When your week gets busy, meal prep bowls give you lunch ready to go. You only cook a few times a week.
I’m not telling you to measure out each grain of rice, I’m just suggesting that you use some strategy to ensure your meal is filling. Choose a few items from this list and change your sauces and spices as you go.
To prep several days of bowls in one session, pick one bowl from the oven group and one from the skillet group and cook them at the same time. Add a no-cook bowl for the end of the week.
Oven and sheet pan bowls
The protein roasts or bakes while you do something else. You can roast two of these at once on separate racks.
Teriyaki Salmon Bowl
Bake the salmon until it is just opaque and brush it with a quick soy-ginger-honey glaze (or use teriyaki sauce). For crunch and color, add broccoli or snap peas. If you dislike soggy veggies, keep the sauce separate.
Greek Chicken Bowl
This bowl is straightforward and difficult to get wrong. Marinate chicken in lemon, garlic, oregano, and olive oil, then grill or roast it.
Quinoa offers an additional source of protein as well as a unique texture, while feta adds a salty touch. If you place cucumbers in a separate container, everything will remain fresh for longer.
Chicken Shawarma Bowl
Shawarma spice seasoning flavors the chicken. Make it by mixing cumin, paprika, turmeric, and a bit of garlic and cinnamon.
Then, you can either roast or pan-sear the chicken. Add some rice to your chicken and consider a cucumber-tomato salad to add some freshness. Another sauce option is a tahini-yogurt sauce; it keeps the bowl moist. Your sauce will prevent your bowl from getting dry in the fridge.
Turkey Meatball Bowl
Meatballs are a good choice for this meal because they are easy to portion out and reheat evenly. You can bake turkey meatballs (which creates less mess than frying) and then slide them into some marinara to make them a bit juicier.
Creamy polenta pairs well with a large portion of greens. If you don’t want polenta, you can use pasta or zucchini noodles.
Peanut Noodle Bowl
Tofu provides a good amount of protein, and it holds up best if you press it and bake it. You can combine noodles with a sauce made from peanut butter, soy sauce, lime, and a little honey, then add some crunchy vegetables for additional texture.
This bowl can be served cold or at room temperature. If peanut butter is not safe for your household, you may use sunflower seed butter, which serves a similar purpose.
Buffalo Chicken Bowl
Place shredded chicken in buffalo sauce, then add roasted potatoes and celery. With Greek yogurt, lemon, garlic powder, and dill you can make a quick ranch instead of a heavy bottled dressing. The bowl is spicy and creamy.
Salmon Sushi Bowl
This bowl is a good alternative if you appreciate the flavors of sushi but not the cost. For this, use cooked salmon (either baked or air-fried), then use a fork to break it apart and mix it with rice, cucumber, and a small piece of nori for that ocean-y flavor. You can add a touch of mayo and sriracha, and you can separate the nori if you want it to stay crunchy.
Harissa Chicken Bowl
Harissa adds a lot of flavor with little work. Roast chicken using harissa paste (or powder), and pair with chickpeas to add even more protein. Toss on some roasted zucchini or peppers to add color and volume. If you don’t love a lot of heat, start with less harissa and increase the amount later.
Chicken Parmesan Bowl
Frying chicken cutlets for chicken parmesan creates a lot of dirty dishes. Instead, consider baking the breaded chicken (or using a lighter breadcrumb coating) then packing portions with marinara and pasta.
For the mozzarella, add it at the time of reheating so it’s gooey rather than rubbery from the fridge. This bowl still has a decent amount of protein.
One-skillet bowls
The protein and vegetables cook in the same pan, so cleanup is one pan.
Turkey Taco Bowl
Use cauliflower rice when you want a lighter base. Brown ground turkey with taco spices, add some onions, and then a splash of broth to keep it juicy in the fridge. After reheating, add the lettuce and tomatoes to keep them crisp. It is a full meal without being heavy.
Steak Fajita Bowl
This bowl adds steak to your lunch. Sear either flank or skirt steak and be sure to let it rest before slicing it thinly across the grain to keep it tender after you reheat. Include peppers and onions that have been cooked until just soft (not mushy). Serve it with rice, or over greens if you want a different base.
Shrimp Fried Rice Bowl
This bowl uses leftovers. Day-old rice is best as it has a better texture and less chance of becoming mushy. Cook shrimp quickly so that it remains firm, and if you want more protein, add scrambled eggs to the mixture. If you want a bowl that reheats very well, use frozen peas and carrots. If you want to watch your sodium intake, use less soy sauce and use more ginger and garlic for flavor.
Chili Lime Beef Bowl
Brown lean ground beef with chili powder, cumin, and garlic, and finish with lime juice. Feel free to add corn for sweetness and extra texture. You can make this in advance and freeze any leftovers. For picky eaters, put the onion and cilantro on the side and let everyone make their own.
USDA FSIS puts frozen leftovers at 3 to 4 months.
Egg Roll Bowl
This bowl uses one pan. Start by sautéing some ground pork or turkey, garlic, and ginger. Then, add a coleslaw mix bag (no need to shred cabbage at 9 pm). A little soy sauce combined with rice vinegar gives the flavor of an egg roll without the wrappers. It reheats well and doesn’t get soggy the way some veggie-heavy bowls can.
Turkey Lentil Taco Bowl
One of my favorite meal prep methods is mixing lentils with turkey. You still get that taco seasoning flavor, but you also stretch the meat, add fiber, and the texture holds up. Salsa keeps everything moist. This bowl is especially good if you’re trying to make grocery money go further without anyone noticing.
Chicken Sausage Bowl
Chicken sausage simplifies dinner meal prep. Chop it up and brown it with some peppers and onions, and you’re almost finished.
Serve with rice or quinoa and you have a meal prep bowl that is simple to portion out and quick to reheat. If you are concerned with sodium, look at the labels for the sausages as some can be quite salty. Just add more vegetables to offset it.
Korean Beef Bowl
This dish has a lot of flavor for the time it takes. The first step is to brown the beef and then let it simmer for a short period of time with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and some brown sugar, or pear juice if you have some.
To add a bit more variety, you can toss in some spinach or broccoli. The sweet and salty flavor holds up through the fourth day.
Beef Udon Bowl
Udon noodles change up the base. Sear some thinly sliced beef, quickly cook the broccoli until tender crisp, and toss it all together in a soy garlic sauce with a touch of cornstarch so the sauce clings to the noodles.
The noodles are an option for those who don’t want rice every day. For a lighter option, feel free to sub in extra broccoli and reduce the noodles a little bit.
Turkey Breakfast Bowl
Breakfast-for-lunch takes little effort. Make your normal breakfast and add some bacon, breakfast sausage, and freshly made breakfast potatoes.
You could just put in some spinach, other greens, or a mixture for more vegetables in the breakfast bowl. When you reheat the breakfast bowl, make sure your eggs are still a little moist (you don’t want anything overly dry).
Bowls that start with cooked chicken
Use any chicken you already cooked, from the oven, the grill or a rotisserie chicken, and the sauce does the rest.
Chicken Burrito Bowl
This chicken bowl covers several meals for the week. To season the chicken, you can use some cumin, chili powder, garlic, and some salt, then add some rice and black beans as a solid base.
If you want to up the protein count, you can use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and add some lime. It will last a few days in the fridge, and the flavor improves as the spices settle.
Spicy Chicken Bowl
This bowl is sweet and spicy, and keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Combine cooked chicken and a honey sriracha sauce, and then add broccoli. If you have a lower tolerance for spice, feel free to use less sriracha and substitute garlic and lime for the sriracha. This sauce will also make your chicken stay juicy if you are meal prepping.
Pesto Chicken Pasta Bowl
Blend cottage cheese with pesto to make a creamy, high-protein sauce that clings to pasta without feeling greasy. Adding chicken and tomatoes turns this into a recovery meal. It also uses up a half-jar of pesto.
Cajun Chicken Bowl
This bowl is for busy days. White bean chicken has some spice to it and the red beans give added protein and a nice creamy feel. You can use brown rice if you’d like, but white rice is also fine. If you don’t like much spice, keep the Cajun seasoning low and you can add hot sauce at the table.
Sesame Ginger Chicken Bowl
Edamame adds protein and texture to a meal. Chicken may be paired with a sesame-ginger dressing (dressing made with ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey) and may be packed with rice and crunchy cabbage.
This dish is cold, which is convenient if your office microwave is unclean. If you’re watching sesame oil, use less and lean on ginger and lime for flavor.
Chicken Mango Bowl
This bowl has bright flavors. The mango salsa adds sweetness and acid to the cumin chicken and black beans. Keep the salsa separate until you eat if you want the cleanest texture. If you don’t have mango, use pineapple.
Slow cooker and one-pot bowls
One big batch fills every container for the next 3 to 4 days.
BBQ Chicken Bowl
This bowl is warm and not too involved. Slow-cooker or instant-pot shredded chicken goes in this bowl, and store-bought BBQ sauce cuts the work. Roasted sweet potatoes add a caramelized flavor. For more textural contrast and without the need for any further cooking, you could add a crunchy slaw on the side.
Chili Bowl
Chili is a simple option for batch cooking. You can use one pot, create a big yield, and the leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge or 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Make a batch using lean ground beef, turkey, beans, tomatoes, and chili spices.
Then, portion them out for the rest of the week. You can add some cheddar and a scoop of Greek yogurt on top for additional protein and creaminess. It freezes well too, which helps on unpredictable weeks.
No-cook bowls
Nothing to cook: open, mix and pack.
Tuna Bean Bowl
An example of a high protein meal that does not require a stove is this one. Mix tuna with lemon juice, dill, a little olive oil, and pepper, then fold in white beans for extra protein and fiber. It is still a light meal. If you do not like tuna, use canned salmon instead.
Mediterranean Tuna Bowl
This is a good meal to make if you want to go without cooking, and it is a full meal rather than a snack. It contains a protein combination of chick peas and tuna while a mixture of lemon and olive oil stays bright.
You can add herbs, but don’t worry too much if you don’t have any, because this bowl is very adjustable. It also suits people who don’t want to heat fish in a shared office.
Meal Prep Gear I Use
My meal prep bowl setup comes down to these three.
- MUNBYN Digital Food Scale. I weigh the chicken and rice for each burrito bowl so every container has the same amount of protein.
- Yuiicaov Stainless Steel Baking Sheet Set. The Cajun chicken roasts on one sheet and the vegetables on the other, so both finish at the same time.
- BYSNOW Deli Containers with Lids. Each bowl gets its own container, and the lids keep each bowl sealed for the 3 to 4 days it keeps in the fridge.
