Weekly Meal Plan: Chicken Shawarma, Romesco Pasta, and a 10-Minute Sausage Skillet

Spending your Sunday roasting peppers and grilling a bunch of chicken is just a good idea, period. But if you follow this week's meal plan, that time you spend with the grill will turn into the makings of dinner for the rest of the week. On Monday you’ll use half the peppers for a grilled squid dish that comes together in about 15 minutes. Tuesday the rest of the peppers become a sweet-nutty-garlicky romesco sauce to pair with a grilled chicken salad. Middle Eastern spices transform the rest of the chicken into Wednesday night's shawarma. And you’ll close the week with a super-quick sausage skillet.

All the details are below. But first, the grocery list:

Pantry

• Vegetable oil

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• White wine vinegar

• Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

• Kosher salt

• Crushed red pepper flakes

• Cayenne pepper

• Black pepper

• Hot smoked paprika

• Ground cumin

• Ground coriander

• Paprika

• Ground cinnamon

• Unsweetened almond butter

• 1/2 cup blanched hazelnuts or almonds

• 3/4 cup raw walnuts

• Tahini

• 1 lb. fusilli gigante (large spiral-shaped pasta) or medium shell pasta

Produce

• 8 large red bell peppers

• 1 head garlic

• 1 package romaine hearts

• 4 mini seedless cucumbers

• 1 large red onion

• 1 bunch parsley

• 1 bunch mint

• 1 bunch dill

• 1 bunch basil

• 1 bunch thyme

• 3 pints cherry tomatoes

• 1 lb. mixed ripe tomatoes

• 2 bunches broccolini

• 3 lemons

Dairy

• 1 cup full-fat or low-fat plain yogurt

• 4 oz. Parmesan

• Unsalted butter

Butcher’s Counter

• 2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs

• 8 oz. fully cooked Italian sausage (about 4 links)

Seafood

• 1 1/2 lb. cleaned squid or shrimp

Bakery

• 4 pitas

• 1 loaf country-style bread

SUNDAY: Big Batch Marinated Bell Peppers and Grilled Chicken

First, marinate a double-batch of the chicken from Grilled Chicken Salad with Romesco Sauce. While that’s resting, grill the bell peppers. By the time those come off the grill to cool, the chicken will be ready to cook. And once the chicken’s done, it’ll be time to remove the skins and seeds from the peppers, and toss them in their own marinade. (Skip the red pepper flakes if your kids don’t like heat.) You'll be tempted to eat of this immediately, but resist! Refrigerate the peppers and chicken separately.

MONDAY: Garlicky Grilled Squid with Marinated Peppers

Those pre-marinated peppers mean you’ll only have to toast the hazelnuts and cook the squid tonight. Skip the steps in the second and third paragraphs of this recipe and use half the refrigerated peppers instead (bring them to room temperature first). Thinly slice 1/3 of the red onion for tonight and refrigerate the rest, tightly wrapped.

TUESDAY: Grilled Chicken Salad with Romesco Sauce

Tonight you’re finishing off Sunday’s grilled chicken salad recipe. Double the romesco and set aside half for Thursday. Use half of the grilled chicken from the fridge—you’ll need the rest for tomorrow. Thinly slice half the remaining red onion for the salad, then re-wrap and return the last third to the fridge.

WEDNESDAY: Shawarma-Spiced Chicken Pita with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce

To nextover the remaining grilled chicken into shawarma, thinly slice it and toss with this recipe’s cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, then reheat it gently in a skillet. Tonight’s salad uses up the rest of the red onion.

THURSDAY: Romesco Pasta Salad

Tuesday’s romesco shaves time off tonight’s prep—you can skip the third paragraph of the recipe. Use some of your loaf of bread for the crumbs, and save the rest for tomorrow. This recipe serves 8, so you’ll have enough to serve cold for lunches.

FRIDAY: 10-Minute Sausage Skillet with Cherry Tomatoes and Broccolini

Even without nextovering anything for tonight’s dinner, you’ll be eating in a snap. Slice and toast the rest of the bread—the crunchy contrast works really well with the soft tomatoes and luscious juices.

Originally Appeared on Epicurious