There are over 3 million #MealPrep posts on TikTok right now. From my very brief investigations, I’ve gathered that most of these involve distilling the time it takes to cook seven portions of chicken, broccoli and rice, decant them into aesthetically pleasing glass Tupperwares and stack into a spotless fridge into cleverly edited 20 second videos.
Meal prep in my house doesn’t look anything like this, for a few reasons. First, I get bored eating the exact same dish more than twice in a row. Second, I am terrible at planning my weekly shop – I prefer to pick bits up every couple of days, depending on what I’m in the mood for. Finally, my Tupperware cupboard is a jumbled breeding ground for lids which don’t fit any of the containers.
But it’s a new year, and I like the feeling of a fresh slate and the chance to be a bit more organised in the kitchen. Plus, like everyone, I’m completely skint, and being a little more intentional with meal planning is a good way to save money and make up for all those overpriced mulled wines I bought in December.
Keep reading for some meal prep tips you might actually do, plus a recipe for a rich, full-of-flavour veggie ragu that can form the basis of all sorts of dishes, but in the first instance makes a delicious veggie version of spaghetti bolognese.
Actually achievable meal prep ideas
Embrace ‘rollover leftovers’
If the idea of simply heating up what you ate the day before doesn’t set your world on fire, think about adding extras to your dishes that can be turned into something else the next day. For example, a big pot of beans would make a lovely winter minestrone when simmered with soffritto and chopped tomatoes, then the next day could be tossed with finely chopped raw onions, roasted red peppers, herbs and olive oil for a satisfying lunch.
Remember condiments are king
My fridge is 70% condiments – from chilli sauces and oils to kimchi and harissa. They mean half the prep is done for you, and you need only shop for fresh ingredients. You can make your own, too – try a coriander chutney, made by blitzing a pack of coriander and mint with a clove of garlic, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and the juice of a lime. It’s great drizzled over tacos or curries.
Shop your kitchen
Before you go food shopping, challenge yourself to make a meal from whatever’s left in the fridge. Things like frittatas, soups or big-batch pasta sauces are great for this.
Add a little extra
Roasting veggies? Cooking rice or grains? Making jacket potatoes? Every meal is an opportunity to give future you the gift of time. Extra roast veg could be blitzed into soups or tossed through salads, while cooked rice and grains are great mixed with feta, herbs and an egg then fried to make fritters. Try pan-frying onion then adding jacket potatoes and cheddar for a hearty soup, or halve, scoop out the potato, mix with spring onions and cheese and bake again.
The ultimate veggie spag bol
This is a make-it-on-a-Sunday sort of dish that packs in deep, umami flavours. Make extra and use the leftovers to form the basis of other meals during the week – see some ideas below. Adding bicarb is a trick I learned from food writer Nik Sharma – it helps tenderise the lentils and brings out the sweetness of the vegetables.
Serves 4
300g mushrooms
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 stick celery, finely diced
1 large onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Small bunch thyme, leaves picked
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tin chopped tomatoes
250g green or brown lentils
500ml vegetable stock (use salt-free if you’re feeding babies)
A pinch of bicarbonate of soda
1-2 tsp Marmite
A splash of Worcestershire sauce (or use Henderson’s Relish to make it veggie)
A splash of soy sauce
2 tsp cranberry sauce or redcurrant jelly (optional)
1 tbsp butter
400g spaghetti
Parmesan, to serve
Preheat the oven to 200C fan. Blitz the mushrooms in a food processor or finely chop. Tip onto a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway, until deeply charred.
Meanwhile, heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large casserole over a medium heat. Add the carrot, celery and onion and fry for 10-15 minutes, until softened and translucent. Add the garlic, thyme and chilli flakes and fry for another couple of minutes, until the garlic is fragrant, before adding the lentils, tomatoes and stock. Fill the empty tomato tin with water and add that too. Stir in the roasted mushrooms. Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, until the lentils are completely tender – longer if you have time. Add a splash more water if it gets too dry.
Stir in the Marmite, Worcestershire, soy and cranberry sauce and taste to check the seasoning and acidity, adding more of the above as needed.
Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions. When it’s almost done, stir the butter into the lentil sauce. Toss cooked pasta through the sauce and serve with parmesan.
The baby step
After step two, set aside some of the mixture for little mouths. Stir through pasta, cutting it to the shape that’s best for your baby, whether that’s a spoonable mixture or bigger shapes for them to hold.
Use it up
Set some of the lentil ragu aside. The next day, toast 1 tsp cumin seeds in a dry pan before adding the lentil mixture. Throw in a tin of black beans and some finely chopped roasted red peppers along with 1 tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp chipotle paste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with rice or in quesadillas or burritos. Or, try it spooned into a dish with some roasted sweet potato. Top with scrunched filo or puff pastry, then bake and serve with lemon-dressed green vegetables.
PS This week I’m loving…
When the meal prep dream doesn’t quite become a reality and there’s no time to cook, I love this makhani sauce from Isle of Wight Tomato Company Serve with pan-fried paneer and stir in frozen peas or spinach for an amazing curry in 10 minutes.
Loved this!