Meal Plan #3 includes five delicious recipes baked in a casserole dish. A variety of recipes include chicken pot pie, sweet and sour chicken legs, cheese bacon pancake casserole, broccoli and fish sticks, and mushroom hamburger casserole. All five recipes are listed below and include a shopping list for you to download and print.
Easy Recipe Baked In a Casserole Dish
We love casserole dish recipes because they’re so easy to make and can be really filling. Our goal with this meal plan #3 was to include a variety of recipes that were simple, quick to make and inexpensive. With the cost of groceries continuing to rise, we feel that it is important to share recipes that can be enjoyed on any budget!
Be sure to watch the video below so you can cook along with me!
Why Should You Use A Meal Plan?
- Meal plans make life easier, once you get the hang of things.
- You’ll know what to expect for the entire week, taking the guesswork out of knowing what to cook for dinner.
- You’ll save money at the grocery store by knowing exactly what to buy, and nothing more.
- It allows your family to enjoy a variety of recipes without having to search for new ones yourself.
- You’ll save time! Everything is planned out for you already. No need to write a grocery list either, I’ve done that for you!
More Meal Plans To Try
- Meal Plan #1: Five Easy Weeknight Meals
- Meal Plan #2: Quick, Easy, Cheap Meals
Download The Free Meal Plan + Shopping List:
Download the full meal plan and shopping list for FREE! Click here to download Meal Plan #3.
Watch The Meal Plan Cooking Video:
Meal Plan Tips
- Take a look at the meal plan with the shopping list before you go grocery shopping.
- Shop your pantry first! For example, there’s no need to buy new spices or canned diced tomatoes if you already have some.
- Swap out ingredients that you don’t like. For example, if fish sticks aren’t your thing, try using chicken fingers instead.
- Work smarter not harder. Cook a double batch of a recipe and freeze the rest for later. For example, our mushroom hamburger casserole freezes beautifully. Make two and freeze one for a future meal.
- Check your local grocery stores for any sales and discounts. For example, one of my local stores was offering 2-for-1 on chicken thighs. I don’t normally shop there because it’s more expensive, but I made a trip and just bought the chicken!
Pro Tip: Download the apps for local grocery stores near you. These usually include weekly flyers and you can see which stores have sales. I like to stock up when I see buy 1 get one free on items I use regularly.
Meal Plan #3 Recipes:
Dinner 1: Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
An easy, impressive all-in-one dinner that can be made any time of the year.
- Shredded chicken is mixed with potatoes, celery, and carrots in a creamy sauce and then baked until tender.
- Next, the biscuits are added on top and baked until golden brown. Every bite is delicious!
See the full chicken pot pie casserole recipe here.
Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
Ingredients:
- 10 ½ oz can cream of broccoli soup
- 10 ½ oz can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup baby carrots - or frozen carrots (chopped small)
- 2 cups baby potatoes - chopped small
- 1 cup broccoli florets - chopped small
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken - or cooked chopped chicken breast
- 7 oz refrigerated biscuit dough
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Shred the chicken with a fork, using 2 cups for this recipe and saving the rest for another meal.
- Add the cream of broccoli soup, cream of mushroom soup, milk, italian seasoning, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix together. Pour it into the casserole dish.
- Add the shredded chicken, broccoli florets, chopped potatoes, and carrots to the casserole dish. Mix everything together.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender when poked with a fork.
- While the casserole is baking cut an "x" onto each biscuit. Do not slice through.
- Once carrots and potatoes are tender, remove cassesrole dish from the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 375°F.Place the biscuits on top. Follow the baking instructions on the side of the biscuit package. Or bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown abd baked through.
- Add to plates, serve and enjoy!
Dinner 2: Sweet and Sour Chicken Legs
Smothered in a sweet and sour sauce for a cheap easy meal idea. We love this recipe because it’s a quick and simple way to bake a large batch of chicken drumsticks.
- Fuss-Free – These are baked in the oven with sauce poured overtop. What could be easier than that?
- Serve – To keep this recipe low-budget, we served the chicken legs over egg noodles. You can also serve it with rice, mashed potatoes or quinoa.
See our full sweet and sour chicken legs recipe here.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Legs
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs chicken legs - or chicken thighs
- cooking oil - olive oil or avocado oil
- salt and pepper - to taste
- 14 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar - or coconut sugar
- 2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
- cooked egg noodles - to serve with (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cook noodles, rice or mashed potatoes to serve with (this is an optional step).
- Lightly grease a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add the chicken legs. Drizzle with cooking oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss everything together.Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce, brown sugar, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce to a medium bowl. Mix together.
- Pour the sauce on top of the chicken and toss together. Bake for another 20-30 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked and reaches 165°F when poked with a meat thermometer.
- Serve the chicken legs with egg noodles, other pasta noodles, mashed potatoes or rice.
Dinner 3: Cheese Bacon Pancake Casserole
Making regular pancakes can be a bit time-consuming which is why we love dump-and-go pancake recipes like this one. Just add the ingredients to a casserole dish and bake – perfect for serving a crowd!
- Versatile – We enjoy these as a sweet and savory breakfast or brunch. We also like to serve these on breakfast for dinner nights!
- Faster – Adding the batter to a casserole dish is so much quicker than standing over the stove. Just pour in and bake!
See the full cheese bacon pancake casserole recipe here.
Bacon Cheese Pancake Casserole
Ingredients:
- 16 oz package of bacon
- 3 cups Bisquick mix
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup - plus more for serving
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- Cook the bacon strips in a frying pan or bake in the oven until cooked and crispy. To bake, cook at 400°F for 25-30 minutes, until crispy.
- Blot with a paper towel, then chop into small pieces.
- Add the pancake mix, milk, maple syrup, and eggs to a large bowl. Mix them together.
- Pour the pancake batter into a casserole dish. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the crumbled bacon and shredded cheese on top of the pancake. Bake for another 3-4 minutes, until the cheese melts.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, then slice into squares. Serve with more maple syrup drizzled on top.
Dinner 4: Broccoli Fish Casserole
Frozen broccoli is added to a creamy sauce made from cream of broccoli soup, milk, and cheese. Everything is topped with frozen fish sticks for an easy all-in-one dinner.
- Cheap – All ingredients are affordably priced at the grocery store. This is a great recipe to keep in your back pocket to help cut down on grocery costs.
- Fast prep – Just dump, mix and bake! It could be easier using pre-made ingredients like frozen fist sticks, broccoli florets, and Campbell’s cream of broccoli soup.
See the full broccoli fish casserole recipe here.
Broccoli Fish Casserole
Ingredients:
- 12 oz frozen broccoli pieces
- 1 cup milk
- 10 oz can cream of broccoli soup
- 1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- 14 frozen fish sticks
- cooked rice - to serve with (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add cream of broccoli sou and milk to a bowl. Mix together.
- Add the frozen broccoli into the casserole dish. Pour the soup mixture overtop and toss together.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese, then shredded cheddar cheese on top. Arrange the fish sticks into rows that don't overlap.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove the foil in the last 10 minutes.
- Spoon on to plates and serve with rice, pasta or quinoa.
Dinner 5: Mushroom Hamburger Casserole
This hamburger casserole recipe will surely become a new go-to meal idea for a variety of reasons
- Easy to make – Cook the ground beef, boil the pasta, then dump all ingredients into a casserole dish to bake!
- Cheap – Ground beef is a cheaper meat option and is great for use in casserole recipes.
- Family-favorite – It’s a filling flavorful weeknight meal idea. With simple tastes and textures that kids even enjoy, you really can’t go wrong here!
See the full mushroom hamburger casserole recipe here.
Hamburger Casserole
Ingredients:
- 3 cups uncooked spiral noodles
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion - diced
- 24 oz jar of pasta sauce
- 14 oz canned diced tomatoes - drained
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Add 3 cups uncooked spiral pasta to a pot of boiling water and cook according to package instructions. Cook al dente, then drain and set aside.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook 1 lb lean ground beef and 1 cup chopped yellow onion until beef is browned and onion turns translucent. Fold a paper towel and swish it around using a spatula to absorb any excess grease.
- Now add 24 oz pasta sauce, 14 oz drained diced tomatoes, 2 cups sliced mushrooms, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper to the pot and stir everything together. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat then add the cooked pasta noodles. Stir everything together.
- Pour the mixture into a 9×11 casserole dish and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese over top, then sprinkle 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let cool for 5 minutes then scoop onto plates and serve.
Don’t Forget! The FREE printable shopping list and Meal Plan can be found here.