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Even if you love the idea of prepping a week’s worth of meals on a Sunday afternoon – after all, it’s a great way to have dinner on the table quickly – you may still bristle at the thought of being locked in to a specific menu, unable to satisfy the craving for a particular cuisine when it hits you.
This plan solves that problem brilliantly by pairing some easy-to-make staple ingredients with a handful of fast and savory sauces. Plus, you can scale these ideas up or down easily, so it works whether you are cooking for two or a small army.
 | With a couple of sheet pans and some parchment paper, your oven becomes a true work horse—even with the rice! Then you simply refrigerate each component, tightly wrapped, until you are ready to use it. |
 | Roast Cauliflower. Preheat oven to 400F. Chop cauliflower into bite-size florets and arrange in the middle of a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Generously drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss until florets are evenly coated and arrange florets evenly (use 2 sheet pans if necessary – the vegetables need room for roasting). Bake until florets are softened and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes, rotating the pan every 10 minutes to ensure even baking. |
 | Roast Chicken. While the cauliflower is roasting, get some chicken ready on a separate sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle generously with olive oil (especially if you’re using skinless chicken) and season with your favorite spice mix. Roast in a 400F often until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest portion reaches an internal temperature of 165F. |
 | Roast Salmon. The same roasting strategy works great for dense, oily fish like salmon. Arrange skin-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil followed by your favorite spices. Roast in a 400F oven until the fish flakes easily with a fork (about 10-15 minutes). |
 | Baked Rice. Sure you can prepare stovetop rice ahead of time, by why not put it in the oven to bake alongside all these other dishes? To make 4 servings of long-grain white rice, combine 1 cup rice, 1 ¾ cup boiling water, 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of salt in an 8×8 baking dish and cover tightly with heavy-duty foil. Bake in a 400F oven until the water is absorbed (about 25 minutes) and let sit for 5-10 minutes before fluffing. Double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 pan if you need larger quantities. |
 | Now that you have the building blocks for some weekday meals, use these 5 simple sauces to take them to the next level. Each is super quick and easy to make in larger quantities, so you can have them ready in 5 minutes or less. |
 | Mediterranean: Combine 3 tablespoons tahini + 1 tablespoon lemon juice + 1 clove minced garlic. Stir until smooth, then add warm water, a spoonful at a time, until mixture is desired thickness. |
 | Asian: Combine 3 tablespoons soy sauce + 3 tablespoons honey + juice of 1 lime. Stir until honey dissolves. Add a dash of Siracha if you prefer a little heat. |
 | Peanut sauce: Combine 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce + 2 tablespoons peanut butter. Stir until smooth, then add warm water, a spoonful at a time, until mixture is desired thickness. |
 | Tapenade: Combine 1 cup pitted kalamata olives + 1 tablespoon drained capers + 2 cloves garlic + ¼ cup fresh parsley + juice of 1 lemon in the work bowl of a food processor. Whirl until finely chopped. With the machine running, add olive oil until the mixture is a coarse paste consistency. |
 | Mexican: Combine the flesh of 1 avocado + juice of ½ lime + pinch of salt in the work bowl of a food processor. Whirl until finely chopped. With the machine running, add water, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is a smooth. |
 | Here’s a handy mix-and-match chart that highlights some of the ways you might combine staple ingredients with the various sauces now at your fingertips and a just few simple extras. Once you’ve given this challenge a try, use the same logic to build your own make-ahead plan by swapping out other proteins and vegetables for the staples used here. Of course, the possibilities are endless. |
| Staples | Sauce | Extra ingredients | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buddha Bowl |  | Peanut | Thinly sliced cucumbers, peppers, and carrots |
| Mediterranean Wrap |  | Mediterranean | Chopped lettuce, tomatoes and onion |
| Sicilian Pasta |  | Tapenade | Pasta |
| Greek Salad |  | Tapenade | Chopped lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumber and feta |
| Fish Tacos |  | Mexican | Tortillas and shredded cabbage |
| Stir-Fried Rice |  | Asian | Onions, peppers, carrots and broccoli |
| Chicken Soup |  | Chicken stock, carrots, celery |
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