MEAL PLAN 23
WHY THIS MEAL PLAN WORKS
Straightforward grocery and pantry items are transformed into so much more than the sum of their parts in this plan. For the chicken soup, though you could buy a rotisserie chicken to shred and add to the broth, it pays off in major flavor to poach chicken breasts in the broth (and it’s mostly hands-off). And since that portion of the recipe is make-ahead, when it’s time to serve you’ll just have to cook the pasta in the simmering soup. For the pork loin, seasoning the pork and prepping the potatoes in advance means that you can simply pop them into the oven on a sheet pan the night you want to serve them. The only cooking for the hearty grain bowls involves the farro and mushrooms, so if you complete those tasks and prep the carrots ahead of time, you’ll need only to whisk the dressing and combine the components before dinner is served.
GROCERY LIST
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PROTEIN |
Substitutions |
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Bone-in chicken breasts |
1½ pounds |
Bone-in chicken thighs |
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Sirloin steak tips |
2 pounds |
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Boneless pork loin roast |
1 (2½ to 3 pounds) |
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PRODUCE |
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Cremini mushrooms |
1 pound |
White or portobello mushrooms |
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Baby spinach |
10 ounces (10 cups) |
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Pear |
1 |
Apple |
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Parsley |
1 bunch (enough for ⅓ cup minced) |
Dill (for soup) |
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DAIRY |
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Goat cheese |
4 ounces |
Gorgonzola (for steak); feta (for steak or grain bowls) |
PREP AHEAD
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Halve potatoes |
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Trim and thinly slice mushrooms |
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Peel carrots; shave 4 carrots into ribbons, cut 1 carrot into ½-inch pieces |
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Halve, core, and thinly slice pear |
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Mince 1 shallot |
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Halve and thinly slice 1 shallot |
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Chop onion |
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Cut celery into ½-inch pieces |
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Grate lemon zest (1½ teaspoons) |
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Juice lemons (5 tablespoons) |
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Wash and pick parsley |
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Break spaghetti into 1-inch pieces |
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Trim and cut steak tips into 2-inch pieces |
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Cut bacon into ½-inch pieces |
MAKE AHEAD
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UP TO 3 DAYS |
Boil farro for grain bowls |
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Cook mushrooms for grain bowls |
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UP TO 2 DAYS |
Make soup base and poach chicken for soup (or freeze for up to 1 month) |
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UP TO 1 DAY |
Rub pork loin with spices |
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Prepare potato mixture for pork loin |
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Make mustard sauce for pork loin |
PANTRY ITEMS
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CUPBOARD & COUNTER |
Substitutions |
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Farro |
2 cups |
Pearl barley |
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Spaghetti |
5 ounces |
Fideos or egg noodles |
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Oil |
1¼ cups |
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White wine vinegar |
1½ tablespoons |
Other vinegar, such as cider, red wine, or sherry |
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Garlic powder |
1½ teaspoons |
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Ground coriander |
1½ teaspoons |
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Ground cumin |
1½ teaspoons |
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Dried thyme |
¾ teaspoon |
2¼ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme |
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Small red potatoes (1- to 2-inch diameter) |
2½ pounds |
Small Yukon Gold potatoes |
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Shallots |
2 |
3 tablespoons minced red onion (for pork) |
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Garlic cloves |
2 |
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Onion |
1 |
4 large shallots |
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REFRIGERATOR |
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Broth |
8 cups |
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Whole-grain mustard |
2 tablespoons |
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Carrots |
5 |
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Lemons |
2 |
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (for steak tips); red wine vinegar (for grain bowls) |
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Celery rib |
1 |
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FREEZER |
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Bacon |
4 slices |
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Pistachios |
3 tablespoons |
Pecans |
CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
SERVES 4 TO 6 | ACTIVE TIME 45 MINUTES
1½ pounds bone-in chicken breasts, trimmed
½ teaspoon table salt, divided
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon oil
8 cups broth
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 celery rib, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ teaspoon dried thyme
5 ounces spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces (1½ cups)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1. FOR THE SOUP BASE AND SHREDDED CHICKEN Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook chicken until well browned all over, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Add broth, onion, carrot, celery, thyme, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until chicken registers 160 degrees, 14 to 17 minutes.
3. Remove pot from heat; transfer chicken to plate and let cool slightly. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces; discard skin and bones.
4. TO FINISH Return soup to boil over medium-high heat and add pasta. Cook, uncovered, until pasta is tender, 9 to 11 minutes, stirring often. Stir in chicken and parsley and cook until chicken is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
PREP AHEAD
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Chop onion
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Peel and cut carrot
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Cut celery
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Break spaghetti into pieces
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Wash and pick parsley
MAKE AHEAD
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Refrigerate soup base and poached, shredded chicken for up to 2 days (or freeze for up to 1 month)
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN
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Sub bone-in thighs for breasts (cook to 175 degrees)
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Sub 4 large shallots for onion
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Sub 1½ teaspoons fresh thyme for dried
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Sub fideos or egg noodles for spaghetti
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Sub dill for parsley
STEAK TIPS with WILTED SPINACH, GOAT CHEESE, and PEAR SALAD
SERVES 4 | ACTIVE TIME 30 MINUTES
2 pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
¾ teaspoon table salt, divided
¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon pepper, divided
3 tablespoons oil, divided
6 ounces (6 cups) baby spinach
1 ripe but firm pear, halved, cored, and sliced thin
3 tablespoons chopped pistachios
1 shallot, halved and sliced thin
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (½ cup)
1. Pat steak tips dry with paper towels and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add steak tips and cook until well browned all over and meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer to serving platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.
2. Combine spinach and pear in large bowl. Add pistachios, shallot, garlic, thyme, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ⅛ teaspoon pepper to now-empty skillet and cook over medium heat until pistachios are toasted and shallot is softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon zest and juice and any accumulated meat juices. Immediately pour warm dressing over spinach and toss gently to wilt. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with goat cheese. Serve with steak tips.
PREP AHEAD
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Halve, core, and slice pear
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Halve and slice shallot
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Grate lemon zest and juice lemon
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Trim and cut steak tips
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN
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Sub apple for pear
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Sub pecans for pistachios
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Sub ¾ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme for dried
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Sub 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar for lemon zest and juice
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Sub Gorgonzola or feta for goat cheese
ROASTED PORK LOIN with POTATOES and MUSTARD SAUCE
SERVES 6 | ACTIVE TIME 35 MINUTES
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1½ teaspoons ground coriander
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
¾ teaspoon table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper
1 (2½- to 3-pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed
2½ pounds small red potatoes, unpeeled, halved
4 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
7 tablespoons oil, divided
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
1. FOR THE SPICE-RUBBED PORK Combine garlic powder, coriander, cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper in bowl. Rub pork evenly with spice mixture, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. FOR THE POTATO MIXTURE Toss potatoes, bacon, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil together in bowl.
3. FOR THE MUSTARD SAUCE In separate bowl, combine ¼ cup oil, parsley, shallot, mustard, and vinegar; set aside.
4. TO ROAST AND FINISH Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Pat pork dry with paper towels and place fat side up in center of prepared sheet. Place bacon and potatoes, cut side down, on sheet around roast.
5. Roast pork and potatoes until pork registers 130 degrees, 40 minutes to 1 hour, rotating sheet halfway through roasting. Remove pork and potatoes from oven, adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element, and heat broiler. Broil until pork is spotty brown and registers 135 to 140 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Transfer pork to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, return potatoes to oven and continue to broil until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Slice pork ½ inch thick. Whisk sauce to recombine and serve with pork and potatoes.
PREP AHEAD
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Halve potatoes
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Wash and pick parsley
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Mince shallot
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Cut bacon
MAKE AHEAD
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Refrigerate spice-rubbed pork for up to 1 day
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Refrigerate uncooked potato mixture for up to 1 day
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Refrigerate mustard sauce for up to 1 day
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN
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Sub Yukon Gold potatoes for red potatoes
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Sub 3 tablespoons minced red onion for shallot
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Sub cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar for white wine vinegar
HEARTY GRAIN and VEGETABLE BOWLS with GOAT CHEESE
SERVES 4 | ACTIVE TIME 30 MINUTES
2 cups farro
¾ teaspoon table salt, divided, plus salt for cooking farro
6 tablespoons oil, divided
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons juice
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
4 carrots, peeled and shaved into ribbons
4 ounces (4 cups) baby spinach
1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (½ cup)
1. FOR THE FARRO Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Add farro and 1 tablespoon salt. Return to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until farro is tender with slight chew, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain.
2. Whisk ¼ cup oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Add carrots, spinach, and farro and toss to combine.
3. FOR THE MUSHROOMS Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, until mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until mushrooms begin to brown, about 3 minutes longer.
4. TO FINISH Divide farro mixture evenly among 4 serving bowls. Top with goat cheese and mushrooms. Serve.
PREP AHEAD
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Grate lemon zest and juice lemon
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Peel and shave carrots
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Trim and slice mushrooms
MAKE AHEAD
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Refrigerate cooked farro for up to 3 days
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Refrigerate cooked mushrooms for up to 3 days
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN
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You will need a 12-inch skillet with a tight-fitting lid
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Use a vegetable peeler to shave the carrots into ribbons
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Sub pearl barley for farro
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Sub red wine vinegar for lemon zest and juice
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Sub white or portobello mushrooms for cremini
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Sub feta for goat cheese