Get Cozy This Fall with Our FREE Printable 5-Day Meal Plan with Recipes

Need help with meal planning?

As the weather cools, use this FREE printable meal plan to make warm and comforting tried and true recipes! They’re easy to make and will appeal to the whole family. If your family is asking what’s for dinner, I have the answer, plus I’ve even included a bonus grocery list for your convenience! 🙌

These five popular recipes have been tested and vetted not only by my family but by other Hip2Save readers as well! If you wish to be directed to the original post, simply click on the titles or images below. Keep in mind to use this printable meal plan as a general guide, and add more veggies or side salads as desired for your family’s taste.

Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 small or 1 large butternut squash (about 3.5 lbs.), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
  (or 20oz. bag of fresh pre-chopped squash)
• 5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 10 sage leaves
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus a little more for serving
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked & crumbled. (*optional for topping)

Directions:

• In a large bowl, toss together the squash, 1 tablespoon of the oil, the salt, and pepper.
• In the biggest soup pot you have, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the squash and spread it out in one layer and let it sit there (don’t move it) until the underside gets nice and dark brown, 6 to 7 minutes. (Split this into two batches if your pot isn’t big enough.)
• Continue to turn the squash and cook until the underside is browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add just a little of the broth to dissolve the sticky bits in the pot, and dump it all into a separate plate or bowl.
• Heat two tablespoons of oil in the pot, then chop 10 sage leaves and add to the pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen those yummy browned bits, until the onions are soft and lightly golden, 7-8 minutes.
• Add the previous batch of squash and the remaining broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is tender and starting to fall apart, about 25 minutes.
• Use an immersion hand blender to puree or carefully transfer the soup to a blender and blend until almost smooth; a few chunks are okay. Return soup to pot, add cream, and warm up for about 5 minutes.
• Divide the soup among six bowls, swirl a spoonful of cream into each one, and top each bowl with bacon if desired.

Slow Cooker Creamy Salsa Verde Chicken 

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

• 3 raw chicken breasts (1.5 lbs.)
• 8 oz. prepared green salsa
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt & pepper
• chopped cilantro *optional garnish
• black beans and rice for serving or tortillas for tacos

Directions: 

• Place chicken breasts in slow cooker and season both sides with cumin, garlic, salt & pepper.
• Pour salsa on top of meat.
• Cover, and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, or HIGH 3-4 hours.
• About 30 minutes before done, shred chicken. Stir in cream cheese, put lid back on, and let melt with chicken.
• Serve with a little more green salsa and top with chopped cilantro if desired.
• Serve this with one can of beans and 4 servings of rice. Can alternately be served as tacos.

Sheet Pan Chicken Pesto

Serves: 4-5 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup prepared pesto
• 12 oz. fresh brussels sprouts, trimmed, cut
• 10 oz. fresh cauliflower florets
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh asparagus, chopped
• 1.5 pounds raw chicken breast, chopped in one-inch pieces

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400. (Cover the sheet pan with parchment paper for easy cleanup.)
• In a large bowl, stir veggies and 1/4 cup pesto to coat.
• Place on a large sheet pan.
• Season chicken with salt & pepper. Coat chicken with 1/4 cup pesto, and add to the sheet pan.
• Bake at 400 degrees for about 24-30 minutes until chicken is cooked and veggies are tender.

Slow Cooker Sausage & Corn Chowder

Serves 6 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. smoked sausage
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 c. frozen potato O’Brien hash browns with onions and peppers (half a bag)
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 15 oz. can creamed corn
• 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions: 

• Cut up sausage in bite-size pieces and brown it along with chopped onion in a skillet over medium heat.
• Place sausage in a slow cooker. Top with hash browns and carrots, corn, soup, garlic, and broth. Mix all in the slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours. Serve warm.

Easy Mexican Lasagna

Serves 8 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• taco seasoning packet
• 10 oz. Rotel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
• 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce
• 12 corn tortillas
• 15 oz. can of corn, drained
• 15 oz. can black beans, drained
• 2 and 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used pepper jack and cheddar)
• optional toppings: olives & sliced green onion

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.
• Cook ground beef in a skillet on the stove and season with taco seasoning packet. Mix in Rotel and enchilada sauce with the meat.
• Spoon 1/3 of the meat mixture on the bottom of casserole dish. Layer 6 tortillas over the top of meat.
• Spoon another 1/3 of the meat over the tortillas, along with 1/2 can of corn, 1/2 can of beans, and half of the shredded cheese.
• Repeat with 6 other tortillas, remaining meat, corn, beans, and top with cheese.
• Bake covered with foil for about 25 minutes. Remove foil for the last 5 minutes.
• Serve warm. Top with chopped green onion and olives if desired.

Written by Lina for Hip2Save. Lina is a proud mom of 2 kids who loves photography, all holidays, cooking, thrift store makeovers, bargain shopping, and DIY makeovers. Her goal is to create a beautiful life and stylish home on a dime! To see all of Lina’s DIY/Crafts created just for Hip2Save, click here.