Easy Weekly Meal Plan #5: Five Dinners and Hot Fudge Cake

This week, we’re making chicken and dumplings, smothered pork chops, stuffing meatloaf, ham and beans, and salmon patties for supper. There’s hot fudge cake for dessert, too!

Five dinners are planned out, Night 3 is leftovers, and Night 7 is open. Two of this week’s mains make big batches on purpose, so the leftovers night takes care of itself. It’s all old-fashioned, grocery store cooking, nothing fancy.

Click the dinner and side dish names to pull up each recipe. The grocery list at the bottom has everything combined, so you can shop once and be done thinking about supper for the week.

Jump to the grocery list

This week’s menu

Night	Dinner and sides
1	Chicken and Dumplings with Wilted Lettuce
2	Smothered Pork Chops with Stick of Butter Rice and Air Fryer Carrots
3	Leftovers or eat out
4	Stove Top Stuffing Meatloaf with Party Potatoes
5	Ham and Beans with Hush Puppies
6	Salmon Patties with Broccoli Casserole
7	Open night. Use what you have or make a family favorite.

 

Dessert: Hot Fudge Cake

Night 1: Chicken and dumplings and wilted lettuce

One batch of Chicken and Dumplings makes ten servings, so start the week here and Night 3 takes care of itself. The dumplings are rolled and cut, not dropped, so they hold their shape in the broth instead of going to mush.

Alongside it, Wilted Lettuce is about as old-fashioned as a side gets. Torn leaf lettuce with hot bacon grease poured over the top and a pinch of salt. That’s the whole thing. The recipe serves two, so double it for four.

Allow: About an hour and fifteen minutes for the dumplings. The lettuce comes together in under ten, but you need the bacon grease hot, so cook your bacon while the chicken simmers.

Little tip: Cook six to eight slices of bacon early in the day and pour the grease into a jar. You’ll want about half a cup for the doubled lettuce, and the bacon itself is good crumbled right over the top.

Night 2: Smothered pork chops, stick of butter rice, and carrots

Smothered Pork Chops are dredged, seared, and finished in an onion and mushroom gravy right in the same skillet. Four chops, thirty minutes, one pan to wash.

The gravy needs something underneath it, and Stick of Butter Rice is exactly right. Rice, a can of French onion soup, a can of beef broth, and a stick of butter go in a dish and the oven does the rest. Add Air Fryer Carrots for something bright on the plate.

Allow: The rice bakes for an hour, so put it in first. The chops take thirty minutes and the carrots twenty, both at the end.

Make it easier: Plain steamed rice works fine under the chops if you’d rather not run the oven for an hour. You’ll lose the buttery, oniony part, but supper still lands on time.

Night 3: Leftovers or eat out

Let’s see what’s in the fridge! The chicken and dumplings from Night 1 should still be holding strong. Nothing extra to buy for this one.

Night 4: Stuffing meatloaf and party potatoes

Stove Top Stuffing Meatloaf uses a box of stuffing mix in place of breadcrumbs, which keeps it from drying out and saves you measuring out seasonings. It serves eight, so you’ll likely have some for sandwiches.

Party Potatoes are the hashbrown casserole you’ve eaten at every church supper, with crushed ruffle chips on top instead of cornflakes. Both go in the oven at the same temperature, so they can share.

Allow: About 55 minutes for the meatloaf and an hour for the potatoes. Start the potatoes about five minutes ahead and they’ll finish together.

Little tip: Let the meatloaf sit for ten minutes before you slice it. Cut it straight out of the oven and it falls apart on you.

Night 5: Ham and beans and hush puppies

Ham and Beans uses canned great northern beans and a smoked ham hock, so you get the long-simmered flavor without soaking anything overnight. Under an hour from start to bowl.

Hush Puppies are the right thing to eat alongside. The full recipe makes two dozen, which is more than four people need, so a half batch is plenty.

Allow: About 50 minutes for the beans. The hush puppies fry in a few minutes once the oil is hot, so start them when the beans are nearly done.

Make it easier: A pan of cornbread does the same job without the frying. If you skip the hush puppies, leave the cornmeal and buttermilk off your list.

Night 6: Salmon patties and broccoli casserole

Salmon Patties are made from a can, crushed saltines, and an egg, fried until the edges go crisp. They’re a Friday-night supper a lot of us grew up on, and they cost almost nothing to put together.

Broccoli Casserole rounds it out with cheddar and a crushed cracker top. It serves eight, so make half unless you want it for lunch the next day.

Allow: About 45 minutes for the patties and 40 for the casserole. Get the casserole in the oven, then fry the patties while it bakes.

Little tip: Drain the salmon well and press it dry before you mix. Wet salmon makes patties that fall apart in the skillet.

Something sweet: Hot fudge cake

Hot Fudge Cake makes its own sauce while it bakes. You spread the batter in the pan, scatter cocoa and brown sugar over it, pour hot water on top, and it comes out of the oven as cake sitting in a pool of hot fudge. It serves nine.

Allow: About 55 minutes, start to finish. Almost everything in it is already in your pantry.

Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you have some. It thickens as it sits, so scoop it while it’s fresh out of the oven.

A little preparation before the week starts

• Cook a package of bacon and save the grease in a jar for Night 1’s wilted lettuce.
• Chop your onions for the week all at once. You’ll need them on Nights 2, 4, and 6.
• The hot fudge cake needs hot water poured over the top right before it bakes. Put the kettle on when you preheat the oven.
• Nights 2 and 4 both want the oven for an hour. If that’s a tight evening for you, swap one with Night 6.
• Pull the ground beef and pork chops into the fridge to thaw the night before you need them.

Already using my Dinner Theme System? These dinners can fit right into the themes you’ve chosen.

Grocery list

Here’s what you’ll need for five dinners and their sides for four people, plus the 9-serving cake. I’ve included half batches of the hush puppies and broccoli casserole, a doubled batch of the wilted lettuce, and full batches of everything else. You’ll need to add your usual breakfasts, lunches, and anything extra for the two flexible nights.

Check what you have before you head to the store. I’ve listed the amounts you’ll use and suggested a package size where it helps. Take a look at the labels on the beans, the broth, and the hashbrowns so you bring home enough.

Produce

• ☐ 3 yellow onions: 1 small for the pork chops, half for the meatloaf, and half for the broccoli casserole.
• ☐ 1 bunch green onions: 4 sliced, for the party potatoes.
• ☐ 1 head leaf lettuce: about 28 leaves for the doubled wilted lettuce.
• ☐ 2 lb carrots: for the air fryer carrots.
• ☐ 8 oz sliced brown mushrooms: for the pork chop gravy.
• ☐ 1 head garlic: 3 cloves for the pork chops and 3 for the meatloaf. Jarred minced garlic works for the dumplings and the salmon patties.
• ☐ 1 lemon: for serving with the salmon patties.

Meat and fish

• ☐ 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts: for the chicken and dumplings.
• ☐ 4 boneless pork chops: half to three-quarters of an inch thick.
• ☐ 1 lb lean ground beef: for the meatloaf.
• ☐ 2 cups diced ham: a ham steak works well here.
• ☐ 1 smoked ham hock: for the ham and beans.
• ☐ 1 package bacon: you need about half a cup of grease for the wilted lettuce.
• ☐ 15 oz canned salmon: for the patties.

Bread, dairy, and eggs

• ☐ 1 dozen eggs: uses about 8, across the meatloaf, hush puppies, salmon patties, broccoli casserole, and cake.
• ☐ ¾ cup half and half: for the dumpling dough.
• ☐ ½ cup heavy cream: for the pork chop gravy.
• ☐ 16 oz sour cream: for the party potatoes.
• ☐ 1 cup buttermilk: uses about ⅜ cup for the half batch of hush puppies.
• ☐ 3 cups shredded cheddar: 2 cups for the party potatoes and ¾ cup sharp cheddar for the broccoli casserole.
• ☐ 1 lb salted butter: uses about 1½ sticks across the dumplings, pork chops, party potatoes, hush puppies, and broccoli casserole.
• ☐ 1 stick unsalted butter: for the rice, plus 2 tablespoon for the cake.
• ☐ ½ cup milk: for the hot fudge cake.

Cans, jars, and frozen

• ☐ 15 cups chicken broth: 10 for the dumplings, 1 for the pork chops, and 4 for the ham and beans. That’s about four 32-oz cartons.
• ☐ 5 (15-oz) cans great northern beans: drain 3 and leave 2 undrained.
• ☐ 1 (10-oz) can condensed French onion soup: for the rice.
• ☐ 1 (10-oz) can beef broth: for the rice.
• ☐ 2 (10.5-oz) cans cream of chicken soup: one for the party potatoes, one for the broccoli casserole.
• ☐ 1 cup long-grain white rice: for the stick of butter rice.
• ☐ 1 (6-oz) box Stove Top stuffing mix: for the meatloaf.
• ☐ 2 lb frozen southern-style hashbrowns: for the party potatoes.
• ☐ 3 cups frozen steamable broccoli: half a batch of the casserole.
• ☐ ¾ cup ketchup: for the meatloaf topping.
• ☐ 1 bag cheddar and sour cream ruffle chips: 2 cups crushed, for the party potatoes.
• ☐ 1 sleeve saltine crackers: ¾ cup crushed, for the salmon patties.
• ☐ 1 box Cheez-Its: ¾ cup crushed, for the broccoli casserole.
• ☐ ½ cup yellow cornmeal: for the half batch of hush puppies.

Check your pantry: sauces, baking ingredients, and seasonings

• ☐ All-purpose flour: about 5 cups, across the dumplings, pork chops, hush puppies, and cake.
• ☐ Granulated sugar: about 1 cup. Brown sugar: ½ cup. Unsweetened cocoa powder: 6 Tbsp.
• ☐ Vegetable oil: about 3 cups, mostly for frying. Olive oil: 3 Tbsp. Canola oil: 2 Tbsp.
• ☐ Mayonnaise: about ⅓ cup, for the salmon patties and broccoli casserole.
• ☐ Worcestershire sauce: about ⅓ cup, for the meatloaf and pork chops.
• ☐ Maple syrup: 2 Tbsp. Honey: 1 Tbsp.
• ☐ Cornstarch: 1 Tbsp, optional, for thickening the dumplings.
• ☐ Baking powder and baking soda
• ☐ Vanilla extract: 1½ tsp.
• ☐ Ground cinnamon
• ☐ Onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika
• ☐ Old Bay seasoning and Italian seasoning
• ☐ Dried basil, dried minced onions, bay leaves, and cayenne: for the ham and beans.
• ☐ Salt, kosher salt, and black pepper
• ☐ Cooking spray and foil
• ☐ Equipment: air fryer, large pot or Dutch oven, deep skillet for frying, 9×13 dish, 8×8 dish, loaf pan, and an 8×8 or 9×9 for the cake.

Optional extras

• ☐ Vanilla ice cream: for the hot fudge cake.
• ☐ Fresh flat-leaf parsley: for the pork chops, carrots, and salmon patties.
• ☐ Extra sharp cheddar: for the top of the broccoli casserole.
• ☐ A pan of cornbread: if you’d rather skip frying the hush puppies.

Want another week of dinner ideas? Browse all of my easy weekly meal plans.