The Sauce System: 5 Plant-Based Sauces That Make Meal Prep Effortless

Published by Doug Hay | For anyone who wants simple, delicious, high-performance meals

 

If you've ever stood in the kitchen at 6 PM with a pot of rice, a pile of vegetables, and absolutely no idea what to make… then this is for you.

Most plant-based meal planning advice focuses on the wrong things. It obsesses over specific recipes, exotic ingredients, and elaborate weekly plans. But when you break down the meals that actually work — the ones you make on autopilot, the ones that taste great even when you're tired — you notice something interesting: it's rarely about the grain or the vegetable. It's about the sauce.

Sauce is the variable that turns roasted broccoli into something you crave. It's what makes a bowl of chickpeas and rice into an actual meal. Get your sauces right, and plant-based eating becomes remarkably easy to sustain.

That's the idea behind the Sauce System: instead of memorizing dozens of recipes, you learn five foundational sauces. Then you mix and match with whatever produce, grains, or plant proteins you have on hand. The result is hundreds of possible meals from a handful of formulas.

Why Sauces (Not Recipes) Are the Key to Plant-Based Consistency

Most people fail at plant-based eating not because of willpower or motivation, but because of decision fatigue. Every meal requires a new plan, a new recipe, a trip to the store for ingredients you don't have.

The Sauce System eliminates that friction. When you have five go-to sauces in your fridge (or the ingredients to make them in minutes), you don't need a recipe. You just need something to pour them over.

Here's how the logic works:

Any sauce + any grain + any vegetable + any plant protein = a complete meal.

That's it. The sauce is the engine. Everything else is interchangeable.

The 5 Sauces

1. Classic Tomato Sauce

The workhorse. This is the sauce you'll reach for more than any other. Make a big batch on Sunday and it carries you through the week.

Base formula:

• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• Salt and red pepper flakes to taste

How to make it: Sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Pour in crushed tomatoes, add herbs, and simmer 20–25 minutes. Season to taste.

Use it on: pasta, polenta, roasted eggplant, stuffed peppers, grain bowls, pizza.

Freezes well? Yes. Store in portions for up to 3 months.

2. Lemon Tahini Sauce

The most versatile sauce in the system. Creamy, tangy, and deeply satisfying — it works equally well as a dressing, a dip, or a bowl sauce. Takes under 5 minutes.

Base formula:

• ½ cup tahini (stir well before measuring)
• 3–4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
• 2–4 tbsp water (to thin to desired consistency)
• ½ tsp cumin (optional)
• Salt to taste

How to make it: Whisk all ingredients together, adding water a tablespoon at a time until you reach your preferred consistency. Thin = dressing. Thick = dip or bowl sauce.

Use it on: roasted cauliflower, falafel, grain bowls, salads, sweet potatoes, wraps, steamed greens.

Freezes well? No. But it keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to a week.

3. Teriyaki Sauce

The crowd pleaser. This one converts skeptics. Sweet, savory, and umami-rich — it makes even the most basic stir-fry taste like a restaurant meal.

Base formula:

• ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari (use tamari for gluten-free)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water (for thickening)

How to make it: Combine all ingredients except cornstarch slurry in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sweetener dissolves. Add cornstarch slurry and simmer 2–3 minutes until thickened.

Use it on: tofu, tempeh, edamame, stir-fry vegetables, noodles, rice, cauliflower steaks.

Freezes well? Yes — great for batch cooking.

4. Cashew Cream Sauce

The rich one. This is the sauce that makes plant-based cooking feel indulgent. It's endlessly adaptable — keep it plain as a base, or add flavors to take it in any direction.

Base formula:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 2–4 hours (or 30 min in boiling water)
• ½–¾ cup water (adjust for thickness)
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ tsp salt

How to make it: Drain soaked cashews. Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until completely smooth, 1–2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Variations:

• Add roasted red pepper for a creamy red sauce
• Add fresh herbs (basil, dill, chives) for a green goddess version
• Add smoked paprika and chipotle for a smoky cream sauce

Use it on: pasta, pizza, tacos, nachos, grain bowls, as a dip, stirred into soups for richness.

Freezes well? Not recommended — texture changes when frozen.

Cashew cream is a great vehicle for extra plant protein. If you're training or just want to hit your daily protein goals, try blending a scoop of Complement Organic Protein (unflavored) into your cashew cream base. It adds 15g of complete protein per serving from five clean sources — pea, pumpkin seed, almond, sunflower seed, and chia — without changing the flavor or texture. It's an easy, almost invisible protein boost to any creamy sauce or dressing.

5. Coconut Curry Sauce

The wild card. This is your gateway to a dozen different cuisines. A simple coconut milk base can become Thai, Indian, Caribbean, or something entirely your own depending on the spices you add.

Base formula:

• 1 can (14 oz) full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tbsp red or yellow curry paste (adjust to heat preference)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

How to make it: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together and simmer 5–7 minutes until fragrant and slightly thickened.

Variations:

• Add peanut butter for a Thai peanut sauce
• Skip the curry paste, add turmeric and cumin for a golden Indian-style sauce
• Add lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves for a more aromatic Thai version

Use it on: stir-fries, noodle bowls, roasted vegetables, tofu, tempeh, as a base for soup.

Freezes well? Yes. Freeze the coconut base before adding lime juice; add fresh after reheating.

How to Use the System: The Formula in Practice

Once you have these five sauces (or the ingredients on hand), every meal follows the same structure:

Pick a sauce → pick a grain → pick a vegetable → pick a plant protein

Here are a few examples of how the combinations play out:

 

The point isn't to follow these exactly — it's to see how interchangeable all the components are once the sauce is locked in.

Building Plant-Based Meals That Actually Perform

For athletes and active people, the Sauce System is even more valuable because it makes high-protein, nutrient-dense meals easy to assemble quickly — especially post-workout when you need food fast and don't have energy to think.

A few tips for building performance-focused meals with this system:

Lead with protein. Aim for 20–30g of protein per meal. That means being intentional: load your bowls with lentils, tempeh, tofu, edamame, or beans. The sauce won't do that work for you — but it makes the high-protein options taste a lot better.

Batch your sauces. Making 2–3 sauces on Sunday takes about an hour total. That one hour unlocks effortless meals all week.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these sauces ahead of time? Yes. Most of these sauces keep well in the fridge for 5–7 days. Tomato and teriyaki freeze particularly well. Cashew cream and tahini are best made fresh weekly.

Are these sauces good for athletes? All five sauces are made from whole food ingredients and free from processed additives. They pair well with high-protein plant foods and complex carbs, making them ideal for athletes eating plant-based.

What's the easiest sauce to start with? Lemon tahini — it requires no cooking, comes together in under 5 minutes, and works on almost everything. If you're new to the system, start there.

How do I make these sauces higher in protein? Adding Complement Organic Protein (unflavored) to cashew cream or tahini-based sauces is a seamless way to boost protein without changing the flavor profile.

Can I use these sauces if I'm gluten-free? Yes. All five can be made gluten-free with easy swaps (tamari instead of soy sauce, certified GF oats if used, etc.).

What are the best vegan sauces for meal prep? The best plant-based sauces for meal prep are ones that store well and work across multiple dishes. Tomato sauce, teriyaki, and coconut curry all freeze beautifully, making them the highest-leverage options for weekly batch cooking.

Your Meal Planning Just Got a Lot Simpler

Plant-based eating doesn't have to be complicated. The Sauce System strips it back to a simple, repeatable formula that makes good meals almost automatic.

Learn these five sauces. Keep the ingredients stocked. Pair them with whatever grains, vegetables, and plant proteins you have on hand. That's it.

And if you want to make sure your plant-based diet is covering all the nutritional bases — the ones that don't always show up even in a clean, whole-food diet — Complement Essential and Complement Protein are designed exactly for that.

Originally developed and popularized by the No Meat Athlete community. Updated and expanded for Complement.