Cooking for One menu
Moroccan Cooking for One Menu — A Proper Meal Without Leftovers Piling Up
Moroccan recipes are usually written for a family table, which makes cooking for one feel like more effort than it should be. This menu is built around a single-portion tagine and sides that scale down cleanly, so eating well alone does not mean a week of the same leftovers. A dedicated how-to on scaling tagines down covers the exact adjustments behind the main course here.
The menu
Main
Small chicken tagine with olives and preserved lemon
Made in a small pan rather than a full tagine pot, using one chicken thigh and a quarter of the usual sauce.
Side
A small portion of couscous or rice
Measured with a cup rather than by eye, to avoid ending up with three days of extra grain.
Salad
A single small bowl of carrot or tomato salad
Quick to make fresh rather than keeping a large batch in the fridge.
Bread
Half a piece of khobz, or one pitta
Buying a whole loaf for one person often means most of it going stale.
Dessert
A few dates with a spoon of almond butter
No cooking required, and easy to portion for exactly one person.
Drink
A small pot of mint tea
Made in a small teapot rather than a large one meant for several glasses.
Shopping list
- One chicken thigh
- A small onion, garlic clove and preserved lemon wedge
- A handful of olives
- Couscous or rice, a small measured portion
- One or two carrots or tomatoes for a small salad
- One pitta or half a loaf of khobz
- A few dates and a spoon of almond butter
- Gunpowder green tea and fresh mint, in small quantity
Prep timeline
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Before starting
Measure everything by cup and spoon rather than eye, since small quantities are easy to over- or under-do.
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First 5 minutes
Soften the onion and spices in a small pan on a low heat.
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Next 25 minutes
Simmer the chicken gently, checking it does not dry out in the smaller volume of sauce.
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Last 5 minutes
Stir in the olives and preserved lemon, and start the rice or couscous.
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While it rests
Make the small salad and brew a small pot of tea.
Host's tips
- Buy preserved lemon and olives loose from a deli counter where possible, rather than a full jar that will sit unused for weeks.
- A small saucepan with a lid works better than a full tagine pot for a single portion — it holds the heat without drying out the smaller quantity of sauce.
- Freeze any leftover preserved lemon or spice paste in small portions rather than letting it go to waste in the fridge.
- Cook rice or couscous by the cup rather than the packet instructions, which are almost always written for several people.
- Treat the meal as a proper sit-down occasion rather than something eaten standing at the counter — the ritual of tea at the end still applies to a table for one.
Questions about this menu
How do I scale down a Moroccan tagine recipe for one person?
Use a single chicken thigh or a small piece of lamb, cut the vegetables and aromatics to about a quarter of the usual recipe, and cook in a smaller pan so the sauce does not spread too thin and dry out.
What Moroccan pantry items are worth buying even for one person?
Ground cumin, paprika, ginger and a small jar of preserved lemon all keep for months and are used in small quantities per meal, so they are worth having in even a single-person kitchen.
Is it worth making Moroccan bread for one person?
Not usually — a whole loaf goes stale before one person can finish it, so buying a single pitta or a small portion from a bakery makes more sense than baking a full batch of khobz.
Can mint tea be made in a small quantity?
Yes — a small teapot with a spoonful of tea leaves, a few mint sprigs and less water than the usual large pot works perfectly well for one or two small glasses.
What is the easiest Moroccan dessert to make for one person?
A few dates with a spoonful of almond butter or amlou needs no cooking at all and can be portioned for exactly one person without any waste.
Learn to cook this menu with a local in Marrakech
Every dish here is taught, hands-on, in a Marrakech cooking class — or taste them across the medina on a guided food tour.