Mid October and the oven is on most nights. A classic chicken pot pie under a double crust to start, a ground beef and potato skillet, split pea soup built on a ham bone, cheesy stuffed acorn squash, and slow cooker meatballs in marinara for Friday.
For the bonus recipe, pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting. Soft, warmly spiced and topped with a tangy frosting that sets just enough to stack them. The batch makes twenty eight.
Helpful Tips for This Week
- Cook and shred the chicken for the pot pie the day before, or pull it off a rotisserie chicken. You need 3 cups.
- Dice the potatoes small for the beef and potato skillet. Large pieces will not cook through before the beef is done.
- Save a ham bone from a roast for the split pea soup, or ask at the deli counter for a smoked ham hock. That bone is the whole flavor of the soup.
- Pick acorn squash around 2 pounds each. If yours are smaller, buy three or you will have filling left over.
- Grate the onion for the meatballs instead of chopping it, and tip the juice in with it. That is what keeps them tender.
- Start the meatballs before you leave in the morning. Four hours on low, and they sit happily in the sauce until dinner.
- Drain the pumpkin puree for the cookies on paper towels first. Wet puree gives you cakey cookies that spread.
1
Monday — Chicken Pot Pie
Shredded chicken, mushrooms, carrots, corn and peas in a creamy thyme sauce under a double crust. It serves six and it is the definition of a cold night dinner.
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2
Tuesday — Ground Beef and Potatoes Skillet
Crisp diced potatoes and seasoned ground beef in one pan, finished with sharp cheddar. Forty minutes start to finish and only one thing to wash up.
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3
Wednesday — Split Pea Soup With Ham
Thick, smoky and built on a ham bone, with carrots, celery and onion cooked right down into it. It makes eight bowls and it is better the next day.
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4
Thursday — Cheesy Stuffed Acorn Squash
Roasted acorn squash halves filled with ground chicken, mushrooms, apple and thyme, then buried under melted cheese. One half is a full dinner.
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5
Friday — Slow Cooker Meatballs
Tender beef and Parmesan meatballs cooked low in marinara for four hours, then spooned over spaghetti. Start them in the morning and Friday takes care of itself.
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6
Bonus — Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Soft, warmly spiced pumpkin cookies under a tangy cream cheese frosting. The batch makes twenty eight and they keep for days.
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Easy Serving Ideas
Keep the sides simple this week. The pot pie wants mashed potatoes or bread for the sauce, the beef skillet a green salad, and the split pea soup some hearty bread. The acorn squash needs nothing at all, and the meatballs go over spaghetti with extra Parmesan and parsley.
Shopping List
This shopping list includes everything you need to make all five dinners, plus the bonus cookies included in this week’s plan. Click the button below to print it and take it to the store.
Produce
- 5 yellow onions, 1 large and 4 small to medium
- 1 bulb garlic, you need 11 cloves
- 6 medium carrots
- 1 bunch celery, you need 4 ribs
- 1 pound mushrooms, 8 ounces of them cremini for the squash
- 2 medium acorn squash, about 2 pounds each, or 3 if yours are smaller
- 1 sweet crisp apple
- 1 pound potatoes
- 1 small package fresh thyme
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley
Meat
- 3 chicken breasts, or a rotisserie chicken, you need 3 cups shredded
- 1 pound ground chicken, or ground turkey
- 2 pounds 90/10 ground beef, 1 for the skillet and 1 for the meatballs
- 1 ham bone saved from a roast, or 1 smoked ham hock, plus extra ham slices if you want them
Dairy and Eggs
- 3 large eggs, or 1 dozen if you need to restock
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, you need about 2 ¾
- 1 small carton whole or 2% milk, you need ¾ cup
- 1 small wedge Parmesan, you need about ¾ cup grated
- 1 (8-ounce) block sharp cheddar
- 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded mozzarella, for the acorn squash
- 4 ounces cream cheese
Canned and Jarred
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 2 (32-ounce) cartons chicken broth, you need 6 ½ cups so one carton comes up short
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
Frozen and Refrigerated
- 1 package refrigerated pie crusts, you need a double crust for a 9-inch pie
- 1 small bag frozen corn, you need 1 cup
- 1 small bag frozen peas, you need 1 cup
Pasta and Dry Goods
- 1 pound dried split peas
- 1 pound spaghetti, to serve under the meatballs
- 1 small box panko breadcrumbs
- 1 small bag croutons for the soup, optional
Baking Aisle
- All-purpose flour, or the gluten free flour I use, you need about 3 cups
- Granulated sugar, you need 1 cup
- Light brown sugar, you need ½ cup
- Powdered sugar, you need 2 cups
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Pure vanilla extract
- Parchment paper
Oils, Condiments and Spices
- Olive oil, you need about 5 tablespoons
- Smoked paprika
- Onion powder
- Ground cumin
- Italian seasoning
- Dried thyme, you need 3 teaspoons
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
Supplies
- 9-inch pie dish and a rolling pin, for the pot pie
- Large pot
- 12-inch nonstick or cast iron skillet, for the beef skillet and the squash filling
- Roasting pan or sheet pan for the squash
- 6-quart Dutch oven
- 6-quart slow cooker
- Large mixing bowl
- 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop
- Instant-read thermometer
- Box grater
- Hand mixer, or the stand mixer I use, for the frosting
- Baking sheets
- Wire cooling rack
Optional Serving Ideas
- Mashed potatoes or crusty bread with the chicken pot pie
- A simple side salad or air fryer vegetables with the beef and potato skillet
- Hearty bread or rolls with the split pea soup
- A pear or beet salad with the acorn squash
- Spaghetti or buttered noodles under the meatballs, with extra Parmesan and parsley
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