10 Great Meal Prep Meals (With Recipes to Try This Week)

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One of the best parts about learning how to meal prep is that you don’t have to be a professional chef to make great meal prep meals at home. But while most recipes can fit seamlessly into any weekly meal plan, I’ve learned that some recipes definitely work better than others. So, if you’re looking for quick, easy, delicious meal prep ideas, here are 10 of the best meals for meal prep — including 5 meal prep recipes you can add to your meal plan this week!

Jump To:

• Rice bowls
• Sheet pans
• Casseroles
• Salads
• Wraps
• Curries
• Stir fry
• Bistro boxes
• Overnight oats
• Muffins

1. Rice bowls

When it comes to planning great meal prep recipes for the week, I always think of how I can incorporate a rice bowl into my meal plan. Rice bowls are simple but versatile, and you can pair just about any combination of ingredients to fit your tastes.

Most rice bowls start with a base of rice (like white, Jasmine, or basmati, for example) and are topped with some type of protein, vegetables, and usually a sauce. As you can see, the combinations are endless, but some of my personal favorite rice bowls are:

• spicy crab rice bowls with spicy crab, cucumber, avocado, soy sauce and spicy mayo
• fajita chicken rice bowls with fajita chicken and peppers, corn, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream
• falafel rice bowls with falafel, cucumbers, onions, olives, feta, hummus, and tzatziki
• bulgogi beef rice bowls with bulgogi beef, zucchini, carrots, kimchi, and gochujang

2. Sheet pans

It probably comes as no surprise that sheet pan meals are some of my favorite meal prep recipes — and that’s because they check off almost everything that I love about meal prep. Sheet pan recipes only require a few ingredients, they’re super quick to prep and cook, and you can make huge batches for the week if you want.

Anyone can make a great sheet pan meal with three ingredients: a protein, a vegetable, and some type of seasoning. Once you’ve cut up all your ingredients, simply toss them together with your favorite seasonings and let them roast on a sheet pan in the oven until cooked. And if you want to bulk up your sheet pan meal for meal prep even more, it’s as easy as adding your favorite carb (like rice or pasta).

3. Casseroles

Everyone loves a hearty casserole, especially one with all the ingredients that remind you of your favorite homecooked meal. Not only do casseroles make great weeknight dinner meals, but they’re even better the next day for lunch — and they store great in both the fridge and the freezer.

When it comes to meal prepping casseroles, don’t be afraid to branch out and try recipes you’ve never tried before. And here’s a little tip about storing casseroles for meal prep: if you portion your casseroles into oven-safe glass meal prep containers, you can reheat your casseroles in the oven without having to remove them from the containers!

4. Salads

We’ve all been there before — you open a bag of lettuce on Monday and by Wednesday, it’s totally wilted and inedible. But would you be surprised to know that there are a ton of different types of salads that make great meal prep meals?

Regular salads with lettuce and your favorite toppings can still work for meal prep, but for these salads, it helps to store your ingredients in separate airtight containers (like these Prep Naturals glass containers) so that they last longer. And don’t forget to consider adding some of the other salad options, like cold pasta, quinoa, or noodle salads, to your meal prep menu either.

5. Wraps

Wraps are a great option for a weekly meal plan because they’re so versatile, quick, and easy to make. Plus, creating a meal prep wrap is simple: all you need is a delicious wrap, your favorite protein, a few crispy or roasted veggies, and optionally, a sauce to finish it off.

You can also get creative and branch out with your wraps — for example, pitas, lettuce, and spring roll wrappers are a few different types of wrap options you can try. Also, don’t forget to store your wrap ingredients separately to avoid them getting soggy (and stick to building your wrap right before you eat it).

6. Curries

Curries are one of those great meal prep recipes that never fail to disappoint whenever they end up in my meal plan (which is often). Not only are curries easy to make in large batches, but they always taste even better later in the week once the herbs and spices have had a chance to mingle.

When it comes to curry options, the possibilities are endless — but here are some of my favorite curries for meal prep from around the world:

• Tikka masala with chicken or paneer
• Korma with vegetables or paneer
• Thai red or green curry with tofu
• Japanese curry with panko chicken
• Jamaican curry with chicken and vegetables

7. Stir fry

If you’re looking to get more veggies into your weekly meal prep, there’s no better recipe to add to your meal plan than a stir fry. In fact, you don’t even really need a meal prep recipe book to throw together a quick stir fry with your favorite proteins, veggies, and sauce.

One of the best parts about making a stir fry is that you can customize not only the main ingredients, like meats and veggies, but also what kind sauce you’re feeling for that week. Some of my favorite flavors for stir fry sauces include soy sauce, ginger, garlic, teriyaki, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha, and even honey (but if I’m being honest, the possibilities are endless).

8. Bistro boxes

Bistro box, protein box, lunch box, snack pack: whatever you want to call these little meal boxes, there’s no denying that they’re a perfect option for meal prep. After all, who doesn’t love to open their lunch and see a box full of all their favorite foods?

While there’s no right or wrong way to build a bistro box, here are a few categories of foods to keep in mind when building your box:

• proteins: boiled eggs, sandwich meat, cooked meat, egg or tuna salad, cheese cubes or sticks, mixed nuts, or trail mix
• carbs: pita bread, fresh-baked rolls, sliced bread, crackers, pita chips, soft pretzels, pretzel sticks, or rice crackers
• vegetables: carrot sticks, celery sticks, sliced cucumbers, sliced peppers, blanched or raw broccoli, or cherry tomatoes
• fruits: sliced apples, peeled oranges, red and green grapes, strawberries, blueberries, raisins, or other dried fruit
• dips: ranch, guacamole, salsa, hummus, garlic sauce, tzatziki, cream cheese, peanut butter, or caramel sauce

9. Overnight oats

If you’re looking for great meal prep meals for breakfast, look no further than overnight oats. Overnight oats have exploded in popularity because of how quick and easy they are to make. And when you see all the possible combinations you can create, you’ll see why.

Although there are a ton of different ways to make overnight oats, the basic recipe usually includes:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1-1 ½ cups milk (or plant milk)
• ¼ cup yogurt (optional)
• ¼ cup to ½ cup fruit, nuts, nut butter, chocolate chips, or other mix-ins
• sweetener to taste

Mix everything well, set in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, and voila — you’ve got a filling, delicious breakfast prepped and ready to go.

10. Muffins

Muffins are a great option for meal prep because they’re usually cheap to make, work well for batch cooking, and are easy to store. Plus, most muffins last for 2-3 months in the freezer, so you can easily make a huge batch, freeze them, and only defrost what you need for the week.

By the way, here’s a beginner-friendly meal prep tip when you’re searching for muffin recipes: don’t be afraid to branch out and try savory muffins. Savory muffins can be a delicious option for breakfast or brunch — like bacon, sausage, and cheese muffins — or even as a side for another meal — like cornbread muffins with slow-cooker chili.

And there you have 10 great meals to try for your next weekly meal plan! Did any of your favorite meal prep recipes make the list? If not, I’d love to hear some of your favorite recipes for weekly meal prep!