Batch Cook Recipes: 17 Easy, Freezable Meals to Save You Time & Stress

Let’s face it—life is busy. Whether you’re planning school lunches, juggling work-from-home days, or just trying to avoid another soggy cheese and tomato sarnie, batch cooking recipes are your best mate. They’re all about saving time, cutting waste, and having delicious, home-cooked meals just a freezer door away.

Batch cooking doesn’t mean eating the same thing for days on end. It means cooking smart—making a big pot of something versatile, nutritious, and satisfying, then freezing portions so that future-you can thank past-you on a busy Wednesday night.

These easy batch-cooked meals are designed to be prepped in under 45 minutes and frozen in bulk. They work brilliantly for big families, busy professionals, or anyone who just loves having a freezer stash ready to go. Want more delicious dishes? Check out this week’s menu at Gousto.

Soups for the soul

Soups are the MVP of batch cooking. They freeze like a dream, reheat in minutes, and can turn any sad desk lunch into a warm, nourishing ritual. Pair them with toasties or crusty bread for a meal that’s comforting and wholesome.

Minted Pea Soup With Cheese & Bacon Toasties

This vibrant green soup is packed with fibre and freshness. It’s a springtime staple that reheats well and doesn’t lose flavour in the freezer. Whack your toastie maker on and enjoy a Cheese & Bacon Toastie alongside this soup-er dish.

Batch cook this beauty.

Hot Red Pepper Soup & Cheese Melts

Meet Cream of Tomato‘s spicy cousin. Heat up your lunchtimes with this roasted pepper, onion and tomato soup with a kick from cayenne pepper. Served with the requisite cheese toastie, of course.

Warm up this spicy favourite. 

Indian Spiced Carrot & Lentil Soup

The warming curry spices, satisfying lentils and zingy squeeze of lime leaves supermarket pots of soup in the dust. Wait until you’re reheating the soup to add your spinach, so it’s only just wilted when serving. Perfect for batch lunches that feel homemade every time.

Get spicy, get soupy. 

Plant Powered Suppers

Got a big bag of lentils gathering dust in your pantry? Perfect. These versatile, protein-rich pulses are ideal for plant-curious cooks.

Enjoy these recipes packed with pulses, veg, and vibrant spices, which are kind to your wallet, your health, and your schedule.

Cheesy Aubergine Lentil Moussaka

There for you when you need extra comfort food. Prep time takes 35 minutes, then just bake from frozen ‘til it’s golden brown and oozing with cheese. Next time you go to grab this from the freezer, don’t forget to thank us.

Cheesy comfort food to fill your freezer. 

Two Lentil Dal Spiced Aubergine

Warm, hearty and full of plant protein. This velvety vegan lentil stew is the perfect antidote to a long day, and so easy to scale, too. Great on its own, or paired with rice, packed in a lunchbox, or to add flair to your meat-free dinners.

Dal up your dinners. 

Sensational Pasta Sauces

Versatile sauces are your freezer’s best friend. These ones go beyond pasta, working beautifully with grains, roasted veg or even sandwiches to give your lunches extra sparkle.

Walnut & Cheddar Pesto Chicken Bulgur

A big batch of pesto doesn’t just have to be for pasta. With bold, nutty and cheddar richness, this 5-minute sauce is ready in no time. Pair it with chicken, vegetables, and bulgur wheat, and you’ve got maximum flavour flex. You name it, you can put pesto on it (probably).

Spread the pesto love.

Red Pepper & Sausage Pasta with Garlic Crumb

This addictive sauce is simple and delicious. Quadruple batch = mandatory. Roasted vegetables meet smoky sausage to create a match made in heaven for wintery nights.

Discover your new favourite recipe.

Curry in a hurry

There’s something about midweek that has us reaching for that takeaway menu. Don’t get distracted, though! These curry recipes are big on flavour and deliciously comforting, with the added bonus of being homemade.

Chicken Tikka Masala

This better-than-takeaway classic combines tender marinated chicken with a rich, spiced tomato-cream sauce that only deepens in flavour after freezing. It’s an ideal batch dish: easy to scale up, crowd-pleasing, and reheats like a dream. Whether you’re feeding fussy kids or treating yourself midweek, it hits the spot.

Stock up on this comforting classic.

Palak Paneer with Cardamom Rice

Iron-rich spinach meets golden paneer cubes and warming spices in this vegetarian dish that feels anything but basic. It’s satisfying, nutritious, and reheats beautifully without losing that fragrant depth. Perfect for meat-free Mondays, or anytime you want feel-good flavour with minimal effort.

Fill your freezer with flavour. 

Red Thai-Style Beef Meatball Bake

This Massaman-inspired traybake delivers bold Thai flavours with minimal hands-on time. Baking the beef meatballs keeps prep simple, while the coconut-rich sauce freezes well and comes alive again in the oven. A smart, warming option that adds variety to your batch routine without the takeaway price tag.

Batch a tray of bold Thai flavours.

One-Pot Wonders

The magic of one pot? Less mess, more flavour. Perfect for a Thursday night, when finishing that pile of work between now and the weekend seems impossible.

Green & Black’s Chicken Mole

Gousto streamlined the ingredients for this signature spicy-smoky sauce from Mexico, and created a 35-minute recipe. This rich, chocolate-infused Mexican mole balances deep spices with a velvety texture that clings to tender chicken. It’s perfect for freezing in generous portions for busy weeknights.

(No chipotle paste? Try adding 1 tbsp of tomato paste, 1 tbsp cider vinegar and 1 tsp of smoked paprika and/or cayenne pepper.)

Stir up something bold. 

West African Maff-Style Chicken Stew

A creamy peanut base brings richness to this aromatic, gently spiced stew inspired by Senegalese cooking. If you can’t find ras el hanout, use a third each of smoked paprika, ground ginger and coriander as a substitute. It only takes half an hour, but it tastes like it’s been slow-cooked all day.

Add this recipe to your batch list.

Feel-Good Friday Feasts

It’s been a long week, but end-of-week meals should still feel like a treat. Hearty, indulgent and freezer-smart, these Gousto twists on British classics tick that box.

Moroccan-Style Spiced Lamb Shepherd’s Pie

This fragrant take on a British favourite layers spiced lamb and chickpeas with a smooth sweet potato mash for extra nutrition and fibre. It’s a feel-good comfort dish that freezes perfectly in oven-ready trays—ideal for quick Friday-night indulgence.

(No sumac? Add the zest of a lemon.)

Make your Friday’s golden.

Simple Smoked Basa Florentine Bake

Smoky fish, tender spinach and a touch of creaminess come together for a lighter twist on traditional fish pie. This bake is wonderfully simple to assemble and holds up beautifully in the freezer; perfect for those who want big flavour with minimal prep.

Bake this beauty.

Italian Classics To Batch Cook

A rich ragù is a magical thing. It doesn’t take a lot of ingredients, tastes so deliciously indulgent, and it stars in classic comfort foods like lasagne and spaghetti bolognese, making it a bellissimo sauce to batch cook.

Bolognese Ragù with Pappardelle

This slow-cooked ragù is full of deep, savoury flavour and clings beautifully to thick ribbons of pappardelle. It freezes like a dream and delivers pure comfort on demand, so it is ideal for those evenings when only pasta will do.

Try this silky sauce.

Aubergine Parmigiana With Pesto Bruschetta

Layers of golden aubergine, rich tomato sauce, and melted cheese come together in this vegetarian Italian favourite. It’s comforting yet elegant, ideal for freezing in portions and reheating without sacrificing texture or taste. The pesto bruschetta on the side adds freshness and crunch, making this a brilliant meat-free Friday night dish for confident cooks and curious dabblers alike

Layer up this veggie classic.

Big Flavour Beef Lasagne

Life’s always better when there’s a lasagne. This rich, layered pasta dish is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. With gooey béchamel, slow-cooked beef and bubbling cheese, it’s ideal for freezing before baking so you can have Italian comfort on standby, ready to heat and eat.

Dive into deliciousness.

Find Your Next Freezer Favourite

Batch cooking doesn’t have to mean hours at the stove. These easy batch cook meals show how quick, delicious and empowering it can be to take back control of your week.

Whether you feel like a comforting bowl of pasta or a hearty soup, Gousto’s batch cook recipes are here to help you make your mealtimes memorable.

Need more ideas? Browse the Gousto Cookbook for hundreds of tried, tested and freezer-friendly recipes. Or sign up for your own Gousto recipe box and have your weekly dinners delivered to your door.