Weekly Meal Plan #16: Easy October Dinners

October is here, and I’m ready for all the cozy dinners. This week’s meal plan has a little bit of everything, from a quick creamy pasta to sweet and sour chicken, chicken pot pie, slow cooker lasagna, and classic meatloaf.

I also wanted to keep the week realistic. Monday’s dinner is ready in about 20 minutes, Thursday lets the slow cooker do most of the work, and Friday is good old-fashioned comfort food.

Meal Plan Week #16 graphic with chicken pot pie, sweet and sour chicken thighs, classic meatloaf, garlic Parmesan pasta, and a printable grocery shopping list.

As always, move the meals around to fit your schedule. Use the quick dinner on your busiest night, prep a few ingredients ahead of time, and make the swaps that work best for your family.

Don’t forget to check out my Week #15 meal plan if you missed it.

Weekly meal plan graphic showing five dinners labeled Monday through Friday: garlic Parmesan pasta, sweet and sour chicken thighs, cast iron skillet chicken pot pie, slow cooker lasagna, and classic meatloaf.

The Daily Dinner Line-Up

Monday: Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Start the week with an easy meatless dinner that only takes about 20 minutes. Garlic Parmesan Pasta has spaghetti tossed in a creamy homemade sauce made with butter, garlic, milk, and plenty of Parmesan.

Serve it as-is or add chicken, shrimp, or vegetables if you want to make it a little heartier.

GET THE RECIPE

Tuesday: Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs

Tuesday’s dinner has that sweet and tangy flavor that makes takeout so tempting, but this one comes straight from your oven.

Boneless chicken thighs bake in a sauce made with soy sauce, brown sugar, tomato sauce, and vinegar. I’d serve them over rice so none of that sauce goes to waste.

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Wednesday: Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

This one is pure comfort food. Cooked chicken, carrots, and celery are covered in a creamy sauce and topped with refrigerated biscuits that turn golden in the oven.

Everything comes together in one skillet, and it is ready in about 45 minutes.

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Thursday: Slow Cooker Lasagna

Lasagna night without boiling the noodles first? Yes, please.

This meatless slow cooker lasagna is layered with ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, spinach, tomatoes, pasta sauce, and regular lasagna noodles. It cooks on LOW for about three hours, so it is a good choice for a day when you want dinner mostly taken care of ahead of time.

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Friday: Classic Meatloaf

Finish the week with an old-fashioned dinner that always feels right once the weather gets cooler.

This classic meatloaf uses lean ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, seasonings, and plenty of ketchup on top. Add mashed potatoes and a vegetable, and Friday dinner is done.

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Roasted root vegetables on a sheet pan with a wooden spoon.

Bonus Recipe: Roasted Root Vegetables

Carrots, fingerling potatoes, and sweet potatoes are roasted until tender and lightly crisp. This is an easy fall side that would be especially good with Friday’s meatloaf.

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Bonus Recipe: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

These homemade cinnamon rolls have real pumpkin baked into the dough, a spiced brown sugar filling, and cream cheese icing. They take a little extra time, but they are such a good weekend baking project for fall.

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Bonus Recipe: Apple Raisin Cake

This easy fall cake is made with applesauce, cinnamon, brown sugar, and golden raisins. Add a dusting of powdered sugar or vanilla frosting before serving.

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Meal Prep & Money-Saving Tips

Chicken shortcut: Wednesday’s pot pie calls for cooked shredded chicken. A rotisserie chicken makes this dinner especially easy. Shred it ahead of time and refrigerate until Wednesday.
Rice ahead: If you are serving Tuesday’s Sweet and Sour Chicken over rice, make a larger batch. Leftover rice makes an easy side for lunches later in the week.
Cheese check: Monday and Thursday both use Parmesan, so buy one larger container rather than two smaller ones. Thursday also uses ricotta and mozzarella.
Veggie prep: Dice the carrots and celery for Wednesday’s pot pie ahead of time. It turns an already-simple skillet dinner into an even quicker one.
Lasagna prep: Assemble the ingredients for Thursday’s lasagna the night before so everything is ready to layer into the slow cooker.
Meatloaf ahead: Mix and shape Friday’s meatloaf mixture ahead of time. Keep it covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it.
Pantry check: Before you shop, look for flour, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, tomato sauce, pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, ketchup, breadcrumbs, and seasonings.

Easy Swap Ideas

Pasta swap: Use fettuccine, linguine, or another pasta you already have for Monday’s Garlic Parmesan Pasta.
Protein add-in: Add cooked chicken, shrimp, or bacon to Monday’s pasta for a more filling dinner.
Chicken swap: Use chicken breasts, drumsticks, or wings instead of thighs for Tuesday, adjusting the cooking time as needed.
Ricotta swap: Use cottage cheese instead of ricotta in Thursday’s slow cooker lasagna.
Add meat: If your family prefers meat in lasagna, add cooked ground beef, turkey, or sausage between the layers.
Onion option: Use onion powder instead of minced onion flakes in the meatloaf.

Master Grocery List: Week 16 Dinners

This grocery list covers the five Monday-to-Friday dinners only. Add ingredients for the bonus recipes separately if you plan to make them.

Meat

8 to 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (for Tuesday)
2 cups cooked shredded chicken (for Wednesday)
1 ½ lb lean ground beef (for Friday)

Produce

1 head of garlic (for Monday and Thursday)
1 small bag of carrots (for Wednesday)
1 bunch of celery (for Wednesday)
1 package of baby spinach (for Thursday)
1 bunch of fresh thyme (for Wednesday)
1 bunch of fresh parsley (for Monday, Wednesday and Thursday)
1 bunch of green onions, optional (for Tuesday)

Dairy and Refrigerated

1 package of unsalted butter (for Monday)
1 package of salted butter (for Wednesday)
1 carton of milk (for Monday and Friday)
1 carton of half-and-half cream (for Wednesday)
1 block of Parmesan cheese (for Monday and Thursday)
1 container of ricotta cheese (for Thursday)
1 block of mozzarella cheese (for Thursday)
1 carton of eggs (for Friday)
1 package of refrigerated biscuits (for Wednesday)

Pantry

1 package of all-purpose flour (for Monday and Wednesday)
1 package of spaghetti (for Monday)
1 bottle of soy sauce (for Tuesday)
1 bottle of vegetable oil (for Tuesday)
1 package of brown sugar (for Tuesday)
1 can of tomato sauce (for Tuesday)
1 bottle of white vinegar (for Tuesday)
1 box of regular lasagna noodles (for Thursday)
1 can of diced tomatoes, 28 oz (for Thursday)
1 jar of pasta sauce (for Thursday)
1 package of breadcrumbs (for Friday)
1 bottle of ketchup (for Friday)

Spices and Seasonings

Salt
Black pepper
Chili powder (for Tuesday)
Celery seed (for Tuesday)
Garlic powder (for Tuesday)
Dried oregano (for Thursday)
Red pepper flakes, optional (for Thursday)
Parsley flakes (for Friday)
Minced onion flakes (for Friday)
Seasoned salt (for Friday)

Grab Your Free Printable Shopping List & Meal Plan

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

October always puts me in the mood for cozy dinners, and this week has plenty of them without making every night a big cooking project. Use the whole plan or just pick a few recipes that sound good to you.