Copy Cat Restaurant Recipes Meal Plan (2024)

Click here for the printable grocery list for this week’s meal plan. For a printable version of each recipe, just click on the links below.

Monday: McDonald’s Fillet O Fish Sandwich and T.G.I.Friday’s Baked Potato Skins
Tuesday: T.G.I.Friday’s Sizzling Chicken and Cheesy Potatoes
Wednesday: Taco Bell Mexican Pizza and McDonald’s Yogurt Parfait
Thursday: Benihana Fried Rice and Marinated Steak
Friday: Olive Garden Toasted Ravioli and Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

Scroll down for more details about each recipe.

Do you ever go to a restaurant and think, “This is SO GOOD! I wish I could cook like this at home!”?

If you do, you are in luck. I found just the cookbook for you. . It’s called The Everything Restaurant Recipes Cookbook and it has copy cat recipes of some of your favorite restaurant recipes! I found it at the library and I thought it looked fun so I made a meal plan out of some of the recipes. I am not posting all the ones I tried because some really didn’t taste like the version you would get at the restaurant. I wanted to spare you and your family the disappointment my five year old experienced when he began to have a melt down at the dinner table. Seriously, I got the kids all excited because I was making them “Wendy’s Frosty’s” and after a couple of bites into his my 5 year-old managed to work himself up into a sob at the dinner table, saying, “WHY DID YOU CALL THESE WENDY’S FROSTY’S? THESE DON’T TASTE LIKE WHAT YOU GET AT WENDY’S!”

Hey! They LOOKED like Wendy’s frosty’s! How was I supposed to know? 😉 He carried on for quite a while. It was ugly. I was tempted to post a picture of him in his meltdown state so we could all giggle, but I decided not to. (you can imagine) Instead, I will share the picture of my darling daughter who did not cry when trying hers.

Copy Cat Restaurant Recipes Meal Plan (2)

So, here are the recipes that made the cut:

  • McDonald’s Fillet O Fish Sandwich
  • T.G.I.Friday’s Baked Potato Skins
  • T.G.I.Friday’s Sizzling Chicken and Cheesy Potatoes (one of my favorite things to get at T.G.I.Friday’s)
  • Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
  • McDonald’s Yogurt Parfait (LOVED it!)
  • Benihana Fried Rice and Marinated Steak (this one was my personal favorite!)
  • Olive Garden Toasted Ravioli (I was surprised at how easy this one was!)

Copy Cat Restaurant Recipes Meal Plan (3)

I will tell you, though, that there are lots of other recipes that I have not tried that I am sure are fantastic. (just don’t try the Wendy’s frosty’s) 🙂 Here are just a few of the recipes you can find in the Everything Restaurant Recipes Cookbook that sound good, but I have not tried:

  • Chili’s Grill & Bar Boneless Buffalo Wings
  • Applebee’s Bourbon Street Steak
  • Olive Garden’s Minestrone Soup
  • Long John Silver’s Fish Tacos
  • T.G.I. Friday’s Dragonfire Chicken
  • Cinnabon’s Cinnamon Rolls

Without further ado, here is this week’s line up, along with the ingredients for each recipe for planning purposes.

Monday: McDonald’s Fillet O Fish Sandwich and T.G.I.Friday’s Baked Potato Skins

Ingredients for Baked Potato Skins
10 baked potato halves
1 Tbsp. melted butter
Seasoned salt, to taste
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
5 strips of cooked and crumbled bacon
1 green onion, diced

Ingredients for one sandwich:
1 Gorton’s breaded fish fillet
1 plain hamburger fun
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. minced onion
1 tsp. sweet relish
Pinch of salt
1 slice American cheese

Tuesday: T.G.I.Friday’s Sizzling Chicken and Cheesy Potatoes

Ingredients for Sizzling Chicken and Cheesy Potatoes:
2 (4 oz.) chicken breasts
2 Tbs. chopped garlic
2 Tbs. chopped parsley
1 tsp. crushed red chilies
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
4 divided Tbs. olive oil
1 julienned green pepper
1 julienned red pepper
1 julienned yellow onion
4 cups cooked mashed potatoes
1/2 cup shredded Chihuahua white cheese
2 slices American cheese

Wednesday: Taco Bell Mexican Pizza and McDonald’s Yogurt Parfait

Ingredients for Mexican Pizza
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried minced onion
1/4 tsp. paprika
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 Tbs. water
1 cup cooking oil
8 (6″) flour tortillas
1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
2/3 cup mild salsa
1/3 cup diced tomato
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup sliced black olives (optional)

Ingredients for Yogurt Parfait:
4 cups vanilla yogurt
2 (10 oz.) packages thawed frozen sliced sliced strawberries
1/3 cup thawed frozen blueberries
1/2 cup crunchy granola

Thursday: Benihana Fried Rice and Marinated Steak

Fried Rice Ingredients:
5 Tbsp. butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
2/3 cup chopped green onions
3 tsp. sesame seeds
5 eggs
1 cup cooked rice
5 Tbsp. soy sauce
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Meat Marinade:
1 Tbsp. grated apple
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. grated garlic
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
3/4 pounds thin-sliced boneless beef top sirloin steak
(could also use 3/4 pound shrimp, chicken, or scallops in place of the steak)

Friday: Olive Garden Toasted Ravioli and Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

Ingredients for Toasted Ravioli:
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 cup flour
1 (16 oz.) package meat-filled ravioli

Copy Cat Restaurant Recipes Meal Plan (11)

Ingredients for Cheddar Garlic biscuits:
2 cups Bisquick® baking mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbs. melted butter
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
(some people add 1/4 tsp. of parsley flakes but I didn’t)

⇓ Click below for a printable grocery list of this week’s meal plan ⇓

Restaurant Copy Cat Recipes Grocery List

I will also be posting a bonus breakfast recipe on Saturday so stay tuned!

It should be a great week at Meal Planning Mommies!

More from Meal Planning Mommies:

MyWW Friendly Meal Plan #49Weight Watchers Friendly Meal Plan with FreeStyle Smart Points #42MyWW Friendly Meal Plan #53 with green, blue, and purple pointsMyWW Friendly Meal Plan #55 with green, blue, and purple points
Copy Cat Restaurant Recipes Meal Plan (2024)

FAQs

How to cook restaurant quality food at home? ›

HOW TO MAKE RESTAURANT-QUALITY FOOD AT HOME
  1. Add chef-level fragrance to home-made food with quality oil and salt.
  2. Buy the best knives you can afford to chop like a chef at home.
  3. Use fresh herbs to add flavour to any dish.
  4. Revive old spices by frying them quickly.
  5. Organize Your Kitchen.
  6. It's okay to experiment.
Oct 1, 2020

How to make tasty food at home? ›

10 Simple Tips to Make Food Taste Better
  1. Don't Prepare Garlic and Onions in Advance. ...
  2. Don't Seed Tomatoes. ...
  3. Keep Fats Tasting Fresh. ...
  4. Strike Only When the Pan Is Hot. ...
  5. Never Discard the Fond. ...
  6. Season with Sugar, Too. ...
  7. Bloom Spices and Dried Herbs in Fat. ...
  8. Brown Breads, Pies, and Pastries.

When was the first recipe written? ›

The earliest known written recipes date to 1730 BC and were recorded on cuneiform tablets found in Mesopotamia. Other early written recipes date from approximately 1600 BC and come from an Akkadian tablet from southern Babylonia. There are also works in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs depicting the preparation of food.

Why does restaurant food taste better than home cooked? ›

One of these factors is the ingredients and equipment. Lack of ingredients or the special type of kitchen equipment can affect the taste of food. As the restaurant has access to all these, home cooking is at a loss here. Time preparation is another factor.

How do you cook like a 5 star restaurant? ›

TIPS TO COOK LIKE A MICHELIN STARRED CHEF
  1. 1 Mise en place. This French culinary phrase refers to carefully preparing all your ingredients before starting to cook. ...
  2. 2 Nothing goes to waste. ...
  3. 3 Know your seasonings. ...
  4. 4 Invest in proper kitchenware. ...
  5. 5 Taste everything.
Jun 2, 2020

How do I make a restaurant menu plan? ›

How to Make a Restaurant Menu
  1. Write Out all Menu Items. Before you dive into design, you have to learn to write a restaurant menu. ...
  2. Categorize Menu Items. ...
  3. Set Menu Prices. ...
  4. Create Menu Descriptions. ...
  5. Decide on a Menu Color Scheme. ...
  6. Design Your Restaurant Menu. ...
  7. Restaurant Menu Photos. ...
  8. Choose Menu Fonts, Spacing, and Composition.

How do you make a 7 day meal plan? ›

How to make a weekly meal plan
  1. Give yourself time to plan. Set aside time each week to make a meal plan. ...
  2. Check what you have. Check what ingredients you already have in your cupboard, fridge or freezer. ...
  3. Include some of your favourite meals. ...
  4. Use up your leftovers. ...
  5. Cook in bulk. ...
  6. Make your ingredients work.

What are the 6 principles of good menu planning? ›

To improve food quality, household meals should be planned based on six principles; namely adequacy, balance, calorie (energy) control, nutrient density, moderation and variety.

What homemade food sells best? ›

Here are some ideas that are likely to sell quickly:
  • Candy and other confectionery.
  • Cookies, pastries, and other baked goods.
  • Dry herbs, seasonings, and herb mixes.
  • Homemade fresh bread.
  • Hummus and other dips.
  • Jams, jellies, and other preserves.
  • Nuts, coated, and uncoated.
  • Pickles and other pickled vegetables.

What ingredient makes food taste better? ›

ACID - One must have acid in nearly every dish to make the flavors come alive. My favorites are balsamic vinegar, tamari, fish sauce, or fresh lemon. It depends on what you are cooking, but acid should always be in whatever dish you make. Leftover wine works great too.

What is the oldest dish in the world? ›

Nettle Pudding

Originating in 6000 BCE, England; it is the oldest dish of the world that's rich in nutrients. Nettle pudding is made with stinging nettles (wild leafy plant), breadcrumbs, suet, onions, and other herbs and spices.

What is the oldest food known to man? ›

Here is the answer for you! Bread is considered to be first prepared probably some 30000+ years back and is one of the very first foods made by mankind. The earliest proof of making bread loaf occurred with the Natufian hunter-gatherers that lived in the Levant.

What is the first food ever cooked? ›

The detailed study of fish teeth unearthed at the Gesher Benot Ya'aqov site, situated on the edge of the ancient lake Hula, revealed that some of our early ancestors — most likely hom*o erectus — were able to cook fish, said study author Dr.

What makes a dish restaurant quality? ›

We first discover a dish with our eyes. The dish must be harmonious and balanced; its colours, shape, presentation or originality must be eye-catching. It must arouse our curiosity and make us really want to taste it, regardless of the technique or culinary style used (classic, new-style or evolutionary).

How do you make high quality food? ›

First and foremost, consider quality in everything you buy. The fresher and less traveled your produce, meat and fish are, the better flavor you'll get, and the more nutritional value they'll retain. This goes for everything, not just produce. Think about your vinegars, oils, herbs and spices as well.

How do restaurants make food so good? ›

Chefs season at every step of the cooking process

For restaurant chefs, this means seasoning at every step and tasting as they go to ensure each component tastes great. Salt can help coax the natural flavor out of ingredients like vegetables and meat, while herbs and spices infuse them with additional flavors.

How is cooking at home different from cooking in a restaurant? ›

The most universal difference is that restaurants tend to use more fat and more salt than a typical home cook. More oil in the pan for frying. More butter in the sauce. Restaurant cooks are more consistent with salting/seasoning than home cooks are.

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