner waiting for you and your guest that can get on the table in no time. You can change up the filling or pepper to fit your taste buds too.
12. Chili
My personal favorite comfort food, chili, is so easy to make. Like oatmeal, it makes a ton and can feed an army for days. Not only is it a great leftover on its own, but you can also morph chili into other meals. Incorporate it into a sauce for pasta or try a chili pizza (seriously, it’s delicious).
13. Pulled Pork
There’s nothing like some good BBQ to end a fun day of adventuring. This pulled pork recipe is insanely easy to meal prep for two. Basically anything you can cook in a crockpot is great for meal prepping.
14. Banana Bread
This may not exactly qualify as a full meal, but this double chocolate chunk banana bread will not only wow bae at brunch, but it doubles as the most important meal of the day, dessert. Cut some slices, throw them in the microwave to heat up, and top with ice cream for a sweet treat. To meal prep way in advance, freeze individual slices of banana bread to enjoy later.
15. Soda Pop Cake
The most mind blowing, culinary revelation of the century: soda pop cake. All this dessert needs is one 12-oz can of soda and one box of cake mix. The combinations are endless. Cherry soda with devil’s food cake, Sprite and lemon cake, orange soda and carrot cake. With how few ingredients it calls for and how quick it bakes, this dessert is a meal prep must.
These meal prep for two recipes will keep you sane when you have a last-minute guest or just need some help wowing your someone special. Meal prepping will give you extra time to spend with your guest and will take the stress out of cooking. Though entertaining guests can be stressful, at least you’ll have an extra set of hands for dishes.