This weekly meal plan is full of easy-to-accomplish dishes that will satisfy picky palates. We start off with a cheesy baked pasta and keep the theme going later in the week with a cheesy cauliflower melt on toasty bread. Also on the menu: a sausage and vegetable skillet that takes 10 minutes to throw together, and sweet potatoes, rotisserie chicken, and avocados at center stage for two Mexican-inspired dinners.
Here's the grocery list:
PANTRY
- 1 pound pasta, such as medium shell or tube pasta
- Black pepper
- Olive oil
- Vegetable or coconut oil
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
- Golden raisins
- Pistachios
- Capers
- 4 (15.5-ounce) cans black beans
- 1 (14-ounce) can cherry tomatoes (or substitute 1 pint cherry tomatoes if you can't find canned)
- Vegetable broth
- Butter or nonstick cooking spray
PRODUCE
- 2 heads cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- 12 tablespoons cilantro
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 1 pound broccolini
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 4 ripe avocados
- 4 limes
- 8 cups of baby spinach
BUTCHER COUNTER
- 12 ounces fully cooked Italian sausage
- 1 rotisserie chicken
DAIRY
- 8 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella
- 4 ounces provolone
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar
- 2 ounces Parmesan
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 4 ounces queso fresco
BAKERY
- Loaf of sourdough, or other crusty bread
- Corn tortillas
Monday: Comforting Pasta
Start the week with this big casserole dish of baked pasta. It'll satisfy everyone's desire for cheesy comfort food, but thanks to the addition of finely-chopped cauliflower, your family will also get a hearty dose of vegetables. The recipe calls for a half a head of chopped cauliflower, but go ahead and prep the other half of the head, as well as an additional full head of cauliflower, and roast them in the oven with oil, garlic, salt, and pepper while your pasta dish cooks to get ahead on Wednesday's dinner.
Tuesday: Super-Speedy Sausages
Thanks to fully-cooked sausage, this buttery, tomatoey skillet comes together in 10 minutes. It's got protein, vegetables, and a delicious sauce—what more could you ask for? Serve some bread toasted alongside (save half for tomorrow night), because you'll definitely want to dip it in the sauce.
Wednesday: Toasty Cauliflower Melts
Tonight's dinner: an open-faced sandwich that's like a grilled cheese with cauliflower. Since you roasted the cauliflower on Monday, all you need to do to get the meal on the table is slice the sourdough, top it with the roasted cauliflower and any cheddar you didn't use (the recipe calls for Comte or Manchego, but you can use whatever cheese you like), and bake it for 7–10 minutes, until the cheese is melty and the bread is toasty. Top any adventurous eaters' servings with chopped parsley, toasted pistachios, and golden raisins. Serve a simple green salad alongside.
Thursday: Sweet Potato Bar
This easy dinner uses a spice-rubbed sweet potato as a canvas for all your favorite burrito toppings, like chicken and guac and black beans. (The recipe serves 2, so we're doubling it, plus adding chicken for extra protein.) Shred half the rotisserie chicken, setting aside the rest for tomorrow. Roast 4 halved sweet potatoes in the oven with cumin, cayenne, and oil. Then sauté black beans with onion and garlic on the stovetop and make some guac. You'll notice your grocery list includes more beans and avocados than the recipe calls for—be sure to make extra beans and save some avocado for tomorrow's dinner.
Friday: Clear-the-Fridge Tacos
Friday is taco night and it's so easy, you won't need a recipe. Warm up your leftover chicken and beans, along with the corn tortillas. Slice up your extra avocados, or if you have any leftover guacamole (that you've stored in this handy contraption that keeps it from going brown), put that out as well. Top with salsa, cilantro, and basically any taco fixing your family is into. And enjoy the kickoff to your weekend.