Everyday Food: One trip, five meals

▪ 2 pounds cremini or shiitake mushrooms (trimmed), halved if large

▪ 4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

▪ 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, plus 4 whole sprigs

▪ Coarse salt and ground pepper

▪ 4 firm white-flesh fish fillets, such as striped bass or cod (6 ounces each)

▪ 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley leaves

▪ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss mushrooms with 3 tablespoons oil and thyme leaves; season with salt and pepper. Roast until mushrooms are lightly browned, 15 minutes.

2. Rub fish with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange fish over mushrooms; top with thyme sprigs. Roast until fish is opaque throughout, 10 to 12 minutes. Toss parsley with lemon juice and 1 teaspoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Serve fish and mushrooms with parsley salad and lemon wedges.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 397 calories, 20 grams fat (3 grams saturated fat), 35 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 45 percent of calories from fat.

▪ 1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), rinsed and patted dry

▪ 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

▪ 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

▪ Coarse salt and ground pepper

▪ 1 lemon, halved

▪ 1 loaf crusty white bread (8 ounces), torn into chunks

▪ 1 bunch arugula (12 ounces)

▪ 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet; rub with 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon into cavity and place lemon inside. Roast chicken until juices run clear when pierced between breast and leg or an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a rimmed platter.

2. Place bread on sheet and toss with cooking juices. Season with salt. Bake until croutons are golden, 7 minutes. Pour any accumulated juices from platter into a bowl; add croutons, arugula, 1 tablespoon oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Carve chicken and serve with croutons and greens.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 733 calories, 38 grams fat (9 grams saturated fat), 60 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 47 percent of calories from fat.

To give basic tomato sauce an extra kick, turn to bacon and red-pepper flakes. Just a little of each gives the sauce a lightly spicy, smoky flavor.

▪ 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

▪ 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

▪ 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced

▪ 2 garlic cloves, minced

▪ 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

▪ 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes

▪ Coarse salt and ground pepper

▪ 1 pound orecchiette or other short pasta

▪ Grated Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley, for serving

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until browned and almost crisp, about 4 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add tomatoes, breaking them up as you go, and season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced, 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, cook pasta 1 minute less than package instructions. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

3. Add sauce and pasta water to pasta and toss to combine; cook over medium-high heat until sauce thickens and coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate 3 cups pasta for Friday. Serve remaining pasta topped with Parmesan and parsley.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 335 calories, 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated fat), 12 grams protein, 60 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 13 percent of calories from fat.

▪ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

▪ 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausages

▪ 1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

▪ 12 ounces pale ale beer

▪ 1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, halved

▪ Coarse salt and ground pepper

▪ 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

▪ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add sausages and cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add beer, potatoes and 2 cups water; season with salt and pepper and press to submerge potatoes in cooking liquid. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Transfer sausages to a serving platter and keep warm. In a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon oil, vinegar and parsley. With a slotted spoon, transfer potato mixture to dressing (reserve cooking liquid) and toss to combine.

3. Return pot to high heat; boil cooking liquid until reduced to 1 cup, about 12 minutes. Return sausages to pot and cook until heated through, 2 minutes. Place sausages and dressed potatoes on serving platter; drizzle half the sauce over top. Serve sausages and potatoes with remaining sauce alongside.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 484 calories, 22 grams fat (7 grams saturated fat), 31 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 41 percent of calories from fat.

This dish is great for a no-fuss family dinner and makes for a terrific brunch, too. Try it using leftover spaghetti and meatballs.

▪ 1/3 cup ricotta

▪ 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

▪ 3 large eggs

▪ Coarse salt and ground pepper

▪ 3 cups reserved orecchiette with bacon and tomato sauce

▪ 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, Parmesan and eggs; season with salt and pepper. Fold in reserved pasta until well combined.

2. Heat broiler. In a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pasta mixture, pressing with the back of a rubber spatula to spread it evenly in skillet. Cook, without stirring, until golden brown and set on bottom, about 6 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and broil until frittata is golden brown, about 4 minutes.

3. With a thin spatula, loosen frittata from skillet; invert onto a large plate (see note). Cut into wedges; serve hot or at room temperature.

Note: Place a plate slightly larger than the skillet snugly over the top. Using your hand to hold the plate firmly in place, flip the frittata onto the plate in one quick motion.

Nutritional analysis per serving (based on 4): 322 calories, 12 grams fat (5 grams saturated fat), 16 grams protein, 37 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 34 percent of calories from fat.