The Best Veggies for Meal Prep (With 10 Easy Side Dish Ideas)

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When you’re choosing the best veggies for meal prep, one of the most important things to consider is that not all vegetables taste as good by the end of the week as they do when you first prep them. But rather than testing out every single vegetable when you first start learning how to meal prep, it can be helpful to narrow down your options to a handful of meal prep-friendly choices. So, here are 10 of my favorite vegetables for weekly meal prep — with a quick and easy beginner-friendly recipe idea for each that you can try this week.

Jump To:

• What are the best vegetables to meal prep?
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Green beans
• Carrot
• Sweet potato
• Peppers
• Squash
• Cabbage
• Mushrooms
• Leafy greens

What are the best vegetables to meal prep?

As someone who has been meal prepping for over 7 years now, my list of favorite meal prep vegetables includes everything from classic and green to starchy and sweet. But the truth is, there is no “perfect” veggie for meal prep, and a lot of what works boils down to two things — what stores well, and what tastes good.

With that being said, here are three questions to keep in mind when choosing which veggies to include in your weekly meal plan:

1. Are they relatively easy to prepare (and cook)?
2. Are they budget-friendly (or at least worth the price tag)?
3. Do they store well in the fridge (cooked or raw)?

Answering these three questions is a great place to start when narrowing down options — but to help give you some ideas, I’ve shared 10 of my favorite versatile and tasty veggie choices below.

1. Broccoli

Broccoli is one of the most popular vegetables for meal prep because it’s hearty, delicious, and pairs well with so many proteins — all things that make it a great choice when creating a weekly meal plan.

Fresh broccoli is often sold in bunches (with longer stems), crowns (with the stems cut off), and bagged pre-cut florets. If you’re looking to save the most time with meal prep, fresh or frozen broccoli florets are a great time-saving choice.

Oven-roasted is my personal favorite way to meal prep broccoli, but you can also steam or sauté it until tender and delicious.

2. Asparagus

Asparagus is another delicious meal prep favorite, and one that is well worth the slightly higher price tag, in my opinion.

Fresh asparagus is sold in large bundles as spears, which usually need to be trimmed to avoid cooking and eating the woody ends. You can also find plenty of options for frozen or canned asparagus spears, if fresh asparagus isn’t your thing.

I find that asparagus tastes best when oven roasted or sautéed, and when cooked until just tender so that the stalks still have a little “crisp”.

3. Green beans

When it comes to green beans, there is no shortage of side dish (or main course) recipes for this classic green vegetable.

Green beans come in various shapes and sizes, but most recipes call for fresh or frozen whole green beans. Frozen green beans are affordable and usually come whole, cut, and French style, while canned green beans are another budget-friendly option for meal prep.

I’m a huge fan of sautéing or steaming green beans to bring out their color and crunch, but they also taste great in roasted sheet pan recipes, too.

4. Carrot

Carrots are a colorful addition to any meal prep menu, and one that you will find is also surprisingly versatile.

When we think of cooking carrots, roasting, sautéing, or steaming often comes to mind. But with meal prep, they also taste great raw when added to cold salads, lettuce wraps, or summer rolls. You can even blanch them or pickle them and serve them as a simple side dish.

My favorite way to enjoy carrots is usually roasted on a sheet pan, but I’m also a fan of using them to bulk up soups, stews, and other comfort classics.

5. Sweet potato

Whether you’re looking for a nutrient-packed vegetable or a delicious alternative to your usual carb, look no further than sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are a versatile item: you can find them as whole potatoes, frozen cubes or fries, canned puree, or even chips. And this versatility is what makes sweet potatoes such a great meal prep ingredient — especially as a starchy alternative for your usual rice or pasta bowl.

I’ve found that sweet potatoes taste great whether you roast, mash, or fry them, and like other starchy or root vegetables, they also work well in hearty soups and stews.

6. Peppers

Peppers are a great vegetable choice for meal prep because they taste great raw or cooked, and can lend a variety of different flavors to your dishes.

Fresh green, red, orange, and yellow bell peppers really shine in no-cook recipes, like salads and wraps. However, if you’re looking to save a little time on your prep, frozen pre-cut pepper blends are a great option for cooked recipes like fajitas and curries.

My favorite way to enjoy peppers is in bright, aromatic curries or as a filling for tacos, burritos, or quesadillas — but I also like to enjoy them in my pasta salads and roll-ups, too.

7. Squash

Squash is near the top of my list as one of the best veggies for meal prep, not only as a side dish, but also for veggie-friendly main courses.

Like many of the other vegetables on this list, squash comes in all shapes and sizes: zucchini, yellow, spaghetti, butternut, acorn, kabocha, the list goes on. Each type of squash has a different flavor and texture, and some types of squash — like zucchini, yellow, and spaghetti — can even be used as a noodle substitute.

As someone who enjoys squash almost weekly in my own meal plans, I’m a huge fan of roasting it in a sheet pan recipe with meat or sautéing it with other colorful veggies.

8. Cabbage

Cabbage is a great option for meal prep when you’re looking for a heartier vegetable, especially one that lends well to a variety of different classic dishes.

There are multiple types of cabbage to choose from, from green and red cabbage, to other versatile picks like bok choy, napa, and savoy cabbage. And if you’re looking to get a little adventurous with your veggies, recipes like braised cabbage and cabbage rolls really highlight the versatility of this vegetable.

I’m a huge fan of sautéing and braising cabbage, as well as using it in slow-cooked, winter-friendly meal prep recipes, like soups and stews.

9. Mushrooms

If you’re looking for a great meal prep vegetable that stays versatile year-round, allow me to introduce the (not so) humble mushroom.

One of the reasons that mushrooms are so great for meal prep is because of how many different varieties there are — white, baby bella, portobello, shitake, oyster, the list goes on. And each of these mushrooms offers a unique texture and flavor profile, which makes them extremely versatile (and a delicious meat-free substitute for vegan meal prep recipes.)

Mushrooms taste great when sautéed or oven roasted with a little salt and oil — or better yet, stuffed with a delicious filling or battered and fried.

10. Leafy greens

When it comes to low-effort meal prep, leafy greens are one of the best and most nutritious no-cook ingredients out there.

Lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, collards, chard — there are so many options to choose from. Most of the lighter leafy greens can be enjoyed as-is, but some the heartier options can also be sautéed or simmered as a side dish. By the way, if you’re wondering how to keep your greens fresh for meal prep, the answer is airtight containers (like these Prep Naturals glass containers).

My favorite ways to incorporate leafy greens into my meal plan includes using them as the base for salads, as wraps for lettuce wraps, or as an ingredient in my favorite pasta sauce.

And that covers 10 of my favorite vegetables for weekly meal prep — with a few recipe ideas to try this week! Did any of your favorite veggies make the list, or are there other meal prep vegetables you can’t live without? Feel free to share your suggestions in the comments below!

By the way, if you’re looking for some beginner-friendly recipes to feature your favorite veggies, check out my list of 10 great meal prep ideas.