Kroger Vegetarian Meal Plan

BUDGET RATIONALE

Why these meals: This week is built around one 24 ct carton of Simple Truth Cage-Free Eggs at $4.99, which covers Monday's skillet eggs in spiced pasta sauce and Wednesday's yam and black bean hash, with 8 left over for breakfasts. You'll use the Kroger Carrots twice, in Tuesday's red lentil soup and Friday's apple-carrot slaw, and the lemons ($4.99) do double duty too, brightening both the soup and the slaw. Thursday's roasted Glorys tomato and cream cheese pasta with chickpeas gives you a creamy, comforting midweek dinner, and Friday's Red Baron cheese pizza keeps the end of the week easy. Every meal is vegetarian, and a few pantry staples like red lentils, pasta and canned beans fill in the rest.

5-DAY MEAL PLAN

Monday
Meal: Skillet Eggs Poached in Spiced Kroger Pasta Sauce with Biscuits
Description: Eggs are gently poached right in a skillet of simmering plain marinara-style Kroger Pasta Sauce seasoned with cumin and paprika until the whites set and the yolks stay soft. Warm Pillsbury Grands Biscuits, baked while the sauce simmers, are used to mop up the sauce.
Sale items used: 24 ct Simple Truth Cage-Free Eggs, Kroger Pasta Sauce, Pillsbury Grands Biscuits, Crescents or Cinnamon Rolls (choose the biscuits)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Serving note: 8 eggs (2 per person), 1 Kroger Pasta Sauce (plain marinara variety), 1 package Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (baked per package directions). Pantry onion, cumin and paprika. Eggs come from the 24 ct carton, with 8 more used Wednesday and 8 left over for breakfasts.
Recipes:
- 20-Minute Shakshuka
- Poached Eggs and Spicy Tomato Sauce
- Eggs in Purgatory (Uova in Purgatorio)

Tuesday
Meal: Red Lentil and Carrot Soup with Lemon
Description: Pantry red lentils simmer with chopped Kroger Carrots in vegetable broth with cumin and curry powder until soft, then are partly blended for a creamy, hearty texture. A squeeze of lemon juice at the end brightens the pot.
Sale items used: Kroger Carrots, Kroger Broth (choose a vegetable broth), Kroger Lemons or Limes (choose lemons)
Prep time: 35 minutes
Serving note: 1 bag Kroger Carrots, 1 Kroger Broth (vegetable variety, topped up with water to make about 6 cups liquid), 2 cups dried red lentils from the pantry, juice of 2 lemons from the Kroger Lemons or Limes purchase (the rest saved for Friday).

Check the label: broth is often made from chicken or beef. Vegetable broth is the safe choice.

Recipes:
- Red Lentil Soup Recipe with Vegetables
- Red Lentil Soup with Lemon
- Nourishing Carrot and Red Lentil Soup

Wednesday
Meal: Skillet Yam and Black Bean Hash with Fried Eggs
Description: Drained and rinsed Bruce's Yams are cubed and browned in a skillet with onion, canned black beans, cumin and smoked paprika. Each serving is topped with fried eggs.
Sale items used: Bruce's Yams, 24 ct Simple Truth Cage-Free Eggs
Prep time: 30 minutes
Serving note: 2 Bruce's Yams (rinsed well to remove syrup), 2 cans black beans from the pantry, 1 onion, 8 eggs (2 per person) from the 24 ct carton. That brings the week's egg use to 16, with 8 left for breakfasts.
Recipes:
- Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash with Black Beans
- Mexican Sweet Potato Hash with Black Beans and Spinach
- Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash with Black Beans

Thursday
Meal: Roasted Glorys Tomato and Cream Cheese Pasta with Chickpeas
Description: Nature Sweet Glorys Tomatoes are roasted with garlic until blistered, then tossed with hot pasta and melted Philadelphia Cream Cheese for a creamy tomato sauce. Pantry chickpeas add protein and body.
Sale items used: Nature Sweet Glorys Tomatoes, Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Prep time: 40 minutes
Serving note: 1 package Nature Sweet Glorys Tomatoes, 1 Philadelphia Cream Cheese, 1 lb dried pasta from the pantry, 1 can chickpeas (drained), 4 cloves garlic, plus a splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce.
Recipes:
- Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes & Cream Cheese
- Tomato & Chickpea Pasta with Goat Cheese
- Roasted Tomato Chickpea Pasta

Friday
Meal: Cheese Pizza Night with Apple-Carrot Lemon Slaw
Description: Two oven-baked Red Baron Pizzas (plain cheese variety, no meat toppings) are served with a crisp slaw of shredded Kroger Carrots and matchstick apples in a lemon and olive oil dressing. Extra apple slices finish the meal as a fresh dessert.
Sale items used: Red Baron Pizza, Kroger Carrots, Honeycrisp or Sugarbee Apples, Kroger Lemons or Limes (choose lemons)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Serving note: 2 Red Baron Pizzas (cheese variety, baked per package directions), 1 bag Kroger Carrots (shredded), 2 lbs Honeycrisp or Sugarbee Apples (1 lb cut into matchsticks for the slaw, 1 lb sliced for dessert), juice of 2 lemons from the Kroger Lemons or Limes purchase, plus pantry olive oil, salt and pepper.
Recipes:
- Carrot and Apple Slaw
- Carrot Apple Slaw
- Caramelized Onion & Fennel Apple Slaw Pizza

SHOPPING LIST

Buy on sale:
- 24 ct Simple Truth Cage-Free Eggs (x1 carton): $4.99
- Kroger Pasta Sauce (x1): $1.69
- Pillsbury Grands Biscuits, Crescents or Cinnamon Rolls (x1 package, biscuits): $1.79
- Kroger Carrots (x2 bags): $3.98
- Kroger Broth (x1, vegetable variety): $1.49
Check the label: broth is often made from chicken or beef. Vegetable broth is the safe choice.
- Kroger Lemons or Limes (x1 purchase, lemons): $4.99
- Bruce's Yams (x2): $7.00
- Nature Sweet Glorys Tomatoes (x1 package): $2.99
- Philadelphia Cream Cheese (x1): $2.49
- Red Baron Pizza (x2, cheese variety): $8.58
- Honeycrisp or Sugarbee Apples (2 lbs): $3.54

Pantry staples needed:
- Dried red lentils
- Dried pasta (1 lb)
- Canned black beans (2 cans)
- Canned chickpeas (1 can)
- Onions
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Curry powder
- Salt and black pepper