Meal prep guide: healthy, delicious and time-saving ideas

Whether you’re filling your freezer, making a batch of take-to-work lunches or just trying to get ahead by cooking something at the weekend before the midweek madness begins, meal prepping is a brilliant way to save you time, money and sanity. Despite what you may have seen on social media, healthy meal prepping doesn't have to mean cooking a whole week's worth of food every Sunday – it's about embracing clever prep-ahead meals and flavour bomb ingredients, doubling up dinners to save for another day, or cooking once and eating twice.

Read our meal prep guide for beginners to get started, and download our handy meal planner template to print, stick on your fridge and help with planning.

1. Decide how many days you're prepping for

Be realistic. You're probably not going to eat the same thing all week, but you may want some take-to-work lunches and a couple of extra dinners to stash in the freezer.

2. Pick some recipes

Think about batch-cooking dishes that can be used more than once, whether that's a slow-cooked tomato sauce to be tossed through pasta, then used to top pizza, a roast chicken that can form the building blocks of salads and sandwiches, or a batch of bolognese for the freezer. You don't have to make the whole recipe – it could be a bag of pre-chopped carrots for snacks or grated ginger, garlic and chilli frozen in a zip-lock bag to use for curries and stir-fries.

3. Get your ingredients sorted

First, 'shop' your fridge, cupboards and freezer to see which leftovers need using up – maybe you can transform the remnants of your veg drawer into a soup, then freeze it? Make a list (the digital shopping list feature on the M&S app is handy for this) and get shopping.

4. Get cooking!

Set aside a couple of hours to cook whenever you can – at the weekend or on a quiet evening. This is definitely the challenging part, but remember this is about saving you time in the long run.

5. Stash and store

Use freezer bags to portion up batches of sauce to save on space, and store things you'll eat sooner in containers in the fridge.

Ready to get started? Here are some of our favourite meal prep ideas and recipes.

• Carrot cake overnight oats for quick-fire breakfasts.

• A Middle Eastern-inspired roasted cauliflower and butter bean traybake – pack for lunch or serve with grilled fish or chicken for dinner.

• This Moroccan-style carrot dal freezes brilliantly – serve with rice to make it a heartier meal.

• Whip up a high-protein chicken chilli to serve with jacket potatoes or rice.

• Make a batch of the filling for these high-protein chicken bagels, ready for speedy lunches.

• Use your slow cooker to make a batch of meatballs, to use in this pasta bake then this meatball and pasta curry.

• Try a Mexican twist on roast chicken, which yields enough for leftovers to be stuffed into fajita sliders or wraps.

• Prep a grain bowl, like this lentil and squash bowl or these gut-loving Buddha bowls, to take for lunch.

• How far in advance can you meal prep? It's really up to you – batch cook a whole week's worth of meals on a Sunday, or just get ahead and prep a couple of dinners to keep in the freezer. Bear in mind that you might get bored of eating the same thing every single day, so don't be overly ambitious.

• What foods freeze well? It's more a question of what you can't freeze – if done properly, your freezer can handle most foods, from prepped soups and curries to pre-chopped vegetables, cheese, meat and fish. Avoid things like watery vegetables, salad leaves, and delicate berries which will release lots of water when frozen. Read our freezer guide for more inspo.

• Is meal prepping healthy? Yes, meal prepping can absolutely be part of a healthy, balanced diet. It gives you more control over portion size and food choices, particularly if you are prepping lunches to take to work. Read our packed lunch guide for some ideas.

• How can I meal prep on a budget? Stock up on great-value, M&S quality ingredients from our Remarksable Value range like higher welfare chicken, free-range eggs and fresh veggies. Frozen fruit and veg are good value and cut down on food waste, while tinned pulses and beans are a fibre-rich staple to beef up meals.

Inspired to get started with meal prep, but short on time? Read our top tips and hacks to save time but prep big.

• Stock up on pre-chopped frozen vegetables, like this soffritto mix, to save time chopping, or blitz vegetables like onions, carrots and celery in a food processor.

• Build meal prep into your everyday cooking, doubling up on what you're already making and freezing half for another day.

• Cook once, eat twice – use one base to create two meals. See our cook once, eat twice recipes for ideas.

• Mix and match – cook things like rice, beans or spiced chicken in bigger batches, ready to mix and match in speedy meals throughout the week.

• Use your slow cooker – this will do all the hard work for you and is perfect for batch-cooked meals. See our top slow cooker tips and recipes for ideas.

• Plan your prep: write a menu for the week, and make a shopping list, so you can be organised before you start. Use our meal planner tool to help.