Batch Cook Recipes

Although making all your batch-cooked meals for the week may mean spending a Sunday afternoon in the kitchen, you should see this time as an investment because it will save you so much time in the long run. After all, there’s only one lot of chopping and one lot of cleaning to be done when you prepare a full week of meals at once.

There are so many ways that batch cooking can save you time and effort. For example, washing and pre-chopping vegetables will save you from hours of peeling late in the evening, and cooking all your rice will ensure that reheating only takes a few minutes when you’re ready to eat. As a bonus, batch cooking will also provide you with more time in the evening to do the things that you love.

On top of all this, you don’t need much equipment for batch cooking. All you need is a few large pans, several storage containers and some labels (it’s easy to forget what’s what in the freezer). Range cookers of all sizes are suitable for batch cooking, so you’ll have no problem roasting veg, boiling rice, and cooking meat at the same time.

When you’re batch cooking, it’s best to think of one base recipe that can apply to multiple dishes. That way, you’re not having the same meal night after night. For example, if you cooked chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato and brown rice, then you could make a curry sauce one night and turn everything into a stir fry the next. This way, every night is different and there’s no need to eat the same meal again and again.

However, sometimes it’s easier to make big batch meals and freeze them for speedy midweek dinners. This way, you can maximise the time you’re saving. With this in mind, here are some batch cook recipes that kids and adults alike will love.

A huge batch of Bolognese is always a crowd-pleaser. Plus, a Bolognese sauce always tastes best when it’s had time to fully marinate, so you may find that it tastes even better on Wednesday than it did on Monday. In the evening, all you’ll need to do is warm your sauce and cook your pasta. Dinner will be ready in as little as 15 minutes.

All soups are perfect for batch cooking because they’re incredibly quick to make and they can be reheated at any time. So, whether you need a quick lunch or a warming dinner, your food will be ready in only a few minutes. We love this butternut sweet potato and chilli soup recipe because it’s packed with flavours and healthy vegetables.

In the winter months, there’s no better way of warming up than by indulging in a hearty hotpot. A sausage and bean hotpot is the ultimate in comfort food and all you’ll need to do after work is reheat it.

This lasagne recipe is a sure-fire family favourite that you can cook in bulk. Plus, the great thing about lasagne is that it works perfectly with different accompaniments. Serve it with a salad one night, chips another and garlic bread another to create three different meals.

The chicken and leek pie is a British classic and it’s perfect for batch cooking. Just freeze all your filling and place your pastry on the top whenever you’re ready to reheat it.

Batch cooking isn’t all about main courses. In fact, desserts work just as well batch cooked. A carrot traybake can stay in the freezer for months (if you can resist the temptation to eat it earlier) and all you’ll need to do before you serve it is defrost it and drizzle a little icing on the top.