Planning ahead can help make weeknight meals quicker to prepare. The meal planning trend is not something new to many home cooks, especially when cooking for a crowd. Cooking the pasta the day before and then adding to the chicken sausage and feta recipe below will save time, while some recipes, like the Geek pot roast recipe which follows, taste even better the next day after the flavors have had time to marinate. Try the following recipes for delicious dinners.

Chicken Sausage and Feta with Pasta

2 tablespoons Greek extra virgin olive oil

3 links cooked chicken sausage (9 ounces), sliced into rounds

1 cup diced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

4 cups baby spinach

6 cups cooked whole-wheat rotini pasta or other short pasta of your choice

1/4 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives

1/2 cup finely crumbled feta Dodoni

Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken sausage and the onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant. Add the tomato sauce, spinach, pasta, and olives and continue cooking, stirring often, until bubbling and the spinach has wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water, if needed, in case the pasta is sticking. Stir in the feta and serve immediately.

Greek Pot Roast

2 pounds bottom round roast

4 tablespoons Greek extra virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, or crushed tomatoes

Water

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon Greek sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

5 medium potatoes, quartered

1 cup Greek dry red wine

Cooked rice

Sear the meat to brown on all sides in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Transfer the meat to a plate. In the same Dutch oven, heat the oil, add the onion, and cook until translucent, stirring often. Return the meat to the pot, add the carrots, celery, and the tomatoes. If using whole peeled tomatoes, break them up with a wooden spoon in the pot while stirring them in, or chop before adding to the pot. Add enough water to just cover the meat. Add the bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally and turning the meat over, if preferred. Remove the meat from the sauce and slice against the grain. Return the sliced meat to the pot. Add the wine and the potatoes and stir. Continue simmering until the potatoes are tender. Serve with rice, if preferred.

To cook rice, bring 3 and 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan, add 1 and 1/2 cups white rice, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, stir. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow the rice to absorb the water. To cook brown rice, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Stir in 1 and 1/2 cups brown rice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the brown rice absorbs the water.