Aldi Five Day Meal Plan: Skillet Meal Ideas!
If you're looking for Meal Ideas or thinking of shopping at Aldi for your weekly menu staples, take a look at this easy skillet meal plan with dishes you can have on the table in about 30 minutes or less, each day!
Shopping at Aldi
Why shop at Aldi? With grocery prices unfortunately going up across the country, and supply chain issues off and on, we know Aldi is a great place to get your staple grocery items. I honestly haven't always shopped regularly at Aldi, but it's an awesome place to go to lower your grocery budget if you have a location nearby.
To be 100% honest, Aldi is a different shopping experience than you may be used to. There aren't many name brands– so be aware of that if you prefer these. And, stock varies and some items may be sold out toward the end of a sale week. As a general rule, shop Aldi first and then have a backup store in mind to head over to secondly for any items that Aldi did not have available.
5 Day Skillet Meal Plan with Meal Ideas:
We’ve put together a Five Day Skillet Meal Plan that should serve 2-4 people. With sides such as veggies, garlic bread, or salad, some of these can even stretch to 5 or 6 — especially if you're including smaller children. We know part of the energy spent planning a family menu is finding good meal ideas.
These one skillet meals are great for those times when you're short on time and energy. They don't have to be expensive as you can pick-up ingredients at Aldi, Walmart and some even at Dollar Tree. Scroll to the end for your printable shopping list!
Day 1 — Cheesy Sausage Mac
Easy Cheesy Sausage Mac is a kid-friendly option that adds a bit more flavor for adults than the traditional Mac and cheese from a box! I love that you can add your preferred sausage or protein here. So, if you don't care for the smoked sausage, you can switch it up and even add chicken sausage or even a mild Cajun sausage. Either way, it's a hearty one dish meal that goes a long way. It's one of my favorite short-on-time meal ideas.
For this recipe you will need to purchase from Aldi:
- 12 oz. (one package) of smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into ¼-inch slices
- 1 small onion, diced. This is optional. You can also use about 1 tablespoon of dried minced onions.
- 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
- Chili Powder– you may have this in the pantry
- Black pepper — you probably have this in your pantry
- 3 cups of uncooked macaroni pasta (2 of the 12 oz packages)
- 2 cup Bag of Shredded cheddar cheese (uses 1/2 cup so about a quarter of the bag).
You can optionally purchase the smoked sausage, macaroni, tomato sauce and cheese at Dollar Tree – Cost $4.00.
Get instructions and recipe by clicking here.
Day 2- Hearty Chili Chicken and Rice!
This recipe has a southwest flair so you can serve it with tortilla chips and salsa, some warm tortillas, guacamole, or even queso!
From Aldi you will need to add to your list:
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (about one small package).
- Vegetable oil– you probably already have this on hand.
- 2 red and/or green bell peppers, chopped — or any bell peppers available. My Aldi has a 3 pack of green bell peppers so I get that often.
- Chili powder — already on the list.
- 1 can (15.5 oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- One can (14.5 oz.) fat free reduced sodium chicken broth (or you can get the carton).
- 1 package Knorr® Fiesta Sides™ – Spanish Rice. If you cannot find the name brand, Aldi almost always has their own variety of Spanish or flavored rice that you can use. Be sure to use a microwavable/ instant rice package.
Get instructions and recipe by clicking here.
Day 3- Smothered Balsamic Mushroom Grilled Chicken!
This recipe on my meal ideas list is a nice change up from the first two, since it's more of a chicken and veggies skillet. You can serve this with just about any side dish, such as bread, potatoes, pasta or rice sides, or low carb with additional veggies or salad.
Kids would probably want this one with mac and cheese, parents! 🙂
You will need to add to your Aldi list:
- 1 lb of chicken
- Zucchini — I am not a huge fan of zucchini so one would be plenty for us!
- 1-2 Yellow Squash– again, you can choose how much to add.
- Sliced mushrooms, 1 package (any variety). Aldi stock will vary on this.
- Balsamic Vinegar- This is located in the baking aisle or in condiments. If you cannot find it, one alternative would be the Balsamic Salad Dressing.
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive Oil- if you do not have it already in the pantry
Get instructions and recipe by clicking here.
Day 4 – Cast Iron Skillet Harvest Squash
If your family eats a lot of veggies, this is one you must try. I absolutely love the flavors, and it's not as heavy as many skillet meals just since it's vegetable based! It's perfect if you're searching for meal ideas that you can easily make meatless or vegan.
It may not be hugely popular if your kids are not accustomed to eating veggies such as squash. The recipe also contains pecans, so be aware to skip this if nut allergies are a concern.
An easy substitute for the squash is to use a soft variety of potato, such as Yukon Gold or red potatoes. Cooking times may vary with any substitutes, of course!
- Fresh Sweet Potato (yam)
- Butternut squash
- Acorn Squash
- Apples (any variety). You can pick up the bagged apples for around $3-$4 and have extra apples for snacking.
- 1 Package of bacon.
- Butter, unsalted is what I use.
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Small package of pecans, in pieces.
- Pomegranate (optional)
Get instructions and recipe by clicking here.
Day 5- French Onion Chicken Skillet
Even if you aren't a huge fan of onions, this recipe is an amazing main dish you can try. The onions are so caramelized in the sauce, they definitely don't overpower the rest of the dish. I find they are well balanced against the flavors of the chicken and cheese.
You can serve this one with mashed potatoes– the sauce makes a perfect gravy– or enjoy with veggies or a smaller noodle pasta. Click here for recipe!
From Aldi, pick up these items or make sure you have them in the pantry:
- Onions
- Butter
- (1) 14-ounce can Beef Broth (or you can use stock)
- 3 Skinless boneless Chicken Breasts, about 1 package
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper – you probably have these items already
- Thyme
- Cornstarch (or Flour)
- Provolone Cheese (one package will allow you extra for sandwiches, you only need three slices for this recipe!)
- Mozzarella Cheese
Five day Skillet Meal Plan Shopping List – FREE Printable
- Mother’s Day Deals on Etsy: Unique Gifts She’ll Love
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- Earth Day Deal: Save 22% on Organic Mattresses at Naturepedic
Hope these Meal Ideas and Shopping List Helps!!
We hope you can use this meal ideas list and shopping list to save you some time and money. See our 5 Day Slow Cooker Aldi Meal Plan Here!
