Cheap & Easy Fall Meals for $35 a Week

Introduction

Enjoy the cozy flavors of autumn without breaking the bank! These Cheap & Easy Fall Meals for $35 a Week are perfect for stretching your grocery budget while filling your menu with hearty, satisfying recipes. With just a little planning and some budget-friendly ingredients, you’ll enjoy comforting dinners all week long—no fancy techniques or pricey ingredients required.

Fall Flavor, Simplicity, and Comfort

Fall meals are all about warmth and simplicity. This plan delivers on both fronts: you’ll savor classic flavors like roasted vegetables, savory pots of soup, and spiced casseroles, all assembled with affordable pantry staples. These recipes are streamlined for busy weeknights—each meal is filling, crowd-pleasing, and ideal for leftover lunches.

The Week at a Glance: 5 Dinner Recipes

Here’s how $35 can deliver a week of delicious autumn-inspired dinners for 2-3 people:

• Vegetable & White Bean Soup
• Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Bake
• Sheet Pan Sausage with Root Vegetables
• Pumpkin Pasta with Garlic Bread
• Hearty Lentil Stew

Ingredient List for the Week

Produce:

• 1 head of broccoli
• 1 lb carrots
• 1 lb potatoes
• 2 onions
• 1 head garlic

Pantry:

• 1 can white beans
• 1 can lentils
• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 8 oz dry pasta
• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 4 cups vegetable broth

Dairy & Protein:

• 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 dozen eggs
• 12 oz smoked sausage

Bread & Misc:

• 1 loaf sandwich bread
• Oil, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, cinnamon (pantry staples)

💡Meal Planning Tip: Save this meal plan to automatically generate a categorized shopping list, sorted by store section. CookifyAI makes grocery trips and budget meal planning simple and stress-free!

Instructions: Recipes for Each Night

1. Vegetable & White Bean Soup: Sauté 1 onion, 2 carrots, and 2 minced garlic cloves in oil until soft. Stir in 1 can white beans (drained), 2 potatoes (diced), 4 cups broth, and season with salt and Italian seasoning. Simmer until potatoes are tender. Serve with toasted sandwich bread.
2. Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Bake: Steam chopped broccoli. In a casserole dish, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, broccoli, 4 oz cheese, 2 eggs (beaten), and 1/2 can tomato sauce. Bake at 375°F until set and cheese is bubbly (20–25 mins).
3. Sheet Pan Sausage with Root Vegetables: Dice sausage, carrots, and potatoes. Toss with oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a sheet pan; roast at 425°F for 25–30 mins, stirring halfway.
4. Pumpkin Pasta with Garlic Bread: Cook pasta; in a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil, add 2 cloves minced garlic, and 1 can pumpkin. Stir in a splash of broth and 4 oz cheese for creaminess. Toss pasta with sauce. Make garlic bread by spreading butter and minced garlic on sliced sandwich bread, then toast.
5. Hearty Lentil Stew: Sauté 1 onion, add a can of lentils (undrained), leftover potatoes/carrots, the rest of the tomato sauce, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Simmer until thickened. Serve with any remaining bread.

Weekly Meal Planning

Batch-cook the rice and roast extra vegetables to save time on busy nights. Save and schedule your meals with CookifyAI to plan prepping ahead, track your ingredient needs across multiple nights, and generate consolidated shopping lists.

Planning Benefits:

• Calculate exact ingredient quantities for all meals
• Organize shopping lists by grocery store area for faster trips
• Avoid overbuying and wasting food
• Coordinate prep steps for maximum efficiency

Pro tip: Schedule your recipes in CookifyAI to see how staples like eggs and cheese are used across meals—perfect for sticking to your $35 budget and minimizing waste!

Cook and Prep Times

Prep Time (avg): 15 minutes per recipe
Cook Time (avg): 25 minutes per recipe
Total Time: 40 minutes per dinner

Recap: Savory & Budget-Friendly Fall Dinners

With smart shopping and meal planning, you can savor the best flavors of fall for just $35 per week. This plan makes autumn meals affordable, delicious, and achievable for any home cook—even on a tight budget!