Our Top 10 Batch Cooking Recipes
We’re not going to lie – deciding what to cook each and every night is one of the most difficult parts of adulting, isn’t it? But it doesn’t have to be this way. What if you planned ahead and had delicious, nutritious meals waiting for you at the end of a long hard day? Now that’s a time-saving concept we can all get behind, isn’t it?
While batch cooking requires organisation and forward thinking, it could save you a whole lot of time and energy during an already hectic week. You can cook food to eat over several nights, bulk up dishes with extra veggies to make them go further or divide portions into plastic containers for freezing. The choice is yours.
Sold? Then check our tried and tested batch cooking recipes that are sure to get your taste buds tingling. We’re all about making plant-based food interesting, don't forget, so stand by for some vegetarian and vegan-friendly delights.
Did you know that you can make a Big Batch Bolognese from celeriac and lentils? This is a quick and easy way to up your iron and protein intake – without eating meat, of course – and is brilliantly tasty at the same time.
With leeks, celeriac, mushrooms, celery and plenty of delicious herbs and spices such as cinnamon and thyme, you can create a huge pot of bolognese that can be enjoyed with pasta, rice or spooned over a steaming hot jacket potato. It’s even nice enough to eat on its own and can be easily frozen if you want to prepare for the days or weeks ahead.
Whether you fancy a mid-week, plant-based curry or a weekend treat, this recipe is ideal. Filling, fragrant and fun to cook, our Roasted Sweet Potato Dahl is a great source of fibre and a hearty meal to enjoy when the temperatures are a little on the cold side.
As long as you keep your spice rack well stocked and have curry basics like ginger, garlic and chilli powder to hand, you’ll be almost ready to get cooking. Coconut milk and coconut yoghurt bring an added depth of flavour and you can decide just how spicy you want your curry to be.
The great thing about batch cooking curries is that they always seem to taste better the next day when the spices have had time to fully marinate. For this reason, batch cooking ideas don’t get much better than this in our opinion.
Who said plant-based food had to be samey, tasteless or boring? Not us! We’re here to flip that outdated notion completely on its head with our mouth-watering Mushroom Stroganoff. Featuring deliciously tender mushrooms in a rich, flavour-packed sauce with lovely mild spice, this dish is a real winner. Serve with rice, mashed potatoes or pasta for a warm, comforting and wholesome meal.
Don’t forget that all of our best batch cooking recipes** **can be bulked out with vegetables, so feel free to add the veg of your choice to the dish be it spinach, green beans or broccoli. Or simply defrost your main meal during the week and serve with some freshly cooked veggies. It really is that easy.
Tinned Tomato Soup and Tinned Tomato Pasta
If you’re looking for a simple way to use up store cupboard ingredients before replenishing your supplies, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll be amazed at what you can do with tins of tomatoes and a few basic supplies. The trick is to roast the tomatoes in the tin to bring out their natural sweetness. Always add a bit of sugar to counteract any sourness. You can then add them to an easy-to-make soup base or a homemade pasta sauce for an extra depth of flavour. Garlic is your friend in both of these recipes as well as quality black pepper and virgin olive oil if you have it.
Are you ready to set meat aside and get creative with mushroom mince? Perhaps you’re looking for vegan batch cooking recipes? Whatever the case, don’t miss our Ultimate Chilli which is possibly the smokiest, richest and most flavoursome chilli we’ve ever tasted. Mushrooms are a great meat substitute as they offer plenty of texture and flavour and can be finely chopped in a food processor while herbs and spices such as cloves, coriander, make this a joy to eat.
Trust us when we say the dark chocolate and maple syrup really add to the flavour. Sure, these ingredients aren’t exactly conventional but they work a treat in this recipe. So what are you waiting for? Why not try something new and impress your family and friends? They might also be stunned to know they can eat chilli without any meat.
Need inspiration for Veganuary? Then our mild yet wonderfully yummy Roast Veggie Korma won’t disappoint. Perfect for those cold winter nights, we’ve replicated one of the UK’s most loved curry dishes and turned it into a meat free delight packed with flavour.
Simple to make with your basic spice rack ingredients and a few extras, you can really get your fill of veggies. Throw in pumpkin, butternut squash, carrots, parsnips and add body with cashew nuts and chickpeas. We can almost hear your tummies rumbling as you read this!
If you want to batch cook a big, colourful curry that’s a go-to for any occasion, then pop our Sunny Sri Lankan Curry on your food prep list. Creamy and jam-packed with flavour without the saturated fats of a traditional curry, this is a great recipe for a New Year health kick (or any time of year, to be honest).
Packed with butternut squash, cashew nuts, ginger, garlic, chilli, turmeric, coconut oil and many other antioxidant and medicinal ingredients, this curry is a real pick-me-up dish for your immune system. Finish with cashews, coriander leaves and desiccated curry for a visually impressive masterpiece. These extras can be added once again if you’ve reheated a frozen dish.
Who doesn’t love a rich, hearty, plant-based lasagne packed with goodness? With a mushroom and vegetable-heavy mince, silky smooth bechamel sauce and layers of pasta, this is a really easy dish to cook for the whole family. What’s great about our lasagne is that you can bulk cook the mushroom ragu and bechamel the day before a party, special event or important meal. The components will then be ready and waiting for you to build up your dish. Our Epic Lasagne also allows for generous portions and seconds.
Our bodies need a lot of nutrients to get us through winter and to keep us fit and healthy all year round. But it’s essential to eat healthy ingredients such as vegetables in many interesting ways to avoid getting bored.
Our veg-packed risotto is a vegan dish that’ll be calling your name from work, school or even the gym. It’s super easy to make, is crammed with greens and is so flavoursome it’s impossible not to love. The trick to serving a great risotto is to cook it slowly on a low heat and to add the stock bit-by-bit. This is a great recipe for a relaxed Sunday afternoon when you need some batch cooking inspiration.
If you find yourself daydreaming about green curry in the middle of a university project or an important work meeting – don’t blame us. Our Creamy Dreamy Green Curry is irresistibly aromatic and lingers long in the mind of anyone who tries it. The deep, rich taste comes from making a homemade curry paste. This is then complemented with a whole range of exciting vegetables and coconut milk for a creamy, smooth finish.
Plant based eating is becoming increasingly popular and with our inspirational and unique recipe ideas, you’ll never have a dull or tasteless dinner again. We hope you love our batch cooking recipes – you can also take a look at our wide range of vegan and vegetarian recipe ideas and follow us on Twitter or Instagram for all our latest updates.
We also have a YouTube channel to help you on your plant-based journey.
