Most recipes serve multiple people. In Me, Myself, and Dinner, each dish serves one and only one. 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.
When I’m left to my own devices for dinner, there’s really only one thing I care to make: an omelet. Perhaps you’re more familiar with ordering them alongside bacon and hash browns for brunch, but the omelet is in fact ideal at the end of the day, ideally for just you. Manageably, omelets are best prepared one at a time, and ideally eaten immediately. I take a cue from diner-style omelets by using heavier fillings—this is dinner, after all!—and simply folding the set eggs in half (no need to mess around with a delicately rolled version after a long day of work.)
If you have a well-seasoned carbon-steel pan, this is the time to use it. Properly heated, its surface is totally nonstick, and you can use metal tools to maneuver the eggs without risk of scratching the pan. That said, nonstick works just as well. I like to use a 10" pan for a 3-egg omelet; if you only have a larger pan, it will cook more quickly (or add a fourth egg and a little extra cheese and this could easily be a meal for two.) If I feel like rounding out the meal with proper side dishes, I’ll throw together a quick green salad and maybe heat up frozen sweet potato fries in the toaster oven. But more often than not, I just slide the omelet onto a plate, swipe it with mustard, and call it a night.
Read More: All I Want for Solo Dinner Is an Omelet
Recipe information
Total Time
15 minutes
Yield
1 serving
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Heat a 10" carbon steel pan over medium-high 1 minute. (Add a flick of water: If the droplets bead and slide around surface before evaporating, the pan is ready; if they sizzle and immediately evaporate, heat another 30 seconds and try again.) Reduce heat to medium. (Alternatively, heat a 10" nonstick pan over medium.) Cook 1 large shallot, thinly sliced, 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper, and a pinch of kosher salt in pan, stirring often with a heatproof rubber spatula, until shallots are softened and deeply golden in spots and almost charred in others, 8–10 minutes. Scrape shallot onto a plate and wipe out any solids from pan.
Step 2
Meanwhile, beat 3 large eggs and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.
Step 3
Add remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil to same pan and swirl to coat. Add eggs and immediately stir around with spatula, tilting pan to fill empty areas, 30 seconds. (If cooking in a carbon steel pan, you can use the same whisk or fork you used to beat the eggs if you’d like.) Continue to cook, agitating eggs and occasionally shaking pan and running spatula underneath to ensure eggs aren’t sticking, until surface of eggs looks somewhat set but still slightly shiny, about 30 seconds more. Lightly season with more pepper, then sprinkle ¼ cup coarsely grated Fontina cheese or sharp white cheddar over half of surface. Shingle ½ small crisp apple (such as Fuji or Gala), very thinly sliced, over cheese, then top with shallots. Gently run spatula underneath eggs and shake pan a bit to release, then fold empty side of eggs up and over filled side (use a larger flat spatula if you’re having trouble maneuvering omelet; it’s okay if filling isn’t completely covered). Remove pan from heat and let omelet sit 30 seconds to continue to set.
Step 4
Slide omelet out onto a plate and serve with Dijon mustard if desired.
