30 Dinner Recipes For One That'll Make You Wish You Had Leftovers (2024)

Most of the time, we don't get very excited over pork chops. Often overdone, they come out dry, sad, and flavorless. Cooking them in an air fryer changes all that! Due to the intense heat circulation that happens, the outside crisps slightly while the inside stays nice and juicy (and that Parmesan coating really gives it extra oomph!).

Get the Air-Fryer Pork Chops recipe.

Obviously roasting a block of feta with bursting tomatoes is going to be amazing. But is it good enough to break TikTok like this one did? Our answer, begrudgingly, is yes. It's genius—super-easy, but also fancy enough for when you have a plus-one on date night. 😍

Get the Baked Feta Pasta recipe.

We’re always on the lookout for yummy ground turkey recipes, and this one is one of our faves. These lettuce wraps come together fast (just 20 minutes!), are super-flavorful, and can be customized how you like it. Top them with your favorite taco toppings, really anything goes!

Get the Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps recipe.

Think you have to go to a fancy restaurant to eat a really great steak? Nah. You can cook a restaurant-quality steak in 15 minutes (sometimes even less) at home. The key: making sure your skillet is super-hot, and your steak dry and well-seasoned before the searing starts.

Get the Cast-Iron Skillet Steak recipe.

This is easy to make and even easier to indulge in. The real Italian way uses guancial—cured pork jowl—which has a slightly sweet, delicate flavor. If you can't find it, use pancetta or thick-cut bacon instead!

Get the Pasta Alla Gricia recipe.

Uramaki (“inside out”) is a Westernized style of sushi roll where the rice is on the outside of the nori. Uramaki arguably reaches a peak of extravagance with the dragon roll, with its gorgeous "scales" of thinly sliced mango and avocado and drizzle of sriracha mayo. The roll is wrapped in classic vinegar-seasoned rice and filled with crispy shrimp tempura, a mix of buttery avocado, and crunchy cucumber.

Get the Dragon Roll recipe.

“Decadent” doesn’t usually come to mind when you think of salad, but this one definitely is. With a rich, tangy dressing, tender, roasted chicken thighs, crunchy croutons, and a snowfall of freshly grated Parm, this Caesar salad is more voluptuous than virtuous.

Get the Chicken Caesar Salad recipe.

Sure, ordering takeout can seem like the fastest route to dinner, but if you have an air fryer and a great recipe, that might not be the case. This classic Chinese-American dish features tender strips of beef, perfectly cooked broccoli florets, and a savory-sweet sauce that comes together in just 30 minutes!

Get the .

These vegan tacos are loaded with bright flavors and a variety of textures—just like any good taco should be! Serve them up with some frozen margaritas and homemade guacamole for the full Taco Tuesday experience.

Get the Vegan Chipotle Lentil Tacos recipe.

Moules frites is one of our favorite easy dinners for two reasons: 1) It’s perfect for 1 or 2 people to dive into together, and 2) it’s MESSY. You’re gonna have white wine sauce spiked with chorizo dripping down your chin as you chow down tender mussels. Then you can chase it down with a crispy, salty, oily fry. Is there anything better?

Get the Moules Frites recipe.

This vegan recipe is a bit of a culinary road trip through some Jamaican staples: sweet plantains, aromatic rice and peas, and tofu in a jerk marinade. To add a touch of crunch, acidity, and color, we top it all off with a simple red cabbage and carrot slaw that is just as delicious on its own as it is in the bowls. Yum!

Get the Jerk Tofu Grain Bowls recipe.

French omelets have a reputation for being ridiculously difficult to execute, even with the most experienced chefs. But with some practice, we know you can nail it. Once you do, it will be the most impressive breakfast and brunch to serve up to guests—you'll look like an absolute pro in the kitchen.

Get the French Omelet recipe.

Making great homemade pizza can be hard, or so we thought. Turns out, we just hadn't tried making it in an air fryer yet! This super-simple recipe yields some of the best pizza to ever come out of our kitchen. The air fryer excels in cooking crust—ours was airy in the center and crunchy on the outside, just like in a true pizza oven.

Get the Air Fryer Pizza recipe.

Chirashizushi (ちらし寿司) translates to "scattered sushi" and is a style of sushi that entails exactly what the name suggests: pieces of sashimi over sushi rice. Chirashizushi—or chirashi bowls—is probably the simplest way to enjoy what you love about sushi without having to learn how to roll maki.

Get the Chirashi Bowls recipe.

What’s better than a tray of nachos? Four cheese chicken nachos! Don’t worry, though, a couple cans of chopped green chiles cut the richness of all that cheese. (Not that we’re complaining.) We’ll leave the toppings up to you, but we suggest The Works, aka red onion, radishes, avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, and hot sauce.

Get the Sheet-Pan Green Chile Chicken Nachos recipe.

Cacio e pepe literally translates to “cheese and pepper." These two ingredients are usually thought of as small components to a dish, but in this pasta recipe, they take center stage. The fruity bite of freshly ground pepper adds complexity and is earthy, sweet, and spicy all at once.

Get the Cacio e Pepe recipe.

The best salads are loaded with roasted veggies and topped with a creamy dressing, right? This vegan coconut ranch is absolutely irresistible, too. (Seriously, you'll want to dip everything in it.) But the crunchy chickpeas may just be our favorite part. Who needs croutons?

Get the Coconut Ranch Kale Salad recipe.

This recipe is a bit of a riff on pasta puttanesca, using familiar ingredients such as capers, anchovies, and olives. But instead of sitting over a pot of simmering tomato sauce, we used sun-dried tomatoes to form a paste that, when combined with pasta water, is transformed into a luscious sauce—and it’s all made in one pan!

Get the One-Pan Tuna Pasta recipe.

Most piccata sauces use only lemon juice; we opt for whole pieces of the fruit to make use of every last bit of bright citrus flavor. After a simmer in a wine and broth bath, the lemon loses its sharp bitterness and becomes sweet and tender, pairing perfectly with plant-based seitan.

Get the Extra Lemony Seitan Piccata recipe.

If you've never had an iconic Louisiana po' boy, this fried shrimp version is a great place to start. Dressed with crunchy shredded iceburg, juicy tomatoes, and a creamy and briny remoulade sauce, this imposing sandwich will take you to the fern and Spanish moss-lined streets of NOLA in seconds flat.

Get the Shrimp Po’ Boy recipe.