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The best meal prep recipes are easy to make in advance and divide up for your future dining pleasure. They need to have a bit of staying power — bonus points for dishes that actually improve in flavor as the ingredients meld over time. Here are some of our favorite meal prep ideas to ensure you stay satiated all week, from whole roasted chicken, that can be shredded and tossed with salad or pasta, to meaty, freezer-friendly Bolognese and hearty make-ahead grain and rice bowls. Spend a bit of time planning and preparing your meals now to enjoy tasty dishes in the days ahead.
Julia’s Favorite Roast Chicken
Julia Hartbeck
Roast a whole chicken on Sunday and it’s ready for all kinds of dishes in the days to come. Julia Child seasoned her roast chicken inside and out by packing sautéed vegetables, lemon slices, and fresh herbs into the cavity, then rubbing the skin with butter. In typical French fashion, she trussed the bird to promote even cooking.
Classic Beef Chili
Prepared chili is a great go-to that’s easy to change up by serving with pasta, rice, or cornbread and the toppings of your choice. This recipe calls for fresh poblano and toasty ancho chile powder, while using canned beans means it comes together in under an hour.
Spinach Lasagna
Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Spinach lasagna has many iterations, but we especially like this one for its simplicity and generous use of cheese. Freeze the lasagna by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, or place portions in freezer-safe containers.
Salmon Rice Bowl
Jeni Afuso
This satisfying, easy-to-prepare rice bowl is terrific with a fried egg on top, and it works well with hard-boiled eggs that you can cook in advance. Portion it all out and simply add the sliced avocado to each serving closer to when you plan to eat.
Bolognese Meat Sauce
Cookbook author and Italian cuisine expert Marcella Hazan’s classic ragù recipe is pure, long-simmered comfort in a pot. Because it requires a few hours on the stove, it may not be ideal to cook on a weeknight — but it can easily be made ahead for upcoming meals.
Red Lentil Akoho Sy Voanio (Malagasy Coconut Lentils)
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
In this vegetarian version of a popular Malagasy recipe, lentils are cooked with tomatoes and aromatics in a combination of coconut milk and water to create a curry-like dish that’s satisfying and rich. It can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days or frozen for up to one month.
Roasted Vegetable Grain Bowl with Chickpeas and Tahini-Ginger Dressing
This grain bowl can be customized with any grain, protein, or leafy green you have on hand. No matter what you choose, the deliciously easy sesame-based dressing will tie it all together. The chickpea-broccoli mixture and dressing may be stored in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Louisiana Red Beans and Rice
Based on his mom’s time-honored red beans and rice recipe, 2019 F&W Best New Chef Kwame Onwuachi starts with the Southern Holy Trinity of celery, bell pepper, and onion. It can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months.
Breakfast Egg Cups with Parsley Gremolata and Mushrooms
Bake up these egg cups and don’t think about making breakfast again until next week. They can be stored in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months.
Pork Meatballs in Cashew Curry
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
A rich, velvety curry made with curry powder, fresh ginger, and a hint of pungent fish sauce gets spooned over seared pork meatballs in this tasty dish from 2012 F&W Best New Chef Bryant Ng. At Cassia in Santa Monica, Ng serves it with naan, but it’s also delicious over rice, tossed with pasta, or piled on a hoagie roll.
Pozole Rojo
This Mexican chile-based pork stew with hominy can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for longer storage. Prep the toppings in advance and you’ll have several meals ready to go.
Dutch Oven Classic Beef Stew
Invest two hours in this hearty beef stew with tender chunks of beef and potato cooked in a Dutch oven to serve six when the time is right.
PB&J Overnight Oats
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne
Make breakfast for the week ahead with our tasty version of overnight oats. They can be made up to five days in advance, though the texture of the oats will soften the longer they sit. If you’d like to add fresh fruit to the mix, it’s best to do so right before serving unless it’ll be eaten the very next morning.
Summer Chicken-and-Pepper Stew
With sweet peppers and bright herbs, this light, garlicky chicken stew is tasty over polenta or served alongside crusty bread. It can chill in the fridge for up to three days.
Dinner Hummus with Spiced Chicken and Cauliflower
Turn hummus into a fully satisfying meal with a generous layer of chicken and cauliflower. Each component can be prepared ahead and brought to life with a shawarma-inspired array of spices and buttery pine nuts.
Kale-Artichoke Stuffed Shells
Stuffed shells still taste terrific when reheated, so go ahead and bake them off in advance and portion them out for later. Cannellini beans add hearty creaminess, while mild heat from Calabrian chiles and earthy sweetness from fennel seeds amp up jarred marinara sauce.
Tuna Salad
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Ali Domrongchai
Our classic tuna salad with a light mayonnaise dressing works on a sandwich, in a green salad, or scooped up with crackers, cucumber slices, or chips. Stir in capers for an extra pop of umami — don’t forget to rinse them first if they’re salt-packed.
Lazy Chicken-and-Sausage Cassoulet
This quick cassoulet made with chicken thighs, smoked sausage, and white beans can be assembled a day in advance and then baked off, but it also lends itself well to dividing into five servings to reheat for the week ahead.
Jamaican Stew Peas and Spinners
Luscious, hearty, and satisfying, this vegetarian stew pea dish comes together with red kidney beans, aromatics, coconut milk, a Scotch Bonnet pepper, and more. The spinners are unfussy finger-like dumplings that add a dense, toothsome bite. Serve it all over rice.
Potato and Poblano Taquitos
Stuffed with potatoes, chiles, and mushrooms, this recipe yields 20 taquitos to divide up and eat later with beans, rice, pico de gallo, and an optional drizzle of crema.
Harissa White Bean Stew with Turmeric Yogurt
Cookbook author Sarah DiGregorio adds depth and heat to her hearty white bean stew by adding harissa twice: first for the long simmer in the slow cooker, then at the end, to finish the dish with some bright heat. This stew will keep in the fridge for up to four days, so it’s perfect for meal prep.
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