More often than not, this is what the solo suppers I cook for myself look like: a wide, shallow bowl swiped with salted yogurt and scattered with a bunch of charred broccolini, plus a handful of whatever herbs I have in my fridge, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a drizzle of olive oil. It takes about 10 minutes and zero thought to pull together, and is exactly what I want to sit on my sofa eating after a busy day of overthinking food at work.
I take a photo of almost every meal I cook—it's easier than taking notes, and I never know what I'll end up writing about. As I was just scrolling through my camera roll, I kept passing photos of bowls full of various high-protein "sauces" like yogurt or hummus, topped with some combination of cooked or raw vegetables and/or salad greens. I started to worry that I should work on getting myself out of my solo-supper rut. But then I realized I should write about it instead, so you can all join my regular practice.
You don't have to do it alone—this model works just as well when feeding two, four, or more. It's all about changing your mindset about what counts as a meal: A bowl of charred broccolini does not feel like a meal. But add a creamy, high-protein sauce and doll it up all pretty in your favorite bowl, with the sauce swirled down first and the vegetables on top so you can drag each crispy-warm piece through the cool-tart yogurt as you eat ... and suddenly that broccolini is a fine and filling dinner. Here are my three favorite "sauces" to help turn any vegetable or combination of vegetables into a quick and satisfying dinner:
1. Salted Yogurt
I keep a container of full-fat Greek yogurt in my fridge at all times. I actually don't like eating it on its own, but I turn it into sauces and smoothies constantly. My favorite way to make a thick savory yogurt sauce is to whisk it with grated garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. (I have a recipe for it here, but I often just eyeball it.) For an even easier sauce, I just whisk in a little bit of water and salt to taste. You want some liquid in there to help thin the yogurt, though you should still stick with thick Greek-style yogurt because it's higher in protein. In the winter, I'll pile a bunch of roasted vegetables on top—any vegetable works—and then finish it off with some fresh herbs or maybe baby arugula or watercress. In the summer, I switch to a heap of quickly grilled eggplant spears and charred lacinato kale, or a tumble of sliced crunchy raw veg. Season it all with a squeeze of citrus or a drizzle of vinegar, a generous glug of your best olive oil, and a sprinkle of flaky salt—and dig in.
2. Creamy Hummus
If you've been watching my Instagram stories recently (hi!), you know I've been trying to convert everyone to my hummus-bowl-for-dinner lifestyle. I've got this recipe that you can follow for a creamy canned-chickpea hummus topped with spiced ground meat and tomato salad, but I often skip the beef and just lean into the veggies on top. And when I'm too tired to make my own hummus, I use store-bought and feel zero shame. Now that it's spring I can't get enough sugar snap peas. I thinly slice them and toss them with some cucumbers or radishes—or just leave them on their own, seasoned with lemon and salt—and then pile them on top of a bowl of hummus and dig in. Any raw or roasted veg you like works here. And don't forget to sprinkle your bowl with Aleppo-style pepper and flaky sea salt , and gloss it up with olive oil. That'll make it look pretty and taste better.
3. Whipped Ricotta
If you're the kind of person we all aspire to be, you can make your own ricotta. But when I get home hungry after work, I'm not that kind of person, and when it comes to making a savory sauce for dinner, store-bought ricotta is just as good as homemade. Just add a bit of olive oil and some salt and whisk it up until it's smoother and lighter in texture than it is straight out of the container. Here's a recipe if you want to follow one. You can add lemon zest, finely chopped herbs, crushed red pepper flakes, or whatever else you want to season it with. Then swoosh it onto the bottom of a wide, shallow bowl or dinner plate and pile some roasted vegetables on top. Or add a mixture of pan-seared zucchini, eggplant, and red grapes. Or roasted cherry tomatoes. Or green beans charred on the grill. Or anything you'd also put on top of the yogurt or hummus above. You're starting to get the idea, right? Just be careful: Once you start making dinners like these, you're not going to be able to stop.