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.

Chef John's Stuffed Peppers

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

Chef Johns Baked Eggs
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

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

Chef John's Stuffed Peppers
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

Melissa's Chicken Cacciatore

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

A white bowl holding a serving of a skillet casserole made with ground beef and macaroni in a tomato-based sauce
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

Curry Stand Chicken Tikka Masala Sauce
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

Cabbage Rolls II
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

Wazzu Tailgate Chili

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

Turkey Spaghetti Zoodles

"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

"Pantry Raid" Chicken Enchilada Casserole
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

Saucy Slow Cooker Pork Chops

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

Personal Portobello Pizza

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

Sirloin Tips and Mushrooms

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

Bowl of Spicy Sausage Broccoli Rabe, and Parmesan on top of Rotini pasta
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!

Was this page helpful?

You’ll Also Love