Meal Prep- Let’s Get Saucy!

As much as I love the idea of meal prepping for the week, I know myself too well—on a sunny summer Sunday or Monday, the last thing I want to do is spend the whole day in the kitchen. I love my family, but I also love my sanity. That’s why I came up with what I call Half-Assed Meal Prep – because sometimes, doing just one thing really well is more than enough to save your week. Today we are working on 3 fabulous sauces that can take anything from grilled chicken to grain bowls from meh to magnificent.

In this post, I’m sharing three of my favorite sauces to meal prep and stash in the fridge: a punchy Summer Gremolata, a versatile Spinach-Basil-Walnut Pesto, and a smoky Romesco Sauce. They’re fast, flavorful, and incredibly useful.

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❤️ Why You’ll Love These Meal Prep Sauces

💰They are affordable! For the pesto, I replaced expensive pine nuts ($16 for 8 ounces at Whole Foods) with the more affordable walnuts ($8 for 10 ounces at Whole Foods) and swapped 1/2 the basil for fresh spinach.

🍋They’re bold, bright, and full of flavor. Each sauce is well balanced with a range of acidity that elevates an otherwise boring meal.

They’re versatile—Toss them on pasta, spread them on sandwiches, drizzle over grilled meats and veggies, or spoon them onto a piece of toast with a fried egg.

⏰ They’re easy to whip up! They take 30 minutes total to prep all three! Just dump the ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend!

🍲 Ingredients

🌿 Summer Gremolata is made with fresh parsley, your choice of tarragon, mint, or basil, plus garlic, lemon, salt, and olive oil. It’s herby, zesty, and the best way to brighten up grilled chicken or steak.

🌶️ Romesco Sauce combines roasted red peppers, sliced almonds, garlic, parsley, and smoky spices like paprika and chipotle chili with olive oil and sherry vinegar. It’s bold and rich and magical on roasted veggies, eggs, or fish.

🌿 Spinach-Basil-Walnut Pesto blends basil and spinach with toasted walnuts, garlic, lemon, and salty pecorino for a silky, nutty pesto that works on pasta, grains, and sandwiches.

👩‍🍳 How to Meal Prep These Sauces

• For the Summer Gremolata: In a blender, add parsley, your choice of soft herb (tarragon, mint, or basil), garlic, lemon zest and juice, and salt. Blend while slowly drizzling in olive oil until smooth and luscious.
• For the Spinach-Basil-Walnut Pesto: In a blender, add garlic, toasted walnuts, basil, spinach, pecorino, lemon zest and juice, and salt. Drizzle in the olive oil while blending until silky smooth.
• For the Romesco Sauce: In a blender, combine garlic, sliced almonds, roasted red peppers (drained), parsley, sherry vinegar, paprika, chipotle chili powder, and salt. Add olive oil as you blend to achieve a thick, dreamy consistency.

Variations

These meal prep sauces are highly customizable. Have fun playing around with the ingredients so that they play to your taste buds. Here are a few suggestions.

• Add preserved lemon, anchovy or capers to the gremolata for a briny boost.
• Swap the pecorino in the pesto for Parmigiano Reggiano .
• Throw sun-dried tomatoes or roasted tomatoes into the romesco for a twist.

Substitutions

• No parsley? Use cilantro in the gremolata for a whole different vibe.
• Hate walnuts? Try pine nuts, almonds, or even sunflower seeds.
• Allergic to nuts? Swap the nuts in the pesto and romesco for soaked stale bread.
• Dairy free? Swap the cheese in the pesto for avocado or nutritional yeast
• No sherry vinegar? Red wine vinegar works in a pinch.

Best served with

• Gremolata is the perfect topping for grilled skirt steak or chicken (grilled or roasted)
• Romesco is a total flavor bomb. I love spreading it on a platter and topping it with roasted cauliflower or grilled veggies. My husband swears by it on his fried eggs.
• Pesto isn’t just for pasta. I mix it into grains like quinoa or farro, slather it on sandwiches, and even sneak it onto pizza for an herby upgrade.”

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Fridge Storage: Pop your sauces into airtight containers or small mason jars. Gremolata and pesto will last 4–5 days in the fridge; romesco up to a week.

Freezer Storage: You can also freeze the pesto and romesco in ice cube trays and store them in zip-top bags.

🤔 Common Questions

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