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53 Batch Cooking Recipes for Freezer Meals and More
Bulk cooking is a form of meal prep that saves you time and money, and makes having a healthy home cooked meal every night easier than ever. These bulk cooking recipes will help you start cooking less often, yet having home cooked meals more often.
Batch cooking is perfect for midweek meals. Let’s talk about how it can work for you and keep your whole family happy.
Advantages of Batch Cooking Recipes
- You save cooking time because you’re cooking several meals at once.
- It saves cleanup time, because you have fewer cooking sessions to clean up after.
- It’s a great way to make homemade freezer meals, which are great for lunches or when kids need to heat up their own dinners.
- It saves money because bulk cooking makes it easy to shop better. You can take advantage of sales and bulk buys (even if you live and eat alone!) and, with a little planning, make sure everything you buy gets used in a recipe.
- You can also take advantage of cheaper cuts of meat because most of these recipes – especially slow cooker and crockpot recipes – are designed to tenderize tough meat and make it all delicious.
- No wasted leftovers, because these recipes are designed for freezing and serving again later. It’s a good way to avoid food waste.
- You know exactly what’s in every meal, which gives you lots of control over the nutrition.
- Adapt it to any diet. Bulk cooking may make you think of meaty stews and casseroles, but you can also make vegetarian bean salads. Swap beef for fish or chicken. Swap meat for lentils or any other substitute you prefer.
Planning Freezer Meals
Cooking in bulk does take a little bit of planning in advance. Less than regular cooking, I think, but you will have to make a few adjustments.
Basically, there are a few ways to make bulk cooking work for you. You can:
- Cook a few elements of meals, such as the meat or a veggie, and keep them on hand to add to meals. That way, you just need to cook sides and maybe some rice or pasta, or just put the meat on a bun. You can also cook your sides in advance, and mix and match to form meals.
- Cook one-dish meals, like stews and pasta dishes. You can even freeze your own “ready to heat” pizzas. Just freeze the portions you don’t use immediately, and heat them up as needed.
Helpful Batch Cooking Posts
- Slow cookers make it easy to cook food while you’re busy doing other things.
- Cast iron skillets and dutch ovens are also great for bulk cooking.
- You may want to get some reusable freezer bags. They cost more up front than disposables, but you can reuse them many more times.
Bonus Batch-Cooking Recipes Your Whole Family Will Enjoy
Some very classic recipes are good for freezing and reheating later. Check out our:
- Slow cooker chicken recipes
- Slow cooker beef.
- Easy stovetop mac and cheese recipes and Instant Pot mac and cheese recipes.
- Most soups freeze well and taste great later. Try these crockpot soups.
- Recipes for spaghetti sauce, couscous, Campbell’s Soup, quinoa, risotto and green beans are also great.
Big-Batch Meal Prep Recipes
Make a big batch of Crock Pot BBQ Meatballs to serve at a party or freeze for later! This makes enough for multiple meals!
This chowder is one of my favorite one-dish meals. It really fills you up and keeps you full. The blend of smoky and savory flavors is absolutely delicious.
And you can make very big pots of it and freeze some for later. It will reheat nicely.
Taiwanese green onion pancake (cong you bing) is a delicious savoury street snack that is easy to batch make and freeze- it can be cooked from frozen, making it the perfect food for bulk cooking!
These Italian meatballs are easy to make and delicious. Perfect for heating up for lunch or dinner, especially for kids.
This shredded chicken is perfect for making tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and more! This simple recipe requires only 5 basic ingredients and turns out perfectly tender and flavorful.
Instant Pot Egg Bites are perfect for making a large batch that can be put in the fridge or freezer for later.
This broccoli rice casserole is so easy to make in bulk and freeze. Eat one now, and pull one out in a few weeks for a quick dinner!
Healthy Air Fryer Falafel Recipe (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free)
This easy and healthy Air Fryer Falafel recipe is gluten-free, vegan, grain-free, and allergy-free! No oil or frying needed for these light and crispy falafel. Quick to make using canned chickpeas and chickpea flour and perfect for filling a gluten-free pita, lunches, appetizers, or dinners! Freezing and baking instructions included!
This Spinach Chickpea Curry, also known as Chana Saag, is a healthy vegan and gluten-free curry. This easy one-pot curry is made with chickpeas and spinach in a sauce made of onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and aromatic spices. Serve it with rice, quinoa, or naan for a perfect weeknight dinner!
These crispy baked chicken cutlets are so delicious and can be easily made in batches. Just get more chicken breasts and you've got multiple dinners and lunches prepared.
Instant Pot French Dip is perfect for making sandwiches for a crowd! Flavorful beef served with melty cheese on a hearty roll.
Pork butt is just about as easy as it comes, and if you are a beginner smoker it is the perfect starter meat to smoke. They are incredibly forgiving, loaded with flavor and provide a variety of options as to how you can serve it.
Pork Shoulder Carnitas is made by adding all the ingredients to a dutch oven, baking it in the oven for a couple of hours, then crisping it up in a pan.
This is the best Chicken Soup Recipe to make when you're craving simple comfort food or feeling under the weather and want to make a bulk soup. This large chicken soup recipe is made with bone-in chicken thighs simmered into a flavorful broth and  filled with tender onions, carrots, celery, and juicy shredded chicken.
This Banana And Nutella Croffle (Croissant Waffle) recipe is the perfect sweet breakfast. Nutella and bananas are baked between crescent dough in a waffle maker.
You can make these a week at a time. Let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
A great freezer meal, this ziti has pasta mixed with a flavorful tomato sauce, ground beef, cottage cheese, ricotta and mozzarella cheese. Once you cool the dish completely, you can freeze for up to a month in a sealed container.
This cheesy, crispy, oven favourite broccoli cheese casserole is low effort and high reward "“ complete with cheat tips!
These soft and tender Italian meatballs are the perfect meal to make in bulk! They can be made ahead and frozen until ready to bake for a easy, satisfying meal!
Matcha buns freeze well and can be steamed from frozen. Moreover, you can switch up the flavor by substituting the matcha with something else, but using the same base dough (e.g. cocoa powder) Perfect for bulk cooking!
Best Non-Creamy Potato Salad Recipe (Grandma's Old-Fashioned Large-Batch!)
Potato salad is great to keep on hand for a side dish or snack, but because it usually has mayo in it, you can't keep it forever in the fridge.
Enter this recipe, which doesn't have any mayo. It will keep easily in the fridge for a while, and you can enjoy it over and over.
Cajun Red Beans and Rice with Sausage makes a big batch to feed a crowd or give you leftovers for days in your Instant Dutch Oven. Delicious, spicy, and hearty!
This is a vegan Afghan Lubya that's spiced with dried mint and black pepper. The end result is a delicious curry with a unique taste. It's a one pot meal you can keep in the fridge for up to five days or freeze.
These make-ahead breakfast burritos only take a few steps, but the convenience of a 2 minute meal-on-the-go for busy mornings or for exhausted new parents is worth it. Choose your fillings.
Mom's Best Classic Gluten-Free Vegan Baked Ziti (Soy-Free, Easy)
Our family's favorite famous comfort food recipe, remade! Mom's Best Classic Gluten-Free Vegan Baked Ziti without the dairy, but still under 5 ingredients! This make-ahead "cheesy" pasta dinner casserole is soy-free too, super easy, delicious, and baked in 20 minutes! Great as a freezer meal or having leftovers throughout the week!
Crockpot bbq beef using chuck roast or another cut creates tender shredded beef in slow cooker. Pile it on buns for sliders, or pulled beef sandwiches. Â
Keto Turkey Meatballs are one of my go-to easy dinners and freezer meals. You can make a big batch of these easy healthy meatballs and pop some in the freezer for nights you don't feel like cooking. This easy recipe is low carb, keto, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
Cilantro Lime Brown Rice is very easy to make it at home. Aromatic cilantro, fresh lime juice, minced garlic and ground black pepper bring out the wonderful zesty flavors to the earthy brown-rice. This Mexican-inspired brown rice tastes great and is quick to cook. Â Use it as a hearty base for an easy dinner or a fabulous lunch to pack.
Slow Cooker Jambalaya will delight seafood and meat-lovers alike! A hearty, spicy, comforting meal to share.
Enjoy these chicken breasts with sweet potatoes. Spiced, naturally sweet, and flavorful.
This fall quiche with pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and nuts (also called Quiche d'automne) got all the good things of autumn. And you make the bottom and filling all by yourself. Prepare multiple at once, slice in portions and freeze. It's that easy!
Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup is a meatless soup recipe packed full of flavor! Cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika and cinnamon compliment the red lentils and carrots, creating a creamy, filling soup. Â
Southern baked mac and cheese with a crunchy, golden brown breadcrumb topping! Made with gruyere and white cheddar cheese. Creamy, cheesy, and comforting!
Taco Chicken is a great family friendly recipe for cooking in bulk. It makes lots of flavorful shredded chicken that can be used for tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, wraps, casserole, bowls or meal prep.
Slow Cooker Navy Bean Soup is a hearty meal that uses leftover ham, canned beans, chicken stock, and pantry staple spices. A dump-and-go meal that is infused with deep wholesome flavor.
This fall quiche with pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and nuts (also called Quiche d'automne) got all the good things of autumn. And you make the bottom and filling all by yourself. Prepare multiple at once, slice in portions and freeze. It's that easy!
Makes a huge batch in the slow cooker and it's only four ingredients.
Big Batch Roasted Vegetables is here for those of you who love meal prepping in huge batches or who serve guests for dinner parties or special occasions. This nutritious and easy to prepare side dish makes a generous 8 to 12 servings and always receives compliments!
Many recipes call for cooked ground beef or turkey. Use your crockpot to cook these in bulk. Store cooked meat in the refrigerator or freeze in recipe-sized portions.
These smoked pulled chicken breast are loaded with flavor, easy to make and prefect for that summer BBQ with friends or when you are hosting that big graduation party. The injection offers a kick of spice while you get that smokey flavor off the smoker.
This is the best high-protein Vegan Meatballs Recipe! Gluten-Free and allergy-free, these hearty meatless meatballs are packed with lentils, quinoa, and veggies! Baked, eggless, made without breadcrumbs, and perfectly seasoned with Italian herbs, this easy and kid-friendly recipe is great for a spaghetti dinner, subs or sandwiches, and paired with any sauce!
Freezer lasagna made in an 8-inch pan! Cook once, eat now and freeze half for later. Make ahead lasagna in two pans--eat one tonight and save one for the best freezer meal ever!
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Allergy-Free)
This easy Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili is a dump-and-go crockpot meal you can set and forget! This healthy three bean chili is vegan, gluten-free, allergy-free, and full of plant-based protein, veggies, and bold Southwest flavors! A comforting dinner for a crowd or meatless make-ahead and freezer-friendly meal you can meal prep!
Crock Pot Barbacoa makes enough for tacos tonight, plus two more freezer meals! Pull out the extras for salads, burritos, enchiladas, or nachos!
Take your wok out and make a ton of this easy salmon stir fry. A flavorful, umami and sweet meal you can make for multiple dinners.
Making crockpot spaghetti sauce with ground beef is a fun and easy recipe. Because the tomatoes stew for a long time, they fall apart completely and become nice and sweet. Prepare multiple batches at once and freeze them easily!
This recipe is a take on the classic comfort food, Cuban beef picadillo. It combines seasoned ground beef, hearty potatoes, and salty olives that simmer in a rich, tomato-based sauce. Picadillo takes 40 minutes to make.
It will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to three months.
For Instant Pot Pinto Beans, you won't need to soak the beans beforehand! This makes the recipe super quick to make, not to mention it comes out delicious. It goes great as a side, as a meal, or can be added to other recipes like soups or refried beans.
This insanely Easy Vegan Lentil Shepherd's Pie is made in less than 30 minutes! This hearty meatless recipe is just 10 main ingredients, gluten-free, allergy-free, featuring protein-packed lentils, veggies, and simple dairy-free mashed potatoes! Healthy and budget-friendly comfort food the whole family will love and devour!
This is a traditional Brunswick stew recipe that uses leftover pulled pork and shredded chicken. This recipe makes great use of pantry staple items. It is easily put together to simmer on the stove or oven freeing you up to do other things while it cooks. A hearty meat and potato dish this makes great use of leftover produce.
Instant Pot Mushroom Wild Rice Soup is a creamy vegetarian dish that is packed with protein and veggies. Hearty wild rice is combined with mushrooms, carrots, celery, and kale, then is brought together with a creamy soup base. This easy mushroom soup is the best way to warm up on a cold day!
It is so nice to open up the freezer and grab out a package of homemade bacon whenever you want. Especially with the cost of groceries at the time being. Learn how to make your own bacon in the smoker.
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