How To Meal Prep: The Ultimate Guide

Some weeks, cooking feels easy—maybe you’ve got a plan, a stocked fridge, and enough energy to pull it off. Other times, even boiling pasta feels like a big ask.

At Caraway , we get it. Cooking at home can be healthier, more affordable, and genuinely satisfying—but only when it’s set up to work for your life. That’s where meal prep comes in, not as a trend or a rigid system but as a smart way to take the pressure off.

Not sure where to start? This guide has you covered. Read on to get practical answers to common questions, learn how to prep without overcomplicating it, and see how a few smart choices can make your week feel a whole lot easier.

What Is Meal Prep, Exactly?

Meal prep is simply the act of getting ahead in the kitchen. That’s it. It doesn’t have to mean spending your Sunday cooking every single meal for the week—or eating the same thing five days in a row. At its core, it’s just about prepping ingredients, dishes, or full meals in advance so you’re not starting from scratch every time you walk into the kitchen.

There are a few common ways to meal prep, and most people mix and match depending on their week:

• Batch cooking: Making a large portion of a single recipe (like soup, chili, or grains) and portioning it out over several days.

• Ingredient prep: Washing and chopping vegetables, cooking proteins or grains, making sauces—so assembling a meal later takes minutes, not hours.

• Make-ahead meals: Full meals cooked and stored in the fridge or freezer, ready to reheat when you need them.

• Grab-and-go options: Think overnight oats, boiled eggs, snack boxes, or pre-packed lunches you can toss in a bag and head out the door.

There’s no one way to do it—and it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Some weeks, you might prep a few containers of soup and cut veggies. Other weeks, it might just mean doubling your dinner so tomorrow’s lunch is handled. The goal is to give yourself fewer decisions to make when life gets busy and make cooking feel like less of a chore.

What Are the Benefits of Meal Prepping?

Wondering if meal prepping is really worth the time? You’re not alone. A lot of people assume it’s just for strict eaters or fitness types, but the truth is, it’s one of the most realistic ways to make home cooking work for real life—and the benefits go way beyond just having food ready to go.

It Reduces Daily Stress

First, let’s talk stress. A 2021 study from the American Journal of Health Promotion found that people who cooked at home more often reported better mental and physical health .

That’s likely because fewer last-minute food decisions (or emergency takeout orders) mean less daily stress. With a few things prepped ahead of time, you’re not scrambling at 6:45 p.m. trying to figure out what’s for dinner. You already know.

It Reduces Daily Stress

There’s also the budget side. When meals are planned and ingredients are used up before they spoil, you waste less food and spend less on impulse buys. The USDA estimates the average American family tosses hundreds of dollars worth of groceries each year . Meal prep helps you actually use what you buy.

It Supports More Intentional Eating

Health-wise, having food on hand makes it easier to build meals that are balanced and satisfying—because when you're hungry and unprepared, convenience wins (and that often means ultra-processed snacks or less nutrient-dense options).

Instead, you can lean into whole ingredients, prep in portions that work for your lifestyle, and eat more intentionally without feeling like you're on a plan.

It Saves Time During the Week

And finally, it just saves time. Even prepping two or three components—like a cooked grain, a protein, and a chopped veggie—can cut your cooking time in half on busy nights. That’s time back for whatever else you’d rather be doing, like catching up on sleep or actually sitting down to eat without rushing.

How Do You Figure Out What To Prep?

Start with your week—not a Pinterest board. The best way to figure out what to prep is by looking at your actual schedule .

What nights are you getting home late? When are you too tired to cook? Do you need fast breakfasts or easy lunches you can take with you? Meal prep should make your week easier, not more complicated—so it needs to match your routine, not an idealized version of it.

Once you’ve got a rough idea of your week, check your fridge and pantry. What needs to be used up? What do you already have? Let that guide what you make.

If you’ve got rice, beans, and tortillas, a burrito bowl base might be one less thing to think about. If you’ve got a bunch of vegetables that won’t last another week, roast them and pair them with whatever grain or protein you have on hand.

Next, pick two or three core meals or components you actually want to eat more than once. You’re not trying to build a full menu—you’re just choosing a few go-to items that can be repeated, remixed, or stretched into multiple meals.

Think:

• A big pot of soup or stew

• Cooked grains like quinoa or brown rice

• Roasted veggies

• A protein that works hot or cold

• A sauce or dip that adds flavor to everything

From there, map out how you’ll use them. Will the roasted veggies be lunch one day and part of dinner the next? Can that grain be tossed into a salad or reheated with eggs? When you prep with overlap in mind, you get flexibility without having to cook 10 different things.

The goal isn’t to lock in every bite—it’s to make sure future you has a head start.

What Tools and Cookware Make Meal Prep Easier?

You now know what to meal prep—but that’s only half the equation. Without the right tools, even the best plan can turn into a headache.

Here’s what we recommend having on hand:

Sheet Pans for Batch Cooking, Roasting, and Reheating

Sheet pans are an absolute must when it comes to meal prep. Roast veggies, bake proteins, toast nuts, reheat leftovers—you’ll use them constantly. And when your pans are high-quality and non-toxic, cleanup won’t slow you down either.

Our Baking Sheet Trio includes three ceramic-coated sheet pans in large, medium, and small sizes—so you’re covered whether you’re roasting a full tray of broccoli or just want to reheat lunch without using the microwave. Naturally non-stick and oven-safe up to 550ºF, these are designed for real use, real meals, and minimal scrubbing.

Non-Toxic Cookware for Everyday Meals

If you’re meal prepping on the stovetop, you need reliable cookware that heats evenly, doesn’t stick, and cleans up fast. Our Ceramic-Coated Cookware Set includes everything you need to prep sauces, stews, grains, proteins, and more—without worrying about toxic coatings.

The 12-piece set comes with four essential pans, three universal lids, and custom storage solutions that keep your cabinets in order. Ceramic-coated for easy food release and totally free of PFAS, PTFE, and other chemicals you don’t want near your food. Less oil, less mess, fewer reasons to order takeout.

Enameled Cast Iron for Searing, Simmering & Oven Cooking

Cast iron is a staple for high-heat searing, braises, and make-ahead meals that go from stovetop to oven. Our Enameled Cast Iron Set combines the performance of traditional cast iron with the ease of non-stick cooking—no seasoning required.

With unmatched heat retention and a durable three-layer enamel coating, it’s perfect for anything that benefits from a long simmer or high-heat finish. The 8-piece set includes a Dutch Oven, Skillet, Grill Pan, and more—all non-toxic, beautifully made, and built to last.

Airtight Containers for Smarter Storage

Prepping is one thing—storing it properly is another. The right containers can help extend freshness, prevent spills, and make your fridge feel less chaotic.

Our Glass Airtight Container Set includes 14 pieces of high-resistance, non-toxic glass with a precision-engineered airtight seal to keep food fresher longer. The modular design stacks easily, saving space, and the included stainless steel scoop and ¼ measuring cup are a thoughtful bonus when portioning grains, snacks, or baking ingredients.

Prepware That Works as Hard as You Do

You don’t need every gadget out there—but a sharp knife and a solid set of utensils go a long way when prepping ahead. Our Knife & Utensil Set was designed to keep things simple, streamlined, and functional.

With four versatile knives made from premium German steel, five essential utensils, kitchen shears, and a modular storage unit made from FSC-certified birch wood, it’s a clean, clutter-free upgrade for your countertop. Everything has its place, and everything does its job—no filler, no plastic.

What Are the Best Meals To Meal Prep (That You’ll Want To Eat)?

Let’s be honest—most people don’t have the time (or energy) to prep perfect, portioned meals for every day of the week. And even if you do have the time, reheating soggy leftovers five nights in a row isn’t exactly the dream.

The good news? Meal prep doesn’t have to mean full meals. Sometimes, the smartest prep is prepping parts of meals—so future you can throw something together in minutes without thinking twice.

Here are some easy, realistic meal prep ideas for different types of weeks, appetites, and cooking skills:

Big Batch Bowls You Can Rebuild Differently Every Day

Grain bowls are one of the easiest ways to prep once and eat differently all week. Cook a pot of rice, quinoa, or couscous, roast a couple trays of vegetables, and prep one or two proteins you like.

Keep everything separate, and then rebuild them each day with a different topping or dressing—think pesto one day, hot sauce the next, maybe a fried egg when you need a little extra. It’s minimal thinking, no sad repeats.

One-Pan Dinners That Basically Cook Themselves

If you’ve got a busy evening schedule or kids to feed, make one-pan meals your go-to. Toss protein, chopped veggies, and potatoes or rice onto a sheet pan or into a large baking dish, season it all, and let the oven do the work.

You can do this once and have dinner and lunch handled for at least two days. Bonus points if you double the recipe, so there’s zero thinking midweek.

A Big Pot of “Whatever Soup” for the Week

The beauty of soup? You can make it with whatever you’ve got lying around. Chop some onions, toss in a can of beans or lentils, add chopped veggies, a grain or pasta, and some broth. Done. It’s one of the few meals that actually gets better after a day in the fridge, and it’s super easy to freeze in individual portions for later. No recipe required.

Pasta Sauce That Goes Way Beyond Pasta

A good pasta sauce might be the most underrated meal prep move. Make one big batch—tomato-based, creamy, or loaded with veggies—and use it on everything. Obviously pasta, but also as a pizza base, a drizzle for roasted veggies, a dip for bread, or even as a sauce for rice or grain bowls. It’s meal prep without having to actually prep meals.

Snack Plates That Are Basically Adult Lunchables

When in doubt, build a snack plate. Prep a few grab-and-go items like sliced veggies, hard-boiled eggs, crackers, hummus, fruit, or cheese.

Then, mix and match throughout the week. It’s perfect for working lunches, post-school hangry kids, or late-night “I should’ve eaten dinner” moments. Plus, you don’t have to actually cook anything. Just assemble and eat.

The Bottom Line

And there you have it—meal prep that works for real life. No rules, no perfection, just practical ways to make your week a little easier (and your dinners a lot less stressful). Whether you're prepping a full meal or just washing some veggies ahead of time, every small step counts.

At Caraway , we believe home cooking should feel doable and safe—starting with what you cook with. Our non-toxic, thoughtfully designed kitchenware is made for modern home cooks who care about what’s in their food and their cookware. Ditch the chemicals. Keep the joy. Explore our collections today .

Sources:

A Beginner’s Guide To Healthy Meal Prep | Cleveland Clinic

Well-Being and Cooking Behavior | PMC

Food Loss and Waste | USDA

The Ten Best Ways to Simplify Meal Prep | Piedmont Healthcare