Weekly Meal Prep Plan: Cook on Sunday, Eat All Week
The short answer
This meal prep plan is built around dinners that keep well for three to four days — Greek chicken bowls, turkey taco bowls, chickpea shawarma bowls, baked ziti, turkey chili and lentil soup. Cook two or three of them on Sunday in the order below and weeknight dinners become reheat-and-serve.
- 7 dinners
- About 14 min of prep a night
- 57 items on one grocery list
- 3 meatless
Best for: People who would rather cook once on the weekend than every night.
Puts these dinners on next week's calendar and builds the grocery list. Free account, no credit card.
The week
- MondayGreek Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Lemon-oregano chicken with rice, cucumber, tomatoes and tzatziki. Built to hold up in the fridge for four days of lunches or dinners.
40 min - TuesdayTurkey Taco Rice Bowls
Seasoned ground turkey over rice with all the taco toppings. A homemade spice blend keeps it gluten-free and less salty than packets.
30 min - WednesdaySheet Pan Chickpea Shawarma Bowls
Warm-spiced roasted chickpeas and cauliflower with a quick lemon-tahini sauce. Vegetarian, gluten-free and great for packed lunches.
40 minVegetarian - ThursdayEasy Baked Ziti
Pasta, marinara, ricotta and plenty of mozzarella baked until bubbling. Assemble it ahead and bake when you walk in the door.
50 minVegetarian - FridayWeeknight Turkey Chili
A lean, hearty chili with two kinds of beans that comes together in under an hour and tastes even better the next day.
50 min - Saturday20-Minute Beef and Broccoli
Takeout-style beef and broccoli with a glossy garlic-ginger sauce, on the table faster than delivery.
22 min - SundaySlow Cooker Lentil Vegetable Soup
Pantry lentils, carrots and tomatoes turn into a thick, protein-rich vegetarian soup for well under a dollar a serving.
6h 15mVegetarian
Grocery list for the week
Every ingredient from all seven recipes, combined and sorted by store aisle. Check your pantry for oils, salt and spices before you shop.
Produce
- 1avocado
- 3 cupbaby spinach
- 1bell pepper
- 1 lbbroccoli florets
- 3carrots
- 1cauliflower head
- 2celery stalks
- 3 cupcherry tomatoes
- 2cucumber
- 2 tbspfresh basil
- 1 tbspfresh ginger
- 12 clovesgarlic
- 3lemon
- 1 1/2red onion
- 2 cupromaine lettuce
- 3yellow onion
Dairy & Eggs
- 1/2 cupcrumbled feta cheese
- 1egg
- 1/2 cupgrated Parmesan cheese
- 15 ozricotta cheese
- 2 cupshredded cheddar cheese
- 3 cupshredded mozzarella cheese
Meat & Poultry
- 1 1/2 lbboneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/4 lbflank steak
- 2 lbground turkey
Bakery
- 1crusty bread loaf
Grains & Pasta
- 1 1/2 cupjasmine rice
- 3 cuplong-grain white rice
- 1 1/2 cupquinoa
- 1 lbziti pasta
Canned Goods
- 2 cansblack beans
- 1 cupchicken broth
- 2 canschickpeas
- 1 cancrushed tomatoes
- 1 candiced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cupdried brown lentils
- 1 cankidney beans
- 1/2 cuptomato sauce
- 6 cupsvegetable broth
Condiments & Sauces
- 1/3 cuplow-sodium soy sauce
- 1 jarmarinara sauce
- 1/2 cupolive oil
- 1 tbspoyster sauce
- 1/2 cupsalsa
- 1/3 cuptahini
- 2 tbspvegetable oil
Spices & Seasonings
- 3 tbspchili powder
- 3 1/2 tspdried oregano
- 1/2 tspgarlic powder
- 1/2 tspground cinnamon
- 2 tbspground cumin
- 1 tspItalian seasoning
- 1 2/3 tbspkosher salt
- 2 tspsmoked paprika
Baking
- 2 tbspbrown sugar
- 2 tbspcornstarch
Other
- 1 cuptzatziki
Prep ahead
- Start a big pot of rice and the quinoa first; they cover three dinners.
- Put the chickpeas and cauliflower in the oven while the Greek chicken marinates.
- Cook the Greek chicken and the taco turkey on the stovetop at the same time.
- Assemble the baked ziti and refrigerate it unbaked for Thursday.
- Cool everything quickly, portion into containers, and keep sauces and fresh toppings separate.
- Make the chili and soup midweek (or freeze them) — they are the dinners for days 5 to 7, after the prepped bowls are gone.
Questions
How long does meal prep last in the fridge?
Cooked chicken, turkey, rice and grain bowls are best eaten within 3 to 4 days. That's why this plan front-loads the bowls and saves the chili, soup and a fresh stir-fry for later in the week. Freeze anything you won't eat by day 4.
How long does the Sunday prep take?
About two hours for the bowls and the ziti, with the oven and two burners going at once.