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Desperado Dinners is a blog dedicated to cooking for one.

We share tips, recipes and menu plans tailored for one person.

But mainly we're about community. Creating a community to help each other stay motivated to cook great meals, even when it's 'just me'.

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Help Choose Recipes for Meal Plans

Dinner Desperado Cooking for one made easy
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One pan salmon with 5 serves of vegetables

One pan salmon with 5 serves of vegetables

Super easy warm summer salad. A great 'go to' dish when you want healthy without effort.

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Fresh pasta with pancetta, pinenuts, mushroom & spinach

Fresh pasta with pancetta, pinenuts, mushroom & spinach

Pinenuts for a bit of luxury and fresh pasta to make preparation quick and easy.

Spiral pasta with asparagus, pinenuts & lemon

Spiral pasta with asparagus, pinenuts & lemon

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Wonders of Meal Prep

Wonders of Meal Prep

Pre-prepped and frozen mince, tomato salsa and rice means I can make a healthy meal with one pan and just 15 minutes.

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Ingredients for simple one pan curry

Ingredients for simple one pan curry

Mild vegetarian curry with red lentils

Mild vegetarian curry with red lentils

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Meal Prep Sunday

Meal Prep Sunday

This simple range of ingredients turns into 10 super healthy meals ready to freeze and whip out on those nights when you can't be bothered or have no time.

Meal Prep Sunday - 2

Meal Prep Sunday - 2

Meal Prep Sunday 3

Meal Prep Sunday 3

Meal Prep Sunday - Ready to eat!

Meal Prep Sunday - Ready to eat!

Menu planning inspo

Menu planning inspo

Do you tear out recipes?  I'm a huge hoarder of recipes!

Prep for my favourite meal of the year!

Prep for my favourite meal of the year!

Brussel sprouts roasted with lemon and pancetta and served on roast pumpkin / chickpea / cumin smash

Brussel sprouts roasted with lemon and pancetta and served on roast pumpkin / chickpea / cumin smash

This was so good I had to take 2 pictures!

This was so good I had to take 2 pictures!

Getting ready to make fish pie

Getting ready to make fish pie

Sometimes you just want to indulge or try a recipe you have been lusting after!  These are the ingredients for Neil Perry's fish pie recipe. I hadn't had an opportunity to invite friends over, so I decided to adapt it for one. Very luxe and indulgent - but totally worth it!

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Neil Perry's fish pie recipe adapted for one

Neil Perry's fish pie recipe adapted for one

Chicken & vegetable soup for one

Chicken & vegetable soup for one

Can you believe I cooked Chicken Soup for the first time this year!! This one is loaded with vegetables and uses smashed butterbeans to add texture.  It's also loaded with vegetables - cabbage, peas, spinach, carrot, celery, leek and onion! You can keep it 'clean' by using water, or add more flavour with chicken stock. Definitely one of my new 'go-to' favourites. Especially as it can all be cooked in one pot.

Chocolate sponge cake for one! Adapted from the Country Womens' Association Cookbook

Chocolate sponge cake for one! Adapted from the Country Womens' Association Cookbook

Favourite warm salad of the year

Favourite warm salad of the year

This is actually made up of leftover roast vegetables and leftover bits and pieces such as fetta and pomegranate seeds from a dinner party.

 Version 2 of re-purposing leftover roast vegetables into dinner for one

Version 2 of re-purposing leftover roast vegetables into dinner for one

Simple pasta with beef & spinach

Simple pasta with beef & spinach

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Perfect easy, healthy, quick dinner for one

Perfect easy, healthy, quick dinner for one

Strips of beef fillet panfried with steamed broccoli & spinach. Topped with avocado.

Steamed salmon on bed of smashed pumpkin with chickpeas and cumin

Steamed salmon on bed of smashed pumpkin with chickpeas and cumin

Feeling like a bit of luxury and having the time to do something different with salmon I served it on my latest favourite flavour / texture combination - roast pumpkin smashed with chickpeas or butter beans mixed through with some cumin.

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Fillet steak with mushroom sauce & potato dauphinois

Fillet steak with mushroom sauce & potato dauphinois


simple, elegant meal for one - for when you have a bit of time and feel like indulging. The recipe for potato daupinois is adapted for one serving.

Beef with rich mushroom cream sauce

Beef with rich mushroom cream sauce

Healthy, simple beef stirfry for one

Healthy, simple beef stirfry for one

Meal Prep Sunday

Meal Prep Sunday

Leftover beef fillet re-purposed into a curry

Leftover beef fillet re-purposed into a curry

Simple, hearty & warming

Simple, hearty & warming

Roasting in one pan is my go-to solution for an easy meal. It may not be quick, but the prep is and you can go and do others things while it is cooking.

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Leftover sausages & vegetables about to be re-purposed into a Shepherds Pie

Leftover sausages & vegetables about to be re-purposed into a Shepherds Pie

'Shepherds Pie'

'Shepherds Pie'

I can't begin to tell you how wonderful this meal was. The same ingredients for the previous day's roast transformed into a completely different meal - and one that was fantastic - filling, winter comfort food. Delish!

Meal Prep magic

Meal Prep magic

The benefit of meal prep and cooking a whole chicken means it is really easy to make a healthy dinner quickly - and with just one pan - NO washing up.

The end result - a 'Meal Prep Wonder Meal'

The end result - a 'Meal Prep Wonder Meal'

Roast chicken with 6 serves of vegetables

Roast chicken with 6 serves of vegetables

Leftover magic

Leftover magic

Roast chicken and vegetables repurposed and served on a bed of cauliflower & broccoli 'rice' topped with avocado.

Boosting leftovers with 5 serves of vegetables

Boosting leftovers with 5 serves of vegetables

Leftover beef with 5 serves of vegetables

Leftover beef with 5 serves of vegetables

'Go-to' one pan salmon with quinoa and vegetables

'Go-to' one pan salmon with quinoa and vegetables

Chicken panfried with lemon & spinach and topped with avocado

Chicken panfried with lemon & spinach and topped with avocado

Simple poached chicken with broccoli and avocado

Simple poached chicken with broccoli and avocado

This meal can be made in minutes if you have done meal prep and have poached, shredded chicken that you can pull from the freezer.

A desperado - but fantastic dinner

A desperado - but fantastic dinner

Scrambled eggs on toast topped with avocado. Not pretty, but simple, healthy, filling and quick.

Tinned salmon turned into a quick, healthy dinner

Tinned salmon turned into a quick, healthy dinner

Mushroom sauce made with Thyme, Marsala and cream

Mushroom sauce made with Thyme, Marsala and cream

Chicken tacos - boosted with greens - delicous!

Chicken tacos - boosted with greens - delicous!

Roast dinner for one

Roast dinner for one

This is such a fabulous meal. It honours eating eating for one - but requires little effort - yet the caramelised roasted vegetables and mushroom sauce make it a real treat. But it is really only one roast pan and one skillet to wash up.

Poached chicken with pasta

Poached chicken with pasta

This is one of those meals that is made quick and easy by having fresh pasta on hand (4 minutes to cook) and pre-prepped frozen, poached chicken to pull from the freezer. It is made a bit decadent with pine nuts.

Fudgy chocolate pudding for one

Fudgy chocolate pudding for one

Meal Prep Magic

Meal Prep Magic

I LOVE it when my freezer looks like this. It is a combination of cooked carbs and grains such as rice, quinoa etc as well as proteins such as poached chicken and lentils and a couple of sauces.

Batch cooking - winter-y lamb casserole with thyme

Batch cooking - winter-y lamb casserole with thyme

I don't often feature this type of meal on my blog as I figure there are many places you can go to find recipes for casseroles and I am all about single serve recipes. However, I love having some big batch meals cooked and frozen into single serve portions and this is one of my alltime favourites.

Risotto with roasted beetroot and barley

Risotto with roasted beetroot and barley

Beef & vegetable stirfry

Beef & vegetable stirfry

Meal prep - quinoa

Meal prep - quinoa

Using pre-prepped qinoa to make cooking a salmon dish quick and with just one pan.

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Rough puff pastry for one

Rough puff pastry for one

Lamb pie for one - TOTALLY worth it!

Lamb pie for one - TOTALLY worth it!

Jam tart for one

Jam tart for one

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Chocolate sponge cake for one

Chocolate sponge cake for one

Chocolate sponge cake with cream for one

Chocolate sponge cake with cream for one

Pulled pork rice paper rolls for one

Pulled pork rice paper rolls for one

Sunday Meal Prep

Sunday Meal Prep

Meal Prep - Mega Healthy Vegetable Soup

Meal Prep - Mega Healthy Vegetable Soup

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Chicken soup

Chicken soup

Enjoying the fruits of Meal Prep Sunday - boosting the flavour with a a squeeze of lemon and some parmesan cheese

Steamed greens, Roasted vegetables & salmon topped with Avocado

Steamed greens, Roasted vegetables & salmon topped with Avocado

Setting the week up right with Monday's meal with 6 serves of vegetables

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Meal prep for one pan simple 'curry'

Meal prep for one pan simple 'curry'

Chicken panfried with ginger & turmeric and served with broccoli & cauliflower

Chicken panfried with ginger & turmeric and served with broccoli & cauliflower

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Yummy slow cooked beef stew for one

Yummy slow cooked beef stew for one

Ingredients for a delicious one pan fish dish with coconut cream, lemon, ginger & turmeric

Ingredients for a delicious one pan fish dish with coconut cream, lemon, ginger & turmeric

Step 2 of fish with coconut milk

Step 2 of fish with coconut milk

This dish was so yummy and simple I ate it before I could take a photo of the end result!

Sunday Meal Prep

Sunday Meal Prep

Sunday Meal Prep

Sunday Meal Prep

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Enjoying the benefits of Sunday's Meal Prep - 1

Enjoying the benefits of Sunday's Meal Prep - 1

Enjoying the benefits of Sunday's Meal Prep - 2

Enjoying the benefits of Sunday's Meal Prep - 2

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One pan salmon with 5 serves of vegetables
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Fresh pasta with pancetta, pinenuts, mushroom & spinach
Spiral pasta with asparagus, pinenuts & lemon
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Wonders of Meal Prep
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Ingredients for simple one pan curry
Mild vegetarian curry with red lentils
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Meal Prep Sunday
Meal Prep Sunday - 2
Meal Prep Sunday 3
Meal Prep Sunday - Ready to eat!
Menu planning inspo
Prep for my favourite meal of the year!
Brussel sprouts roasted with lemon and pancetta and served on roast pumpkin / chickpea / cumin smash
This was so good I had to take 2 pictures!
Getting ready to make fish pie
_MG_3513.jpg
Neil Perry's fish pie recipe adapted for one
Chicken & vegetable soup for one
Chocolate sponge cake for one! Adapted from the Country Womens' Association Cookbook
Favourite warm salad of the year
 Version 2 of re-purposing leftover roast vegetables into dinner for one
Simple pasta with beef & spinach
_MG_6637.jpg
Perfect easy, healthy, quick dinner for one
Steamed salmon on bed of smashed pumpkin with chickpeas and cumin
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_MG_8919.jpg
_MG_8945.jpg
_MG_9056.jpg
_MG_9138.jpg
_MG_9222.jpg
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Fillet steak with mushroom sauce & potato dauphinois
Beef with rich mushroom cream sauce
Healthy, simple beef stirfry for one
Meal Prep Sunday
Leftover beef fillet re-purposed into a curry
Simple, hearty & warming
hero (17).jpg
Leftover sausages & vegetables about to be re-purposed into a Shepherds Pie
'Shepherds Pie'
Meal Prep magic
The end result - a 'Meal Prep Wonder Meal'
Roast chicken with 6 serves of vegetables
Leftover magic
Boosting leftovers with 5 serves of vegetables
Leftover beef with 5 serves of vegetables
'Go-to' one pan salmon with quinoa and vegetables
Chicken panfried with lemon & spinach and topped with avocado
Simple poached chicken with broccoli and avocado
A desperado - but fantastic dinner
Tinned salmon turned into a quick, healthy dinner
Mushroom sauce made with Thyme, Marsala and cream
Chicken tacos - boosted with greens - delicous!
Roast dinner for one
Poached chicken with pasta
Fudgy chocolate pudding for one
Meal Prep Magic
Batch cooking - winter-y lamb casserole with thyme
Risotto with roasted beetroot and barley
Beef & vegetable stirfry
Meal prep - quinoa
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hero (109).jpg
hero (116).jpg
hero (121).jpg
hero (125).jpg
hero (128).jpg
hero (133).jpg
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hero (168).jpg
hero (173).jpg
hero (177).jpg
hero (180).jpg
hero (181).jpg
hero (184).jpg
hero.jpg
IMG_2524.jpg
Rough puff pastry for one
Lamb pie for one - TOTALLY worth it!
Jam tart for one
IMG_2645.jpg
IMG_5505.jpg
IMG_5533.jpg
Chocolate sponge cake for one
Chocolate sponge cake with cream for one
Pulled pork rice paper rolls for one
Sunday Meal Prep
Meal Prep - Mega Healthy Vegetable Soup
IMG_8516.jpg
Chicken soup
Steamed greens, Roasted vegetables & salmon topped with Avocado
IMG_8640.jpg
Meal prep for one pan simple 'curry'
Chicken panfried with ginger & turmeric and served with broccoli & cauliflower
IMG_8702.jpg
Yummy slow cooked beef stew for one
Ingredients for a delicious one pan fish dish with coconut cream, lemon, ginger & turmeric
Step 2 of fish with coconut milk
Sunday Meal Prep
Sunday Meal Prep
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Enjoying the benefits of Sunday's Meal Prep - 1
Enjoying the benefits of Sunday's Meal Prep - 2
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@dinnerdesperado

Getting ready for #mealprep some #batchcooking and #healthyeating. As usual lots of broccoli and greens. Now to make sure it gets eaten vs languishing at the bottom of the fridge. #foodphotgraphy #foodphotography #foodblogging #recipeforone #mealplan #mealprepsunday #mealprepping #dinnerforone #cookingforone #mealsforone #foodblog
Time to get back on track after a week of takeaway and pasta. Link to plan in bio. Let me know what you think. #menuplanning ##healthyeating #dinnerforone #cookingforone #mealsforone #recipesforone #foodphotography #recipeforone #foodblogging
Fish pie for one - totally worth it. Delicious, decadent and worth cooking for one. And a good way of using leftover sweet potato or the greens you didn't quite get around to cooking. #cookingforone #dinnerforone #mealforone #fishpie #recipeforone #foodblog ##foodblogging #foodphotography #foodphotgraphy
Potato Dauphinois for #one.  served with eye fillet and steamed vegetables- because just because you are cooking just for yourself doesn't mean you can't experiment, indulge or be decadent -  #mealforone #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodblogging  #dinnerforone #recipeforone
 

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