11 of My Favorite Quick Sauce Recipes to Hack Weeknight Dinners

In a hurry most weeknights when dinner time rolls around? I totally get it! It can be challenging to pull off a delicious meal during the week with so much going on in your life. 

Here's my secret for doing it: sauce! Sauces are magic. You can put them on all sorts of stuff from leftovers to grilled proteins to sandwiches, and they make something basic and fast suddenly feel special. 

Of course, the trick is making sauces that don't take hours. None of these do. You can whip up most of them in a matter of minutes and then spoon them over something super basic like grilled fish, grilled tofu, roasted veggies, or baked chicken to make a delicious and nearly instant meal upgrade. 

These are my favorite sauces. They taste like you spent hours in the kitchen prepping a yummy meal. It can be our secret that it only took minutes.

I call this a burger sauce, but honestly it's good on a ton of stuff. It is AMAZING on burgers, but it is also good on sammies, salads, a nicely cooked piece of fish, or even tacos. Double or triple the recipe, depending on how many servings you need to make. This recipe makes two 2T servings. 

Ingredients

• ¼ cup mayo
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to blend.

If you've used a pan to cook a piece of protein such as fish, beef, or chicken, then don't waste all that flavor that has collected in the pan. Whip up a quick pan sauce in the same, uncleaned pan you cooked your meat in.  Spoon it over the top of your main dish for amazing flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons fat or oil of your choice (bacon fat, fat from the meat you cooked, duck fat, or avocado oil all make good choices)
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot (red onion will do in a pinch)
• ½ cup dry white wine, dry sherry, or low-sodium broth
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces — very cold
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Use the pan you cooked your main course/meat in. Drain all the fat except 2 tablespoons or add 2 tablespoons of a chosen fat to the pan and set it on medium-high heat until it shimmers.
2. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for one minute.
3. Add the wine, sherry, or broth to the pan. Use the side of the spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the mustard.
4. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer without stirring, uncovered, until the liquid reduces by half, about four minutes. 
5. Whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, stirring constantly, until the butter is all incorporated.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

I love a no-cook sauce, and this one is bright and flavorful. It's fabulous on grilled, roasted, or sauteed meats like chicken, pork, beef, or fish, as well as on cooked tofu, pasta, or veggies.

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• Finely grated zest of one lemon
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
2. Pulse for 10-20 one-second pulses, until everything is finely chopped and incorporated.

I really like this simple pan sauce on fish or chicken. It's loaded with delicate flavor. 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• ½ cup very cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh tarragon
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a small skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat until it shimmers.
2. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for one minute.
3. Add the white wine, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Bring to a simmer.
4. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer without stirring, uncovered, until the wine is reduced by half, about five minutes.
5. Whisk in the very cold butter pieces one piece at a time until incorporated. Stir in the tarragon.
6. Serve immediately.

I love this sauce on flank steak and similar recipes. It's also really good on fish and shellfish, or it makes a great drizzle sauce for tacos or fajitas.

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh chopped cilantro stems and leaves
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• Juice and finely grated zest of one lime
• 2 green onions, white and green parts, roughly chopped
• 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 cup avocado oil
• Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
2. Proces for 10-20 one-second pulses until finely chopped and well combined.

If you have never had browned butter before, be prepared to become an addict. And it's so easy to do. It just takes a few minutes of close supervision (so you don't burn it), and it adds a ton of nutty, savory flavor to everything from pasta to fish dishes.

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 20 whole fresh sage leaves
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. You'll need to use a skillet with a light colored or metal colored bottom so you can see the color of the butter as it browns.
2. Put the butter in the skillet and turn it on medium-high heat.
3. Melt the butter without stirring. As soon as the butter starts to bubble, add the sage leaves.
4. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally (don't stir) for 5-10 minutes, until the butter smells nutty and starts to brown.
5. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
6. Use immediately.

When my kids were small, I'd use this super fast, no-cook peanut sauce on cooked spaghetti noodles with some pre-cooked chicken and thinly sliced scallions. It's also great as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets or served over simply cooked chicken.

Ingredients

• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I use tamari)
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 one-inch piece peeled and chopped ginger root
• 1 teaspoon sriracha, sambal olek, or another chili garlic sauce
• 1 scallion, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Juice of one lime
• Water or broth to get your desired consistency

Instructions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients except the water or broth.
2. Process until smooth.
3. Add water or broth to adjust to your desired consistency.

This will keep for up to five days in the fridge. 

Related: 4 Cream Cheese Sauce Recipes to Dress Up Your Meals

Love garlic? Then this lemony, tasty Lebanese garlic sauce is so good. We love it on burgers or sandwiches, but you can use it for practically anything. It's particularly good with lamb, shrimp, or kebabs, but it's great with chicken or fish, too.

Ingredients

• ½ cup peeled garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 3 lemons
• ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic cloves and sea salt. Blend until the garlic makes a fine paste.
2. With the machine running, add the oil in a very thin stream until it's completely mixed in. 
3. Add the lemon juice and pepper and pulse a few times to mix.

From a fast salad dressing to a tasty protein drizzle, to a topping for rice or pasta, this sauce is so quick and easy. I also really love it as a dipping sauce for virtually any type of nugget or veggie.

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe avocado, peel and pit removed
• Finely grated zest of half an orange
• Juice of one orange
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except salt in a blender or food processor.
2. Blend until smooth. Stir in salt to taste.
3. Serve immediately.

This is my favorite taco salad drizzle, but it's good on all sorts of veggies, meat, or seafood. It's also really good on rice and veggies.

Ingredients

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Tapatio or your favorite hot sauce
• Juice and finely grated zest of one lime
• 1 scallion, finely minced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely minced
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix all ingredients except salt. 
2. Stir in salt to taste.

This will keep in the fridge for up to five days.

If fish makes a quick and easy weeknight meal for you, this sauce is the bomb. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup sour cream
• Juice and finely grated zest of one lemon
• ¼ cup chopped, fresh dill
• 3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except the salt.
2. Stir to mix.
3. Stir in salt to taste.

This will keep in the fridge for up to five days.

Our weeknight meals are often very basic because everyone is so busy. But these sauces turn blah meals into super tasty ones, and it hardly takes any time (or dirty dishes) at all. It's a great way to make every meal really yummy — regardless of how little time you have to prepare it.