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Your family dinner week · a place to start

Pantry Staples Dinner Plan with a Combined Grocery List

Check the beans, tomatoes, pasta and lentils before you make the shopping list. This week puts those staples into different dinners, with fresh produce, cheese, sausage and meatballs added where the recipes need them. Start with what you have, then buy the missing amounts.

5 dinners · Household of 2 · Dinner only · 0 planned sides

Weeknight bean chili — serving inspiration
Illustrative serving idea.

A budget-minded five-dinner plan for two that emphasizes repeated staples and a pantry check before shopping.

Dinner quantities and the combined grocery list are set for 2 people.

Review calendar dates, portions and pantry items before confirming.

Estimating…
Estimating…

5 dinners · 2 people per dinner

Your dinner schedule

Move days to suit your week. Each recipe below is portioned for the same household size.

  1. Day01

    Bean chili

    Dice onion and pepper.

    Weeknight bean chili — serving inspiration

    Main dinner

    Weeknight bean chili

    • Scaled for 2
    Ingredients for 2 people
    • 15 oz Black beans
    • 14 oz Canned tomatoes
    • 1/2 each Onion
    • 1/2 each Bell pepper
    • 1/4 cup Cheddar
    Full recipe & method
  2. Day02

    Spaghetti and meatballs

    Simmer frozen meatballs in marinara in a covered saucepan for the package time, stirring occasionally; check meatballs are heated to 165°F.

    Spaghetti with meatballs — serving inspiration

    Main dinner

    Spaghetti with meatballs

    • Scaled for 2
    Ingredients for 2 people
    • 1/2 lb Spaghetti
    • 12 oz Marinara sauce
    • 1/2 lb Frozen meatballs
    • 1/4 cup Parmesan
    Full recipe & method
  3. Day03

    Black bean quesadillas

    Drain and rinse beans.

    Black bean quesadillas — serving inspiration

    Main dinner

    Black bean quesadillas

    • Scaled for 2
    Ingredients for 2 people
    • 7 1/2 oz Black beans
    • 4 each Tortillas
    • 1/2 cup Cheddar
    • 1/2 each Bell pepper
    • 1/4 cup Salsa
    Full recipe & method
  4. Day04

    Sausage and lentil soup

    Brown crumbled sausage and chopped onion in a pot until sausage reaches 160°F.

    Sausage lentil soup — serving inspiration

    Main dinner

    Sausage lentil soup

    • Scaled for 2
    Ingredients for 2 people
    • 1/2 lb Italian sausage
    • 1/2 cup Lentils
    • 1 each Carrots
    • 1/2 each Onion
    • 3 cups Chicken broth
    • 7 oz Canned tomatoes
    • 1 clove Garlic
    • 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
    Full recipe & method
  5. Day05

    Tomato and spinach pasta

    Boil pasta in a large pot of water following the package time.

    Tomato & spinach pasta — serving inspiration

    Main dinner

    Tomato & spinach pasta

    • Scaled for 2
    Ingredients for 2 people
    • 1/2 lb Pasta
    • 14 oz Canned tomatoes
    • 2 1/2 oz Spinach
    • 1 1/2 cloves Garlic
    • 1/4 cup Parmesan
    Full recipe & method

One list for the schedule

Combined grocery list

Ingredient requirements for all 5 dinners, adjusted to 2 people per dinner.

Compatible measurements are combined. Different measurement types and amounts that need interpretation stay separate.

Check your pantry before shopping. These are ingredient amounts used by the plan; package sizes and what you already own can change what you need to buy.

Bread & bakery

  • 4 each Tortillas

    Black bean quesadillas

Dairy & eggs

  • 0.75 cups Cheddar

    2 uses · Weeknight bean chili · Black bean quesadillas

  • 0.5 cups Parmesan

    2 uses · Spaghetti with meatballs · Tomato & spinach pasta

Frozen

  • 0.5 lb Frozen meatballs

    Spaghetti with meatballs

Meat & seafood

  • 0.5 lb Italian sausage

    Sausage lentil soup

Pantry & other

  • 22.5 oz Black beans

    2 uses · Weeknight bean chili · Black bean quesadillas

  • 35 oz Canned tomatoes

    3 uses · Weeknight bean chili · Sausage lentil soup · Tomato & spinach pasta

  • 3 cups Chicken broth

    Sausage lentil soup

  • 0.5 tsp Italian seasoning

    Sausage lentil soup

  • 0.5 cups Lentils

    Sausage lentil soup

  • 12 oz Marinara sauce

    Spaghetti with meatballs

  • 0.5 lb Pasta

    Tomato & spinach pasta

  • 0.25 cups Salsa

    Black bean quesadillas

  • 0.5 lb Spaghetti

    Spaghetti with meatballs

Produce

  • 1 each Bell pepper

    2 uses · Weeknight bean chili · Black bean quesadillas

  • 1 each Carrots

    Sausage lentil soup

  • 2.5 cloves Garlic

    2 uses · Sausage lentil soup · Tomato & spinach pasta

  • 1 each Onion

    2 uses · Weeknight bean chili · Sausage lentil soup

  • 2.5 oz Spinach

    Tomato & spinach pasta

Review calendar dates, portions and pantry items before confirming.

A little planning before the week begins

Set yourself up for the week

A little look ahead 1

Soften the onion and pepper before adding the chili’s beans and tomatoes; mash a few beans at the end to thicken.

A little look ahead 2

Rinse the lentils for the soup and check their tenderness during the recipe’s simmer.

A little look ahead 3

The planned household size halves the four-serving recipes. Buy package sizes separately from the ingredient quantities used.

The grocery overlap to check first

Canned tomatoes

Used on day 1, day 4, day 5. Check the amounts for those dinners together before buying more.

Bell pepper

Used on day 1, day 3. Check the amounts for those dinners together before buying more.

Black beans

Used on day 1, day 3. Check the amounts for those dinners together before buying more.

Cheddar

Used on day 1, day 3. Check the amounts for those dinners together before buying more.

Garlic

Used on day 4, day 5. Check the amounts for those dinners together before buying more.

Onion

Used on day 1, day 4. Check the amounts for those dinners together before buying more.

A few details for this menu

Use ingredients across dinners

Black beans are used in the chili and quesadillas; canned tomatoes are used in the chili, soup and tomato-spinach pasta.

Bell pepper is shared by chili and quesadillas, while onion is shared by chili and soup. Review those totals before buying produce.

Parmesan finishes both pasta dinners. Marinara sauce, canned tomatoes and salsa remain separate ingredients.

Make the plan work for you

Use the separate Spaghetti without meatballs recipe if you want that dinner without meatballs. That change removes the meatballs from its grocery requirements; it does not make the sausage-soup dinner meat-free.

A couple of everyday questions

Can I move the dinners around?

Yes. Put the meals on the days that suit your week, and plan purchases or freezing around those dates. Moving the same dinner keeps its ingredient needs; changing the recipe changes the shopping list.

What does this plan cover?

There is one dinner for each of 5 days, planned for 2 people. Any named sides belong to their listed dinners. Add breakfast, lunch and snacks separately; extra leftover portions are not assumed.

If you save a cooked portion

Keep the storage details close.

Follow the storage directions on opened jars and packages; the schedule does not extend their dates.

Chill cooked leftovers promptly in shallow containers; use within 3–4 days. Reheat cooked leftovers to 165°F.

USDA MyPlate: Make a Plan · USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety

Collections featuring recipes from this plan