Cheap Eats Week 1

Welcome to Week 1 of the cheap eats meal plan! If you’re just getting started, you’re in for a week of flavorful, filling meals—all for under $3 per serving. We’ve kept things simple, affordable, and family-friendly. These meals make use of the pantry staples you stocked up on this week, setting the tone for the rest of the month.

This plan is meant to be flexible. You don’t need to make every recipe in the exact order or even make all of them. Want to swap one out? Skip a night and eat leftovers? Go for it. You can mix and match without messing anything up. We’ve also got a free customization tool in beta that’ll let you adjust serving sizes, swap out recipes, and get a new shopping list built just for you. It’s not fancy, but it gets the job done.

Need a little help in the kitchen? Every recipe in this week’s plan comes with a video tutorial right on our site so you can cook with confidence, even if you’re new to it.

Menu Quick Look

Be sure to check out the entire guide, an overview of the pantry staples, and the other week’s menus. You can always customize each week to suit your personal taste preferences and swap in your favorites.

Grocery Haul

The haul this week focuses mostly on fresh ingredients—proteins, produce, dairy, and bread items. You’ll be building off the pantry staples you’ve already stocked, so you’ll notice a lot of the core items (like oil, flour, spices, and condiments) aren’t included in this list.

Keep in mind that some ingredients are used across multiple meals, so nothing goes to waste.

Don’t forget to download the Week 1 Shopping List PDF to make your grocery run easier.

Receipt

This total reflects a full week’s worth of dinners for a family, using regular grocery store prices without coupons, bulk buying, or sale shopping. It’s based on buying exactly what you need for this week’s menu, using pantry staples you’ve already stocked. As always, prices will vary from region to region and store to store, but this should get you pretty close.

The Recipes

Right above, you’ll see all seven meals from this week laid out so you can get a visual sense of what a serving looks like for each recipe. We know serving sizes can be subjective, so we wanted to show you exactly how much food you’re getting with this plan.

There’s also a short video that walks through each meal in more detail. You’ll see the final dishes plated and portioned, so there’s no guessing—just real food, clearly shown.

Now let’s break it down day by day:

Monday

This is a meatless meal that’s light, yet won’t leave you hungry. It’s loaded with mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes. Add a little heavy cream and some red pepper flakes, and you have a restaurant-quality dish without the restaurant prices.

Penne Rosa

Penne Rosa is a creamy tomato pasta dish, with a delightful kick! This 15 minute meal is sure to please!

Tuesday

Make chicken salad sandwiches! Or serve them up your own style by stuffing it into an avocado or tomato, or serving it up on a bed of lettuce for an old-school chicken salad.

This recipe calls for a small amount of grapes. You can either leave them out or enjoy the rest of the grapes as a side dish. We factored in a purchase of 1 pound of grapes either way.

Traditional Chicken Salad

This classic chicken salad is easy to make and tasty by itself, on lettuce, or served as a sandwich. You’re going to this family favorite!

Wednesday

Stroganoff is a classic comfort food, and this recipe makes it even easier. You can switch things up and serve this over mashed potatoes, or go the traditional route and serve with egg noodles.

Ground Beef Stroganoff and Rice

Homemade Ground Beef Stroganoff and Rice make a quick, 30-minute dinner that’s both wholesome and family-approved.

Thursday

An easy pasta dish that tastes gourmet and takes less than 30 minutes to make! This recipe uses simple pantry ingredients that you (and your kids) know and love, and may already have on hand.

American Carbonara

Carbonara with an American twist! We use bacon and the traditional velvety cheese sauce. Then throw in peas for a pop of sweetness!

Friday

Your new favorite quesadilla recipe. Loading these quesadillas up with chicken makes them a whole meal. This recipe uses 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you can always use rotisserie chicken. This is a great option that’s not only convenient but also wallet-friendly!

Cilantro-Lime Chicken Quesadillas

These chicken quesadillas are loaded with gooey cheese and all the cilantro-lime flavor we could pack in. Perfect for a quick lunch or dinner, whether you cook fresh chicken, use leftovers, or utilize rotisserie chicken.

Saturday

Use up that ground beef and make these cheesesteaks! This one is a great option when you’re craving those Philly cheesesteak flavors, but don’t want to order takeout.

Ground Beef Cheesesteak

Ground beef cheesesteaks have all the iconic Philly flavors you love in a more affordable format that still brings all the flavor.

Sunday

For Sunday, we’re giving you a whole backyard barbecue feast. All three recipes give you a complete meal, and each serving is still under $3.

Country Style Pork Ribs

Classic Coleslaw

The Best Corn (from frozen!)

Make It Work for You

This plan is flexible. If seven dinners a week is too much for your schedule, skip a couple and just use leftovers or repeat your favorites. If one of these recipes isn’t your thing, it’s totally fine to swap it out.

We’ve got a customization tool in beta that lets you do exactly that—adjust servings, swap meals, and generate a new shopping list based on your changes. It’s not fancy, but it gets the job done.