Grocery list for a week of dinners

This one-week dinner plan serves about four people and reuses ingredients to keep the grocery list manageable. Quantities can be halved for two people or increased if you want leftovers.

Dinner plan

1. Sheet-pan chicken, potatoes, and broccoli
   Roast chicken thighs, chopped potatoes, and broccoli with olive oil, garlic, lemon, and Italian seasoning.

2. Chicken tacos with black beans
   Use leftover chicken in tortillas with black beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese, avocado, salsa, and lime.

3. Spaghetti with meat sauce and salad
   Prepare spaghetti with ground beef or turkey, marinara sauce, onion, and garlic. Serve with a simple green salad.

4. Vegetable fried rice with eggs
   Combine cooked rice, eggs, frozen mixed vegetables, green onions, and soy sauce. Add any remaining chicken if desired.

5. Baked salmon, rice, and green beans
   Season salmon with lemon, garlic, salt, and pepper. Serve with rice and roasted or steamed green beans.

6. Black bean and sweet potato quesadillas
   Fill tortillas with roasted sweet potato, black beans, cheese, and optional leftover taco toppings. Serve with salsa.

7. Sausage and vegetable pasta
   Cook sliced sausage with bell peppers, onion, remaining broccoli or green beans, pasta, and marinara sauce.

Grocery list

Produce

• 2½–3 pounds potatoes
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 large heads broccoli
• 1 pound green beans
• 3 bell peppers
• 3 yellow or white onions
• 1 bunch green onions
• 1 head romaine lettuce or 1 large container salad greens
• 3–4 tomatoes
• 2 avocados
• 3 lemons
• 2 limes
• 1 bulb garlic

Meat, fish, and eggs

• 2½–3 pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 1½ pounds salmon fillets
• 12–16 ounces smoked sausage or Italian sausage
• 1 dozen eggs

Dairy

• 16 ounces shredded cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese
• Parmesan cheese, optional
• Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, optional
• Butter, if needed

Canned and jarred items

• 3 cans black beans
• 2 jars marinara sauce
• 1 jar salsa

Grains and bread

• 16–20 medium flour or corn tortillas
• 2 pounds pasta, such as spaghetti and penne
• 2 pounds rice

Frozen foods

• 1 large bag frozen mixed vegetables

Pantry staples

Check these before shopping:

• Olive oil or another cooking oil
• Soy sauce
• Italian seasoning
• Chili powder
• Ground cumin
• Garlic powder
• Paprika
• Salt and black pepper
• Optional red-pepper flakes
• Optional salad dressing

Simple prep to make the week easier

At the beginning of the week, cook a large batch of rice, wash and chop the vegetables, and season the chicken. Roast extra chicken on the first night so taco night requires little more than reheating and assembly. Cooked rice works especially well for fried rice after it has chilled overnight.

To reduce waste, use salad greens and tomatoes for both tacos and the spaghetti side salad. Extra onions, peppers, broccoli, green beans, or marinara can go into the final sausage pasta. Freeze unused tortillas, cooked meat, or pasta sauce before they spoil.