Meal Prep: What is it and How to Get Started

It doesn’t mean eating the same thing every day. Instead, it means having something good ready to go, then finishing it with a dressing, a special ingredient, or a few simple touches that bring the dish to life.

In September, when everyday routines pick up again, meal prep can be a great way to ease back into the week without completely leaving the slower pace of vacations behind. Set aside a little time to prepare, portion, and freeze a few versatile bases. Then, when you’re ready to eat, a drizzle of olive oil, a spoonful of pesto, or a few carefully chosen ingredients can turn dinner into a moment you can truly enjoy.

Table of Contents

• What Is Meal Prep?
• Meal Prep, Batch Cooking, and Meal Planning: What’s the Difference?
• Freezing Meal Prep: What Can You Make Ahead?
• How to Use Meal Prep for the Week Without Losing Flexibility
• 3 Easy Meal Prep Recipes to Make and Freeze
• How to Store Meal Prep Properly
• Meal Prep with Flavor: Leave Some Room for the Finishing Touch
• FAQ

Key Takeaways

• Meal prep means planning and preparing meals or parts of meals ahead for the week.
• Some of the best foods to prepare ahead include grains, cooked vegetables, legumes, creamy soups, soups, and individual portions.
• Freezing makes it easy to store ready-to-use portions, especially when containers are labeled with the contents and freezing date.
• Some ingredients are best added after thawing, including extra virgin olive oil, pesto, pâté, tuna, and vegetables preserved in oil.
• 2 to 3 meal prep bases per week are enough to get started without making things too complicated.
• Combining and finishing each dish right before eating keeps meal prep convenient without making it repetitive.
• In September, meal prep can make getting back into a routine easier, while holding on to some of the relaxed vacation feeling.

What Is Meal Prep?

Meal prep is the practice of preparing meals or individual meal components in advance so they’re ready to use throughout the week. This might mean cooking grains, washing and chopping vegetables, preparing legumes, soups, simple sauces, or versatile bases that can be frozen and used over the following days.

Meal Prep as a Flexible Approach

The image most often associated with meal prep is a refrigerator filled with identical containers, each holding the same ready-made meal for a different day of the week. But meal prep doesn’t have to look like that.

Meal prep doesn’t mean:

• following a strict diet;
• eating the same set menu every day;
• cooking everything on Sunday and eating reheated food for seven days;
• freezing only fully prepared meals.

A more enjoyable approach is to prepare versatile meal prep bases: simple, flavorful ingredients that can be mixed and matched.

Cooked grains can become a warm salad, a bowl, or a hearty side dish. A creamy legume base can be a light dinner, a topping for crostini, or a side for roasted vegetables.

This way, your week is more organized while still leaving plenty of room to change flavors and combinations.

Meal Prep, Batch Cooking, and Meal Planning: What’s the Difference?

Meal prep, batch cooking, and meal planning are three different ways to make everyday cooking easier. You can use them separately, but they also work very well together.

What Do They Mean and How Do They Help?

Batch cooking gives you flexibility: roast a tray of vegetables, cook some farro, prepare a chickpea spread, and decide later how to combine them.

Meal planning helps you shop with a clearer purpose, without filling your refrigerator with ingredients that might go to waste.

Meal prep brings these habits together and makes them part of your everyday routine. Not everything needs to be completely finished ahead of time. Many ingredients can be partially prepared and turned into different meals when you’re ready to eat.

That’s what makes meal prep so useful: it doesn’t take away spontaneity. It simply gives you an easy starting point.

Freezer Meal Prep: What Can You Make Ahead?

For effective freezing meal prep, your freezer can be one of your best tools. It lets you store ready-to-use portions or versatile bases when you need them, without giving up the flavor of a freshly assembled dish.

What Foods Are Best for Freezing Meal Prep?

The best foods to freeze are generally simple, versatile preparations that hold up well after thawing.

Good options include:

• roasted or steamed vegetables;
• cooked legumes or legume spreads;
• cooked grains such as farro, barley, or rice;
• vegetable or meat patties;
• thick soups and creamy soups;
• individual portions of cooked fish or meat.

The key is to portion everything well. Small meal prep containers are usually easier to thaw and manage than larger quantities of food.

What Should You Add After Thawing?

Some ingredients are at their best when added at the very end, either cold or after the dish has been reheated. This is especially true for aromatic condiments and flavorful specialties that give the finished dish its character.

After thawing, you can add:

• extra virgin olive oil;
• pesto and savory spreads;
• pâté;
• tuna;
• vegetables preserved in oil;
• fresh herbs or nuts.

For example, Carli Extra Virgin Olive Oil Fruttato can add the finishing touch to a creamy legume dish or a vegetable bowl. Carli Pesto Sauce or Carli Pesto Rosso can transform grains, pasta, or vegetables with just a few simple steps.

That’s the beauty of meal prep: the base is ready, but the dish really comes together when you add the finishing touches.

How to Label and Organize Meal Prep Containers

Good meal prep requires some organization, but it doesn’t need to be complicated. A few simple details on each container are enough:

• Name of the dish or base
• Freezing date
• Number of servings
• How to finish it — optional, but helpful

For example, a label could say: “Farro and vegetables — 2 servings — finish with pesto or tuna.”

That way, even on a busy evening, dinner already has an easy starting point.

How to Meal Prep for the Week Without Losing Flexibility

Meal prep for the week doesn’t mean deciding every meal in advance. Instead, it means preparing a few versatile ingredients that can adapt to your schedule, your mood, and the amount of time you have.

How to Meal Prep in 5 Easy Steps

1. Choose 2–3 bases for the week
   For example, one grain, one cooked vegetable, and one legume spread.
2. Make a simple grocery list
   You only need a few ingredients, as long as you choose them thoughtfully.
3. Prepare versatile ingredients instead of fixed meals
   A neutral base that can become several different dishes gives you more flexibility.
4. Store your meal prep in the refrigerator and freezer
   Keep what you plan to eat soon in the refrigerator and freeze portions for later.
5. Finish each dish when you’re ready to eat
   Add a dressing, preserved vegetables, pesto, or something crunchy.

The same base can become a quick lunch, a more substantial dinner, or a dish to share. Farro with vegetables, for example, can become a bowl at lunchtime, pair with tuna and artichokes for dinner, or turn into a warm salad with a spoonful of pesto the next day.

3 Easy Meal Prep Recipes to Freeze

To put the method into practice, here are 3 easy meal prep ideas. The approach is always the same: prepare and freeze the base, then finish the dish after thawing.

Farro and Roasted Squash with Pesto Rosso and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cook the farro and roast the squash in the oven, then divide them into individual portions.

Once thawed and brought back to room temperature, finish with Carli Pesto Rosso and a drizzle of Carli Extra Virgin Olive Oil Fruttato.

It’s a simple, colorful meal prep idea that’s perfect for a quick lunch or a light dinner. For a more substantial dish, add some fresh vegetables or a handful of toasted seeds.

Chickpea and Chestnut Soup with Taggiasca Olive Spread and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Prepare a thick and creamy chickpea and chestnut soup, then freeze it in individual portions.

After thawing, warm it up and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a teaspoon of Carli Taggiasca Olive Spread.

The result is a rich, comforting soup enhanced by the bold flavor of the pâté. Serve it with toasted bread, crunchy vegetables, or some cooked grains.

Black Rice and Red Cabbage with Tuna, Sundried Tomatoes, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Prepare the black rice and red cabbage ahead, then divide them into portions.

After thawing, finish with Carli White Tuna Filets, Carli Sundried Tomatoes, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

In just a few minutes, you have a complete meal that’s convenient and full of flavor, ideal for those days when you want to eat well without starting from scratch.

How to Store Meal Prep Properly

You don’t need to fill your kitchen with special equipment to start meal prep. A few reliable tools that are easy to use and to clean are all you need.

Meal Prep Containers, Jars, and Labels

Some of the most useful options include:

• glass containers with airtight lids;
• small or large ice cube trays;
• glass jars for spreads, sauces, and small portions;
• reusable freezer bags;
• adhesive or washable labels.

Glass is practical because it doesn’t easily retain odors and works well for many different preparations.

Ice cube trays are especially useful for freezing small portions of soups or aromatic cooking bases, so they’re ready to use whenever you need them.

Meal Prep with Flavor: Leave Room for the Finishing Touch

Meal prep works best when it doesn’t become restrictive. Preparing food ahead doesn’t mean giving up the pleasure of cooking. It means creating an easy starting point and knowing that, even on a busy day, you already have something good waiting for you.

The finishing touch is often the most important part: a spoonful of pesto, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a few artichokes, a savory pâté, or a carefully chosen specialty.

That’s when a dish stops feeling like something that was simply “made ahead” and becomes something you’re happy to bring to the table.

So meal prep isn’t just about saving time. It’s also about making the most of it: a help in the busy September days and the possibility to bring back a little of the relaxed vacation feeling into your everyday routine.

Meal Prep FAQ

What Is the Best Way to Thaw Meal Prep?

The best way to thaw most meal prep bases is in the refrigerator, where they can defrost gradually for several hours or overnight.

This helps preserve the texture and flavor of foods such as grains, cooked vegetables, legumes, and creamy soups. Once thawed, reheat the base only if needed and add fresh ingredients or finishing condiments afterward.

How Many Meal Prep Bases Should You Make When Starting Out?

When you’re new to meal prep, 2 to 4 bases are usually enough to get started.

A common beginner’s mistake is trying to prepare an entire week’s menu in advance. Instead, focus on one or two grains, one legume, and a few versatile vegetables. You can then create different meals by changing the condiments and finishing ingredients.

Starting small and finding a routine that works for you is better than filling your refrigerator or freezer with too many preparations to manage.

How Do You Keep Meal Prep from Getting Boring?

To keep meal prep from getting repetitive, prepare versatile, neutral bases and change how you finish them.

The same farro, for example, can become a vegetable and pesto bowl, a warm salad with tuna and artichokes, or a hearty side dish finished with extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs.

The secret is leaving room for the final touch. A different condiment, preserved vegetable, or savory spread can give the same base a completely different character.

How Do You Manage Meal Prep with Limited Freezer Space?

If you have limited freezer space, freeze meal prep in small, flat portions that are easier to stack and thaw.

Freezer bags with zip closures work especially well for soups and stews: fill them, remove as much air as possible, and lay them flat to freeze. Once frozen, you can stack them or store them upright like books.

Ice cube trays are also useful for freezing small portions of sauces, broths, or aromatic bases that are ready to use when you need them.