Everything you need to buy and prepare for recipe developer and author Dawn Perry’s Week of Meals recipes

A photograph of prepared dishes and platters.

By Ben MimsCooking Columnist

June 9, 2021 10:15 AM PT

Week of Meals is a new weeknight dinner series that brings you five, easy-to-prepare weeknight recipes from one shopping trip that costs less than $100. Here’s the grocery list and the prep work to do on the day of shopping to set yourself up for cooking Dawn Perry’s recipes the rest of the week.

BUY FRESH
These ingredients will need to be purchased if you don’t already have them.

Meat and seafood
6 mild Italian sausages (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 1/4 pounds swordfish

Dairy section
7 ounces full-fat Greek yogurt
6 to 8 ounces feta
grated Parmesan or pecorino, for serving

Bakery/deli section
1 loaf crusty bread (about 1 pound)

Produce
1 large yellow onion
1 small red onion
1 head garlic
18 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
3 red, yellow or orange bell peppers
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley or cilantro
1 medium head Romaine or other salad greens
1 large or 2 small bunches kale, collard greens, Swiss chard or spinach
1 1/2 pounds small gold potatoes
1 bunch scallions (about 6)
12 ounces green beans, trimmed

Pantry
1 container za’atar spice mix
2 15.5-ounce cans chickpeas
2 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped

AT-HOME STAPLES:
We’re expecting you to already have these ingredients. If you have to buy them, you will use them again and again in other recipes.

Oil and vinegar
1 3/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons everyday olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup red or white wine vinegar

Spices
1 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes

Dry goods
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten free blend is fine)
1 pound pasta, any shape
Rice, couscous or other grains, for serving (optional)

Dairy/fridge:
1 large egg

SUNDAY PREP
This is the cooking you’ll want to do on the day you go shopping, preferably Sunday, to get more of the laborious or time-consuming tasks out of the way.

Marinate chickpeas:
Combine 1/2 cup olive oil and 1 tablespoon za’atar in a small saucepan. Grate 2 peeled garlic cloves into the pan and place over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until mixture is sizzling and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add 2 cans (15.5 ounces each) drained chickpeas. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and toss to combine.

Let marinate at room temperature until ready to use or covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You’ll use these chickpeas in the recipes for Chickpea Salad Bowls With Cucumbers, Feta and Za’atar and Crispy Chickpea Cakes With Yogurt and Romaine. Let the chickpeas sit for 30 minutes to come to room temperature before using in either recipe.

Get the recipes: