To be honest, I don’t batch-cook because it makes me look virtuous. I do it because cooking during the week can feel like trying to thread a moving bus and I’m not too keen on trying to do that! These recipes are the ones I use when I want my fridge to do me favors during the week: big pots, sheet pans, clever sauces, and some “assemble later” scenarios. You can freeze most of them, you can mix and match many of them, and you won’t have to spend your entire Sunday in a fog of onion vapor.
Contents
- 1) Turkey Bean Chili
- 2) Sheet Pan Chicken
- 3) Pulled Pork
- 4) Tomato Soup
- 5) Lemon Garlic Chicken
- 6) Sautéed Greens
- 7) Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 8) Breakfast Burritos
- 9) Meatballs
- 10) Marinara Sauce
- 11) Lentil Curry
- 12) Chicken Noodle Soup
- 13) Cooked Brown Rice
- 14) Stir-Fry Sauce
- 15) Roasted Salmon
- 16) Roasted Broccoli
- 17) Shredded Chicken
- 18) Turkey Bolognese
- 19) Black Beans
- 20) Overnight Oats
- 21) Salad Ingredients
- 22) Classic Vinaigrette
- 23) Baked Feta Pasta
- 24) Peanut Noodles
- 25) Egg Muffins
- 26) Minestrone Soup
- 27) Taco Meat
- 28) Roasted Cauliflower
- 29) Baked Ziti
- 30) Chicken Rice Soup
- 31) Ramen Toppings
- 32) Greek Chickpea Salad
- 33) Smoothie Packs
- 34) Homemade Granola
1) Turkey Bean Chili
This is my “let dinner take care of itself” pot. Sauté the brown turkey with onion and garlic, then simmer with beans, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, and a touch of smoked paprika until it tastes like it’s been working hard all day. It is kept fresh for 4 to 5 days and freezes exceptionally well. I often store individual servings so Future Me can enjoy chili at 9:30 p.m. without looking directly at the stovetop.
2) Sheet Pan Chicken
I have a deep respect for the way chicken thighs are forgiving. Roast them at high heat with a pile of vegetables and you get juicy meat plus sides that taste like they’ve been lightly caramelized by fate. Leftovers can easily be transformed into different meals like salads, wraps, or grain bowls which is why I like to cook extra. Getting a bit of blackened edge on your veggies isn’t a problem. It’s a sign they are FLAVORED.
3) Pulled Pork
Pork shoulder might seem daunting initially, but once it’s in your kitchen, it becomes weirdly compliant. Cook it low and slow with salt, pepper, onions, and a bit of vinegar, until it pulls apart easily. You can go tacos one night, sandwiches the next, then toss it into fried rice or a baked potato situation. You can freeze it in flat bags, and it will thaw quickly, almost like it wants to aid you.
4) Tomato Soup
This is my answer to the question, “Can I eat something that feels soothing but still counts as dinner?” Roast tomatoes and red peppers until sweet, then blend with broth and a little garlic; add cream if you want it plush. Soup nights have a funny way of saving the week. It can be stored for days and it even freezes well. One time, I paired this with a super lazy grilled cheese and my family treated it like I had catered the meal.
5) Lemon Garlic Chicken
At times you require a reliable source of protein that you won’t hate eating. Marinate chicken in lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, oregano, and salt, then roast or grill-pan it until just cooked. Slice it, and all of a sudden, your desk lunch appears more planned out. Think along the lines of Caesar-ish salads, pita wraps, and quick rice bowls. If you tend to overcook chicken (hi, it’s me), take it out early and let carryover heat do the finishing.
6) Sautéed Greens
Greens seem like a lot of food until they hit a pan and reduce into something more manageable; both emotionally and physically. Sauté some garlic in olive oil, then add some washed greens and season them with salt. Finish with a squeeze of lemon or a pinch of red pepper flakes. They sit under omelets, pasta, grain bowls, and soups as if they belong there. I enjoy having this in the fridge because it adds sophistication to my meals.
7) Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are basically edible insurance. Cube them, toss with oil and salt (and cumin if you’re feeling it), and then roast them until the corners turn bronze and they become a bit chewy. You can find them at breakfast with eggs, lunch in salads, and dinner next to salmon or chicken. I won’t judge you if you munch on them straight from the container–I’ve done worse.
8) Breakfast Burritos
These are for mornings when you wake up already behind. Fill tortillas with scrambled eggs, beans or sausage, a bit of cheese, and maybe sautéed peppers; wrap tightly and freeze. Microwave them and if you feel like it, crisp them in a skillet. To many people, the difference is saying “I skipped breakfast” and “I’m strangely able to function.”
9) Meatballs
Making meatballs isn’t the most exciting activity (rolling them always makes me the rethink the decisions that led me here) but the results are definitely worth it. Bake them on a sheet pan so you can do 40 at once without babysitting a skillet. Half are used for pasta while the others are used for subs, rice bowls, or a quick meatball-and-broccoli dinner. Place them on a tray and freeze them before bagging them together. This will prevent them from cominbing into one giant meat asteroid.
10) Marinara Sauce
An excellent marinara sauce is so good that it makes you feel like you have a little Italian grandma helping you cook. Simmer canned tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, onion, and basil until it tastes rounded, not sharp. When you’re “not hungry” but inexplicably start eating bread, use it for pasta, meatball subs, baked eggs and for dipping. If you want a sauce that tastes sweeter, adding grated carrot will help with that without yelling out “healthy trick.”
11) Lentil Curry
I cook this meal when I want my kitchen to smell like I actually have my life together. Simmer red lentils with coconut milk, curry powder or paste, ginger, and garlic until thick and spoonable. After spending the night in the fridge, it gets even better. This is a minor miracle. Some people have varied reactions to spice, so please keep it adjustable and add the chili at the end.
12) Chicken Noodle Soup
Yes, it’s classic. Yes, it’s still worth doing because it’s comfort food in liquid form. If you want to simplify the process, you could use rotisserie chicken; just simmer some broth with carrots, celery, and noodles, and then stir in the chicken at the end so that it stays tender. I’ve seen a cranky relative become more pleasant while eating this. If you don’t want mushy pasta in the future, freeze portions without the noodles.
13) Cooked Brown Rice
Cooking grains in batch isn’t fancy, however, it’s the silent backbone of the nights where you say, “I put dinner together”. Prepare a large batch of brown rice, quinoa, or farro and divide it into shallow containers for faster cooling and more even reheating. Then you’ve got an instant base for stir-fries, burrito bowls, or a fried rice rescue mission. If you’re bored, just heat it with butter and salt and that’s it: simple still counts.
14) Stir-Fry Sauce
House sauce makes me enjoy all those miscellaneous fridge ingredients more than I probably should. Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and a touch of honey or brown sugar. If you want it glossy, thicken it with cornstarch. Store it in the fridge and add it to veggies, tofu, chicken, noodles, anything that needs a little boost. I’ve poured this over plain rice in a pinch and felt a strange sense of pride.
15) Roasted Salmon
As long as you don’t overcook it, salmon can be one of the quickest “real dinners” you can batch-cook. For use in salads, rice bowls, or quick pastas with oil and capers, roast fillets seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon until they are just opaque, then chill. I see this as more of a short-term plan and not a deep-freeze commitment. I’ll get back to this within the next couple of days. If your microwave smells like fish, just eat it cold; it actually tastes good that way.
16) Roasted Broccoli
Roasted broccoli is the one vegetable that makes everyone stop complaining about vegetables. When high heat, sufficient oil, and lots of salt are used, you will get some crisp edges and tender stems. It reheats decently, and it’s excellent chopped into pasta or folded into scrambled eggs. If you’ve ever, somewhat haphazardly, consumed half the tray while serving dinner, you’re not alone.
17) Shredded Chicken
This is the same as keeping money in your pocket when it comes to batch cooking. Poach or slow-cook chicken with onion, bay leaf, and salt, then shred and store with a little broth to keep it moist. Tacos, enchiladas, chicken salad, soup: your week just got less dramatic. If plain shredded chicken sounds sad, mix in a spoonful of salsa or pesto and see it liven up.
18) Turkey Bolognese
I enjoy bolognese because it tastes like it takes a lot of effort to prepare, even if the most you did was let it simmer while you did some half-hearted laundry folding. Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery, then add ground turkey. Add tomatoes and a splash of milk to soften. Prepare a large quantity and divide it into individual portions in meal-sized containers before freezing. Finely chopped vegetables can be incorporated into the sauce with no hassle.
19) Black Beans
Prepared black beans bring a sense of heartiness to a variety of dishes including burrito bowls, salads, quesadillas, and soup. While preparing from dried beans, simmer with some onion, garlic, a bay leaf, and a little salt. For canned beans, heat them with some cumin and a squeeze of lime to make them less tinny. They can be stored for several days in their cooking liquid and also freeze well. I have eaten them raw, hot sauce poured over them standing at the fridge. This is not ‘a recipe’, but it is very real.
20) Overnight Oats
Overnight oats are my low-effort breakfast truce. Stir oats with milk (dairy or not), yogurt if you want it creamy, and a pinch of salt; portion into jars and top later so nothing gets sad. Add-ins can alter the mood: peanut butter and banana, cinnamon and apple, cocoa and cherries. Even if you aren’t a fan of oats, you may still be able to enjoy these: they’re cold, creamy, and not too serious.
21) Salad Ingredients
I’m not asking you to pre-prepare a salad (I’m not a monster). However, washing greens, chopping cucumbers, and making sure crunchy things are stored properly, turn salad from a punishment into an option. To retain moisture and lengthen freshness, place a paper towel in the greens container. On hectic evenings, dinner can be simplified to chicken, salad, and bread. Simple makes you sane.
22) Classic Vinaigrette
Even a simple salad can have a purpose with a good vinaigrette. If you want a sweeter dressing, add honey. Ellers, pisk eller rist sammen olivenolje, eddik eller sitronjuice, Dijon-sennep, salt og pepper. It will separate, and that’s normal, so keep it in a jar and shake it before using. I have seen people begin to eat more vegetables just because the dressing was not dull.
23) Baked Feta Pasta
There’s a reason this went viral: it’s simple and gives the illusion of being very clever. Mash jammy garlic, cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese that you’ve baked in olive oil, then mix with pasta. When batch cooking, keep the sauce separate, and mix it with the fresh pasta later so that it doesn’t become too soft. If you want it to feel more like a complete meal, add spinach or chickpeas.
24) Peanut Noodles
Peanut noodles are my favorite lunch option that doesn’t feel like a downgrade. Make a sauce from peanut butter, soy sauce, lime, a little honey, and warm water; toss with noodles and cooked tofu or chicken. It keeps well in the refrigerator, but you might need to add a splash of water to make it less stiff. Almond butter may be an acceptable alternative for most people as it has a different, but still satisfying, flavor.
25) Egg Muffins
This is like the breakfast equivalent of having your shoes by the door. Whisk eggs with salt and pepper, add chopped veg, cheese, or cooked sausage, then bake in a muffin tin until set. If you’re in a real hurry, they can be reheated in a flash and don’t need any cutlery. I like them with hot sauce, but I like hot sauce on pretty much everything, so take that with a grain of salt.
26) Minestrone Soup
Minestrone is generous and forgiving; that’s how I like my soup to be. Add pasta and greens towards the end. It’s substantial enough for dinner and mild enough for lunch. Similar to most soups, it seems to taste more complete the next day, as if it has had time to contemplate.
27) Taco Meat
Once taco meat is made, tacos can be ready to go in under ten minutes for the next meals! Add a splash of water to keep the meat juicy while you brown it with the onion, garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Use it for tacos, nachos, stuffed sweet potatoes, or a quick salad. If you’re catering to a spice-sensitive group, keep the spice levels low and provide hot sauce for them at the table.
28) Roasted Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a little squeaky-voice canvas with a squeaky little voice, and the roasting eliminates that. Divide a tray with curry powder on one side and smoked paprika with garlic on the other, then roast until everything is browned. Now you’ve got mix-and-match sides that won’t taste the same even if you eat them every day that week. If you want a sneaky second act, chop the leftovers and turn them into tacos, or blend them into a soup.
29) Baked Ziti
Baked ziti is the friend who comes early and starts stacking chairs. Cook pasta, mix with marinara and ricotta, layer with mozzarella, then bake until bubbly. Prepare one pan for now and one for later (or for the freezer), because you’ll appreciate it on a night when everyone is hungry and your motivation is nowhere to be found. If you’re adding spinach, do it proudly. Just don’t make it a press release.
30) Chicken Rice Soup
This is what I prepare when someone in the house feels tired, has a sniffle, or is just generally not feeling it. Simmer broth with carrots, celery, and shredded chicken. Stir in the cooked rice towards the end so it doesn’t turn into mush. It remains stable, and it is comforting without being flavorless. Having lemon at the table is optional, but I do like a squeeze for some brightness.
31) Ramen Toppings
This is batch cooking for those who get bored easily (hello once again). Eggs, mushrooms, scallions, and possibly chicken would be some toppings you could prepare. Then one weeknight, in two minutes, you can heat broth, cook noodles, and add the good stuff. It seems like a reward, but it’s just a little planning and salt.
32) Greek Chickpea Salad
This is my “I want lunch to be ready and not be strange” recipe. Toss chickpeas with chopped cucumber, tomato, red onion, feta, olive oil, lemon, and oregano. It lasts for days, and the flavors combine nicely rather than falling apart. Soak the slices in cold water for 10 minutes to make them less pungent.
33) Smoothie Packs
While I don’t usually drink smoothies, I definitely need something quick and cold. Pack your fruits, veggies, and add-ins (chia seeds, oats, nut butter, etc. if you wish) into freezer bags, and pour into a blender along with some milk or yogurt. This prevents the unfortunate moment where you find your berries have spoiled. This way you can use bananas before they become fully speckled.
34) Homemade Granola
Even if you made it at 11 p.m. in your sweatpants, granola makes it smell like you’ve made healthy choices. Combine oats and nuts with oil, a pinch of salt, some cinnamon, and honey or maple syrup, then bake until golden and fragrant. It can be stored in a jar and added to yogurt and fruit for an instant upgrade. I can relate to eating it by the handful while standing in front of the pantry.
