In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleBreakfastLunchDinner

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In This Article

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Known for penning and crooning popular songs like “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” Dolly Parton has evolved into so much more than a writer and singer (although she’s still stellar at those skills!).Parton recently published a cookbook with her sister Rachel Parton George calledGood Lookin' Cookin'. Plus, the star launched aline of cast-iron skillets with Lodgethat you’re going to want to get your hands on, and she’s constantly releasingDolly-themed baking mixes with Duncan Hines. It’s clear the 78-year-old singer/actor/entrepreneur/philanthropist is not showing any signs of slowing down.So how does she fuel up to tackle all that action? Read on for more about what Dolly Parton eats in a day.Dolly Parton & Her Sister Rachel Just Shared Their Favorite Family Side Dishes (and We Have the Recipes!)BreakfastAs a pick-me-up to kickstart her day (which often begins at 3 a.m.!), “I use Folgers for my cup of ambition. I like quite a bit of cream, so it’s just a little more than tan. A cup and a half will do me all day,” Parton tellsWall Street Journal Magazine.Alongside that java, “I usually try to keep some homemade egg salad around because I like to have something quick and easy,” she adds in the same interview. “Through the week I’ll eat things like egg salad on toast with tomato, and sometimes I’ll have a bagel with cream cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes.“And Parton loves scrambled eggs in the mornings as well, she notedin an interview withInsider. She even has a secret to making them fluffier: add a sprinkle of ice water to the pan while you cook the eggs. Safe to say, the singer is rising and shining with eggs on her plate one way or another.If Parton is working, she generally follows alow-carb dietduring the week, then allows for more flexibility on the weekends.LunchWhen Parton is on the road, she packs the tour bus freezer full of plenty of homemadelow-carb meals. (Psst…Dolly, a lot of ourlow-carb restaurant remakesare totally meal prep-friendly!)“When I’m home, I spend Sunday with my husband,” she tellsParade. “I try to stay on my low-carb diet during the week, and then when I know I have a day off, I say, ‘Make me a pan of cornbread.'“The Parton Family’s Skillet CornbreadAlong with that cornbread or her go-to starch side, a baked potato (“If I had to pick one thing to eat for the rest of my life, it’d be potatoes,”she toldEatingWell), Parton might savor some seafood and a salad with ranch dressing for lunch.Getty Images / NBCDinnerWhen Dolly’s in charge of dinner duty, she whips up her specialty: “Chicken and dumplings,” according to her chat withParade. Or she might make other classic Southern recipes like roast pork,green beansand fried okra, she adds in that interview withThe New York Times.She doesn’t stick to just Southern cuisine, though.“I love Indian, Italian and Mexican food. And if it’s a romantic kind of evening, I like a good French restaurant,” she tells theTimes. Parton prefers simplicity, no matter what she’s eating or serving. “I don’t like pretty food. The way I see it, if the food’s too pretty, it ain’t too good.“As far as drinks go, Parton prefers red wine. “I don’t know too much about different kinds. But I know I like the kind that has a little of that dryish feeling at the end,” she shares inThe New York Times.Parton and her husband Carl Dean don’t shy away from fast food when they’re on RV road trips. Hey, it is vacation after all! Taco Bell (which has some solid choices nutrition-wise) is a personal favorite, she says onTaste of Country, “I love their tacos. They also have little pizzas that I love.“Copycat Taco Bell Mexican PizzasThe Bottom LineWhile we’d love to see Parton’s diet include some more fruits and vegetables, perhaps as a nutritious mid-afternoon snack, we adore the fact that she doesn’t have hard and fast rules about following a specific diet—besides the one that makes her feel her best.“I tried every diet in the book,” Parton has said, according toVanity Fair. “I tried some that weren’t in the book. I tried eating the book. It tasted better than most of the diets.““Dolly’s clearly figured out what works for her and keeps her feeling good,” says registered dietitianLisa Valente, M.S, RD. “Other than boosting her produce intake a bit, my only advice would be to make sure she’s not treating weekends like ‘cheat days.’ It’s OK to enjoy potatoes and cornbread and even Taco Bell during the week. Overall, it sounds like she eats a variety of foods and enjoys cooking well-rounded and delicious meals.“Dolly Parton Shared Her Favorite Vintage Dessert Recipes, Including a 5-Ingredient Pie

Known for penning and crooning popular songs like “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” Dolly Parton has evolved into so much more than a writer and singer (although she’s still stellar at those skills!).

Parton recently published a cookbook with her sister Rachel Parton George calledGood Lookin’ Cookin'. Plus, the star launched aline of cast-iron skillets with Lodgethat you’re going to want to get your hands on, and she’s constantly releasingDolly-themed baking mixes with Duncan Hines. It’s clear the 78-year-old singer/actor/entrepreneur/philanthropist is not showing any signs of slowing down.

So how does she fuel up to tackle all that action? Read on for more about what Dolly Parton eats in a day.

Dolly Parton & Her Sister Rachel Just Shared Their Favorite Family Side Dishes (and We Have the Recipes!)

As a pick-me-up to kickstart her day (which often begins at 3 a.m.!), “I use Folgers for my cup of ambition. I like quite a bit of cream, so it’s just a little more than tan. A cup and a half will do me all day,” Parton tellsWall Street Journal Magazine.

Alongside that java, “I usually try to keep some homemade egg salad around because I like to have something quick and easy,” she adds in the same interview. “Through the week I’ll eat things like egg salad on toast with tomato, and sometimes I’ll have a bagel with cream cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes.”

And Parton loves scrambled eggs in the mornings as well, she notedin an interview withInsider. She even has a secret to making them fluffier: add a sprinkle of ice water to the pan while you cook the eggs. Safe to say, the singer is rising and shining with eggs on her plate one way or another.

If Parton is working, she generally follows alow-carb dietduring the week, then allows for more flexibility on the weekends.

When Parton is on the road, she packs the tour bus freezer full of plenty of homemadelow-carb meals. (Psst…Dolly, a lot of ourlow-carb restaurant remakesare totally meal prep-friendly!)

“When I’m home, I spend Sunday with my husband,” she tellsParade. “I try to stay on my low-carb diet during the week, and then when I know I have a day off, I say, ‘Make me a pan of cornbread.'”

The Parton Family’s Skillet Cornbread

Along with that cornbread or her go-to starch side, a baked potato (“If I had to pick one thing to eat for the rest of my life, it’d be potatoes,”she toldEatingWell), Parton might savor some seafood and a salad with ranch dressing for lunch.

Getty Images / NBC

A portrait of Dolly Parton on a designed background

When Dolly’s in charge of dinner duty, she whips up her specialty: “Chicken and dumplings,” according to her chat withParade. Or she might make other classic Southern recipes like roast pork,green beansand fried okra, she adds in that interview withThe New York Times.

She doesn’t stick to just Southern cuisine, though.

“I love Indian, Italian and Mexican food. And if it’s a romantic kind of evening, I like a good French restaurant,” she tells theTimes. Parton prefers simplicity, no matter what she’s eating or serving. “I don’t like pretty food. The way I see it, if the food’s too pretty, it ain’t too good.”

As far as drinks go, Parton prefers red wine. “I don’t know too much about different kinds. But I know I like the kind that has a little of that dryish feeling at the end,” she shares inThe New York Times.

Parton and her husband Carl Dean don’t shy away from fast food when they’re on RV road trips. Hey, it is vacation after all! Taco Bell (which has some solid choices nutrition-wise) is a personal favorite, she says onTaste of Country, “I love their tacos. They also have little pizzas that I love.”

Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizzas

The Bottom Line

While we’d love to see Parton’s diet include some more fruits and vegetables, perhaps as a nutritious mid-afternoon snack, we adore the fact that she doesn’t have hard and fast rules about following a specific diet—besides the one that makes her feel her best.

“I tried every diet in the book,” Parton has said, according toVanity Fair. “I tried some that weren’t in the book. I tried eating the book. It tasted better than most of the diets.”

“Dolly’s clearly figured out what works for her and keeps her feeling good,” says registered dietitianLisa Valente, M.S, RD. “Other than boosting her produce intake a bit, my only advice would be to make sure she’s not treating weekends like ‘cheat days.’ It’s OK to enjoy potatoes and cornbread and even Taco Bell during the week. Overall, it sounds like she eats a variety of foods and enjoys cooking well-rounded and delicious meals.”

Dolly Parton Shared Her Favorite Vintage Dessert Recipes, Including a 5-Ingredient Pie

Danielle DeAngelis

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