Weeknight Meal Planner: 01/22/18 

This velvety-smooth sweet potato soup feels like fall and tastes company-worthy sophisticated, but it’s ready to serve in under 30 minutes. How? We tap a flavor-packed store-bought satay sauce to serve as the base of the soup, and the rest is easy. Thai peanut satay sauce delivers bold, complex flavors—from elements like garlic, lemongrass, coconut milk, and warming spices—with only as much effort as it takes to open the bottle on your end. We opted for Thai Kitchen brand sauce, but feel free to use whatever brand you like. This flavorful soup is equally awesome for a weeknight dinner as it is as an opening course for a holiday dinner party, and no one would ever guess it’s as easy as it is to whip up. Plus, this Thai-inspired bowl of comfort is completely vegan, making it a great option to serve when entertaining friends who maintain a plant-based diet. It’s also a great option to prep on the weekend and enjoy throughout the week. To save even more time, go for pre-chopped onions.

This beautiful flank steak comes together in a snap and uses only 5 ingredients. Top with cherry tomatoes and basil leaves just before serving.

Chilly evenings call for a comforting soup with a bit of restorative kick and plenty of vibrant toppings. Top with tortilla chips, or make your own crispy tortilla strips as shown: Cut 4 (6-inch) corn tortillas into 1/2-inch strips and bake at 375°F for 10 minutes. Crush half the strips for the soup and garnish with the rest. Make these ahead and store in a ziplock bag at room temperature for a day or two. Poblano peppers range in heat; add cooling avocado or crushed red pepper as needed.

For the zestiest flavor, rub the chops with the brown sugar mixture the night before, and let them chill overnight.

Our take on a Chinese-restaurant favorite uses the same ingredients, but skips the heavy batter and deep frying. If you can't get jumbo shrimp, use 1 pound of the largest shrimp you can find.

You can also peel and coarsely chop the apples, if you prefer. For more tender apples, decrease the heat to 400° and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer.