In this weekly meal plan, you'll grill Monday night for a classic summer dinner—steak and corn on the cob—with a few fun twists, like a delicious salt-and-pepper butter for the corn and perfectly charred peppers to serve alongside the meat. On Tuesday, use store-bought dough and peak-season vegetables to make a simple, family-friendly pizza. Leftover grilled steak will go in easy Tex-Mex grain bowls on Wednesday. Then there's savory and sweet grilled pork chops for dinner on Thursday that get repurposed Friday when they're tossed in flavorful vermicelli noodle bowls. Here's how it'll all go down:
Groceries:
Pantry:
- Kosher salt
- Flaky sea salt
- Black pepper
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Ground turmeric
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Neutral vegetable oil (such as grapeseed)
- 1 cup grains (such as quinoa, rice, farro, or barley)
- 1 can pineapple juice (1/2 cup)
- Honey
- Unseasoned rice vinegar
- Red wine vinegar
- Toasted sesame oil
- Dijon mustard
- 1 cup salted, roasted cashews
- Light brown sugar
- 8 ounces vermicelli rice noodles
Produce:
- 1 pound mini sweet mixed peppers
- 6 oz. shishito peppers
- 5-6 jalapeños (depending on heat and personal preference)
- 2 small serrano chiles, seeds removed
- 8 ears of corn
- 1 pound green beans
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 pint grape tomatoes
- Salad greens of your choice
- Salad vegetables of your choice
- 4 scallions
- 1 medium shallot
- 8 limes
- 1 avocado
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 large bunch cilantro
- 3 cups basil leaves
- 1 cup mint leaves
Dairy:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 ounces feta or Cotija cheese (about 1/2 cup)
- About 1 pound whole-milk fresh ricotta (2 cups)
Butcher's Counter:
- 8 (1"–1 1/2"-thick) strip steaks (about 3 pounds total)
- 6 (1"-thick) bone-in pork chops
- 4 ounces thinly sliced soppressata
Bakery:
- Corn or flour tortillas (optional)
- 2 pounds store-bought pizza dough
Monday:Grilled Steak and Mixed PepperswithCorn on the Cob
Your steak forthis recipeneeds to be seasoned with salt and pepper and left to sit for up to an hour at room temperature, so do that before you start prepping any other ingredients, or fire up the grill. (Do the same with the extra pound of steak you bought; you'll be using that to top grain bowls on Wednesday.) Throw somecorn on the cobon the grill as well, and cook an additional two ears—the leftover corn will also go in those grain bowls. For the corn you're serving tonight, you'll follow the cool trick inthis recipefor one-stop seasoning: make a salt-and-pepper butter that you can slather the corn with after it comes off the heat. Serve warmed tortillas alongside for anyone who wants to make fajitas with the peppers and steak.
Tuesday:Summer Pizza with Salami, Zucchini, and Tomatoes
Aneasy pizzatopped off with lots of summer produce is in order tonight. You'll stretch store-bough pizza dough over the surface of a sheet pan and bake it to crispy perfection. Meanwhile, you'll make a peppery ricotta sauce to spread over the top. A salad of ribboned zucchini, cherry tomatoes, basil—and soppressata for some heft—will go on the top after you finish baking for fresh, summery flavor.
Wednesday:Grain Bowls with Grilled Corn, Steak, and Avocado
Now your prep work Monday night starts to pay off, since tonight's dinner is mostly assembly with very little cooking. You'll cook whatever grains you and your family are partial to (rice, quinoa, farro) and whip up a creamy jalapeño sauce. Then, you'll top the grains with your leftover steak and the leftover grilled corn, sliced from the cob. Finish the bowls with sliced avocado, feta or Cotija cheese, lime, scallions, and the jalapeño sauce, for those who want it. If the kids don't like foods mixed together, you can set out the individual ingredients in bowls and let them each make a customized plate.
Thursday:烤猪排Pineapple-Turmeric釉
You'll get the grill going again for thesepineapple juice–glazed pork chops. As the meat cooks, the sauce will caramelize and add complex sweet-and-savory notes to the meat. While that's going, rub the two extra pork chops with a mixture of 1 tsp. turmeric, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. brown sugar, and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and then grill them until browned and cooked through. Set the turmeric-rubbed pork chops aside to toss in tomorrow's noodle bowls. Serve the pineapple-glazed pork chops tonight along with a simple green salad tossed with whichever vegetables and dressing appeal to your family.
Friday:Basil-Cashew-Lime Vermicelli Bowls with Pork and Green Beans
Since you cooked the pork for this dish last night, thisthis easy Friday night dinnerwill come together very quickly. Get started on the sauce—the cashews will need to soak in boiling water for 10 minutes, which will give you enough time to cook the noodles. Cut the turmeric-rubbed pork off the bone and into slices and warm it up in a skillet. Make the green beans in the same pan. Divide the cooked noodles among bowls and top each one with the pork, green beans, cashew sauce, mint, a handful of cashews, and some lime wedges.
