How To Make 5 Batch Cooked Meals For A Week’s Worth Of Dinner
Nothing better than sitting down to a warm, home cooked dinner that feels like comfort after any kind of day. But life these days can easily make dinner too overwhelming. Make these 5 classic batch cooked meals for a whole week of life-giving, deeply satisfying dinners.
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3 Classic (Par-Cooked) Batch Cooked Meals
1. Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s pie is definitely my husband’s #1 ultimate comfort food so here it is!
But no, forreal – with its hearty layers of seasoned meat, vegetables & creamy mashed potatoes with cheese, who can resist?
It’s also an excellent dish for batch cooking since it holds up in the freezer. You won’t need Worcestershire sauce or anything else for that matter if you use my pre-seasoned meat mix recipe.
When you make this one, 3x the recipe (or more). Just save time & portion this one into individual servings before freezing because this will also be a favorite fallback when you need something for Husbo’s work lunch.
This was one of the first casserole dishes I started making shortly after getting married. New wife trying to get brownie points? (Maybe, but probably not ahahahah).
Over the years we’ve had this dish a bajillion times, but it never occurred to me that some people make it fancy shmancy. Like red wine reduction & all that. *mind blown*.
I’ve never had it that way & dare say mine is pretty epic without it anyway.
Reheats like a dream. Thaw overnight in a fridge then place in the oven until heated through.
I recommend batching it par-cooked so you don’t overcook it when reheating. And don’t forget to top with some cheddar right before baking for an extra crispy topping.
2. Lasagna
If you love cheesy, saucy pasta dishes, then add lasagna to your list of batch cooked meals. It’s a winner everytime.
Who hasn’t at least heard of lasagna-something right? It’s another classic, comfort dish that’s easy to make in bulk. And you get to jazz it up by combining your favorite sauces, cheeses & seasonings.
We prefer making ours with a simple bechamel sauce (gotta try it!) instead of ricotta. But don’t worry. Both work nicely for batching.
What I absolutely love is that apart from cooking the meat, you can assemble it in a large baking dish without cooking the noodles first. (Gasp).
Don’t even bother, girl. Layer up, seal appropriately & stash it in the freezer before baking.
But it gets better.
When you’re ready for dinner, bake it straight from the freezer.
No defrosting? C’mon! This can’t be real life, but it is.
Just add a cup or two of milk (or water/broth) for the noodles to absorb & add a few extra minutes to the cooking time. Like 10-15min to start.
With a lil side salad & some homemade garlic bread…yum ain’t even the word. And this dish gets better the next day.
3. Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken pot pie is another classic comfort food that makes an ideal batch cooked meal.
The elements here are the creamy filling (which is loaded with tender, juicy chicken & only your favorite veg).
This buttery, flaky pie crust recipe (which I highly recommend making in batch also) STEALS. THE. SHOW.
Aye now girl, ya pie crust can be frozen in pie dishes or smaller ramekins for individual servings. Or you do like I do & freeze in sheets, then form when ready.
SN about this pie crust recipe. I’ve never made it with Einkorn. Don’t think you have to either although if you’re into (or trying) ancient grains, give it a go.
I came across this recipe Thanksgiving 2022 & when I made it then, I hadn’t ever attempted from-scratch pie crust before.
Well, it was a winner. Perfectly golden crust, crispy outside. Flaky & buttery inside.
AND THE BEST PART – because… yeah girl. It gets better.
It was still beautifully crisp the next day when I reheated some leftovers. *ah!*cookie macaroon dragée chocolate wafer. Pow
10/10 recommend. period.
I recommend freezing crust & filling separately but, you can assemble & freeze that way too. Just don’t bake them before freezing.
When it’s time to cook, bake the frozen pie until the crust is golden & the filling is bubbling.
If you froze separately (highly recommend), defrost the crust to shape to your pan, or if already formed place into a hot oven to pre-bake.
I like doing this so my filling doesn’t make the crust soggy as it releases some moisture.
To make this even easier, you can just make up your classic chicken pot pie filling & freeze with biscuits or use store-bought puff pastry.
And please, don’t let me dictate what goes in your pot pie. Use turkey (great for an after-Thanksgiving leftover idea!), beef stew meat or venison.
Whatever your heart & tastebuds consider comfort, put it in the dish.
Other Classic Batch Cooked Meals
4. Any Chili
Chili & comfort are synonymous, especially on a chilly evening. They can be as hearty as you like, as protein-packed as you need & as spicy as you like.
I love batch cooking chili (whether I freeze it or can it) because it’s one of our go-to’s & reheats quickly.
Make a large pot of your favorite chili (we tend to make beef chili), then portion it into freezer-safe containers like Souper Cubes for individual meals or in family-sized portions.
Then of course, plug in that Food Saver vacuum sealer & store them in vacuum seal bags long term (like at least 3 months).
To serve, simply reheat on the stovetop (or in the microwave) & top with your favorite chili toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, or avocado.
You have every right to eat this on its own though – it’s that good.
Or serve it with a ridiculously delicious baked potato or over sweet potatoes.
My husband was skeptical the first time I served chili inside sweet potatoes, but now he likes them.
This is even good just on top of corn chips, tortillas or noodles! (Hello chili mac!)
5. Mac & Cheese
Alright so while this isn’t exactly a whole meal (or is it???) classic baked mac & cheese is comfort food. So I couldn’t leave it out.
Skip the Kraft. Skip the Velveeta.
A homemade, authentic Southern mac & cheese recipe is too easy to make in large quantities. Plus it freezes beautifully – listen – chef’s kiss forreal forreal. So why not batch cook this meal?
My tip is to slightly undercook the pasta so it doesn’t get mushy when reheated. Freeze this one in individual servings too (or as a whole batch cooked casserole). Wrap once in saran, once in foil. Airtight casserole-lid if you have it.
Reheat in the oven (for a casserole) or on the stovetop with a splash of water for a single serving. It’s just as delicious as if you just made it.
Key Take-Aways
Batch cooked meals you can pull out for dinner whenever comfort comes calling is what you need to put into your food rotation.
The 5 classic dishes I recommend are: shepherd’s pie, lasagna (with a bechamel sauce), chicken pot pie, chili & authentic baked mac & cheese.
If you have these ready to go, you can literally have a week of stress-free good-eatin’ anytime without having to have the same thing 3 days in a row!
