Weekly Meal Plan: Pork Burgers, Roasted Salmon, and Actually Grilled Cheese

You’ll never look at dumplings the same way again.

In this installment of Epi's weekly meal plan, you’re learning one of our favorite new tricks: The same pork mixture you’d use for time-intensive dumpling assembly works beautifully in quicker dishes like burgers and stir-fried noodles. You’ll also roast enough salmon to nextover into tacos, and finish the week by grilling greens, tomatoes, garlicky bread, and—we cannot emphasize this enough—cheese.

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

Pantry

• Kosher salt

• Black pepper

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• Roasted bell peppers

• Honey

• Mayonnaise

• Unseasoned rice vinegar

• Sriracha, hot chili paste (sambal oelek), or sweet Thai chili sauce

• Toasted sesame oil

• Fish sauce

• Low-sodium soy sauce or tamari

• Sugar

• Bread-and-butter pickles

• Rice noodles

• Creamy peanut butter

Produce

• 1 bunch oregano

• 1 bunch dill

• 1 bunch cilantro

• 1/2 lb. small new potatoes

• 1 bunch asparagus (about 1 lb.)

• 1 head escarole

• 1 large head cabbage

• 2 large bunches Tuscan kale

• 2 bunches scallions

• 1 head garlic

• 12 oz. cherry tomatoes

• 3 lemons

Dairy

• 3 oz. feta

• 1 lb. halloumi cheese

Butcher’s Counter

• 2 lb. ground pork

Seafood

• 2 1/2 lb. skinless salmon fillet

Bakery

• 4 English muffins

• Corn tortillas

• Country-style bread

MONDAY: Lemon-Roasted Salmon with Escarole, Asparagus, and Potatoes

Start the week with a simple, summery salmon dish, and cook enough extra fish—another pound or so—to nextover into Wednesday’s tacos.

TUESDAY: Sesame Pork Burgers with Sweet and Spicy Slaw

The flavor of these burgers, from cookbook author Tara O'Brady, is reminiscent of Asian pork dumplings—which shouldn’t surprise you, since they're basically made of dumpling filling. Double the meat mixture and do a little advance nextovering with half of it: Crumble and brown it in a large skillet, like you would ground beef, and refrigerate for Thursday. Double the slaw, too, for tomorrow night.

WEDNESDAY: Salmon Tacos

Thanks to nextovered salmon and slaw, all you need for dinner tonight are corn tortillas and hot sauce. Reheat the salmon gently while you warm the tortillas: Working with one at a time, hold tortillas with tongs directly over a gas burner on medium heat, turning frequently, until puffed and lightly charred. (You can also warm them in a dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.) Let each family member assemble their own tacos.

THURSDAY: Peanutty Stir-Fried Rice Noodles

Tonight’s dinner comes together almost as quickly as last night’s, since you’ve already browned the pork. Prepare rice noodles according to the package directions. While that’s going, blend a batch of kid-friendly peanut sauce (it only takes 10 minutes) and reheat Tuesday's extra pork mixture over low heat, stirring often. Toss the noodles with the pork and some of the peanut sauce, and top with chopped scallions and cilantro leaves.

FRIDAY: Grilled Greens and Cheese on Toast

If you’ve never had grilled halloumi before, you’re in for a treat. Charring the salty-squeaky cheese, juicy tomatoes, crunchy kale, and garlicky bread takes just a few minutes, but it makes this combo sing. It’s the perfect way to end the week. Note that this recipe serves two, so you’ll want to double it if you're cooking for more.

Originally Appeared on Epicurious