Weekly Meal Plan #12: Easy Dinners for Busy September Nights

This week’s meal plan is for that early September stretch when routines are back, nights feel busier, and dinner needs to be easy.

You’ll find a simple baked chicken dinner, a quick chili mac, a cozy slow cooker chicken meal, a one-pot sausage pasta, and a fun tater tot casserole to end the week. It is a good mix of comfort food, easy prep, and family-friendly dinners that do not make the week feel harder than it already is.

As always, move the meals around to fit your schedule. If one night is extra busy, use the slow cooker dinner. If you need something fast, make the chili mac or one-pot pasta. If Friday feels like comfort food night, save the tater tot casserole for then.

Don’t forget to check out my Week #11 meal plan if you missed it.

The Daily Dinner Line-Up

Meal Prep & Money-Saving Tips

• Chicken plan: Monday’s Honey Garlic Chicken and Wednesday’s Slow Cooker Butter Chicken both use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Buy a family pack if it is cheaper, then divide it between the two dinners.
• Ground beef bundle: Tuesday’s Chili Macaroni and Friday’s Big Mac Tater Tot Casserole both use ground beef. Buy a larger pack, brown what you need for Tuesday, and portion the rest for Friday to make casserole night faster.
• Rice plan: Monday’s chicken and Wednesday’s butter chicken are both great with rice. Make a larger batch once and use it for both meals.
• Pasta night shortcut: Thursday’s One-Pot Sausage & Cheese Capelletti uses fresh pasta, so it cooks quickly right in the sauce. It is a good recipe to save for a night when you want a quick dinner that is still filling.
• Tater tot night prep: Brown the beef for Friday’s casserole ahead of time if you know the end of the week will be busy. Then all you have to do is make the cheese sauce, layer the casserole, and bake.
• Fresh topping refresh: Friday’s casserole uses toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pickles. Prep those while the casserole bakes so they are crisp and ready to add at the end.
• Pantry check: Before shopping, look for honey, Dijon mustard, macaroni, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato soup, chili powder, pasta sauce, beef broth, cornstarch, mayonnaise, pickle relish, yellow mustard, and basic spices. You may already have several of these on hand.
• Leftover plan: Use leftover chili mac or butter chicken for easy lunches. Leftover Big Mac Tater Tot Casserole reheats well, but keep the lettuce and fresh toppings separate until serving.

Easy Swap Ideas

• Chicken cut swap: Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for the Honey Garlic Chicken or Slow Cooker Butter Chicken, but adjust the cooking time as needed.
• Rice swap: Serve the Honey Garlic Chicken or Butter Chicken with mashed potatoes, noodles, cauliflower rice, or roasted vegetables instead of rice.
• Chili mac pasta: Use shells, rotini, penne, or another short pasta instead of elbow macaroni.
• Bean swap: Use black beans, pinto beans, or a mix of beans instead of kidney beans in the Chili Macaroni.
• Milder chili mac: Use less chili powder if your family does not like much spice.
• Butter chicken shortcut: Use a jarred butter chicken sauce if you want to make Wednesday even easier.
• Pasta swap: Use tortellini or ravioli instead of cappelletti if that is easier to find.
• Cheese swap: Use mozzarella, Italian blend, Monterey Jack, or provolone in the sausage pasta.
• Tater tot swap: Use sweet potato tots, hash brown patties, or French fries instead of regular tater tots for a fun change.
• Beef swap: Use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef in the Big Mac Tater Tot Casserole.
• Sauce shortcut: Use store-bought burger sauce or Thousand Island dressing instead of making the Big Mac-style sauce from scratch.

Master Grocery List: Week 12 Dinners

Note: This shopping list covers all 5 main dinners. If you plan to make the weekly bonus recipes, be sure to check the recipe links and add the ingredients to your list.

Meat

• 10 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 for Monday and 4 for Wednesday)
• 2 ½ lb lean ground beef (1 ½ lb for Tuesday and 1 lb for Friday)
• 4 Italian sausages, mild or hot (for Thursday)

Produce

• 3 sweet onions (for Tuesday, Thursday and Friday)
• 1 yellow onion (for Wednesday)
• 1 green pepper (for Tuesday)
• 1 head of garlic (for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)
• 1 bunch of fresh basil (for Thursday)
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, optional (for Wednesday)
• Tomatoes, for topping (for Friday)
• Shredded lettuce, for topping (for Friday)

Dairy and Refrigerated

• 1 package of salted butter (for Monday)
• 1 package of unsalted butter (for Wednesday)
• 1 carton of heavy cream (for Wednesday)
• 1 package of fresh cappelletti pasta (for Thursday)
• 1 brick of mozzarella cheese (for Thursday)
• 1 carton of half and half (for Friday)
• 1 brick of cheddar cheese (for Friday)
• 1 jar of mayonnaise (for Friday)
• 1 bag (2 lb bag) of frozen tater tots (for Friday)

Bread

• Naan, optional for serving (for Wednesday)

Pantry

• 1 bottle of honey (for Monday)
• 1 bottle of Dijon mustard (for Monday)
• 1 box of macaroni (for Tuesday)
• 1 can (28oz can) of diced tomatoes (for Tuesday)
• 1 can (15.5oz/540ml can) of kidney beans (for Tuesday)
• 1 can (10.5oz/284ml can) of tomato soup (for Tuesday)
• 1 can (15oz can) of tomato sauce (for Wednesday)
• 1 jar of pasta sauce (for Thursday)
• 1 carton of beef broth (for Thursday)
• 1 container of cornstarch (for Friday)
• 1 jar of dill pickle relish (for Friday)
• 1 bottle of yellow mustard (for Friday)
• 1 bottle of extra virgin olive oil (for Friday)
• Sliced pickles, for topping (for Friday)
• 1 bag of granulated sugar (for Friday)

Spices and Seasonings

• Chili powder (for Tuesday)
• Dried ginger (for Wednesday)
• Garam masala (for Wednesday)
• Paprika (for Wednesday and Friday)
• Smoked paprika (for Friday)
• Turmeric (for Wednesday)
• Ground cumin (for Wednesday)
• Cayenne pepper (for Wednesday)
• Dried oregano (for Thursday)
• Garlic powder (for Friday)
• Kosher salt (for Friday)
• Salt
• Black pepper

Grab Your Free Printable Shopping List & Meal Plan

To make your week even easier, I’ve put together a printable PDF pack of this exact meal plan and the complete grocery list.

A little planning at the start of the week makes dinner feel so much easier when everyone is hungry and you need something simple.