Recipes Cuisine European Italian 14 Ways to Turn Sunday Tomato Sauce into a Week's Worth of Diverse Dinners Slow cook a big batch of tomato sauce on Sunday and instantly have a week's worth of deliciously diverse dinners. By Carl Hanson Carl Hanson Carl Hanson is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes who has been writing about food and wine for nearly 20 years. He enjoys creating content that informs, entertains, and assists busy home cooks get nourishing meals on the table for their families. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on November 6, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Turn your tomato sauce into a week's worth of delicious dinners — from cacciatore to stuffed peppers and enchilada casserole to quick cabbage rolls. You'll start with an all-purpose tomato sauce. Make a big batch on a sleepy Sunday. Once you've slow-simmered the sauce, you're ready for a week's worth of delicious, diverse dinners. 01 of 15 Chef John's Baked Eggs View Recipe Photo by jrbaker. Jennifer Baker "If you enjoy huevos rancheros, you will love this," says Chef John. "The way the spicy marinara sauce mingles with just barely set eggs is very similar, and when you start scooping this up with toasted chunks of bread, it gets borderline magical." 02 of 15 Baked Italian Chicken Thighs View Recipe Chicken thighs are topped with marinara sauce and a blend of cheeses. "Serve over pasta or rice or alongside roasted potatoes for a tasty weeknight meal," says France C. "I like to shred my own cheese, as I find it melts better, but feel free to use pre-shredded to save time." 03 of 15 Chef John's Stuffed Peppers View Recipe Photo by KGora. Seasoned meat, rice and tomatoes are stuffed into tender sweet peppers, then baked with a rich marinara and beef broth sauce. "ABSOLUTELY AMAZING," raves ousooner1. "The marinara sauce is a must. I served these on a bed of rice, drizzled sauce on rice and placed peppers on top. This combination of flavors sent our taste buds into overdrive." 04 of 15 Melissa's Chicken Cacciatore View Recipe Black olives, marinated artichoke hearts, and Madeira wine combine with chicken breasts and marinara sauce in this comfort-food classic. "Excellent and easy to make," raves sharyn. "Great flavor." 05 of 15 Chef John's American Goulash View Recipe Photo by Chef John. Chef John "This is one of those very simple dishes that does not taste simple -- perfect for your weeknight dinner rotation," says Chef John."One of my all-time favorite comfort food meals growing up was the beef goulash they served in my school cafeteria alongside a slice of buttered white bread and a carton of milk. Little did I know that it wasn't really goulash, but an Americanized version, invented to stretch a small amount of beef into enough food for a not-so-small family." 06 of 15 Curry Stand Chicken Tikka Masala Sauce View Recipe Curry Stand Chicken Tikka Masala Sauce. Nicolette Chunks of chicken breast simmer in a spicy tomato and cream sauce. "The creaminess of the tomato sauce with the spices was perfect," says TOODLESTEACHES. "It was really easy, too." 07 of 15 Cabbage Rolls II View Recipe Photo by lutzflcat. Cabbage leaves are stuffed with ground beef, onions, and rice, then placed in the slow cooker and covered in a sweet, tangy tomato sauce. "Great Recipe," raves WISSAMO. "This was a breeze to make and tasted awesome. I doubled the sauce mixture only because I like alot of it!" 08 of 15 Wazzu Tailgate Chili View Recipe A simple chili that's full of spicy flavor. "This recipe has won me a Best Overall Chili trophy at my work's Chili Cook Off two years in a row," says soapscrubs. 09 of 15 Turkey Spaghetti Zoodles View Recipe "A super-simple, one-pot dinner that's low calorie, low-carb, paleo, gluten-free and takes just 10 minutes to make," says Megan Olson. "This will be your go-to weeknight dinner! Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator up to 3 days." 10 of 15 "Pantry Raid" Chicken Enchilada Casserole View Recipe Photo: Occasional Cooker. This tasty Mexican-inspired casserole requires just a few ingredients that you probably already have on hand, including black beans, tomato sauce, cheese, some common spices, and a box of corn bread mix. 11 of 15 Saucy Slow Cooker Pork Chops View Recipe You'll simmer pork chops in the slow cooker with a flavorful tomato sauce. "The sauce is fantastic," raves SamsMom. "It exceeded my expectations! Delicious!" 12 of 15 Personal Portobello Pizza View Recipe With these personal pizzas, portobello mushrooms stand in for pizza crusts. Top it with tomato sauce and your favorite pizza toppings. "Excellent," says NARAKU. "I marinated my mushroom in a bit of Italian dressing for a little extra flavor, and with a little cheese and tomato sauce, it was wonderful." 13 of 15 Sirloin Tips and Mushrooms View Recipe Cubes of beef sirloin are browned with garlic then simmered until tender with mushrooms in tomato sauce and red wine. "This was so easy and so good," says junglepeachpie. "I used more tomato sauce, wine, and garlic." 14 of 15 Spicy Sausage Broccoli Rabe Parmesan View Recipe Meredith Food Studios This is a delicious basic sausage pasta recipe. So easy and fast. I used leftover grilled Italian sausage and grilled veggies. I used chard instead of broccoli rabe. I cut up the sausage and threw it in the skillet with the garlic. Then added leftover grilled veggies, and tomatoes (I used Italian style drained), and added the chard at the end just 5 min until it wilted. Note: you can chop up the chard stems and add that with the veggies. Delicious! 15 of 15 More Inspiration dotdash meredith food studios Our 13 Best Tomato Sauce Recipes Using Fresh Tomatoes 8 Southern Tomato Recipes That Go Beyond Fried Green Tomatoes 20 Best Italian Recipes for Beginner Cooks Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit