5 creative vegetarian meal prep ideas for effortless eating

If you’re looking for meatless meal prep ideas for your midweek dinners, then there’s no need to overcomplicate it. There are plenty of easy vegetarian meals you can make throughout the week, and prep in advance to save time after work. 

Discover our best vegetarian meal prep dinners below to get ahead of your working week. 

Protein-rich lentil curry with rice

Curry is one of the warmest and most inviting meals to come home to after a long day and can be easily prepped ahead of time to have a hearty and tasty meal to fill you up after a day at the office. What’s great about a curry is that it can be easily made in one pot, and stored in the fridge ready to be quickly reheated when needed. A vegetarian curry will generally keep in the fridge for up to five days, so you could make this one on a slow Sunday and have it ready to serve throughout the week. Using full-fat coconut milk in your curry adds a creamy level of indulgence and texture, and the lentils provide the curry with a high-protein nutritional benefit. We’d recommend using red lentils as these tend to be smoother than green or brown lentils. Whilst you can prepare rice ahead of time, it’s really better to make this fresh on the day, but this can be easily done whilst you reheat your curry on the stove. If you have any leftover lentils, then try using them in a warming winter lentil soup. 

For quick vegetarian meal prep ideas, a grilled veggie wrap or sandwich has to be our top choice. If you’re making this during the busy working week, then you could even prepare your sandwich or wrap filling ahead of time and have it ready to pop into either your wrap or slices of bread. Whilst you can pretty much use any plant-based ingredient, we love a mix of eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, and oregano combined with fresh hummus. You can grill the veggies ahead of time, and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. When you’re ready for lunch, all you’ll need to do is assemble your wrap with the prepared vegetables and hummus, and quickly grill your wrap or sandwich in a pan on the stove for a few minutes to warm it up. 

Quinoa is actually really easy to prepare and make at home. It takes a little longer than rice to cook, so it’s worth batch cooking a few portions at the weekend when you have more time on your hands. Cooked quinoa will keep in the fridge for up to five days when stored properly, so if you can find the time it’s worth the effort. You can pair it with all sorts of roasted veggies, from roasted cherry tomatoes to eggplant, and again these can be prepped ahead of time and stored in the fridge. If you plan to add a sauce or crumbled feta to this dish, then it’s best to add this to the quinoa and vegetables when you’re ready to eat them, instead of prior to storing. 

When you’re feeling a bit lost on how to prepare vegetarian meals, a veggie-packed pasta bake is a good place to turn to. This is a great dish to prepare in advance as you can easily bake a large batch of this recipe, and either enjoy it cold throughout the week for a fast lunch or reheat it quickly in the oven for a delicious, yet easy, dinner. There’s no set recipe that you’ll need to follow either, you can add any vegetables that you have leftover in the fridge and use any large pasta shape that you have in the cupboard. Rigatoni is a popular shape to use, but many chefs will opt for types like penne or fusilli. Veggies like red onions, bell peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes are all perfect for this dish and bring a burst of color and flavor to the bake. And if you’ve still got leftover veggies on your hands after making this dish, then try these delicious zero-waste vegetarian croquettes, which again can be made with pretty much anything left in your fridge or store cupboard. 

Whilst smoothies are a quick and nutritious way to start the day, sometimes there just isn’t time to sit and plan the ingredient combinations. When you’re in a rush to get out the door, or have the whole family to feed, smoothie packs are the perfect way to prepare ahead for a tasty vegetarian breakfast. All you need to do is fill airtight bags with your usual combinations of fruit and greens and add to the freezer. You could also create small tubs of any dry ingredients you plan to add to the smoothie too, like chia seeds or protein powder, to have ready to pour in. Then all you need to do on the day is add your frozen fruit and greens to the blender, add your dry ingredients, and your usual quantity of wet ingredients, like coconut milk and nut butter, blend and enjoy.