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In our fast-paced world, finding the time to cook nutritious meals can be a challenge. We often opt for convenience over health, resorting to takeaways or more processed foods, like ready-meals (most of which are full of ultra-processed ingredients). However, there's a secret to making healthy eating easier, more affordable, and less time-consuming: batch cooking. By preparing large quantities of wholesome dishes at once, you can stock your freezer with delicious options that are ready to heat and eat. Here, we'll explore the benefits of batch cooking and provide you with some mouth-watering recipes to get started.
One of the most prominent advantages of batch cooking is the promotion of healthier eating habits. By prepping nutritious, plant-based meals in advance, you're more likely to consume a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. This dietary shift can lead to lower cholesterol levels, improved heart health, and a reduced risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and certain cancers.
Plant-based batch cooking saves time in the long run. Spending a few hours each week to prepare meals means you won't have to cook from scratch every day. When you're pressed for time, simply defrost and reheat your plant-based creations for a quick and wholesome meal.
Eating plant-based can be budget-friendly, and batch cooking amplifies those savings. Buying ingredients in bulk, cooking in larger quantities and minimising food waste can significantly reduce your shopping expenses. Moreover, plant-based proteins like beans and lentils can often be more affordable than animal products.
Batch cooking minimises food waste. You can use up perishable ingredients efficiently, and by portioning your meals, you're less likely to throw away leftovers. Not only does this cut costs, but it promotes sustainable living practices, helping you to reduce your environmental footprint.
Batch cooking doesn't mean monotonous meals. There's an incredible array of plant-based ingredients and recipes to explore, ensuring that your palate never gets bored. From hearty stews to vibrant salads and creative grain bowls, you'll discover a world of flavours.
Soups are a wonderful way to kickstart your batch cooking journey. They're versatile, easy to prepare, and can be packed with nutrients. These soups are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibre, making them perfect for both lunch and dinner.
This easy soup is as good as it gets — incredibly flavoursome and so simple to make. You’ll be making it on repeat in no time! It's perfect for batch cooking, meaning instant lunches all week.
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This vibrant soup is perfect for those dark winter days when you need a little boost - delicious, warming and comforting.
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Loaded with ginger, spring onions, lime and soy, this flavour-filled soup will warm up chilly lunchtimes. Make up a batch on Monday and enjoy it for the rest of the week.
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This is a perfect, easy soup for weekdays. We're loving it this January, as it's such an easy way to get your 5-a-day in. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with chilli flakes and serve alongside sourdough or rye bread.
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I love to keep stocked up on frozen veg, for those nights when your fridge is bare and you need a speedy supper! This soup is packed full of amazing greens, which are simmered with coconut milk to produce a delicious and creamy texture.
View RecipeWhen the weather turns chilly, nothing beats a comforting stew or chilli. These dishes are a wholesome blend of vegetables, legumes, and spices that will keep you warm and satisfied, while also keeping costs low and never compromising on flavour.
Made from a handful of ingredients, this stew couldn't be easier to make. The flavour of the sun-dried tomatoes paired with the creamy texture of the tahini is a match made in heaven. We love to serve this with a handful of fresh green leaves and a dollop of coconut yoghurt.
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This roasted vegetable and butter bean stew is a great dinner for a cool, winter evening. It's packed full of flavour thanks to the miso, sun-dried tomatoes and mixed herbs, while the coconut milk and tahini create a thick, creamy texture. We love to serve this with a side of green salad and a large dollop of hummus.
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This one-pan wonder is the saviour of speedy weeknight dinners — using tins and storecupboard staples, embellished with fresh vegetables, it delivers a quick, easy but flavoursome supper. Similar to dhal in terms of texture and body, spoonfuls of tahini and rose harissa are added at the end for instant flavour. Any leftovers make a great lunch the following day.
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This hearty chickpea, tofu & harissa stew, full of protein and fibre, is guaranteed to leave you feeling satisfied. It goes well with a variety of side dishes – throughout week 3 of our healthy plant-based January meal plan we serve it with roasted sweet potatoes, rice noodles, and brown rice.
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This hearty Italian-style bean stew is inspired by ribollita, an Italian classic. This quick-to-cook version is made with fresh vegetables, tinned cannellini beans, and topped with pieces of garlic bread. It makes enough for 2-3 large servings, just enough for next day's lunch. If you omit the bread it freezes very well.
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This warming one-pot winter stew is packed with nourishing ingredients — carrots, mushrooms, potatoes and iron-rich lentils. Minimal fuss, this recipe is great for cold-weather cooking.
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Is there anything more comforting on a cold winter day than a cosy stew to warm you from the inside out? Beetroot is slowly braised in a rich red wine broth with caramelised mushrooms and lentils. Serve with our creamy skin-on mashed potatoes. Any leftovers can kept in the fridge for up to 3 days; or frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to fully defrost before reheating on the stove or in the microwave.
View RecipeGrains and legumes are pantry staples that can be transformed into delicious and nutritious meals. These recipes offer a rainbow of flavours, textures, and nutrients.
A warming bowl of chilli makes for great comfort food on cold winter evenings. With quinoa and beans, this nutritionally balanced dish packs in the plant-based protein, fibre and provides a good source of folate, iron and magnesium — plus it’s super satisfying.
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These warm and hearty fritters are a great way to use up extra quinoa. Lightly pan-fried in olive oil, they are full of protein, fibre and healthy fats. Served with some of our minty green sauce, fresh spinach, and chives they make a really satisfying meal.
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This warming chilli will become a favourite all-in-one weeknight meal. Packed with plant protein from the quinoa, beans and almond butter, it also delivers on flavour — we love it served with a dollop of guacamole. Enjoy any leftovers for lunch the following day. Feel free to use your choice of beans — black or pinto beans would also work well.
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Make life easy with this simple one-pan orzo. Packed with chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, broccoli and courgettes, it’s bursting with goodness; while the basil, chilli, garlic, shallots and veggie stock ensure it’s all loaded with flavour. The leftovers make a brilliant packed lunch.
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Teamed with chickpeas, for added protein and fibre, plus spring onion and chilli, these courgette fritters make a great light lunch, simple dinner or weekend brunch.
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This is a great 20-minute, high-protein lunch. The onion, garlic, cumin and turmeric add flavour to the chickpeas, edamame and wilted spinach; while the coconut yoghurt, tahini and lemon juice make a lovely, creamy dressing. Serve with brown rice or quinoa to complete the dish, or a side of roasted broccoli for extra greens.
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Are there days when you need dinner on the table fast? This traybake recipe is just the ticket. Consider the vegetables and their quantities as suggestions, rather than rules — bell peppers, baby corn, aubergine, courgettes or cauliflower would all work well. For an extra hit of protein, chop some bite-sized pieces of tofu and add into the mix.
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This vibrant pasta salad looks and tastes like sunshine on a plate. The creamy tofu-based sauce is made with turmeric, lemon and mustard; then tossed with pasta, yellow peppers and sweetcorn — full of flavour and ready in 20 minutes. Bellissimo!
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Tucking into this fresh crunchy rainbow salad will no doubt fill work colleagues with envy. The addition of mint, pomegranate and pistachios takes a simple salad up a notch, making it a brilliant workday lunch that’s worth getting excited for.
View RecipeCurries and dahl are a fantastic way to introduce variety and flavour into your batch-cooked meals. Our recipes in this article are bursting with aromatic spices and rich, creamy textures that will satisfy your taste buds and warm your soul.
A storecupboard favourite, this chickpea curry is quick, easy and delicious. We've used a tin of chickpeas, but the recipe also works with roasted vegetables or any type of canned beans stirred through — simply adapt to include anything that you have at home.
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This brilliant supper has so much flavour and is packed with veggies. We use cauliflower and red pepper, but these can easily be swapped for other veggies — squash and sweet potato are both delicious, as are mangetout and sugar snap peas.
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Looking for a simple and healthy store-cupboard dinner? This warming, nourishing bowl is one of our go-to spiced suppers — it’s easy to make, has simple ingredients, is freezer-friendly and full of flavour.
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We've had so many requests for the curry recipe that we cooked on the Netflix series, Down To Earth with Zac Efron, so here it is. This dish is a delicious mix of different flavours and textures — it’s always a hit and is a great way to introduce people to plant-based meals.
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This butternut squash curry is such a fresh and flavoursome dinner. The creamy sauce is made with roasted butternut squash and coconut milk, with a kick of spice from cinnamon, coriander and cumin. We love to serve this with a side of brown rice but it's also delicious with brown rice noodles as the sauce can be thinner than other curries.
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This is a brilliant recipe for batch cooking. Red lentils are simmered with sautéed red onion, lots of spices, fresh ginger, garlic and coconut milk. Add to that cinnamon and cumin-roasted butternut squash, finish with a sprinkling of roasted almonds, coconut chips, fresh herbs, chilli and yoghurt — and you have the ultimate winter warmer.
View RecipeIf you're a fan of Italian cuisine, our ragu recipes will surely please your palate. These hearty sauces are perfect for eating with your favourite pasta, serving over a bed of steaming rice or enjoying with some delicious toast.
This healthy, hearty bolognese is packed full of vegetables. It’s a delicious and satisfying way to incorporate more wholefoods into your diet.
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This is the perfect batch cooking recipe. Easy to make, packed with nutrition and very versatile. It’s great with pasta, quinoa, jacket potatoes or rice; and it’s equally popular with adults and kids alike.
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This rich, hearty ragu is impressively versatile and a recipe to have on standby to come back to again and again. Serve it simply with a baked potato or toasted sourdough and a drizzle of good quality olive oil. Alternatively, we’ve created some recipes that showcase our favourite ways to enjoy it — teamed with roast vegetables or with added mushrooms and layered with pasta in a seriously satisfying lasagne.
View RecipeBatch cooking isn't just about saving time and money; it's a lifestyle choice that can positively impact your daily life. By dedicating a few hours each week to prepare these wholesome dishes, you'll have ready-made meals that encourage healthier eating habits and help to keep costs lower.
Choose recipes that utilise similar ingredients to reduce waste and simplify your shopping list.
Invest in a variety of storage containers to keep your batch-cooked meals fresh and organised.
Don't forget to label your containers with the name of the dish and the date it was prepared to keep track of freshness.
Regularly consume the older meals from your freezer and replenish with fresh batches.
Experiment with different recipes and ingredients to keep your meals exciting and diverse.
By incorporating batch cooking into your routine, you'll enjoy the convenience of having healthy, homemade meals at your fingertips while reaping the benefits of saving time, money, and improving your overall well-being. So, we really encourage you to embrace the delicious world of batch cooking and savour the extra time and joy it brings to your table.
