5 Fast and Easy Meals, 1 Shopping List

Updated on 2/8/2015 at 7:15 AM

If you're aiming to become more organized in the kitchen, then you've come to the right place. We've put together a manageable meal plan for the week, grocery list included. (Here we're focusing on dinner for two, though recipes can be scaled up or down.) Click through and cook along with us for five nights: each day's recipe will either set you up for days down the line or will make good use of previously prepared ingredients, all to make you more efficient in the kitchen. Photos: Susannah Chen, Nicole Perry, Anna Monette Roberts, and Sara Yoo

Day One: Lemony Roast Chicken

Regardless of whether you're single, hitched, or somewhere in between, this "engagement chicken" — watch the video for the story behind the name and the recipe — is an excellent example of how a few simple ingredients can create a meal greater than the sum of its parts.

For this meal plan: Roast the chicken as directed, subbing sprigs of fresh thyme for the mixed herbs (or use some combination of hearty herbs). Pair it with a simple side, like lemony steamed carrots, and reserve any leftovers for recipes later in the week.

Day Two: Easy Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti

Leave it to Marcella Hazan, the queen of Italian cuisine, to concoct an ultrasimple but extremely lush tomato sauce that only requires three (excluding salt) ingredients.

For this meal plan: Make the sauce as directed, reserving the braised onion for the next day (roughly chop it after removing it from the sauce). Serve half the sauce with cooked spaghetti and a chiffonade of basil; reserve the second half of the sauce for later in the week.

Day Three: Chicken and Black Bean Burrito

Get your south-of-the-border fix in fine form when dining on a cheesy black bean and chicken burrito.

For this meal plan: Cook two cups of dry white rice, then add two tablespoons of cooked rice, all the nonoptional ingredients, two tablespoons of shredded cooked chicken (from the roast chicken), and two tablespoons of chopped braised onions (from the tomato sauce) to each burrito. Reserve the extra rice for the following night. Photo: Anna Monette Roberts

Day Four: Kimchi Fried Rice

If you're not yet acquainted with the fiery fermented Korean staple kimchi, then it's about time: this weeknight-friendly fried rice dish is a great way to take it for a test-drive.

For this meal plan: Prepare the recipe as directed using the cooked rice from the prior day. Photo: Sara Yoo

Day Five: Baked Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Love poached eggs and Mediterranean food? Then you're bound to be smitten with this classic breakfast-for-dinner staple by way of the region. Eggs poached in well-spiced marinara sauce are served with crusty grilled bread for a meal to remember.

For this meal plan: Halve the recipe, substituting the remainder of the tomato sauce and braised onions for the first four ingredients. Add the red pepper flakes, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and sugar. Simmer for five minutes. Then proceed with the recipe as written. Photo: Susannah Chen

Shopping List

Now that you have the lay of the meal-plan land, download the shopping list. Included are all the ingredients for the main dishes (save for standard ingredients like salt and pepper) with enough to serve at least two.