5 Big-Batch Meals That Make Great Lunch Leftovers

I’m happy that meal prep has become so trendy, because it’s a great way to save time on feeding yourself. But one thing that grinds my gears about the way meal prep is showcased on social media—rows and rows of tupperware containers, all packed with an identical arrangement of chicken, rice, and broccoli, or something similar—is that it feels so, so regimented. These images and the accompanying rhetoric make it seem that if you’re not following this formula (a starch plus a protein plus a vegetable, all cooked separately), you’re not doing it right.

But Instagram absolutely does not equal reality, and the truth is that meal prep doesn’t have to look any particular way. Anything that you can make ahead of time, and either reheat or eat cold, is a great candidate for lunch meal prep. Sure, sometimes that means chicken and broccoli and rice (and there’s a recipe for that below that includes a fun sauce), but it can also mean a big pot of noodles, a slow cooker pork shoulder, a big batch of chili, or even a sturdy salad. The more big-batch recipes you have in your arsenal, the less likely you are to get bored with your weekly meal preps, which means you’re more likely to actually keep doing it.

The recipes below work for all kinds of preferences and situations. Two of the recipes are vegan, and three have meat. Two can be made in the slow cooker, while three call for some combination of oven and stovetop cooking. All five are gluten-free, as long as you’re using the gluten-free versions of ingredients like grits and soy sauce (or tamari).

If you’re in a rut with meal prep and you’re ready to try something new—or you need a little bit of motivation to try big batch prepping for the first time—give one of these a spin and remind yourself that preparing multiple meals at once can look many different ways.

Peanut-Coconut Pork Noodles With Kale

Coconut-based sauces have long been a key feature of many South and Southeast Asian cuisines, and now they’re popular around the world. This noodle recipe makes eight servings but calls for just one can of coconut milk, which means there’s just enough sauce to coat the noodles, but not so much that you need a spoon to sop everything up. I think the dish tastes best with ground pork, but you could use another kind of ground meat and still get tasty results. Get the recipe here.