The $32 5 Recipe Meal Plan You've Been Searching For

Let me handle this week's grocery haul

Have you heard? Groceries are expensive. Even more so if your idea of savvy grocery shopping involved multiple trips to a store a week and individual recipes. You need a meal plan with overlap, one that makes the most of every ingredient to maximize flavor savings.

Lucky for you, this is kind of my thing. Don't waste time planning your weekly trip to the grocery store because I've already done it for you. Below are five recipes for two, made with only a few pantry staples and $32 worth of ingredients. Keep in mind, I'm shopping in Lower Manhattan, meaning you could make this haul cheaper just about anywhere else if you're intentional.

Follow the step-by-step recipes below, or check out the full weekly meal plan tutorial here on my YouTube channel.

Grocery List

• Small bag of rice

• 6 bone-in chicken thighs

• 1 onion

• 1 green bell pepper

• 1 bulb of garlic

• 2 (32 oz) containers chicken broth

• Miso paste

• 1 pack cooked chicken sausage

• 1 bag of orzo

• 1 shallot

• 1 pint of half and half

• 1 bag of spinach

• 1 can of white beans (Cannellini, Great Northern, etc.)

Pantry Items (or get creative)

• Flour

• Butter

• Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, turmeric, cumin, nutmeg, Cajun seasoning

• Olive oil

• High smoke point oil

Recipes

One-Pot Brown Butter Miso Orzo with Chicken Sausage

• 1 tsp. oil

• 3 links of chicken sausage, sliced into rounds

• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter (monitor salt levels, if using salted)

• 1 tbsp. white miso

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1/2 shallot, finely chopped

• 1 cup of orzo

• 2 cups of chicken broth

• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano & red pepper flakes

• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large, high sided pan or pot. Add in sliced sausage and cook until browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce heat to low and add in butter. Stir constantly and cook until milk solids begin to toast. 

2. Once the butter is mostly browned, stir in shallots and garlic until shallots have softened, 2-3 minutes. Add in orzo and toast for 1-2 minutes.

3. Pour in chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any fond (flavor bits on the bottom of the pan). Add oregano and red pepper flakes (or seasonings of choice), and season to taste with salt (taste it first, miso is salty!) and cracked pepper.

4. Raise heat to medium high until broth comes to a boil, then reduce to medium and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until orzo is fully cooked. Stir in sausage and serve.

Creamy Beans and Rice

• 2 tsp. olive oil

• 1/2 shallot, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

• 1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup half and half

• Salt, to taste

• 1/4 tsp. each of black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, cumin, and a pinch of nutmeg

• 2 handfulls spinach

• White rice, to serve

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallot and garlic with a pinch of salt until softened, 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, make white rice.

2. Add in drained beans, chicken broth and half and half along with black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, cumin and nutmeg. Taste and season with salt, as needed.

3. Bring beans to a simmer and reduce until the sauce is thick and glossy. Stir in 2 handfuls of spinach, and serve over white rice.

Chicken and Gravy

• 2 tsp. oil

• 6 bone-in chicken thighs

• 1/2 large onion, finely chopped

• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced 

• 1-2 tbsp. flour

• 2 cups chicken broth, or more

• 1/4 tsp. each of garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper

• 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning

• A few dashes of Worcestershire

• Salt, to taste

• White rice, to serve 

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Sear chicken thighs, skin side down until golden brown, 7-9 minutes. Flip and repeat. Remove and set aside.

2. Add onion, peppers, and garlic to the pot with a pinch of salt. Sauté until fully softened, 8-10 minutes. Add flour, combine, and toast for 1-2 minutes.

3. Add chicken broth and seasonings. Taste and adjust, if needed. Return chicken thighs, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 25-45 minutes. Serve over white rice.

Creamy Chicken Sausage and Orzo Soup

• 1 tbsp. oil

• 2 links of chicken sausage, thinly sliced

• 1/2 onion, finely chopped 

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

• 3 cups chicken broth

• 1 cup orzo

• Salt, black pepper, red pepper, and dried oregano, to taste

• 1 cup half and half

• 2 handfuls of spinach

1. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large pot. Add in sliced sausage and cook until browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. 

2. Turn heat to medium low. Add onions and garlic and sauté until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.

3. Add orzo, salt, and spices. Simmer for 3 minutes. Turn heat to low. Return sausage to the pot along with half and half. Simmer until soup reaches desired thickness, then add in spinach.

Leftover Chicken Pot Pie

Crust

• 1 cup flour

• 1/3 cup butter,  cut into pieces

• 1-3 tbsp. ice water

Filling

• Leftover chicken and gravy, bones removed

• 1/4 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup half and half

• Salt, to taste 

1. Pinch butter into flour until all butter is coated and no huge lumps remain. Add ice cold water one tablespoon at a time (you may not need all of it) until dough is shaggy but sticks together. Wrap and chill in the refrigerator, 20-30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Meanwhile, place deboned chicken in a pot with leftover gravy and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer.

3. Once chicken and gravy is fully reheated and reincorporated, add half and half. Bring back to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer until desired consistency is reached. Season with additional salt, if needed.

4. Add chicken and gravy to a small casserole dish or ramekin. Flour work surface and roll out pie crust until it is 1/4” thick and an inch larger than your dish.

5. Place crust over the filling and cutoff any excess beyond 1/4”. Roll and crimp edges. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.