8 Easy Dinner Recipes for Two, Done in Twenty Minutes
Most recipes are written for four and halved for two, which sounds simple and isn’t. Half an egg, half a can of beans, a sauce that burns because there’s too little of it in the pan. And then there’s the other half of everything, in the refrigerator, waiting to be thrown out on Sunday.
These eight dinners are written for two from the start. Each takes about twenty minutes once the ingredients are out, and each uses whole packages where it can.
Easy Dinner Recipes for Two Without the Leftovers You Don’t Want
Twenty minutes is a real number here, but it assumes three things: the pan goes on the heat before you start chopping, the water for pasta or rice starts boiling first, and nothing needs to marinate.
We also give the safe internal temperature for every protein, because a thermometer is faster than guessing and cutting into things: 165°F for poultry, 145°F for whole cuts of pork, beef and fish (with a three-minute rest for pork and beef), and until opaque for shrimp.
1. Lemon chicken cutlets with capers
Two boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally into four thin cutlets. Season, dust with flour, and fry in butter and oil for about three minutes a side, until they reach 165°F. Take them out, add a splash of stock, the juice of a lemon, a tablespoon of capers and another knob of butter to the pan, and pour it over.
Slicing the breasts thin is what gets this into twenty minutes. Serve with green beans cooked in the same boiling water you started first.
2. Garlic butter shrimp with orzo
Start a cup of orzo in salted boiling water (about nine minutes). Meanwhile sauté half a pound of peeled shrimp in butter with three cloves of garlic and a pinch of chili flakes, one to two minutes a side until they turn pink and opaque. Toss the drained orzo into the pan with lemon zest, parsley and a spoon of the pasta water.
Frozen shrimp work well. Thaw them in a bowl of cold water for ten minutes while the orzo water heats.
3. Pork chops with apples and onions
Two boneless pork chops, about an inch thick. Sear them four to five minutes a side until they reach 145°F, then rest them on a plate for three minutes. In the same pan, cook one sliced apple and half a sliced onion in butter until soft and browned, with a pinch of thyme and a splash of cider vinegar.
Pork at 145°F is slightly pink in the middle and completely safe. Cooking it to 160°F is what makes pork chops dry.
4. Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and white beans
Half a pound of spaghetti feeds two generously. While it cooks, warm a third of a cup of olive oil with four sliced garlic cloves and chili flakes over low heat until the garlic just turns golden. Add a can of drained white beans and two big handfuls of spinach, then the pasta and a splash of its cooking water.
It’s the cheapest dinner here and uses things most kitchens already have. Finish with lemon and parmesan.
5. Black bean quesadillas
Mash half a can of black beans with cumin and a little salsa. Spread it on two large tortillas, cover with shredded cheese, fold, and cook in a dry skillet for two to three minutes a side until crisp and melted. Cut into wedges.
Use the other half of the can the next morning in a breakfast burrito. That’s the only leftover in this list, and it’s there on purpose.
6. Soy-honey salmon with rice
Start the rice first, or use a pouch of microwave rice. Whisk two tablespoons of soy sauce, one of honey, a grated clove of garlic and a little ginger. Sear two salmon fillets skin side down for four minutes, flip, pour in the glaze and let it bubble and thicken for two to three minutes, until the fish reaches 145°F.
Salmon doesn’t make good meal prep, which is exactly why it’s here: it’s a dinner for the night you cook it.
7. Steak and pepper fajitas
Slice half a pound of flank or skirt steak thin across the grain, toss with chili powder, cumin, salt and lime. Cook it in a very hot pan for two to three minutes, take it out, then char one sliced bell pepper and half an onion in the same pan. Serve in warm tortillas.
Cutting across the grain matters more than the cut of meat. It’s what makes skirt steak tender instead of chewy.
8. Pan-fried gnocchi with sausage and greens
Shelf-stable gnocchi don’t need boiling. Fry a 16-ounce package in oil in a wide pan for six to eight minutes until golden and crisp. Push them to the side, brown one or two Italian sausages squeezed out of their casings until cooked through (160°F for pork sausage), then toss everything with a bag of spinach or kale until it wilts.
It’s the most forgiving recipe here, and it reads like much more effort than it is.
What We Would Skip
Halving recipes written for four that include baking, eggs or a sauce reduction. They rarely scale in half cleanly, and a sauce with too little volume burns before it thickens.
Buying family packs of meat for two people without freezing half the same day. Divide them into portions for two, wrap, and freeze straight away.
Ambitious dinners on a Wednesday. Twenty minutes is a promise that only holds if the recipe is short.
Where We Would Start
Pick the two recipes here that use what you already have. For most kitchens that’s the spaghetti with white beans and the quesadillas. Then add one protein dinner, the chicken cutlets or the pork chops, and buy exactly two portions.
On the nights when even twenty minutes is too long, the freezer is the fallback, which is where our meal prep for the week and the cheap dinner ideas come in.
Questions We Get Asked
What is an easy dinner for two people?
Thin chicken cutlets with lemon and capers, spaghetti with garlic oil and white beans, black bean quesadillas and pan-fried gnocchi with sausage are all easy, take about twenty minutes, and are sized for two without leftovers.
How do I cook for two without wasting food?
Choose recipes that use whole packages, freeze half of any family-sized pack of meat as soon as you get home, and plan one leftover deliberately, like using the second half of a can of beans the next morning.
What can I make for dinner for two in 20 minutes?
Anything built on thin cuts of meat, shrimp, eggs, quick-cooking pasta like orzo, or shelf-stable gnocchi. Start the water boiling and the pan heating before you begin chopping.
What temperature should chicken, pork and salmon be cooked to?
Chicken and other poultry to 165°F. Whole cuts of pork and beef to 145°F followed by a three-minute rest. Fish to 145°F. Ground meat and fresh sausage to 160°F.
How much pasta do I need for two people?
About half a pound of dried pasta for two generous servings, or a little less if there are plenty of other ingredients in the dish.
What is a good cheap dinner for two?
Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and white beans, black bean quesadillas and eggs in tomato sauce are the cheapest. All three use pantry staples.
