Figuring out what to make for dinner every single night is somehow one of those jobs that never ends. You finish dinner tonight and suddenly everyone expects to eat again tomorrow. 😂

So here are 7 easy budget-friendly family dinners to take some of that decision-making off your plate this week.

This week’s meal plan has a little bit of everything: cozy Cheeseburger Macaroni Soup, crispy Mini Baked Chicken Tacos, a cheesy baked spaghetti, a fresh Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad, plus three easy family dinners already on Budget Friendly Kitchen.

As always, these aren’t fancy meals with a million ingredients. They’re realistic dinners made with ingredients you can find at a regular grocery store, with plenty of overlap between ingredients to help keep the grocery bill down.

What’s for Dinner This Week?

This week’s seven dinners are:

Let’s get into them!

1. Cheeseburger Macaroni Soup

If cheeseburgers, macaroni and cheese, and a cozy bowl of soup somehow had a baby…this would pretty much be it. 😂

This Cheeseburger Macaroni Soup starts with ground beef, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and beef broth. Uncooked elbow macaroni cooks right in the soup before heavy cream and plenty of shredded cheddar are stirred in at the end.

It’s creamy, cheesy, filling, and made in one pot which automatically earns bonus points on a weeknight.

I especially love this one heading into cooler weather because it has that cozy fall-dinner feeling without needing to simmer on the stove all afternoon.

Budget tip: One pound of ground beef stretches into an entire pot of soup thanks to the macaroni and broth.

Serve it with: Garlic bread, a simple salad, or honestly just a big bowl of soup. It’s plenty filling on its own.

→ GET THE CHEESEBURGER MACARONI SOUP RECIPE

2. Mini Baked Chicken Tacos

These Mini Baked Chicken Tacos may be one of my favorite dinners from this week’s list because they’re so simple but still feel fun.

Seasoned shredded chicken and cheese get tucked inside street taco-size tortillas, then the tacos are baked until the tortillas are golden and crispy and the cheese is melted.

No standing over a pan frying individual tacos. 🙌

Put salsa, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, or whatever taco toppings you already have on the table and everyone can add what they want.

They’re also really easy to adjust based on your budget. You don’t need six different toppings for these to be good. Chicken + cheese + a crispy tortilla + salsa for dipping is already a pretty solid dinner in my book.

Budget tip: Skip buying a bunch of toppings specifically for taco night. Use whatever you already have in the refrigerator.

Serve it with: Rice, corn, black beans, chips and salsa, or fresh fruit.

→ GET THE MINI BAKED CHICKEN TACOS RECIPE

3. Easy Cheesy Baked Spaghetti with Ground Beef

Sometimes you just need a big pan of cheesy pasta.

This Easy Cheesy Baked Spaghetti with Ground Beef takes a regular spaghetti dinner and makes it about 10 times better by adding mozzarella, cheddar, and Parmesan and baking the whole thing until it’s hot and bubbly.

And unlike Million Dollar Spaghetti, there isn’t a separate cream cheese, cottage cheese, or sour cream layer in this one.

It’s just spaghetti, a hearty ground beef tomato sauce, and LOTS of cheese.

One pound of ground beef stretches across a full 9×13-inch casserole, so this is also a great dinner when you need to feed several people without buying multiple pounds of meat.

Budget tip: Don’t feel like you need to buy three brand-new cheeses. If you already have mozzarella in the refrigerator, use extra mozzarella instead of buying cheddar just for this recipe.

Serve it with: Garlic bread and a bagged salad. Done. 😂

→ GET THE EASY CHEESY BAKED SPAGHETTI RECIPE

4. Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

I wanted at least one dinner this week that wasn’t another heavy meat-and-potatoes type of meal, and this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad was perfect.

Rotini pasta and slightly charred corn are tossed with a creamy lime dressing, feta cheese, cilantro, green onions, chili powder, and smoked paprika.

It’s creamy and filling but still tastes fresh from the lime and cilantro.

And yes, we’re using feta instead of cotija. Cotija would absolutely work if you can find it, but feta is inexpensive, easy to find, and gives us that same salty, crumbly cheese element.

We’re also leaving the meat out completely.

Pasta and corn make this filling enough for an inexpensive meatless dinner, but you could always add leftover chicken if your family wants some extra protein.

Budget tip: Frozen corn works perfectly here, so there’s no need to buy fresh corn on the cob.

Serve it with: Nothing! We’re calling pasta salad dinner tonight. 😂 You could also serve it alongside grilled chicken, burgers, or tacos.

→ GET THE MEXICAN STREET CORN PASTA SALAD RECIPE

5. Sticky Garlic Chicken & Broccoli

Next up is my Sticky Garlic Chicken & Broccoli, and this is a good one when you’re craving takeout but don’t particularly feel like paying takeout prices.

Bite-sized pieces of chicken and broccoli are coated in a sticky homemade sauce made with soy sauce, honey, garlic, brown sugar, and a little vinegar.

Serve everything over rice and you’ve got an easy dinner using pretty basic ingredients.

I especially like adding this one to the week because we’re already buying chicken for the mini tacos and butter chicken, so we can take advantage of a larger package instead of buying several unrelated proteins.

Budget tip: Frozen broccoli works just fine if it’s cheaper than fresh that week.

Serve it with: White rice and sliced green onions if you have them.

→ GET THE STICKY GARLIC CHICKEN & BROCCOLI RECIPE

6. Italian Sausage & White Bean Skillet

This Italian Sausage & White Bean Skillet is one of those dinners that looks a little fancier than the amount of work that actually goes into it.

And those are exactly the kinds of dinners I like. 😂

Mild Italian sausage, cannellini beans, tomatoes, spinach, Parmesan, and a savory broth all come together in one skillet.

The beans help stretch one pound of sausage into a filling family dinner while adding a creamy texture without needing another expensive ingredient.

Serve it with a loaf of inexpensive French or Italian bread to soak up everything left in the bottom of the bowl.

Budget tip: Beans are one of my favorite ways to stretch meat without making dinner feel like you’re trying to stretch meat.

Serve it with: Warm French bread or Italian bread.

→ GET THE ITALIAN SAUSAGE & WHITE BEAN SKILLET RECIPE

7. Easy Butter Chicken with Rice & Naan

We’re ending the week with one of the easiest dinners on the list: Easy Butter Chicken with Rice & Naan.

Instead of making a long homemade sauce with a bunch of spices and specialty ingredients, this version starts with chicken and a jarred butter chicken simmer sauce.

Serve it over fluffy white rice with warm naan on the side and dinner is handled.

Is it the most elaborate homemade butter chicken recipe on the internet? Nope.

Is it an easy way to put something delicious and different on the dinner table on a busy weeknight? Absolutely.

That’s the goal around here.

Budget tip: Check how large your jar of simmer sauce is before automatically buying two. Depending on the brand and how saucy you like your chicken, one may be enough.

Serve it with: Rice, warm naan, and cilantro if you have some left from the pasta salad.

→ GET THE EASY BUTTER CHICKEN RECIPE

How These 7 Dinners Save Money

One of the biggest things I try to do when planning dinners for the week is look at the whole grocery list, not just whether each individual recipe sounds inexpensive.

A recipe might only cost $10, but if it requires five ingredients you won’t use anywhere else that week, those costs add up quickly.

This week we’re purposely overlapping ingredients.

The chicken is used for three dinners. Garlic and onions show up throughout the week. Cilantro can be used for the pasta salad, tacos, and butter chicken. Parmesan works in the baked spaghetti and sausage skillet. Rice is used with the sticky garlic chicken and butter chicken.

That’s how I prefer to meal plan: buy ingredients once and find multiple ways to use them.

It saves money, but it also means fewer half-used ingredients getting shoved into the back of the refrigerator until I discover them three weeks later. 😂

Easy Ways to Make This Week Even Cheaper

Before you shop, check your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer first.

You may already have pasta, rice, soy sauce, honey, seasonings, broth, or some of the cheese you need.

You also don’t need to buy every optional topping listed in these recipes.

If you don’t have avocado for the tacos? Skip it.

No fresh parsley for the spaghetti? Nobody is going to notice.

No green onions for the soup? Still soup. 😂

Those little extras can quickly turn an inexpensive dinner plan into an expensive grocery trip, so use what you have and skip what you don’t need.

Your 7-Dinner Meal Plan

If you want to follow the entire week, here’s the plan:

Night 1: Cheeseburger Macaroni Soup
Night 2: Mini Baked Chicken Tacos
Night 3: Easy Cheesy Baked Spaghetti with Ground Beef
Night 4: Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Night 5: Sticky Garlic Chicken & Broccoli
Night 6: Italian Sausage & White Bean Skillet
Night 7: Easy Butter Chicken with Rice & Naan

You can obviously make these in whatever order works best for your schedule.

I usually put the dinners that use the most perishable ingredients toward the beginning of the week and save pantry/freezer-friendly meals for later.

And remember: the meal plan works for you, not the other way around. Swap nights, skip something, use leftovers, or make breakfast for dinner if the week goes completely off the rails. We’ve all been there. 😂

More Budget-Friendly Family Dinners

I share a new set of easy family dinners every week, so if deciding what’s for dinner is the part you hate most, I’ve got you.

My goal isn’t to give you seven picture-perfect dinners that require an hour in the kitchen every night.

It’s to help you answer the question:

“What the heck am I making for dinner?”

…without spending a fortune doing it. 🩷

Want the Printable Grocery List?

If you’re part of my weekly meal plan membership, your printable grocery list and recipe cards are ready for you inside the subscriber library.

And if you’re new here, welcome! I share a new set of budget-friendly dinners every week to make family meals easier and more affordable. Click here to sign up!

Grocery List

Meat

2 lbs ground beef
4½–5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lb mild Italian sausage

Produce

3 small yellow onions
2 bulbs garlic
4 cups broccoli florets
1 (12 oz) bag frozen corn
1 (5–6 oz) bag baby spinach
1 lime
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch green onions
Fresh parsley, optional
Shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocado & pickles, optional for serving

Dairy & Refrigerated

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Mexican-style cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
Butter

Pasta, Rice & Bread

1 box elbow macaroni
1 (16 oz) box spaghetti
1 (12 oz) box rotini
2 cups uncooked rice
16–20 street taco-size flour tortillas
1 package naan
1 loaf French or Italian bread

Canned, Jarred & Sauces

3 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans
1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce
1–2 jars butter chicken simmer sauce
4 cups beef broth
1½ cups chicken broth
1 small can tomato paste
1 jar salsa
Soy sauce
Honey
Worcestershire sauce
Rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Pantry – Check Before Buying

Olive or cooking oil
Cornstarch
Brown sugar
Taco seasoning (or homemade spices)
Italian seasoning
Chili powder
Smoked paprika
Paprika
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Black pepper
Sesame oil, optional
Cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes, optional

7 Easy Budget-Friendly Family Dinners to Make This Week