These seven easy from scratch dinner ideas are perfect for your weekly meal plan! As a busy mom of two littles I love prioritizing our health through nourishing, delicious meals. However, I rarely have hours to devote to this one task! That is why I am all about simple meals I can make from scratch in under an hour. Get a week’s worth of simple from scratch dinners in this post!
My Meal Planning Strategy
Let’s just say- it is not a strategy at all. I honestly hate meal planning. I always end up wanting something besides the meal I planned for the day! When it comes to meal planning I would much rather wing it. However, I do notice that when I go about it without some sort of plan I end up over-spending on the grocery budget. I had to figure out a way to get the best of both worlds so we could eat well while also being kind to the budget!
Necessity is the mother of invention! So I came up with a “strategy” that provides us a very loose plan and I build my grocery list off of that. Here is how it works.
I plan what meals sound good for the week choosing about ten that sound best. Taking the meals I chose I will then build a grocery list off my ideas. Sometimes it is easy to come up with ten, other times I just come up with as many as I can (seven minimum) then add things to my grocery list for easy, generic things like chicken breast, ground beef, pasta, etc.
Another great way to come up with the ten meals is to shop your refrigerator or pantry. What do you have? What meals could you build off what is available? Think of it as one of those cooking game shows where you are given several random ingredients to use and you have to come up with a meal from it. This also limits food waste!
Cooking Dinner From Scratch Every Week
We currently eat most of our meals at home (minus a few times eating out for lunch or dinner per month). This means a lot of cooking from scratch! If you are not used to this it may seem like a lot of work but the benefits are well worth it! First, it is much more affordable to cook meals from scratch than to eat at restaurants throughout the week. More importantly the health benefits far outweigh all the work it takes to put a meal together.
As a homemaker and mama it is so fulfilling to provide my family with nourishing food throughout the week. It is even more rewarding to make from scratch meals with quality ingredients. You can do this affordable over at Thrive Market! My friends at Thrive Market have been stocking my pantry with the best quality products for my family. They offer thousands of products from only clean brands giving you options for healthy food, snacks, non toxic cleaning supplies, and so much more! Thrive is offering you a free $60 gift when you sign up using my link. Check out Thrive Market here!
10 Easy From Scratch Dinner Ideas You Can Make in Under an Hour
1. 30 Minute Stromboli Pizza
This delicious stromboli pizza is a great way to do a simple, from scratch pizza night! You can make a simple dough using sourdough starter or yeast (our post has instructions for both methods!). Use any combination of mix ins you prefer- pepperonis, cheese, turkey, sausage, and veggies then add a bit of pizza sauce for dipping. This recipe takes just 30 minutes from start to finish and makes two strombolis that feed eight people. Get our recipe here!
2. One Pot Chicken Vegetable and Rice Soup
This simple, quick recipe for chicken vegetable and rice soup is a one pot (busy mom) favorite! Nourishing chicken broth, whatever vegetables your family prefers, and rice all cook in one pot in under 45 minutes. Add in your favorite seasonings and herbs for a truly delicious customized meal for your family. Get the recipe here!
3. Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
A classic spin off the of a classic chicken pot pie but easier! This recipe uses biscuits on top instead of the traditional pie crust. You can make the biscuits from scratch with our easy recipe or make it even easier with store-bought dough. This recipe takes just under an hour (even with making your own biscuits). Get the full, completely from scratch recipe here in this post!
4. Our Favorite From Scratch (ish) Pasta
For a quick, easy and delicious pasta I use boxed noodles and canned sauce. Does that make this a truly from scratch meal? Probably not but you can make this with good quality ingredients from Thrive Market! We get all our organic, gluten free pasta noodles from Thrive and we love them. They make sure this easy meal also gives my peace of mind knowing that the ingredients I am feeding my family are the best quality.
Here’s how we make this quick and easy pasta…
- 1lb ground beef or chicken breast
- 1 box Jovial brown rice penne rigatoni pasta
- 1 can pasta sauce
- 1 can alfredo sauce
- 8oz mozzarella cheese
Cook the meat and pasta fully. Add pasta, meat, pasta sauces and alfredo to a 9×13 casserole dish. Top with shredded mozzarella. bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese has melted. We love serving with easy sourdough discard breadsticks when I have the time.
5. Creamy Spinach Chicken
This thirty minute recipe is so flavorful and packed with nutrients! Chicken cooked in a homemade creamy sauce and fresh spinach served over rice or with other vegetables. Use whatever herbs and seasonings you prefer to add all the from scratch flavor. Get the recipe here!
6. Taco Night Featuring From Scratch Tortillas
We weekly have some form of taco night whether it is chicken or beef tacos, burritos, quesadillas, etc. Regardless of what we make I love adding fresh made tortillas to the menu using this recipe! These tortillas can be made with a tortilla press or rolled out thinly to make in a skillet. They are easy to make and require no rise time! Make eight tortillas in just 12 minutes!
7. Hamburgers with From Scratch Honey Hamburger Buns
Who doesn’t love a good hamburger? Serve them with a from scratch hamburger buns and they become irresistible! Our recipe uses sourdough starter for a delicious, soft honey hamburger bun. However, the recipe can be adapted for yeast users as well using 2 tsp active yeast and one cup of warm water instead of sourdough starter.
Want to start making your own sourdough goods but don’t know where to begin? Try our dehydrated sourdough starter! Or get access to our mini e-guide on how to make and maintain your own sourdough start. Our motto when it comes to sourdough is simplicity. No complicated instructions or stressful information- just sourdough done simply! Go check out our shop for more resources and products!
Click here to Shop
