Laidback Meal Prep Series Week 3: Complete Grocery List + 3 Dinner Recipes

We are big fans of meal prep, but we also know it can sometimes be more time-taking than time-giving. Not to worry—with this week’s menu, you can prep on your own schedule. Whether you like to chop, dice, cook and portion ingredients all in one go or take a few minutes to prep each day, either way, we’ve got you covered.

This week, we’re falling for all the comfort foods. From Instant Pot™ pasta to a cheesy bubble-up bake to a crescent ring with our favorite flavors, you’re bound to come back to this meal prep plan again and again.

Yay, meal prep! But first things first: The groceries. Here’s an itemized list of everything you’ll need to make these amazing meals:

Print Grocery List (pdf)

We get it: Life’s busy, and meal prep isn’t always in the cards. But if you can find even just one hour at the start of the week to chop, dice, cook and portion ingredients, you’ll save yourself a lot more time (and stress) the rest of the week. Once everything is prepped, store ingredients in labeled containers in the fridge or pantry in groups according to recipe so you know which ingredients go to each meal.

Of course, if you can’t prep this way, these recipes are easy enough that they don’t need make-ahead steps to make dinner possible. Feel free to skip the meal prep or, if you have time, prep a few ingredients each night before for tomorrow’s meal. This is laidback meal prep, after all: The rules are yours to make! Here’s a rough guide on how to make meal prep work for you this week.

Instant Pot™ Spaghetti and Meatballs

Sunday Prep Plan:

• Thaw frozen meatballs
• Portion 12 oz uncooked spaghetti; break in half

Day-Of Prep Plan:

• Add ingredients to Instant Pot™ cook as directed in recipe

Cheesy Mexican Bubble-Up Bake

Sunday Prep Plan:

• Cook and drain beef; stir in taco seasoning mix, water and salsa

Day-Of Prep Plan:

• Prepare biscuits and stir into beef mixture in baking dish; bake as directed in recipe

Expert tip: Store beef mixture, covered, in a 13x9-inch baking dish so that on the day you plan to make the recipe, you can simply add the biscuits straight to the dish with the beef mixture.

Chicken-Bacon-Ranch Crescent Ring

Sunday Prep Plan:

• Portion and chop 2 cups deli rotisserie chicken
• Cook and chop 6 slices bacon • Slice green onions

Day-Of Prep Plan:

• Prepare cream cheese mixture as directed in recipe; stir in chicken, cheese, bacon and green onions
• Assemble, top and arrange crescent ring as directed in recipe; top with butter mixture as directed
• Bake as directed in recipe

In case you missed the first week of our Laidback Meal Prep series or you’re craving more, here are all the guides right at your fingertips: