10 Cheap One-Pot Dinners for Seniors Living Alone (All New Recipes)

Ten more cheap one pot meals for one or two people, and every one of them leaves you with exactly one pot in the sink. Ground beef stroganoff where the egg noodles cook right in the gravy. Unstuffed cabbage rolls with nothing to roll at all. Cheap, soft, filling, and portioned so nothing goes to waste. ⏱️ DINNERS IN THIS VIDEO: 0:40 1. Ground Beef Stroganoff (the noodles cook in the gravy) 3:03 2. Lentil and Carrot Stew (do NOT soak the lentils) 5:24 3. Creamy Ham and Pea Stew 7:53 4. Creamy Tomato and Tortellini Stew (3 minutes, not 8) 10:11 5. White Bean and Sausage Stew 12:37 6. Ground Turkey and Zucchini (no liquid at all) 14:39 7. Sausage, Green Beans and Potatoes 16:41 ⭐ 8. Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls (nothing to roll!) 19:04 9. Smoked Sausage and Sweet Potato 21:14 10. Shepherd's Pie in One Pot (no oven) 🍽️ FULL RECIPES (1-2 servings) Pot sizes are in the headings — you asked. Prices are what I pay at my store; yours may run higher. 1. GROUND BEEF STROGANOFF (3-qt pot) ½ lb ground beef • handful sliced mushrooms • ½ onion • 2 cups beef broth • a few oz EGG noodles • 2 Tbsp sour cream. Brown beef and onion, add mushrooms, pour in broth, tip in the DRY noodles, lid on 8 min. 👉 Secret: pot OFF the heat before the sour cream, or the gravy turns grainy. Ground beef, not steak — cheaper, softer, more flavor. 2. LENTIL AND CARROT STEW (6-qt pot) 1 cup DRY brown lentils • 4 carrots in coins • 1 onion • 1 celery stalk • 6 cups broth • 1 Tbsp tomato paste. Everything in at once, lid on, simmer 35 min. 👉 Secret: DO NOT SOAK the lentils — soaked they turn to mush and go grey. The tomato paste is not for flavor, it builds a savory backbone. 3. CREAMY HAM AND PEA STEW (3-qt pot) 6 oz diced ham • 2 potatoes in cubes • 1 cup frozen peas • 3 cups chicken broth • 1 Tbsp butter • 1 Tbsp flour • a splash of COLD milk. Ham in butter, potatoes and broth, lid on 15 min, peas 2 min. 👉 Secret: stir the flour into cold milk first — in the hot pot it seizes into lumps. Ham ENDS cost half and do the same job. 4. CREAMY TOMATO AND TORTELLINI STEW (4-qt pot) 1 package FRESH cheese tortellini • 1 can crushed tomatoes • 2 cups broth • a handful of spinach • 2 Tbsp cream cheese. Tomatoes and broth to a boil, tortellini 3 MINUTES ONLY, cream cheese in, spinach last. 👉 Secret: cream cheese instead of cream — thicker, will not split, cheaper. At 8 minutes fresh tortellini split and leak. 5. WHITE BEAN AND SAUSAGE STEW (4-qt pot) 6 oz smoked sausage in coins • 1 can white beans, NOT DRAINED • 1 can diced tomatoes • 1 block FROZEN spinach • 2 cloves garlic • 2 cups broth. Brown the sausage dry, garlic 30 sec, rest in, scrape the bottom, simmer 20 min. 👉 Secret: frozen spinach goes in unthawed and never turns slimy. Do not rinse the beans — that cloudy starch makes the broth cling to the spoon. 6. GROUND TURKEY AND ZUCCHINI (10-inch skillet) ½ lb ground turkey • 2 zucchini in THICK half moons • 1 can diced tomatoes with juice • 1 onion • garlic powder. Brown turkey with onion, zucchini and tomatoes in, lid on, 15 min on low. 👉 Secret: add NO liquid — the lid pulls water out of the zucchini and builds the sauce. Thin slices dissolve into nothing. 7. SAUSAGE, GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES (4-qt pot) 1 smoked sausage • 3 potatoes in chunks, SKINS ON • 1 can green beans, liquid and all • 1 onion • 2 cups chicken broth. Brown sausage and onion, potatoes and broth, lid on 20 min, beans at the END, 5 min. 👉 Secret: skins on — no peeling, chunks hold together. Canned beans are already cooked; 20 minutes of simmering turns them stringy. 8. UNSTUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS ⭐ (6-qt pot) ½ lb ground beef • ½ head cabbage in rough squares • ½ cup DRY white rice • 1 can diced tomatoes • 1 Tbsp tomato paste • 1 onion • 1 GRATED carrot • 2 cups water, no more. Brown beef and onion, everything else in, lid on, 30 min on low. 👉 Secret: the grated carrot melts in and takes the sharp edge off the tomato. Trust the 2 cups — the cabbage lets out plenty of its own. 9. SMOKED SAUSAGE AND SWEET POTATO (10-inch skillet) 1 smoked sausage in coins • 1 large sweet potato in SMALL cubes • 1 red bell pepper • 1 onion • paprika • ¼ cup water. Brown the sausage, rest in, paprika over the top, lid on, steam 15 min. 👉 Secret: that ¼ cup turns the pot into a steam oven — no oil, no stirring. Sugar-cube cubes: big pieces stay hard in the middle. 10. SHEPHERD'S PIE IN ONE POT (4-qt pot) ½ lb ground beef • 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables • 2 cups beef broth • 1 Tbsp flour • INSTANT potato flakes • 1 Tbsp butter. Brown beef, flour through, broth to thicken, veg in frozen, simmer 10 min. Mash dropped in soft MOUNDS, lid on 2 min. Freezes in single portions. 👉 Secret: mounds, never a smooth layer — they set like a pie from the oven. Thin gravy and the potato sinks through. Which number is your one pot making first? Tell me below. Subscribe for more simple senior meals. ❤️ #seniorcooking #cheapmeals #cookingforone #onepotmeals