Easy

Easy meal prep for 2 or 4: 5 days of lunches and dinners

Most meal prep plans assume you have a free Sunday afternoon and a long list of specialty ingredients. If you would rather keep your weekend open, a week of food can feel out of reach before you even start. What you need is a short list of familiar ingredients and recipes simple enough to make without thinking.

This plan covers five days of lunches and dinners for two, built from things you can find in any supermarket. Lemon garlic chicken and Italian sausage with peppers roast on sheet pans, a turkey and black bean chili simmers in one pot, and honey-soy salmon rice bowls and a beef and potato stew round out the week. The whole session takes about an hour, and the ingredients repeat across dishes so your shopping list stays short.

What they asked Bocalito

An easy meal prep plan for people who don't want to spend their weekend in the kitchen: very simple recipes, one hour of cooking at most, and as few ingredients as possible: about 5 to 7 main ingredients per dish, not counting oil, salt, pepper and spices, all easy to find in any supermarket. Reuse the same ingredients across dishes so the shopping list stays short. Sheet-pan and one-pot dishes are welcome; nothing fiddly.

Make my own version

Quick Sheet-Pan Weeknights

Quantities for

2 people5 days · Lunch, Dinner · Up to 2× eachUp to 1hImperial units

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Freeze these portions after cooking, and move them to the fridge the night before.

Lemon Garlic Chicken Sheet-Pan Dinner
Turkey and Black Bean Chili
Italian Sausage and Pepper Sheet-Pan Dinner
Honey-Soy Salmon Rice Bowls
Beef and Potato Stew

1h start to finish42 min hands-on

Time you actually spend cooking — the rest is simmering, roasting and chilling.

1
Season the sheet-pan trays10 minCounter
Halve 4 lb of baby potatoes and cut the broccoli into bite-size florets. For the first pan, pat the bone-in chicken thighs dry, rub them with 4 tbsp of olive oil, 6 cloves of minced garlic and salt and pepper, then scatter halved lemons around them with the potatoes and broccoli. For the second pan, slice the Italian sausage into coins, cut the bell peppers and 2 onions into wedges, and toss them with 4 tbsp of olive oil and the remaining potatoes so everything is evenly coated before roasting.
ResultLemon garlic chicken traySausage and pepper tray
2
Cook the rice20 minStoveUnattended
Rinse the long-grain white rice in a fine strainer until the water runs mostly clear. Add it to a heavy pot with about 1.5 times its volume of water, bring to a boil, then cover, lower the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Turn off the heat and let it rest covered for 5 minutes so the grains finish steaming.
ResultSteamed white rice
3
Cut the stew vegetables10 minCounter
Peel the carrots and cut them into thick rounds. Dice 2 lb of potatoes and 1 onion into roughly 3/4-inch pieces so they cook through in the same time as the beef.
ResultStew vegetables
4
Roast both sheet-pan dinners38 minOven · 425°FUnattended
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and roast the lemon garlic chicken tray on the lower rack and the sausage and pepper tray on the upper rack together for about 38 minutes. The chicken is done when the skin is golden and crisp and the thickest part reads 175°F (80°C), while the sausage is browned at the edges and the peppers are soft.
ResultLemon garlic chicken with potatoes and broccoliItalian sausage and peppers with potatoes
5
Sear the beef chuck8 minStove
Cut the beef chuck into 3/4-inch cubes and pat them dry. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the beef in batches, turning until deeply browned on all sides. Transfer the browned beef to a bowl, leaving the browned bits in the pot for flavor.
ResultSeared beef chuck
6
Prep the chili aromatics and salmon glaze6 minCounter
Finely chop 1 onion for the chili and mince 3 cloves of garlic. Trim the ends off the green beans and set them aside. Whisk the honey and the soy sauce together in a small bowl to make the glaze for the salmon.
ResultChopped onionMinced garlicTrimmed green beansHoney-soy glaze
7
Simmer the beef and potato stew30 minStoveUnattended
Return the seared beef to the Dutch oven with the stew vegetables. Stir the tomato paste into the pot for a minute, then add 1 can of crushed tomatoes and the beef broth. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the gravy coats a spoon.
ResultBeef and potato stew
8
Brown the turkey for the chili8 minStove
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a wide pot over medium-high heat and add the ground turkey, breaking it up as it browns for about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped onion, the minced garlic, the chili powder and the cumin and cook for 2 more minutes until fragrant.
ResultBrowned spiced turkey
9
Simmer the turkey and black bean chili16 minStoveUnattended
Stir the browned turkey together with the drained black beans and 2 cans of crushed tomatoes. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 16 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick and glossy and the tomatoes have reduced into the sauce.
ResultTurkey and black bean chili
10
Roast the glazed salmon and green beans12 minOven · 425°FUnattended
Keep the oven at 425°F (220°C) and swap in a clean lined sheet pan. Lay the salmon fillets skin side down alongside the trimmed green beans, then brush both with the honey-soy glaze. Roast for 12 minutes until the salmon flakes easily and reaches 145°F (63°C) in its thickest part.
ResultHoney-soy glazed salmon with green beans

At each meal, open it in “Your plan” to see how to serve it.

Cool the chili and beef stew for no more than 2 hours, then portion them into freezer containers; they keep their texture better than the sheet-pan dishes.

Questions, or need to change something? !

Questions asked about this plan

Can I freeze the turkey and black bean chili, and how should I reheat it?

Yes. The chili keeps for up to 3 months in the freezer. Freeze it without the rice, and cook fresh rice or reheat frozen rice when you serve it. Cool the chili for no more than 2 hours, then portion it into freezer containers, leaving some room for expansion.

To reheat, thaw it overnight in the fridge. Warm it in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring now and then, for about 8 to 10 minutes. It's ready when it's bubbling at the edges and reaches at least 165°F (74°C) throughout. If it has thickened, add a splash of water. For the rice, microwave a portion covered with a splash of water for about 2 minutes, until steaming hot.

Can I swap the salmon for chicken thighs in the rice bowls?

Yes. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work well with the honey-soy glaze. Use about the same weight as the salmon, and cut them into even pieces so they cook through at the same time.

For cooking, the chicken needs longer than the salmon. Roast it on a lined sheet pan at 425°F (220°C) for about 20 to 25 minutes, brushing with glaze halfway through, until the thickest piece reads 165°F (74°C). If you use bone-in thighs, plan on 35 to 40 minutes instead. Keep the green beans on the same pan, or add them for the last 10 minutes so they don't overcook.

For keeping, chicken thighs hold up better than salmon. Cool them within 2 hours and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. When reheating from frozen, thaw them overnight in the fridge first, then warm them to 165°F (74°C). Salmon can only be kept about 2 days after glazing, so the chicken version gives you more flexibility.

How do I keep the sheet-pan chicken crispy when I reheat it from the fridge?

Reheat the chicken straight from the fridge on a sheet pan in a 425°F (220°C) oven, not in the microwave, which makes the skin soggy. Spread the pieces out so they don't touch, and give them about 12 minutes, until the thickest piece reads at least 165°F (74°C).

Store the chicken and potatoes in an airtight container, but cool them for no more than 2 hours before refrigerating. Trapped steam is what softens the skin, so don't seal the container while the food is still warm.

If the skin is still soft at the end, leave the pan in the oven for another minute or two.

Your week, your tastes

Tell Bocalito who you cook for, how much time you have and what you like: it makes a plan like this one, just for you. Free, no card needed.