When people think about meal prep, they often picture spending hours cooking entire meals for the week ahead. But what if there was a simpler approach?
During our recent Live Champion Members Meetup, we were answering the question “Can you help me with more quick and easy ideas?” One of the things I encouraged everyone to do is prepare two sauces (or dressings) each week. These sauces can then be used to add variety, flavor, and convenience to your meals during the upcoming week. For any Champion members who missed the discussion, the replay is available in the Monthly Meetups section of The Napkin course.
Why Sauces Matter
A simple grilled chicken breast, roasted vegetables, or grain bowl can be very nutritious – but if you’re not mindful, they can also become repetitive and boring if you don’t add some variety. That’s where a good flavor-loaded sauce comes in!
A great sauce can completely transform a meal:
- Turn plain roasted vegetables into something you crave and want to make again
- Add just the right flavor to grilled meats and seafood
- Bring life to Buddha bowls and salads
- Help family members customize meals to their own tastes
- Make leftovers (we call them planned-overs) feel like an entirely new meal
The same ingredient combinations can create completely different meals just by changing the sauce. For example:
- Easy slow cooker chicken + chimichurri = bright and herby (like the Roasted Veggie Salad with chicken)
- Easy slow cooker chicken + Thai peanut sauce = rich and nutty (like the Thai Pizza)
- Easy slow cooker chicken + pesto = fresh and flavorful (like the Caprese Buddha Bowl with chicken)
Three completely different flavor experiences by changing up the sauces.
Dressings vs. Sauces: What’s the Difference?
The line between dressings and sauces is blurry at best. Generally speaking:
Dressings are usually thinner and most often used on salads or raw vegetables. They often contain a combination of oil, vinegar, citrus juice, herbs, and seasonings. Examples include: Basil vinaigrette, Caesar style dressing, Tangy French Dressing, and Raspberry vinaigrette.
Sauces tend to be thicker and designed to be served over, under, or alongside a variety of foods. Examples include: Thai peanut sauce, Chimichurri, and Tzatziki.
Of course, many can serve both purposes. A dressing can easily become a sauce, and a sauce can double as a salad topping. Recently we used the leftover sauce from the Salmon with White Beans and Kale as a salad dressing and it was fantastic! The important thing isn’t what you call it – it’s how it helps make healthy meals more delicious!
Why Make Them Ahead of Time?
Having a couple of sauces ready to go can dramatically reduce the effort required to put meals together during a busy week. Imagine opening your refrigerator and finding a container of Chimichurri and a jar of Thai peanut sauce.
Suddenly you have instant ingredients to flavor up so many meals:
- Salads
- Grain bowls
- Roasted vegetables
- Grilled, roasted, or slow cooker chicken, pork, or beef
- Fish
- Tacos
- Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Pizza
- Sandwiches and wraps
- and more!
Instead of asking, “What in the world am I going to make for dinner?” you can simply ask, “Which sauce sounds good tonight?”
Many homemade sauces can be prepared in less than 10 minutes and stored in the refrigerator for several days.
Our Top 10 – or 12!
Our goal was to give you our “Top 10” list of sauces we love to flavor up so many meals. There are so many delicious ideas on the Eat REAL America website, we finally narrowed it down to our “Top 12.” See if your favorite made the list:
#1 Thai peanut sauce. This has to be our favorite. It is just so versatile and take so many meals to the next level including the Thai Pizza, Thai Vegetable Noodle Stir Fry, Thai Roasted Veggie Bowl, and so many more.
#2 Chimichurri. This is a pesto-like sauce derived from Argentina and typically made with fresh herbs such as cilantro and parsley. It goes great with the Roasted Veggie Salad, Grilled Chimichurri Chicken and Veggie Skewers, and Grilled Steak Panini.
#3 Tzatziki. This is a cool and refreshing creamy yogurt-based sauce with cucumber, garlic, and herbs that adds a fresh Mediterranean flair to everything from grilled chicken to grain bowls to roasted vegetables. You will love it in the Middle Eastern Nachos, Greek Style Quinoa Bowl, and Farmers Market Greek Lamb Dip.
#4 Honey mustard sauce. This sweet and tangy sauce provides the perfect balance between bold mustard flavor and natural sweetness, making it a delicious addition to chicken, salads, wraps, and roasted vegetables. It is phenomenal on the Salmon with White Beans, Kale and Honey Mustard Sauce.
#5 Zhoug sauce. Pronounced “zoog,” this is a spicy cilantro sauce that is popular across the Middle East. It is made with just a few basic ingredients including cilantro, garlic, chili peppers or jalapeños, spices and olive oil. It has a little kick, and it’s the perfect topping for roasted vegetables, as well as burgers, sandwiches, grilled meats and more! It is fantastic on the Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Zhoug Sauce.
#6 Pesto. This is a vibrant blend of basil, garlic, Parmesan, nuts, and olive oil that brings bold flavor to chicken, vegetables, pasta, burgers, pizza, grain bowls and more. You can also use other greens in addition to (or instead of) basil. There are so many ways to enjoy it including Spinach Artichoke Pesto Pizza, Roasted Vegetable Pesto Pasta, and Kale Pesto Quinoa Bowl. Check out our Abracadabra…Pesto! coaching tip for more ideas on how to make it and enjoy it.
#7 Russian “dressing.” Is it a dressing or a sauce? Whatever you call it, it is creamy and tangy with a little kick and is perfect for burgers, sandwiches, wraps, roasted vegetables, and salads. We absolutely love it on the Cod Reuben Sandwich and the vegetarian version, the Portobello Reuben Sandwich.
#8 Sriracha “mayogurt.” This is a delicious blend of creamy yogurt and mayonnaise with slightly spicy sriracha, fresh lime juice, and garlic for a zesty sauce that’s perfect for drizzling, dipping, or spreading on your favorite meals. We love it on the Banh Mi Burger, Banh Mi Burger Bowl and the Mushroom Veggie Burger.
#9 Salsa. Fresh and flavorful, salsa is one of the easiest ways to add color, texture, and vibrant flavor to meals. Spoon it over eggs, chicken, fish, tacos, grain bowls or stuffed sweet potatoes. In addition to traditional salsa like the Simple Salsa Fresca, you can also add variety with ideas like the Easy Pineapple Salsa, Strawberry Avocado Salsa, and Hatch Peach Salsa.
#10 “Secret Sauce.” This is a creamy, nutty blend of tahini, vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, and a touch of heat that creates a perfectly balanced drizzle for bowls, veggies, sandwiches, and more. A member favorite is the Roasted Veggie Bowl with Secret Sauce.
#11 Romesco sauce. This is a smoky, nutty sauce made from roasted red peppers, nuts, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar, providing a deep, rich flavor that elevates everything from roasted vegetables to grilled meats. We discovered it on a trip to Montana and loved it on this Roasted Cauliflower Sandwich.
#12 Curry dipping sauce. This creamy, tangy sauce has just a hint of heat and is perfect for dipping vegetables, chicken, shrimp, or drizzling over grain bowls and wraps. Enjoy it with the Grilled Green Beans with Curry Dipping Sauce.
Specific-Use Sauces
In addition to these more versatile sauces, we also have homemade sauces geared towards more specific uses like our Homemade Pizza Sauce and our Homemade Enchilada Sauce. Both of these can be found in the Quick Tips section of the website.
Give it a Try!
Be sure to also check out our collection of 50+ Easy & Delicious Homemade Dressings.
Then choose two sauces (or one sauce a one dressing) to prepare this week and discover how easy building your meals can be when flavor is already prepared and waiting for you in the refrigerator.
Did we leave out your favorite sauce?
What else should be on this list?
Please let us know your thoughts!
Thank you so much for doing this! Have a happy 4th 0f July. 🧨