Meal prep guide: healthy, delicious and time-saving ideas

Get organised with our senior food editor's easy meal prep ideas, from batch cooking to genius flavour-boosting ingredients.

Senior Food Editor

Heather Taylor

What is meal prepping, and why do it?

Whether you’re filling your freezer, making a batch of take-to-work lunches or just trying to get ahead at the weekend before the midweek madness begins, meal prepping is a brilliant way to save you time, money and sanity.

Read our meal prep guide for lots of ideas to get you started.

Recipe ideas

Think about how many days to meal prep

If you like to plan further out and you have more time to cook on a Sunday, a weekly meal prep plan is your friend. Start by researching and keeping a note of the recipes you fancy cooking (save them to your personalised meal planner with our handy tool).

If you're shorter on time, aim to prep three days ahead – maybe it’s a tray of roasted veggies or a quick curry you can stash in the freezer.

It’s even possible to meal prep the day before – especially breakfast or lunch the next day.

Make a weekly meal plan

The best foods for meal prep

Batch-cooked soups, stews and curries you can stash in the freezer.
Slow cooker meals, made all in one pot.
The building blocks for lunches, like salad dressings, baked sweet potatoes, cooked grains or roasted vegetables.
Cook once, eat twice meals, like our fajita roast chicken, which tastes great in sandwiches the next day.
Prep ahead breakfasts, like overnight oats, banana muffins or apple and pear flapjacks.

More time-saving dinner ideas

High protein meal prep ideas

Looking to up your protein? We’ve got plenty of meal prep-friendly, protein-rich recipes to try.

These cottage cheese brunch wraps are high in protein and great to make ahead then wrap up and grab for breakfast.
Make a batch of veg-packed high-protein egg muffins for breakfast and lunch throughout the week.
With a good balance of carbs, protein and fresh fruit, these overnight oats will help fuel your week.
Try this healthy prawn curry to pack in plenty of veggies as well as lean protein – it freezes brilliantly.
You can’t go wrong with a batch of spag bol in the freezer – this healthy spaghetti bolognese recipe contains plenty of veg and lean protein.

Healthy recipe ideas

How to meal prep

Ready to get started? Read our top tips to help you meal prep like a pro, save time, save money and take the stress out of midweek meals.

Go big on batch cooking

Time spent batch cooking will be a godsend during busy working weeks.

Try our nine time-saving, healthy breakfast ideas you can keep stashed in the fridge to grab in the morning.
Learn to love your slow cooker with freezer-friendly, big-batch recipes, from cosy dals to curries and pasta sauce with hidden veggies.
You don’t have to batch-cook complete meals – things like a tray of roasted peppers, squash and tomatoes (great for sauces and soups), jacket potatoes, or a hearty tortilla can all be made ahead then customised for lunch and dinner.

Best batch cook recipes

Level-up your storage and organisation

Whether you’re using the fridge, freezer or pantry, having an organised kitchen will make meal prep easier.

Before you start, give your kitchen a mini ‘reset’. Clear out your storage cupboard, refresh your spices and upgrade your food containers.

Stock up on extra-strong zip-lock bags (great for freezing soups), cling film (ours comes with handy tear lines) and silicone storage lids to keep food fresh.

How to reset your kitchen

Budget-friendly, time-saving meal prep ideas

Prepping ahead is a great way to save on your family’s food budget since you’ll waste less and can buy in bigger quantities. Check out our Bigger Pack, Better Value range for great prices on prep-friendly staples like pasta, rice and tinned tomatoes.

Despite what you may have seen on social media, meal prep doesn’t need to be fancy or elaborate – it can be as simple as a jar of pasta sauce, a simple soup recipe, a chicken traybake or a veg-packed frittata.

Budget cooking tips