Let’s be sincere, cooking dinner each night time is usually a actual ache. That is the place meal prep could come in useful. The apply, which mainly means you prepare dinner total meals or dishes forward of schedule and sometimes in bulk, is a superb technique to save time on busy weeknights. It additionally tends to be simpler in your pockets as nicely, because it requires that you just grocery shop forward of time and plan for a number of meals directly, decreasing the chance of any impulse or duplicate purchases.
Nonetheless, like the rest, even meal prep can get tedious in the event you do it typically sufficient and end up making the identical dishes time and again. With that in thoughts, we’ve provide you with a listing of 20 wholesome meal prep recipe concepts we’re betting you haven’t tried earlier than. Straightforward dishes we love embody Gradual-Cooker Ragù With Spaghetti Squash, Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies, and extra. Preserve studying for added meal prep concepts you’re certain to like!
Tofu Fried Rice
Fred Hardy
This 25-minute vegetarian fried rice dish is filled with daring taste and hearty elements that may depart you and your desk feeling glad. Raisins give a burst of candy taste, whereas lemon juice brings a zing to the combo. Drizzle with creamy yogurt simply earlier than serving. This recipe serves 4, and you might at all times make extra if you wish to prep it forward of time and have the leftovers final for a couple of days.
Solar-Dried Tomato Butter Salmon and Broccolini
Fred Hardy
Since this meal sounds so spectacular it’s exhausting to consider that it comes collectively in 25 minutes, however the clock doesn’t lie. For this sheet pan marvel, salmon is seasoned with butter, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and garlic earlier than being roasted alongside broccolini. To taste the brilliant inexperienced vegetable, high it with a couple of squeezes of lemon juice and a few grated Parmesan cheese as soon as it’s out of the oven. Whip this up on a Sunday and portion it out for the remainder of the week so all it’s a must to do while you get house is warmth it up.
Hoisin-Serrano Meatballs and Rice Noodle Salad
Greg DuPree Meals Stylist: Emily Corridor Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
Prep this candy and spicy noodle salad on Sunday and also you’ll have 5 further servings to take pleasure in all through the week. The succulent meatballs are jam-packed with taste due to the sweetness of hoisin sauce and the spiciness of chili-garlic sauce and serrano chilis, whereas the rice noodles are dressed with the identical flavorful combo. Cooling cucumbers, carrots, and lettuce, which you’ll be able to add individually to every serving, steadiness out the warmth.
Gradual-Cooker Ragù With Spaghetti Squash
Our favourite half about this recipe is you can prepare dinner the Bolognese-inspired sauce and the spaghetti squash within the gradual cooker on the identical time, which makes it nice for meal prep. The result’s a straightforward, hands-off dinner that does not skimp on taste. Shave some Parmesan on high of every serving and also you’re good to go.
Sausage and Mushroom Cassoulet
Jennifer Causey
This hearty but wholesome dish is comfort food at its best, and takes simply an hour to make. You’ll begin by searing mushrooms which are torn into items as an alternative of sliced or chopped. Then onion, carrots, and kielbasa prepare dinner in olive oil to melt and decide up coloration earlier than cannellini beans and thyme be a part of the enjoyable. The of entirety is a tacky breadcrumb topping, which you don’t need to miss. To make this dish forward of time, merely maintain off on the topping till you’re able to dig in. You’ll be able to refrigerate the cassoulet for 3 days, and previous to serving, switch it to a broiler-safe pan. Reheat the cassoulet on the stove-top, then high with the panko combination, and broil till golden.
Gradual-Cooker Coq au Vin
Coq au vin is often a really labor-intensive meal to arrange, which is why it is a fantastic dish to make within the slow cooker. By utilizing the equipment on this case, all you have to do is put together the bacon and hen earlier than tossing these elements into the gradual cooker with every little thing else. The result’s a decadent meal that is ridiculously straightforward to arrange. Plus, since this recipe makes sufficient for six, it’s a stable meal prep choice to feast on all through the week.
Crimson Curry Veggie Stew
Who doesn’t love stew, particularly one which’s prepared in half-hour? This vegan recipe is nice for meal prep as a result of it comes collectively rapidly and is filled with taste. Plus, it shops nicely too. Right here, heat and toasty Thai curry paste and creamy coconut milk add taste and silkiness to every veggie-packed bowl, whereas lime zest and chopped cashews contribute brightness and crunch. Serve over rice (which you’ll prepare dinner and retailer individually) and also you’re good to go.
Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies
CAITLIN BENSEL
Sausage and peppers is an Italian basic, and due to a single sheet pan, this model of the beloved dish comes collectively in simply 20 minutes. That’s as a result of the Italian pork sausages, bell peppers, tomatoes, and shallots all head for a fast bake below the broiler on the identical time. Serve with crusty bread (or on a roll) to sop up all the flavorful juices.
Rooster Orzo Skillet
Jennifer Causey
Boneless skinless hen breasts are the spine of this one-pot meal, which is made with an array of elements you probably have already got at house. Right here, orzo is studded with the aforementioned hen, sun-dried tomatoes, and loads of spinach. The balanced combination boasts loads of wealthy taste due to some dry white wine, hen inventory, and creamy half-and-half.
Gradual Cooker Birria Bowls
Birria, a country Mexican stew, is a model of barbacoa that may be made with beef, lamb, or pork. This one is made with chuck roast that simmers within the gradual cooker with diced tomatoes, jalapeño, and chiles in adobo sauce. There are six servings right here, and we suggest simmering all the meat and cooking the rice directly so you possibly can portion every little thing out. Then, when you’re able to eat the birria, high every bowl with Monterey Jack cheese and avocado.
Rotisserie Rooster Chili
Fred Hardy
This fast and easy chili recipe requires little or no when it comes to prep, however yields 4 servings. Simply prepare dinner a chopped onion in a inventory pot earlier than including the remaining elements, which embody two cans of pinto beans, a can of inexperienced chiles, hen inventory, and masa harina (a gluten-free flour produced from corn). The shredded rotisserie hen provides heft with out requiring any further cooking.
Gradual-Cooker Mississippi Pork Roast Rice Bowls
Fred Hardy
On this set-it-and-forget-it recipe, a boneless pork shoulder cooks with shallots, beef broth, and butter, whereas pepperoncini and a packet of ranch dressing combine ship some severe taste. The roast is served in bowls with rice, shredded romaine lettuce, and cilantro for a easy meal that’s straightforward to prep beforehand.
Sheet Pan Pierogies With Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Shallots, and Mustard Dressing
On this sheet-pan dinner recipe, basic cheese and potato pierogies, which you should buy frozen, are the celebrities of the present. Shallots and Brussels sprouts roast alongside the dumplings to make a whole meal on one sheet pan, and the entire unfold is topped with a zingy mustard dressing. This recipe makes sufficient for 4 servings, however be happy to double it if you’d like much more.
Chickpea-Harissa Stew With Meatballs
Jen Causey
This one-pot dinner concept is cozy, nourishing, and the proper dinner recipe to prep forward of time. The important thing right here is the one-stop store spice mix, which is made with ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, and extra. It flavors the meatballs and the broth, which additionally contains chickpeas, tomatoes, and spinach, which you’ll stir in on the finish. The soup will hold for a number of days, and you can even make further meatballs so as to add to salads, grain bowls, tacos, and extra.
Turkey-Pumpkin Chili
This dish is the epitome of fall flavors—chili, pumpkin, and ground turkey—in a heat, nourishing bowl with a pair twists from conventional chili. It options cannellini beans (as an alternative of pintos) and is seasoned with simply coriander and paprika (as an alternative of chili powder and cumin), however goes nice with tortilla chips simply the identical. Whip up a pot earlier than the work week begins, and also you’ll have dinner for a number of days.
Gradual-Cooker Puttanesca With Roasted Broccolini
Whereas nothing beats a home made tomato sauce, the near-constant stirring the spaghetti topping requires does not depart room so that you can do a lot else throughout the day. Nonetheless, in the event you use a gradual cooker to make tomato sauce (on this case a puttanesca) the equipment does all of the exhausting be just right for you. Whereas the gradual cooker is making certain your noodles may have a wealthy and tangy sauce, you will have loads of time to arrange the simple broccolini facet and boil some pasta. Use food storage containers to portion every little thing out for the week.
Gradual-Cooker Pork With Peppers and Olives
Cuban ropa vieja meets irresistibly tender pork on this straightforward slow-cooker recipe that serves eight. The dish additionally features a tomato-y bell pepper and onion sauce, together with pimiento-stuffed olives, and beneficiant quantities of oregano, cumin, and garlic. The result’s a deeply satisfying and flavorful meal you can portion out with black beans and white rice to make sure you keep satiated all week lengthy.
Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
This Mexican-inspired meal takes simply half-hour and one sheet pan to make. The baking sheet will get a head begin within the oven, so when the shrimp and veggies hit the pan, the shrimp will get a refined sear. As soon as the primary elements are accomplished cooking, wrap them in heat tortillas and serve with all of the fixings, similar to bitter cream, salsa, and sliced avocado. In case you get bored with the fajita ingredient, serve the shrimp and vegetable leftovers over rice or salad as an alternative.
Gradual-Cooker Rooster Tostadas
On this recipe, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are cooked in a gradual cooker with onions, tomatillo salsa, and poblano chiles. The result’s ridiculously tender meat with a tangy style, which is the proper tostada topper. Whereas the gradual cooker is dealing with the hen, all you have to do is make a fast pico de gallo and sprinkle some crumbled queso fresco on the completed product, which ought to final for a couple of days.
Grandma Pie With Pepperoni and Pink Sauce
Because it seems, you don’t want to go away the home or decide up the telephone to get restaurant-quality pizza. To make this pie, stretch the pizza dough to the corners of a baking sheet and high with a home made tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and onion slices. It’s pizza time—and will probably be for the remainder of the week!