10 Cup Dinners for Seniors Living Alone (No Big Batches)

10 Single-Serving Cup Dinners

Equipment and setup

• Use an oven-safe glass or ceramic cup or deep bowl holding about 2½ cups (around 20 oz). A large ramekin or small casserole dish also works.
• Rub the inside with a little oil; don’t fill past about an inch below the rim.
• Set the cup on a baking sheet for every bake. Use oven mitts, and let hot glass cool on a dry towel—not a wet counter. Don’t move a cup directly from the freezer into a hot oven.
• Unless noted otherwise, preheat the oven to the temperature given for the recipe.

1. Mac and cheese

Ingredients: ½ cup dry elbow macaroni, 1 cup milk, ¾ cup shredded cheddar, a pinch of salt, and optional pepper.

1. Stir everything together in the oiled cup. The pasta goes in dry; the milk cooks it.
2. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375°F for about 40 minutes.
3. At about 20 minutes, carefully lift the foil, stir once, then reseal it.
4. Rest for 5 minutes so the initially loose sauce can thicken.

Tips and variations: Stir gently, taking care not to spill the noodles; this prevents clumping and a stiff result. Sharp cheddar gives strong flavor, but any melting cheese—including torn American cheese slices—works.

2. Chicken pot pie

Ingredients: ½ cup drained canned chicken, ⅓ cup frozen mixed vegetables, ½ cup cream of chicken soup, a splash of milk, pepper, an optional pinch of dried thyme, about 6 buttery crackers, and 1 tablespoon melted butter.

1. Mix the chicken, vegetables, soup, milk, pepper, and thyme in the cup. Keep the filling thick; add another splash of milk only if it’s too stiff to stir. No need to thaw the vegetables.
2. Crush the crackers and toss with melted butter. Scatter over the filling.
3. Bake uncovered at 375°F for 25 minutes, until the edges bubble and the top is deep golden. Loosely cover with foil if the topping browns before the filling bubbles.
4. Rest for 5 minutes before eating.

Variations: Cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup can replace cream of chicken. The soup is already salty, so Randy says there’s no need to add salt.

3. Chili cornbread

Ingredients: 1 cup canned chili (use about ¾ of the cup’s capacity to leave room for rising), ⅓ cup cornbread mix, 3 tablespoons milk, and an optional spoonful of shredded cheese.

1. Stir the cornbread mix and milk in a small bowl just until combined; a few lumps are fine.
2. Spoon the batter over the chili. Don’t stir it in—it should bake as a cap.
3. Bake uncovered at 375°F for about 30 minutes. Check the cornbread with a toothpick; if wet batter clings, bake for 5 minutes longer. Add cheese for the final 5 minutes if desired.
4. Rest for a few minutes before eating.

Variations: Use any canned chili, with or without beans. No cornbread mix? Crumble leftover cornbread on top or use half a split biscuit. Stirring the batter into the chili can make the middle soggy.

4. Breakfast for dinner

Ingredients: 1 slice bread, ¼ cup diced ham or cooked sausage, 2 tablespoons shredded cheese, an optional small handful of fresh spinach, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons milk, a pinch of salt, and optional salsa for serving.

1. Tear the bread into small pieces and put it in the oiled cup. Add the meat, cheese, and spinach.
2. Beat the eggs with milk and salt, pour over the other ingredients, and gently press the bread down with a fork.
3. Bake uncovered at 350°F for about 25 minutes. Shake the cup gently; if the center moves like liquid, bake for 5 minutes more and check again.
4. Rest for a couple of minutes. Serve with salsa if desired.

Tips and variations: Day-old bread absorbs the egg without falling apart. No foil is used so the top can brown. Cooked sausage, bacon, or extra cheese can replace ham.

5. Chicken enchilada

Ingredients: A few spoonfuls of enchilada sauce for the bottom, 1 small tortilla, ½ cup drained canned chicken, another ½ cup enchilada sauce, ⅓ cup shredded cheese, an optional pinch of cumin, and an optional spoonful of sour cream.

1. Spread sauce on the bottom of the cup. Tear the tortilla into postage-stamp-sized pieces.
2. Layer in half the tortilla, the chicken, then the remaining tortilla. Pour the remaining sauce over everything so no tortilla pieces are exposed. Top with cheese.
3. Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more, until the cheese bubbles and begins to brown at the edges.
4. Cool for a few minutes; add sour cream if desired.

Tips and variations: A pinch of cumin can perk up store-bought sauce. Corn tortillas taste more traditional; flour tortillas stay softer. If you have no enchilada sauce, thin salsa with a splash of water.

6. Salmon and rice

Ingredients: ⅓ cup regular long-grain white rice, ¾ cup chicken broth, ½ cup frozen peas, one 5 oz can salmon, drained and flaked, and optional lemon and pepper. Tuna or dill can also be used.

1. Stir the rice, broth, peas, and salmon together so the rice is covered. Add lemon and pepper if desired.
2. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 400°F for 40 minutes. Don’t peek; the trapped steam cooks the rice.
3. Rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. If liquid remains, bake for 5 minutes longer. Fluff the rice before eating.

Tips and variations: Use regular long-grain rice, not instant. The soft bones in canned salmon can be mashed in with a fork. Canned tuna can replace salmon; dill works with either.

7. Sausage, potatoes, and green beans

Ingredients: 1 cup frozen diced potatoes, ½ cup frozen green beans, 1 smoked sausage sliced into roughly ¼-inch coins, 1 tablespoon oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

1. If the potatoes have ice crystals, shake them off. Add the potatoes, beans, sausage, oil, and seasonings to the cup; stir to coat.
2. Cover with foil and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes.
3. Remove the foil, stir once, and bake for 15 minutes more, until the potatoes are golden and the sausage edges sizzle.
4. Cool for a few minutes. Mustard is suggested on the side.

Tips and variations: The covered stage steams the potatoes tender; the uncovered stage browns them, so don’t skip it. Diced ham or a sliced hot dog can replace smoked sausage.

8. Black bean taco

Ingredients: ¾ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed; ¼ cup frozen corn; ¼ cup salsa; 1 teaspoon taco seasoning; and ⅓ cup shredded cheese. For serving: tortilla chips and optional sour cream or chopped lettuce.

1. Stir together the beans, corn, salsa, and seasoning. If the salsa is watery, pour off a little. Spread the mixture level and top with cheese.
2. Bake uncovered at 375°F for 20 minutes, until the cheese melts and the edges bubble.
3. Crush tortilla chips and sprinkle them on after baking. Add sour cream or lettuce if desired; eat with a spoon or scoop with extra chips.

Tips and variations: Rinsing the beans reduces their canned taste and some salt. Pinto beans work too. Replace taco seasoning with a little chili powder and cumin. Adding chips before baking makes them soggy.

9. Beef stroganoff

Ingredients: ½ cup dry egg noodles, ¾ cup beef broth, ¼ cup drained canned mushrooms, 1 tablespoon dried minced onion, ½ cup chopped cooked roast beef, pepper, and 3 tablespoons sour cream. Optional chopped parsley.

1. Add the noodles, broth, mushrooms, onion, beef, and pepper to the cup. Stir so the noodles are under the liquid.
2. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes, until the noodles are tender and most of the broth is absorbed.
3. Stir in the sour cream after baking. Rest for a couple of minutes to thicken; add parsley if desired.

Tips and variations: Low-sodium broth is suggested because the liquid cooks down and its saltiness becomes more pronounced. Canned roast beef or leftovers both work. Stir sour cream in at the end to avoid a grainy, curdled sauce; plain yogurt can replace it.

10. Meatloaf with mashed potatoes

Ingredients: ¼ lb ground beef, 3 tablespoons crushed crackers, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon ketchup plus another spoonful for the top, salt and pepper, ½ cup mashed potatoes, and a pat of butter.

1. Mix the beef, crackers, milk, ketchup, salt, and pepper in the cup with a fork. Mix evenly, but don’t pack the meat tightly. Press it flat and spread another spoonful of ketchup on top.
2. Bake uncovered at 375°F for about 30 minutes. Check the center with a thermometer; the video specifies 160°F. If it hasn’t reached that temperature, bake for 5 minutes more and check again.
3. Top with mashed potatoes and a pat of butter. Use slightly thick potatoes—made with less water than the package calls for—so they hold their shape.
4. Bake for another 5 minutes, until the potatoes are hot and the butter has melted. Rest for a few minutes.

Variations: Instant mashed potatoes are fine. Crushed crackers can be replaced with torn bread or quick oats.

Pantry basics

Randy’s suggested short list is shredded cheese, milk, eggs, canned chicken, frozen vegetables, broth, dry pasta, rice, canned beans, crackers, and ketchup. Add one or two extras for the dinner you choose.

Presenter/channel: Randy, Cook With Randy. He says the full ingredient list is in the video description.