2 Week Fall Family Dinner Meal Plan (5 ingredient or less recipes!)

Easy cheap fall meal plan for families on a budget! These 5 ingredient or less recipes include easy fall crockpot dinners, one pot autumn meals, and simple sheet pan suppers.

As Fall arrives, so can busier schedules, and making dinner can feel like one more thing on your neverending list of to-dos. 

Between school activities, homework, and work, we have no more energy to spend chopping ingredients or washing a sink full of dishes.

That’s why I put together a list of two weeks’ worth of super easy and budget-friendly autumn dinner recipes.

These cozy fall dinners are perfect for busy families with picky eaters who are grocery shopping on a budget. 

Every recipe uses 5 ingredients or less, with a nice mix of crockpot meals, quick 20 minute (or less) one-pot dinners, and sheet pan suppers. 

Best of all, they’re made with simple, budget-friendly groceries you can find at Aldi, Walmart or your local favorite grocery store.

I hope these 10 easy dinners will help you create an easy fall meal plan full of autumn comfort food …

… while keeping your grocery budget as low as possible and making dinner-prep simple on even your busiest (or most tired) days.

Note: I’ve included the grocery lists at the bottom, both as one master list for all the recipes, and also as two separate weeks’ lists.

Let’s check ’em out!

(🍁 Looking for more fun fall recipes? Try one of these fun fall dip recipes, cozy autumn brunch foods, easy fall side dishes, seasonal autumn charcuterie boards, or homemade pumpkin drinks!)

1. Crockpot Apple BBQ Chicken

A tasty blend of sweet and savory, this fun fall twist on a BBQ chicken sandwich has fresh apples for a seasonal alternative. It’s a great way to sneak in some extra nutrition and a little autumn flavor into a dinner that’s picky-eater-approved.

Note: You can also serve it over rice or baked potatoes, and leftovers make delicious pizza or quesadillas.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup BBQ sauce (or more if you like it extra saucy)
• 1 apple, diced
• 1 onion, sliced
• Hamburger buns

Directions:

• Add chicken, apple, onion, and BBQ sauce to the crockpot
• Cook on Low for 6-7 hours
• Shred chicken and serve on buns

2. One-Pot Creamy Sausage & Potato Soup

This creamy soup tastes like something you’d order at a restaurant but actually comes together fast. The smoky flavor of the sausage and the cheesy broth make it especially comforting on chilly evenings.

Note: Feel free to add in some frozen veggies if you like. It tastes delicious served with some bread for dunking.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
• 1 bag frozen diced potatoes
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Add sausage, potatoes, and broth to a large pot
• Simmer for about 15 minutes
• Stir in milk and cheese until melted

3. Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Chicken & Carrots

This easy sheet pan meal has classic fall comfort flavor with almost no cleanup. The sweetness of the carrots and savory chicken roast together for a family-friendly dinner.

Note: Feel free to make extra sauce, if your family likes things saucier. You can also add in potatoes or other veggies if you prefer.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken thighs
• 1 lb baby carrots
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 tbsp mustard
• 1 package dinner rolls (optional)

Directions:

• Mix honey and mustard
• Place chicken and carrots on a sheet pan and brush with sauce
• Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until chicken reaches 165 F
• Serve with rolls

4. Crockpot Chicken & Stuffing

This fun recipe basically tastes like Thanksgiving dinner, but without all the work. It’s creamy, hearty, and comforting, and my kids gobble it up every time I make it. We usually serve it with corn or green beans.

Note: You can shred the chicken and serve it over rice or potatoes, or keep the breasts more whole.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken breasts
• 1 box stuffing mix
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

• Place chicken in crockpot
• Mix stuffing, soup, and broth separately, then spread over chicken
• Cook on Low for 6-7 hours

5. One-Pot Beefy Pumpkin Pasta

I know it sounds weird, but the pumpkin adds some creaminess without tasting strongly like pumpkin. Even picky eaters often enjoy it because it tastes similar to a creamy cheeseburger macaroni.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 8 oz pasta
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 cup shredded cheddar

Directions:

• Brown beef in a large pot (drain if needed)
• Add broth, pasta, and pumpkin
• Simmer until pasta is tender
• Stir in cheese

6. Sheet Pan Sausage, Potatoes & Apples

Apples and sausage are a classic fall combination, and the sweet-and-savory flavor they create is great for (most) picky eaters. This easy meal requires very little prep and makes the house smell amazing.

Note: We usually like to add onions too, because for some reason we just love the flavor of onions.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb smoked sausage
• 1½ lbs baby potatoes
• 2 apples, sliced
• Olive oil
• Italian seasoning (or salt, pepper, and garlic powder)

Directions:

• Toss everything with oil and seasoning
• Spread on a sheet pan
• Bake at 425°F for 30 minutes

7. Crockpot Creamy Ranch Pork Chops

Cooking pork chops in the slow cooker makes them so tender as they simmer all day in the rich ranch gravy. Serve them over mashed potatoes for pure comfort food on chilly days. 

Note: We like to add sliced onion to ours. The kids pick it out, but we enjoy it.

Ingredients:

• 6 pork chops (we prefer boneless)
• 1 packet ranch seasoning
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup chicken broth
• Instant mashed potatoes, prepared (or buy them ready made in the refrigerator aisle)

Directions:

• Place pork chops in the crockpot
• Mix seasoning, soup, and broth separately
• Pour over pork chops
• Cook on Low for 6-8 hours
• Serve over mashed potatoes

8. One-Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni

This homemade version of Hamburger Helper is inexpensive, filling, and definitely kid-approved. It’s a quick dinner for those nights when your patience and energy are running low.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 cups (8 oz) macaroni
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• Ketchup

Directions:

• Brown beef in a large pan
• Add broth and macaroni
• Cook until pasta is tender
• Stir in cheese and a squeeze of ketchup

9. Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie Filling

This recipe has all the flavors of homemade chicken pot pie without making a crust. It’s so creamy and cozy, and you serve it over biscuits for that crust-like texture.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken breasts
• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup chicken broth
• Refrigerated biscuits

Directions:

• Add chicken, vegetables, soup, and broth to the crockpot
• Cook on Low 6-7 hours
• Shred chicken
• Bake biscuits separately, then serve with pot pie mixture over top

10. One-Pot Turkey & Sweet Potato Chili

This mild chili has all those hearty fall flavors, while staying family-friendly. The sweet potatoes add some natural sweetness to balance the savory ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 can chili (or black) beans
• 1 sweet potato, diced small
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• Chili seasoning packet

Directions:

• Brown the ground turkey in a large pot
• Add all the remaining ingredients
• Simmer for 20 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender.

Two- Week Master Shopping List

This grocery list includes all the ingredients you’ll need to make all ten dinners.

Meat

• 6 lbs boneless chicken breasts
• 2 lbs chicken thighs
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 packages smoked sausage
• 6 pork chops

Produce

• 3 apples
• 1 onion
• 1 lb baby carrots
• 1½ lbs baby potatoes
• 1 sweet potato

Dairy

• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup milk

Bread & Bakery

• Hamburger buns
• Dinner rolls
• Refrigerated biscuits (probably in the dairy aisle)

Pantry & Canned Goods

• BBQ sauce
• Honey
• Mustard
• 2 boxes stuffing mix
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 can chili beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• Ketchup
• Italian seasoning (optional)
• Chili seasoning packet

Frozen Foods

• 1 bag frozen diced potatoes
• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables

Pasta & Grains

• 8 oz pasta
• 8 oz macaroni noodles
• Instant mashed potatoes 

Broth

• Chicken broth (about 10 cups total)
• Beef broth (about 6 cups total)

Below I’ve split up the lists into two separate weeks, so each shopping trip has five dinners’ worth of ingredients. 

That way it’s easier on your budget, refrigerator space, and the fresh foods don’t go bad before you cook them.

Shopping List for Recipes 1-5

Meat

• 4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 lbs chicken thighs
• 1 lb smoked sausage
• 1 lb ground beef

Produce

• 1 apple
• 1 onion
• 1 lb baby carrots

Dairy

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup milk

Bread & Bakery

• Hamburger buns
• Dinner rolls

Pantry

• BBQ sauce
• Honey
• Yellow or Dijon mustard
• 1 box stuffing mix
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• Ketchup

Pasta & Grains

• 8 oz pasta

Frozen

• 1 bag frozen diced potatoes

Broth

• Chicken broth (about 5 cups)
• Beef broth (about 3 cups)

Shopping List for Recipes 6–10

Meat

• 1 lb smoked sausage
• 6 pork chops
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground turkey

Produce

• 2 apples
• 1½ lbs baby potatoes
• 1 sweet potato

Dairy

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Bread & Bakery

• Refrigerated biscuits

Pantry

• Olive oil
• Italian seasoning
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can chili beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 packet ranch seasoning
• 1 packet chili seasoning
• Instant mashed potatoes (or potato flakes)

Pasta & Grains

• 8 oz elbow macaroni noodles

Frozen

• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables

Broth

• Chicken broth (about 5 cups)
• Beef broth (about 3 cups)

5 Ingredient Fall Dinners

As you can see, simple dinners don’t have to be boring! 

These comforting fall meals are all made with just a handful of affordable ingredients, but still have flavor, while keeping your grocery trip cheaper (and shopping time quicker).

And hopefully your sanity in check, too!

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