Easy vegan meal prep ideas

Pasta is the perfect vehicle for fabulous flavours and a variety of veggies. Box up tasty Italian-inspired treats like our healthy green bean & penne salad with tomato & olive dressing. It's low-calorie and still manages to pack in three of your five-a-day.

Mix up your penne with garlicky mushrooms and a caramelised onion and hummus sauce that tastes indulgent and yet is also a healthy, low-fat, low-calorie lunch. Or, get a serious injection of colour and texture with our squash & spinach fusilli with crunchy pecans. All these recipes are nutritious, tasty and perfect for packing up the night before work.

More vegan pasta salads:

Superfood pasta salad
Zesty pasta salad

Easy rice salads

Making a simple rice salad on a Sunday evening will take some of the stress out of Monday morning. Our green rice with beetroot & apple salsa is low-fat, healthy and has plenty of fresh flavours. The salsa adds some tang and texture to take your lunch to the next level.

You could also try a Latin American take, for instance our Mexican rice & bean salad with chunks of creamy avocado, or go for the perfect blend of zest and crunch with our zingy toasted cashew rice salad. Your Tupperware box will be a source of excitement!

More vegan rice salads:

Wild rice with orange & fennel
Lemony rice & peas

Storecupboard salads

Storecupboard ingredients like beans and pulses make a great base for a filling salad. With just a few clever additions of fresh veggies and herbs you can create a budget lunch in a matter of minutes. Try our harissa-laced no-cook chickpea salad with a flatbread and easy falafel for a meze-style meal.

Turn a humble can of cannellini beans into a four-ingredient masterpiece in our bean, tomato & watercress salad. It's quick to prepare and packs in three of your five-a-day. Alternatively, a trickle of tahini and coconut yogurt, chunks of grilled aubergine and minty couscous make a delicious summer tabbouleh. Pack up the dressing separately and drizzle when you're ready to eat.

More storecupboard salads:

Butter bean, cucumber & radish salad
Fattoush

Simple soups

Dust off your flask and whip up a fresh soup full of seasonal veggies. Set aside some time at the weekend to batch cook your soups, portion them out and freeze for the week ahead. Then relax and be secure in the knowledge you're saved from boring supermarket sandwiches.

Freezable vegan soups:

Moroccan spiced cauliflower & almond soup
Tomato soup
Minty pea & potato soup
Sweet potato & rosemary soup

Easy vegan chilli

If you're looking for a hearty vegan one-pot, try a plant-based chilli that you can freeze in portions for simple, midweek meal solutions, like our veggie protein chilli. You can pair it with a pouch of ready-made cauli rice or grains of your choice. Likewise, with a couple of tins of mixed pulses, you can cook our bean & pepper chilli.

A note on food safety

While many foods can be safely stored in the fridge, some dishes such as soups, stews or pasta sauces may be best popped into sturdy Tupperware and stashed in the freezer. Follow the recipe instructions on thawing and always reheat until piping hot. For more information, read the FSA’s top food safety tips.

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