It’s January 2 and I don’t know about you, but I’m already weary of 2020—mostly in anticipation of a(nother) rough year. At least junior went back to school today. I’m not sure how many more conversations I could’ve had about video games, Dungeons & Dragons, and Pokemon. In the immortal words of Lionel Richie, let’s keep next week easy…
Some very simple cooking on Sunday will set you up for five low-stress dinners next week. It all starts with a three-ingredient pot roast.
Here’s the menu:
SUNDAY PREP: Oven-Braised Beef with Tomatoes and Garlic literally uses nothing but beef, tomatoes, and garlic to produce something rich and flavorful. It’s a Gourmet recipe originally, but I’m giving you Smitten Kitchen’s version since she also includes Instant Pot instructions. Y’know, if you roll that way. Vegetarians, your Portobello Pot Roast from A Virtual Vegan has a few more ingredients, but it’s done in less time. And you’ve got IP instructions, too! (You’ll add an extra mushroom for intentional leftovers, and leave out the potatoes.)
Optional: Bake 8 potatoes, if you know you won’t have time to bake them before dinner tomorrow.
MONDAY: Pot Roast with Baked Potatoes. Everyone knows pot roast is always better the next day. Which means all you’re doing tonight is reheating—or baking potatoes, if you didn’t do it yesterday.
TUESDAY: Soba Edamame Noodle Bowl from Cooking Light. This’ll be on the table in about 15 minutes. To make a full and filling meal, you’ll add either marinated tofu or rotisserie chicken. Note that I’m including the tofu on the shopping list but not the chicken, since you’ll want to buy that day-of. Don’t forget, if you plan to use it!
WEDNESDAY: Twice-Baked Potatoes from Simply Recipes with a big ol’ salad. Thanks to those pre-baked potatoes, all you’re doing tonight is making the filling with either cheddar, bacon, and scallions, or blue cheese and chives—your choice—then baking for about 30 minutes.
THURSDAY: Quick Beef (or Mushroom) & Barley Soup from Eating Well, with crusty bread. Swap the leftover beef or portobello for the sirloin in the recipe, and this is ready in just over half an hour.
FRIDAY: Sheet-Pan Pizza from America’s Test Kitchen is a recipe so kid-friendly, it’s meant for kids to cook it. If you enjoy making pizza dough (and have the time) by all means go for it, but since it’s a weeknight I’ll have you use store-bought. Serve this with another big ol’ salad.
Here’s the shopping list:
Remember, an asterisk* indicates an ingredient for vegetarians only. And note that I’m no longer adding salt and pepper to the shopping list unless a recipe calls for a particularly large quantity.
Produce
1 head garlic (M, F)
8 large russet potatoes (M, W)
5 large portobello mushrooms* (M)
1 large and 1 medium onion (M*, Th)
2 bunches carrots (M, T, W, Th, F)
1 bunch thyme (M*, Th)
1 bunch rosemary* (M)
1 bunch cilantro, optional (T)
1 bunch chives, optional (W)
1 cup snow peas (T)
Small knob ginger (T)
1 head red cabbage (T)
2 bunches scallions (T, W, F)
1 package romaine hearts (W, F)
2 cucumbers (W, F)
1 package grape tomatoes (W, F)
1 red bell pepper (W, F)
1 bunch radishes (W, F)
1 bunch celery (W, Th, F)
1 package Asian-flavored baked tofu, optional (T)
Pantry
1 (28-oz.) can whole tomatoes (M)
1 (14.5-oz.) can whole tomatoes (F)
1 can or tube tomato paste (Th)
All-purpose flour* (M)
Brown sugar (T)
Rubbed sage* (M)
Dried basil* (M)
Dried oregano (F)
56 oz. reduced-sodium vegetable broth* (M, Th)
1 quart reduced-sodium beef broth (Th)
Lower-sodium soy sauce OR Tamari (M*, T)
6 oz. soba noodles (T)
Dark sesame oil (T)
Rice vinegar (T, W)
Yellow miso (T)
Extra-virgin olive oil (W, F)
Red wine vinegar (Th, F)
Quick-cooking barley (Th)
Meat Counter
1 (3 to 3 1/2 pound) boneless beef chuck roast (ask the butcher to truss it for you) (M)
1 package bacon, optional (W)
Dairy
1 cup grated cheddar, optional (W)
1 cup crumbled blue cheese, optional (W)
1 lb. prepared pizza dough (F)
8 oz. mozzarella cheese (F)
2 oz. Parmesan cheese (F)
Bakery
1 loaf crusty bread (Th)
Freezer Case
Shelled edamame (T)
Liquor Store
1 bottle red wine* (M)
Check back on Saturday for the how-to. And in the meanwhile, good luck re-entering the real world!
Debbie