Food Recipes 35 Big-Batch Recipes for Easy Meal Prep From soup and stew to cookies and rolls, these batch cooking recipes can be prepared days, weeks, and months in advance. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 18, 2023 We’ve all felt the frustration of not having enough time (or energy) to cook. So when we do get those bursts, why not channel them into big-batch recipes that can be stretched for several meals, ready to pull out of the fridge or freezer? Photo: Jennifer Causey / Food stylist Ali Ramee Baked pasta dishes like lasagna and macaroni and cheese are a good place to start; dumplings, meatballs, chicken cutlets, and fish fillets are also easy to portion. Here are our pro tips for cooking and scaling to your needs with batch cooking recipes. 01 of 35 Alain Ducasse's Gougères Diana Chistruga This gougères recipe is a wonderful make-ahead hors d'oeuvre option: A soft dough that gets piped out and baked into crisp, airy pockets of cheesy delight. Simply stash the baked puffs in the freezer, then reheat in the oven when you're ready to serve. Get the Recipe 02 of 35 Beef-and-Fonio Meatballs with Sweet Potato Stew Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Fonio, a West African staple grain, keeps these meatballs tender while imparting a mildly nutty, earthy flavor. They can be formed and frozen up to 1 month ahead. Simply scale the recipe as needed and thaw before cooking. Get the Recipe 03 of 35 Sweet Plum Focaccia Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley With a delicate and airy crumb, this focaccia is the perfect showcase for ripe plums, which caramelize in the oven as the focaccia bakes. The focaccia can be frozen in a zip-close bag for up to one month and reheated in a 400°F oven. Get the Recipe 04 of 35 Lalo's Cacahuate Beans with Pico De Gallo Aubrie Pick Mexico City chef Eduardo "Lalo" Garcia's slow-cooked beans are super-soft and complex with concentrated flavor, freshness, and crunch. The recipe yields four main-course bowls worth or eight side dishes that can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months. Get the Recipe 05 of 35 Smoked Mozzarella Mezzelune with Braised Onion Sauce Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Missie Neville Crawford This crescent-shaped stuffed pasta similar to ravioli is filled with rosemary and smoked mozzarella and frozen for up to three months. Get the Recipe 06 of 35 Carla Hall's Buttermilk Biscuits Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox Made with a combination of grated cold butter for flavor and vegetable shortening for tenderness, Carla Hall's biscuits owe their towering, flaky layers to her classic laminating technique. The unbaked biscuits can be frozen in a resealable freezer bag for up to two months. Get the Recipe 07 of 35 Sweet Potato Cheesecake Empanadas Lauren Vied Allen Puerto Rico and the American South intersect deliciously in this dessert empanada, which combines the flavors of marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole with spiced pumpkin cheesecake. The empanada wrappers can be filled and frozen for up to two months before frying. Get the Recipe 08 of 35 Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Shell Royster This iconic sauce from Italian cooking expert Marcella Hazan is good in any season and can be made in one pan with minimal cleanup. The ingredients are widely accessible and the recipe can be doubled to feed a crowd. The finished sauce can be frozen in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to one month. Get the Recipe 09 of 35 Two-Bite Parmesan Biscuits Caitlin Bensel These biscuits are baked on a bed of grated Parmesan cheese, resulting in a crispy, cheesy crust around the bottoms. The dough can be prepped and frozen for up to three months, making these an easy addition to a bread basket or for sandwiching a holiday ham. Get the Recipe 10 of 35 Easy Ravioli Julia Hartbeck Use your choice of cheese or meat filling to prepare square, half-moon, or sun-shaped stuffed pasta. Uncooked ravioli can be frozen for up to one month before cooking in batches in boiling, salted water for about three minutes each. Get the Recipe 11 of 35 Brown Butter and Dark Chocolate Rye Cookies Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Dark rye flour adds an extra layer of earthiness to these crumbly dark chocolate cookies. The dough logs can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to two months for slice-and-bake cookies as needed. Get the Recipe 12 of 35 Chipotle-Cranberry-Glazed Turkey Meatballs Photo: Jennifer Causey / Food stylist Ali Ramee Chipotle pepper and honey give this cranberry sauce gentle notes of heat and sweetness, and the meatballs are well-seasoned with cumin, ancho chile powder, and smoked paprika, so that every bite is full of flavor. The sauce can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to six months. The cooked meatballs may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months. 13 of 35 Thousand-Layer Duck Fat Potatoes Victor Protasio Chef Shaun Searley's gorgeous layered potatoes from The Quality Chop House in London come out fluffy on the inside and impossibly crisp on the outside. The portioned potatoes can be stored in the freezer for up to a month before frying. Get the Recipe 14 of 35 Soup Joumou Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Shell Royster This Haitian stew of beef, vegetable, and squash is commonly eaten on January 1 to signify the anniversary of freedom from French Colonial rule in 1804. Nadege Fleurimond's recipe yields 5 quarts, and the aromatic flavor base Epis can be frozen for up to a month to use as a marinade or to swirl into soups, stews, or sauces. Get the Recipe 15 of 35 Cinnamon-Sugar Churros with Cajeta Greg Dupree Churros require a relatively stiff batter to help them hold their ridged shape, leaving plenty of nooks for cinnamon-sugar. Claudette Zepeda's recipe can be piped and frozen for up to a month before frying. Get the Recipe 16 of 35 Make-Ahead Smoky Madeira Gravy Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee A concentrated smoked turkey stock serves as the base of this gravy, which keeps in the refrigerator for up to three days and freezes beautifully for up to two months. Get the Recipe 17 of 35 Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Hand Pies Gerard + Belevender Lightly mashed sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, tangy sour cream, and aged cheddar make up the creamy-cheesy filling in these savory hand pies that taste like Thanksgiving. The hand pies can be prepared and frozen before baking for up to three months. Get the Recipe 18 of 35 Sister Pie All-Butter Pie Dough Gerard + Belevender This versatile, all-butter pie dough has a delicate flake from higher-fat European-style butter. Developed by Sister Pie owner Lisa Ludwinski, it can be refrigerated for up to three days and frozen for up to one month. Get the Recipe 19 of 35 Swiss Army Stew Jennifer Causey Everything goes into one pot; a few hours later a meal ideal for the depths of winter emerges with flavor and satisfaction. Leftovers can be refrigerated but resist freezing as it will compromise the texture of the potatoes. Get the Recipe 20 of 35 Venison Meatballs Photo by Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Cookbook author Hank Shaw likes to use ground venison for his British take on cocktail meatballs. He seasons them with warming spices and herbs and leavens them with ground oats — a Scottish variation that makes them gluten-free. These can be frozen before baking for up to three months. Get the Recipe 21 of 35 Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Cara Cormack Not only is this a great recipe for utilizing leftover chicken, it yields eight servings that can be refrigerated for up to two days. Get the Recipe 22 of 35 Smoky Simmered Beans with Sofrito Anna Stockwell Sofrito, a base of sauteed aromatics from Puerto Rican cuisine, can be used for soups, stews, and other bean dishes. It can be stored in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months. Get the Recipe 23 of 35 Potato and Poblano Taquitos Victor Protasio Potatoes, chiles, and mushrooms fill these irresistible taquitos, which are easy to make for a crowd and can be frozen for up to one month. Get the Recipe 24 of 35 Chocolate Pretzel Crinkle Cookies Greg DuPree This version of chocolate crinkle cookies is not only gluten-free but also perfectly salty-sweet with the best-ever chewy center. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days and in the freezer for up to three months. Get the Recipe 25 of 35 Corn Tortillas © Zubin Schroff Hot Bread Kitchen's richly flavorful tortillas made with masa from freshly ground blue or white corn can be frozen for up to one month before cooking. Get the Recipe 26 of 35 Classic Chicken Stock © John Kernick Chef André Soltner's basic chicken stock is perfect for making sauces, gravies, braises and soups. This scalable recipe makes 3 quarts that can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to one month. Get the Recipe 27 of 35 Parker House Rolls Christina Holmes / Food Styling by Kay Chun Chef Alex Guarnaschelli's fluffy, buttery rolls have a homey quality. This recipe makes a big batch, and the unbaked rolls freeze well for up to one month. Get the Recipe 28 of 35 Slow Cooker Beef Goulash © Fredrika Stjärne Grace Parisi's slow cooker recipe for this warming eastern European short rib stew is best served in deep bowls over buttery noodles. The recipe yields eight servings that can be refrigerated for up to five days or frozen for up to three months. Get the Recipe 29 of 35 Ube Buns Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Kay E. Clarke These vibrant purple buns from PogiBoy in Washington, D.C., are soft and bouncy with a tight, fluffy crumb, making them a great base for a burger. They can be frozen for up to one month. Get the Recipe 30 of 35 Four-Chile Chili © Andrew Purcell This chili can be refrigerated for up to four days and frozen for up to two months. Serve it in bowls, topped with a generous sprinkling of cilantro, and pass the sour cream at the table. Get the Recipe 31 of 35 Beet Gnocchi with Walnut-Sage Butter © Christina Holmes 2012 F&W Best New Chef Jenn Louis found these intense beet gnocchi in northwestern Italy. They are sweet and earthy and so delicious, they barely need a sauce. The gnocchi can be shaped and frozen for up to one month before cooking. Get the Recipe 32 of 35 Apple Pie Bars © Quentin Bacon America's iconic dessert is reinvented as a bar with a nutty, streusel-like topping and a crisp, buttery shortbread crust. Apple pie bars can be frozen for up to one month. Get the Recipe 33 of 35 Mac and Cheese Bites © Abby Hocking To make these crispy macaroni and cheese hors d'oeuvres for any gathering, prepare 35 and freeze overnight before breading and frying. Get the Recipe 34 of 35 German Lentil Soup © Reed Davis Lydie Marshall's recipe yields 4 quarts of this hearty lentil soup with lamb, potatoes, and vegetables. It can be refrigerated for up to three days. Get the Recipe 35 of 35 Chocolate Chip and Banana Muffins Fredrika Stjärne Like banana bread, these especially moist chocolate chip muffins from former F&W editor Grace Parisi are a great way to use up overripe bananas. They can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to one month. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit