Meal planning for two: 7 different dinners, lunches that aren't a rerun, and a grocery list sized for two

Most recipes serve four, and most grocery packs are sized for a family, so cooking for two usually goes one of two ways: the same leftovers three nights running, or half a bag of spinach going slimy in the drawer. This plan is built to avoid both. Every dinner is different, and each one is sized for two people plus, when it makes sense, two lunches for the next day, so you eat a leftover once and then move on. The ingredients are picked to come out even: one pork tenderloin covers a dinner and two sandwiches, one bag of frozen shrimp splits across two very different meals, one can of crushed tomatoes becomes Wednesday's shakshuka and Friday's pizza sauce, and the cherry tomatoes, spinach, feta and arugula each turn up in three or four meals so nothing is left over at the end of the week. Shop once on the weekend; most weeknight dinners take 30 minutes or less.

For: Couples and roommates cooking for two who want a different dinner every night, a few easy lunches, and a grocery list where nothing goes to waste

Cooking for two is mostly a scaling problem: recipes serve four and packs are sized for families. Tell Cado it's the two of you, what each of you likes and won't eat, and what's already in the fridge, and it scales every recipe to two portions (or two plus lunch), plans the week so half-used ingredients get finished, and turns it into one grocery list sorted by aisle that you can send to Instacart. When you're cooking, say "Hey Cado" for the next step or a timer without touching your phone.

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The plan

Day 1 (Sunday)

BreakfastAvocado toast on sourdough with a fried egg each and chili flakes
LunchGreek salad pitas: chickpeas, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion and feta with a lemon and olive oil dressing (save half the chickpeas for Tuesday)
DinnerRoast pork tenderloin with honey-mustard glaze, roasted sweet potatoes and green beans (slice the leftover pork for Monday's lunch)

Day 2 (Monday)

BreakfastGreek yogurt with berries and granola
LunchPork tenderloin sandwiches on ciabatta with Dijon and arugula
DinnerShrimp tacos with lime slaw, avocado and a quick yogurt-lime sauce on warm tortillas

Day 3 (Tuesday)

BreakfastScrambled eggs on sourdough toast
LunchChickpea, cucumber, tomato and feta salad with the rest of the chickpeas
DinnerSheet-pan gnocchi with Italian sausage, zucchini and cherry tomatoes (makes enough for two lunches)

Day 4 (Wednesday)

BreakfastGreek yogurt with berries and granola
LunchLeftover sheet-pan gnocchi and sausage
DinnerShakshuka: eggs poached in spiced tomato sauce with feta and cilantro, with sourdough for dipping (save a third of the can of crushed tomatoes for Friday)

Day 5 (Thursday)

BreakfastOvernight oats with berries (make two jars Wednesday night)
LunchTurkey and hummus pitas with cucumber and spinach
DinnerLemon-garlic shrimp orzo with spinach and feta (makes enough for two lunches)

Day 6 (Friday)

BreakfastOvernight oats with berries
LunchLeftover lemon-garlic shrimp orzo, cold or warmed
DinnerNaan pizzas with the saved tomato sauce, mozzarella, spinach, cherry tomatoes and red onion (bake an extra naan for Saturday's lunch)

Day 7 (Saturday)

BreakfastFried eggs and avocado on sourdough toast
LunchLeftover naan pizza with an arugula, lemon and olive oil salad
DinnerSteak night: pan-seared strip steak, crispy smashed baby potatoes and an arugula and cherry tomato salad

Grocery list

Produce

Sweet potatoes, 2 large
Baby potatoes, 1 (1½-lb) bag
Green beans, about 12 oz
Zucchini, 2 medium
Cherry tomatoes, 3 pints
Cucumbers, 2
Coleslaw mix, 1 small bag (about 10 oz)
Baby spinach, 1 (10-oz) clamshell
Arugula, 1 (5-oz) clamshell
Avocados, 3
Red onion, 1
Yellow onion, 1
Garlic, 1 head
Lemons, 3
Limes, 2
Cilantro, 1 bunch
Berries, 2 pints (or a 16-oz bag of frozen)

Meat and seafood

Pork tenderloin, 1 (about 1¼ lb)
Frozen raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, 1 (2-lb) bag
Italian sausage links, 1 pack (about 1 lb, 4 to 5 links)
Strip steak, 1 (about 1 lb) or two 8-oz steaks
Sliced deli turkey, 8 oz

Dairy and eggs

Eggs, 1 (18-count) carton
Plain Greek yogurt, 1 (32-oz) tub
Feta, 1 (8-oz) block or tub of crumbles
Shredded mozzarella, 1 (8-oz) bag
Milk, 1 quart (overnight oats)

Bakery

Sourdough loaf, 1 (freeze half if you won't get through it)
Pita pockets, 1 (6-count) pack
Ciabatta rolls, 2
Small flour or corn tortillas, 1 pack (you need 6 to 8)
Naan, 1 pack of 3 or 4

Pantry

Shelf-stable potato gnocchi, 2 (16-oz) packages
Orzo, 1 (1-lb) box (you'll use about 8 oz)
Crushed tomatoes, 1 (28-oz) can
Chickpeas, 1 (15-oz) can
Chicken broth, 1 (32-oz) carton
Hummus, 1 (10-oz) tub
Rolled oats
Granola
Dijon mustard
Honey
Olive oil
Ground cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, dried oregano and chili flakes
Salt and black pepper

Prep tips

Shop with portions in mind. One pork tenderloin, one 1-lb steak and one pack of sausages are close to exactly two people's worth, so you don't end up with a family pack to deal with. Buy the shrimp frozen: it keeps for weeks, and you thaw only what each meal needs.
Sunday's pork: heat the oven to 425°F and start the sweet potato chunks first, since they take about 30 to 35 minutes. Sear the tenderloin in an oven-safe pan, brush it with honey mixed with Dijon, and roast it alongside the potatoes, adding the green beans for the last 15 minutes. Pull the pork at 145°F and let it rest 3 minutes, which is USDA's safe minimum for whole cuts of pork. It stays slightly pink and juicy. Slice what's left once it's cool and refrigerate it for Monday's sandwiches.
Thaw shrimp the night before in the fridge, or in a bowl of cold water in about 20 minutes. Use about ¾ lb for Monday's tacos and the rest for Thursday's orzo. Shrimp are done as soon as they turn pink and opaque, usually 2 to 3 minutes a side, so cook them last.
Make the lime slaw and the yogurt sauce for Monday's tacos in five minutes: toss the coleslaw mix with lime juice, a little oil and salt, and stir lime juice, salt and a little chili powder into a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt. The same tub of yogurt covers your breakfasts.
Tuesday's gnocchi go straight onto the sheet pan from the package, no boiling. Toss both packages with sliced zucchini, a pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced sausage, olive oil and oregano, spread everything out across one large pan (or two, so it browns instead of steaming) and roast at 425°F for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the sausage reaches 160°F. Pack two lunch portions before you serve.
Wednesday's shakshuka: soften a sliced onion and garlic in olive oil, add cumin and smoked paprika, then about two-thirds of the crushed tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes, make wells, crack in 4 to 6 eggs, cover and cook until the whites are set. Put the remaining third of the can in a jar in the fridge; it's Friday's pizza sauce.
Wednesday night, stir together two jars of overnight oats: about ½ cup oats, ½ cup milk and a spoonful of yogurt each, topped with berries. They're ready for Thursday and Friday.
Thursday's orzo cooks in one pan: toast 8 oz of orzo in olive oil with garlic, add about 3 cups of broth, and simmer, stirring, until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach, lemon zest and juice, then the shrimp to cook through, and finish with feta. Pack half for Friday's lunch.
Cooking leftovers safely: refrigerate cooked food within 2 hours and eat it within 3 to 4 days. Every leftover in this plan is eaten the next day.
Saturday's steak: boil the baby potatoes until tender, smash them flat on an oiled sheet pan and roast at 425°F until crisp, about 25 minutes. Pat the steak dry, salt it well and sear it in a very hot pan, about 4 minutes a side for a 1-inch steak. USDA's safe minimum for steak is 145°F with a 3-minute rest. Slice it against the grain.

Questions

How do you meal plan for two people?

Pick five to seven dinners for the week, check what's already in your fridge and pantry, and choose recipes that share ingredients, so a can of tomatoes, a bag of spinach or a block of feta gets used up across several meals. Decide which dinners will also make tomorrow's lunch, write one grocery list grouped by store section, and shop once. Put the meals with the most perishable ingredients, like fish and leafy greens, early in the week.

How do you scale a recipe that serves four down to two?

Halve the ingredients, then use a smaller pan so sauces don't evaporate and food doesn't spread too thin. Cooking times usually drop a little, so check doneness early. When a recipe calls for one egg or one can, either halve it by weight or keep the full amount and plan a second use for the rest, the way this plan splits one can of crushed tomatoes between shakshuka and pizza sauce. Baking is less forgiving, so look for recipes written for a small batch.

How do we avoid eating the same leftovers all week?

Cook most dinners for exactly two, and only make extra when it turns into a lunch the next day, so each leftover shows up once. Another trick is to buy one ingredient and use it two different ways: in this plan, one bag of shrimp becomes tacos on Monday and lemon orzo on Thursday. Anything you cook too much of can go in the freezer for a later week instead of the fridge.

How do you stop food from going to waste when cooking for two?

Buy portion-sized proteins (a single pork tenderloin or steak, counter-cut fish) and keep freezer staples like frozen shrimp and berries. Plan meals so perishables appear more than once, for example cherry tomatoes and spinach in three or four meals each. Freeze half a loaf of bread, refrigerate cooked food within 2 hours, and eat leftovers within 3 to 4 days.

Can we change the order of the meals?

Yes, with two rules. Cook the dinners that make the next day's lunch the night before that lunch, and keep the meals that split an ingredient (the shrimp, the can of tomatoes) in the same week. Thawed shrimp should be cooked within a day or two, so thaw only what the next meal needs.

Get this plan, adjusted to you

Cado tailors the plan to your goals and tastes, builds the grocery list, and talks you through every recipe while you cook.

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