Weekly Meal Plan #19: Cozy Dinners for the Last Week of October

The last week of October is one of my favorite times to plan dinners. It’s chilly enough for chili and slow cooker meals, and Halloween is right at the end of the week.

This week starts with a big pot of Pumpkin Chili, followed by a cheesy chicken dinner, a slow cooker jambalaya, a meatless bean soup, and a one-pot mac and cheese for Friday. There’s also a Halloween snack in the bonus recipes, so you’re ready for the weekend.

Meal Plan Week #19 graphic with sloppy joe mac and cheese, sausage jambalaya, Tuscan white bean soup, French onion chicken bake, and a printable grocery shopping list.

As always, move the dinners around to fit your week. Put the slow cooker meal on your busiest night, prep a few things ahead, and check the swaps before you buy something you may already have.

If you missed it, don’t forget to check out my Week #18 meal plan.

Weekly meal plan graphic showing five dinners labeled Monday through Friday: pumpkin chili, French onion chicken bake, sausage jambalaya, Tuscan white bean soup, and sloppy joe mac and cheese.

The Daily Dinner Line-Up

Monday: Pumpkin Chili

Start the week with a big pot of chili. This one is hearty, not sweet, with ground beef, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, and a cup of canned pumpkin that gives it a creamy texture. It simmers for an hour and makes eleven servings, so you’ll have leftovers for lunch or the freezer.

Serve it with cornbread, crackers, or a sprinkle of shredded cheese.

GET THE RECIPE

French onion chicken bake topped with melted cheese, caramelized onions, parsley, and herbs in a rich brown pan sauce inside a white casserole dish.

Tuesday: French Onion Chicken Bake

This one has all the cozy flavor of French onion soup in a chicken dinner. Chicken breasts bake in caramelized onions and beef broth, then get topped with melted Swiss cheese.

The onions take a little time, so start them while you do other things around the kitchen. Garlic bread and green beans are good on the side.

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The recipe over a bed of rice in a bowl.

Wednesday: Sausage Jambalaya

Let the slow cooker handle Wednesday. Onion, chicken, hot Italian sausage, and tomatoes with green chiles cook all day, then you stir in the shrimp for the last 10 minutes. Serve it over rice.

It makes 8 servings, so there’s enough for leftovers.

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White bowl of Italian white bean and spinach soup with herbs and parmesan, styled with bread and fresh greens on a table.

Thursday: Tuscan White Bean Soup

Tonight is meatless and ready in about 35 minutes. Cannellini beans, spinach, garlic, and herbs simmer in one pot, and mashing some of the beans makes the broth thicker without any cream.

Serve it with crusty bread or this week’s bonus biscuit bread.

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Friday: Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese

Finish the week with two comfort food favorites in one skillet. Ground beef, onion, and green pepper get a sloppy joe sauce, then the macaroni cooks right in the pot with beef broth. Stir in the milk and cheddar at the end.

It’s ready in about 35 minutes with only one pot to wash.

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Black skeleton bowl filled with the recipe topped with orange and green candy melt drizzle, pretzels, mellowcreme pumpkins, and candy eyeballs.

Bonus Recipe: Halloween Popcorn

Popcorn, pretzels, pumpkin mellowcreme candy, and gummies, drizzled with green and orange candy melts. It’s a fun snack for pumpkin carving or Halloween movie night, and you can make it the day before.

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Sliced biscuit bread on wire rack with golden crust, served with butter, jam, and blue gingham cloth.

Bonus Recipe: Old-Fashioned Biscuit Bread

A soft, buttery loaf with no rolling or cutting. You just press the dough into a loaf pan. It’s good with Monday’s chili or Thursday’s bean soup.

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The recipe in a white casserole dish with a serving spoon..

Bonus Recipe: Cheesy Corn Casserole

Corn, cheddar, and a crunchy soda cracker topping baked in a 9×13 dish. It goes well with Tuesday’s chicken, and you can mix it ahead and bake it when you’re ready.

GET THE RECIPE

Meal Prep & Money-Saving Tips

Ground beef bundle: Monday’s chili uses 3 pounds of ground beef and Friday’s mac and cheese uses 1 pound. Buy a family pack and divide it when you get home.
Onion prep: You need six sweet onions this week, plus one yellow onion for Monday. Slice Tuesday’s three large onions ahead of time, since they cook down a lot.
Beef broth: Tuesday uses 1 cup and Friday uses 3 cups. One large carton covers both.
Chicken breasts: Tuesday needs 4 breasts and Wednesday needs 2. Buy one bigger pack and set aside 2 for the slow cooker.
Chili leftovers: Monday’s chili makes 11 servings. Freeze a few portions for a busy night later.
Pantry check: Before you shop, look for brown sugar, ketchup, tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, Cajun seasoning, and your spices.

Easy Swap Ideas

Meat swap: Use ground turkey in Monday’s chili, or ground chicken or turkey in Friday’s mac and cheese.
Pumpkin check: Monday’s chili needs plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
Chicken cut: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work in Tuesday’s French Onion Chicken Bake.
Cheese swap: Gruyère works well for Swiss in the chicken bake. Monterey Jack or mozzarella also melts well.
Sausage swap: Andouille sausage can replace the hot Italian sausage in Wednesday’s jambalaya.
Meatless broth: Use vegetable broth in Thursday’s soup to keep it fully meatless.
Greens swap: Kale can replace the spinach in the bean soup. Let it simmer a little longer.
Pasta swap: Shells, rotini, or penne work in Friday’s mac and cheese.

Master Grocery List: Week 19 Dinners

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

Meat and Seafood

4 lb lean ground beef (3 lb for Monday and 1 lb for Friday)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 for Tuesday and 2 for Wednesday)
4 hot Italian sausages (for Wednesday)
1 lb medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (for Wednesday)

Produce

6 sweet onions (3 large for Tuesday, 1 large for Wednesday, 1 for Friday, and half of one for Thursday)
1 yellow onion (for Monday)
1 package of sliced mushrooms, about 2 cups (for Monday)
1 green pepper (for Friday)
1 bulb of garlic (4 cloves total: 2 for Thursday and 2 for Friday)
1 package of baby spinach, 1 cup chopped (for Thursday)
1 bunch of fresh parsley (optional, for Tuesday and Friday)

Dairy and Refrigerated

1 block of Swiss cheese, 1 ½ cups shredded (for Tuesday)
1 block of cheddar cheese, 2 cups shredded (for Friday)
1 carton of milk, ½ cup (for Friday)
Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional, for Thursday)

Pasta, Rice and Grains

1 bag of elbow macaroni, 2 cups uncooked (for Friday)
Rice, enough for 4 cups cooked (for Wednesday)

Pantry

1 bottle of extra virgin olive oil (for Tuesday, Thursday and Friday)
2 cans of diced tomatoes, 28 oz each (for Monday)
1 can of plain pumpkin purée, 1 cup needed (for Monday)
1 can of diced tomatoes and green chiles, 14.5 oz/540 mL (for Wednesday)
2 cans of cannellini beans, 15 oz/540 mL each (for Thursday)
1 large carton of beef broth, 4 cups total (1 cup for Tuesday and 3 cups for Friday)
1 carton of chicken broth, 4 cups (for Thursday, or vegetable broth for meatless)
1 package of brown sugar (for Tuesday and Friday)
1 bottle of balsamic vinegar (for Tuesday)
1 bottle of ketchup, 1 cup needed (for Friday)
1 can of tomato paste (for Friday)
1 bottle of yellow mustard (for Friday)
1 bottle of Worcestershire sauce (for Friday)