A few pre-made condiments make cooking simple meals in minutes easier than making everything from scratch on the day of.

Thea Baumann’s recipes maximize Italian flavors in the shortest amount of time possible and with the least amount of work, relying on consistent seasoning, healthy doses of lemon juice to perk up everything, and plenty of olive oil to maximize crunchy, rich and bold flavors.

Paola Briseño-González brings us recipes inspired by her favorite market, Super King. Filled with cross-cultural flavor mashups, her recipes lean on tart, creamy sauces and fresh herbs to add vibrancy to her simple weeknight cooking.

Here’s how Jenny Dorsey plans her weekday recipes, some of which utilize an electric pressure cooker to prepare offal — even on a busy workday — while others show how she gets two completely different meals from just one chicken.

Here’s how Danielle Campbell plans out her weekday recipes and uses the ingredients, including lots of Middle Eastern spices and sauces, that inspire her mostly meat-centric meals and add a ton of flavor to the plate.

Here’s how Dawn Perry plans out her weekday meals and the ingredients that inspire her dishes, which must come together quickly and easily while also feeding her two small children.

Here’s how Jonathan Melendez plans out his weekday meals and what ingredients inspire his food, full of creative spins and mash-ups of classic dishes.

Our cooking columnist gives the run-down on how he eats during the week, which inspires the first ‘Week of Meals’ recipes. In these recipes, vegetables usually make up 50% to 75% of the plate, and they’re either simply roasted or tossed in an acidic dressing to keep everything from feeling too heavy.