The bible for inventive, on-trend meals for one or two—from the right-size pans to just-right entrees, sides and desserts
Betty Crocker makes cooking for one (and maybe one more) easier and more economical than ever with a complete assortment of almost 200 perfect-fit recipes. She’s delightfully re-imagined beloved classics like Black and Blue Mini Meat Loaves and quick-and-easy dinners like Pan Asian Salmon and Vegetables. Even dessert is made sweeter and simpler with personal treats like Cherry Cobblers for Two.
Right-Size Recipes makes cooking effortless and fun, with recommendations for the proper equipment, advice on navigating the grocery store to shop small, and lessons on transforming or stretching leftover ingredients and meals into another delicious entree for less repetitive leftovers and more delightful cooking. Holidays and special occasions are also handily scaled to size, with a sheet-pan Thanksgiving dinner for two, menus for a romantic dinner or a stay-in movie night, and more.
The Reviews
Robert A. Bowers
5.0 out of 5 stars.
Welcome addition to my cookbook collection.
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2025.
Verified Purchase.
I'm trying these days to find good recipes that make 2-4 servings rather than feel a full family. This is one of the books I bought to do that. Recipes are clear to understand, well laid out step-by-step, and I like the results of the ones I've tried so far. I have an old Betty Crocker that I've used for years for family sized recipes and this edition for smaller amounts is really a good addition!
I generally try to only include helpful 4 or 5 star reviews on a book. However, as I read more of Andrew’s comment, I realized that his point of view could be exactly what some readers needed to see. I have a different take on the subject, but that is because I am a fan of America’s Test Kitchen.
Andrew
3.0 out of 5 stars.
Falls Short
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2019
Verified Purchase
I had high hopes for this cookbook when I pre-ordered it several months ago.
I thought it would explain, in-depth, how to scale down larger recipes.
Unfortunately, it does not.
The first two pages of the book basically tell you to use smaller baking pans and to buy less when grocery shopping, which isn't very helpful—especially if you're already attempting to cook or bake smaller batches.
As for the recipes, they are smaller in quantity and serving size. However, they start out that way from the get-go. In other words, the book does not present a larger recipe (a Lasagna for 8 people, for example) followed by smaller versions of the same recipe (depending on the desired number of servings). It only offers the smaller recipe and that's it.
The content of the book is split between six main categories (Chicken and Turkey, Beef and Pork, Meatless, Fish and Shellfish, Breakfast, Appetizers and Sides, and Desserts).
There are also 5 subcategories/sections (Thanksgiving On Your Table in 1 1/2 Hours, Cook Once, Eat Twice, Refrigerator and Freezer Ingredients Storage, Use What You Have, and Let's Celebrate!) that guide you through reusing or storing main ingredients or leftovers. The "Let's Celebrate!" section is just a handful of prepared menus. To be honest, these sections of the book are a waste of space, as I tend to think most people know how to store food and use leftovers already.
The savory recipes are fine, but as one reviewer already noted, mistakes were made with recipes using fresh garlic. In the introduction, the book clearly states, "We've called for measured amounts of chopped garlic rather than calling for cloves." However, a majority of the savory recipes call for whole cloves, finely chopped, instead of exact amounts of chopped garlic. It's clear that the recipes were not updated before the book went to print.
This is ok with me, because I purchased the book for the smaller recipes in the Desserts chapter, and I'm not a good savory cook anyway. Still, it is a pretty big mistake for a first edition, first print.
My main issue with the book is that there are not enough basic, from-scratch recipes. For example, the Thanksgiving On Your Table in 1 1/2 Hours is basically a sheet pan dinner, but calls for a box of store-bought stuffing mix in lieu of a smaller, from-scratch recipe for traditional stuffing. A Butternut Squash and Leek Stuffing is included (p. 301), but doesn't scream Thanksgiving to me.
In the Breakfast chapter, the Fruity Pancake Tacos (p. 245) call for 4 cooled buttermilk pancakes, but the book does not include a buttermilk pancake recipe or a basic, from scratch Pancakes recipe. It only has Pancakes for Two (p. 258), which calls for Bisquick. There is a Blueberry Maple Overnight Oatmeal recipe (p. 248), but no stovetop/microwave oatmeal recipe to speak of. Sure, you could use the recipe on the back of an oats container, but you'd think something so simple would be included. Other recipes are just space wasters—like the four "Smoothie Bowls" recipes, which are just bowls of yogurt with different mix-ins or toppings. Instead of including these, they should've included recipes for more scaled-down basics.
Other recipes, which seem more suited for the Breakfast chapter (Glazed Mini Key Lime-Cherry Scones (p. 276), Banana Bread Muffins (p. 279), and Bacon-Cheddar Corn Muffins with Chipotle Butter (p. 280), appear in the Appetizers and Sides chapter. The Biscuits for Two (p. 284) suffers the same pitfall as the Pancakes for Two: The recipe calls for Bisquick instead of offering a from-scratch recipe. The aforementioned Glazed Mini Key Lime-Cherry Scones are the closest thing to a from-scratch biscuit-type recipe, but it would have to be altered if you wanted them plain.
The Desserts chapter is embarrassingly small, at least compared to the previous chapters. I was surprised that it had so few recipes. Four of the recipes in the chapter (Glazed Lemon-Coconut Bars (p. 319), Spiced Pumpkin-Chocolate Mug Cake (p. 321), Cherry Cobbler (p. 324), and Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (p. 326) are made with the "Easy Dessert Mix" (p. 325), which is a homemade baking mix. This, while interesting, is unfortunate, because if you do not make/use the mix, you cannot use/try the four recipes. Additionally, the recipe does not offer suggestions on how/if it can be used in regular recipes (or ones calling for baking mix), so it would sit on your pantry shelf/cupboard and go stale if you have no plans to use the four recipes it is made for. What good is a homemade baking mix if it can only be used to make four recipes from a specific book and nothing else? It should be noted that the recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cakes (p. 322) is the only cake recipe in the chapter that does not employ the Easy Dessert Mix. So, if you wanted cake, but had none of the mix on hand (or simply do not like the idea of using it), your only option would be to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cakes. There's no wiggle room, which is why more basic, from-scratch cake recipes should've been included. Oddly enough, the mix is referred to as, "From Scratch Cake Mix," in the actual recipe. A last-minute name change must have occurred without that part of the actual recipe being updated with the new name before the book went to print. It's not a big deal, just weird.
There's not much in the way of cookies, either. The chapter has three recipes (Giant Peanut Butter and Candy Cookie (p. 313), Cinnamon-Frosted Molasses Cookies (p. 314), and Ginger, Walnut and White Chocolate Cookies (p. 311). The latter two recipes make 1 dozen each, which isn't that small batch to me. A Triple Chocolate Skillet Brownie Sundae recipe is included as well (p. 316) and could function as a cookie on its own (minus the ice cream/toppings), but that's it for cookies. A better option, in my opinion, would've been to offer ONE small, from-scratch recipe for plain cookie dough with instructions for varying the flavor (similar to the flavors in each separate recipe mentioned above). That would've saved space, which would've made room for other recipes elsewhere.
This chapter also misses the mark when it comes to pies. The book offers only two options: Coconut Cream Pie Bites (p. 328) and Berry Pies (p. 331). The latter recipe is just a mix of frozen-thawed berries dumped into individual ramekins (or custard cups) topped with refrigerated pie dough rounds (top crust-only) and baked. It's reminiscent of the previously-mentioned Cherry Cobbler (p. 324). A small, from-scratch pie dough recipe is NOT included in the chapter, which feels like an oversight, at least in my opinion.
Cheesecakes are not missing from the chapter, but, again, only two recipes are provided: Salted Caramel-Pecan Cheesecake (p. 332) and Impossibly Easy Mocha Fudge Cheesecakes (p. 334). The latter calls for Bisquick, which is odd as the book spotlighted a homemade baking mix (Easy Dessert Mix) 9 pages back. If you do not use Bisquick (or any other store-bought baking mix), you're stuck with Salted Caramel-Pecan Cheesecake. It would've made more sense to just include ONE small, plain, basic, from-scratch cheesecake recipe with instructions for customizing the flavor, but that's just my opinion.
The chapter (and book) ends with a mixed bag of offerings, starting with Apple Crisp (p. 337), a from-scratch recipe I will definitely try, and Personal Bread Puddings with Caramel-Whiskey Sauce (p. 339).
From there, the book slips into forgettable territory with Layered Berry-Yogurt Parfaits (p. 340), Brandy-Pumpkin Pie Milkshake (p. 342), and Pineapple-Mojito Sorbet (p. 345) before ending on a whimper with Ice Cream Sandwich Bites (p. 347).
For me, the book just falls short, mainly because it does not explain in detail how to scale down larger recipes like I had hoped. It does not have enough basic, customizable, from-scratch recipes, and the ones I thought would be completely from scratch (like Pancakes for Two or Biscuits for Two, etc.) call for Bisquick, which is something I do not buy or use in my kitchen.
The book does have a few ideas and recipes I will try, but not enough for me to come back to it regularly. With that said, I don't regret buying it at all. It just wasn't what I expected or hoped for.
My advice to others would be to preview the index of recipes before purchasing to avoid disappointment.
Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree 