All I Want for Solo Dinner Is an Omelet

That's you! Because whether you live solo (almost 30% of Americans do) or are enjoying a night to yourself, sitting down to a meal should be something to look forward to. I usually start my day with some grand idea for dinner—grilled pomodoro pasta, miso curry beef—but by the time I get home, sigh.

The last thing I want to do is dirty more dishes than I have to. If I’m cooking alone, as I often am, guess who has to also clean up?

My go-to low-key meal is a soft, fluffy omelet. Perhaps you’re used to ordering omelets alongside bacon and hash browns for brunch, but this hearty egg dish is also an ideal solo supper.

Trying to make omelets for a group is chaotic: Someone’s eating before the rest are finished cooking, or several people are eating cold eggs; or you need three pans frying at once. No thank you! My omelet-making process is efficient.

The ingredients are simple. The cook time is 15 minutes tops.

I opt for a folded diner-style version, which is infinitely more chill than a French roll. And it all happens in one bowl and a single pan, meaning I can zone out while cooking and still wind up with something more than decent. I like to use a carbon-steel pan, which requires a little preheating before the surface becomes nonstick.

Of course, a regular nonstick pan works here too, and is a great choice for those who want to pay even less attention to technique (no shade, we’re all tired). While I wait for the pan to get hot, I slice small piles of shallot and crisp apple, and grate some nutty-creamy Fontina or cheddar. With a fast-cooking dish like this, it’s best to have everything ready to go.

Three eggs are the correct amount for a single-serving omelet—I’ll be taking no arguments. While I beat them with a whisk, I can’t help but sing to myself, “There are three eggs in Spanish omelets,” which is not a real song, but a Drew Barrymore ad-lib from the classic 2005 film Fever Pitch.

Anyways: You can check for a properly heated pan by flicking a splash of water and seeing if it forms beads that dance across the surface before evaporating. (If they sizzle then disappear, keep heating.) In the hot pan, I fry shallots until they turn sticky-sweet, like deep amber gemstones. The apple stays raw not just for ease.

Cool and tart, it’s a perfect foil to the salty, earthy Fontina cheese, which gently melts into ooey gooeyness. The omelet is usually all I need for dinner. Maybe a piece of toast for scooping up every other bite.

On especially hungry days, I’ll chuck a handful of frozen fries into the oven; and if I’ve yet to eat a vegetable, I’ll drizzle a quick vinaigrette over lettuce or radicchio. In any case, in a matter of minutes, I’m on the couch, fork in one hand, phone in the other, dissociation imminent.

Bliss.