GLP-1 meal prep recipes

33 recipes, each with its nutrition calculated.

Cooking once for several days is the most reliable way to have a protein-first meal ready on a day you do not feel like cooking. Each of these makes at least four portions and tells you how long it keeps in the fridge and the freezer.

Portion it into containers as soon as it has cooled, and label each one with the date.

Recipes: 33
Median protein: 40 g
Median energy: 490 kcal
Median time: About 1 hr

How these were chosen

Every recipe here makes four or more servings and has freezer guidance, so one session of cooking covers several meals. Sorted by protein per serving, highest first. Nutrition is calculated per serving from USDA FoodData Central, and the figures are medians across this list. How we develop our recipes, or download the nutrition data.

Instant Pot Mexican shredded chicken with black beans
Spiced chicken breasts cooked in tomato in an Instant Pot or slow cooker, shredded, and folded through black beans with lime. A bowl that suits a family dinner and still works on a small appetite, because the beans and chicken carry the meal and the rice is a measured portion.
About 55 min · 520 kcal · 51 g protein · 15 g fibre per serving
Slow cooker chicken, white bean and kale stew
A Tuscan-style stew of chicken, white beans, tomato and kale, made in a slow cooker or a pressure cooker and finished with parmesan. Brothy and soft, it is an easy bowl to finish on a day when a plated dinner feels like too much.
About 4 hr 30 min · 460 kcal · 49 g protein · 11 g fibre per serving
Air fryer chicken shawarma skewers with garlic yoghurt
Chicken breast marinated in yoghurt, cumin and paprika, threaded with pepper and onion and charred in the air fryer, served with pita, romaine and garlic yoghurt. A dinner the whole family can assemble at the table, with each plate built to its own appetite.
About 1 hr 10 min · 475 kcal · 49 g protein · 7 g fibre per serving
Greek chicken meal prep boxes with orzo and tzatziki
Yoghurt-marinated chicken with lemon orzo, a tomato, cucumber and feta salad, and a pot of tzatziki, packed into four lunch boxes. The yoghurt marinade keeps the chicken tender through four days in the fridge.
About 1 hr 5 min · 515 kcal · 47 g protein · 4 g fibre per serving
Baked beef meatballs in tomato sauce with mozzarella
Tender meatballs of lean ground beef baked in a garlicky tomato and spinach sauce under melted mozzarella. Five small meatballs and a slice of toast make a plate that is easy to finish.
About 55 min · 545 kcal · 47 g protein · 5 g fibre per serving
Slow cooker chicken tagine with chickpeas and olives
Chicken breast cooked slowly with carrots, chickpeas and warm North African spices, finished with olives and lemon and served on couscous. It makes four boxed dinners from one pot, and the sauce keeps the chicken moist when it is reheated.
About 3 hr 45 min · 510 kcal · 46 g protein · 11 g fibre per serving
Slow cooker turkey breast with potatoes, carrots and gravy
A boneless turkey breast joint cooked over potatoes and carrots in a slow cooker or pressure cooker, with gravy made from the cooking liquid. A roast dinner for six without the oven, and the slices are easy to portion to whatever appetite is at the table.
About 5 hr · 405 kcal · 46 g protein · 8 g fibre per serving
Slow cooker chicken tikka-style curry with Greek yoghurt
Chicken breast in a gently spiced tomato sauce, made in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot, and finished with Greek yoghurt off the heat. The pot does the work, and a quarter of it over a small portion of rice is a filling dinner that is easy to eat when your appetite is small.
About 4 hr 35 min · 460 kcal · 45 g protein · 7 g fibre per serving
Slow-cooker pulled pork with crunchy slaw
Trimmed pork shoulder cooked low and slow in a smoky, tangy sauce, pulled and piled into wholemeal buns with a yoghurt slaw. The tender pork is easy to eat, and the rest freezes for later.
About 8 hr 40 min · 520 kcal · 45 g protein · 9 g fibre per serving
Air fryer honey garlic pork rice bowls with broccoli
Cubes of lean pork loin glazed in honey, garlic, ginger and soy, cooked in the air fryer and boxed with brown rice, broccoli and carrots. Four lunches from about half an hour of cooking.
About 50 min · 480 kcal · 45 g protein · 7 g fibre per serving
Slow-cooker beef and barley stew
Braising beef cooked low and slow with carrots, mushrooms and pearl barley until it falls apart under a spoon. A deep bowl of soft, savoury stew, made in a slow cooker or a pressure cooker.
About 8 hr 25 min · 385 kcal · 42 g protein · 7 g fibre per serving
Air fryer tofu bites with ginger soy glaze and broccoli
Pressed tofu cubes crisped in the air fryer and tossed in a quick ginger, soy and maple glaze, with charred broccoli and brown rice. A vegan bowl with a crisp outside and a soft centre, easy to eat in small amounts.
About 55 min · 545 kcal · 42 g protein · 10 g fibre per serving
Spanish pork with chickpeas, peppers and smoked paprika
Lean pork loin browned with smoked paprika, then finished in a sauce of peppers, tomato and chickpeas with spinach. One pan, and better the next day.
About 50 min · 420 kcal · 42 g protein · 13 g fibre per serving
Beef and black bean chilli with lime yoghurt
A thick, smoky chilli of lean ground beef and black beans, finished with a spoonful of lime yoghurt. A small bowl goes a long way, and it cooks on the hob or in a slow cooker.
About 1 hr 5 min · 415 kcal · 41 g protein · 13 g fibre per serving
Cuban-style mojo pork with black beans and rice
Pork shoulder marinated in orange, lime, garlic and cumin, cooked until it shreds, then served with black beans warmed in the juices over brown rice. Soft, bright and made for the slow cooker or pressure cooker.
About 8 hr 50 min · 520 kcal · 41 g protein · 12 g fibre per serving
Beef burrito bowls with pinto beans and salsa
A burrito without the tortilla: spiced lean ground beef and pinto beans over lime rice with crisp romaine, sweetcorn, salsa and yoghurt. Each part is small, so the bowl can be scaled to the day's appetite.
About 35 min · 500 kcal · 40 g protein · 6 g fibre per serving
Red lentil and vegetable soup with rotisserie chicken
A thick red lentil and vegetable soup with cumin and lemon, with a shop-bought rotisserie chicken stirred through at the end. It cooks in 8 minutes under pressure and fills six containers.
About 1 hr · 370 kcal · 40 g protein · 9 g fibre per serving
Air fryer turkey meatballs with tomato sauce and spaghetti
Turkey and parmesan meatballs browned in the air fryer, then simmered briefly in a tomato and spinach sauce and served over spaghetti. A family favourite with a measured portion of pasta, so the meatballs do most of the work on the plate.
About 45 min · 545 kcal · 39 g protein · 6 g fibre per serving
Beef cottage pie with a cauliflower and potato top
A proper cottage pie of lean ground beef, mushrooms and peas in a thick gravy, under a cheddar-topped mash that is half cauliflower. Soft, familiar and easy to eat in a small portion.
About 1 hr 20 min · 450 kcal · 39 g protein · 8 g fibre per serving
Turkey, two-bean and sweet potato chilli
A turkey chilli with kidney beans, black beans and sweet potato that makes six portions in a slow cooker or an electric pressure cooker. Each container is a full dinner that reheats in minutes.
About 6 hr 40 min · 420 kcal · 36 g protein · 12 g fibre per serving
Salmon, sweet potato and quinoa bowls with lemon and dill
Roast salmon, smoked paprika sweet potato and broccoli from one tray, packed over quinoa with a lemon and dill yoghurt. Four lunches for the first half of the week, since cooked fish keeps fewer days than meat.
About 45 min · 515 kcal · 36 g protein · 8 g fibre per serving
Pork, fennel and white bean skillet with kale
Pork with soft golden fennel, garlic and a pinch of heat, simmered with white beans and tomato and finished with kale and Parmesan. It tastes of Italian sausage without the sausage, in one pan.
About 45 min · 555 kcal · 35 g protein · 12 g fibre per serving
Slow cooker beef and lentil bolognese
A bolognese of lean ground beef stretched with red lentils, cooked slowly until the lentils melt into the sauce. It makes six portions; cook the spaghetti fresh for whichever ones you are eating and freeze the rest of the sauce.
About 6 hr 25 min · 515 kcal · 35 g protein · 8 g fibre per serving
Spinach, feta and red pepper egg bites
Soft, custardy egg bites made with whole eggs, egg whites and blended cottage cheese, baked a dozen at a time. Three make a small breakfast you can eat in a few minutes, and they come out of the freezer as well as they went in.
About 40 min · 410 kcal · 35 g protein · 4 g fibre per serving
Lamb koftas with cucumber yoghurt and pita
Spiced lamb koftas cooked in the air fryer, with cool cucumber and mint yoghurt, a tomato salad and warm pita. Two small koftas are a full plate.
About 42 min · 550 kcal · 34 g protein · 6 g fibre per serving
Instant Pot lentil and vegetable dal with spinach
Red lentils, carrot and tomato cooked to a soft dal in an Instant Pot in about 40 minutes, or in a slow cooker over a day, with spinach stirred through and Greek yoghurt on top. Smooth and mild, it suits a small appetite and keeps well for the week.
About 55 min · 465 kcal · 34 g protein · 14 g fibre per serving
Spiced lamb and red lentil keema with peas
Lamb cooked with onion, ginger, garlic and warm spices, thickened with red lentils and finished with peas and spinach. A soft, spoonable curry in a modest portion, made on the hob or in a pressure cooker.
About 1 hr · 505 kcal · 33 g protein · 9 g fibre per serving
Greek-style beef stuffed peppers with feta
Sweet red peppers filled with lean ground beef, tomato, oregano and a little brown rice, baked under feta. Two soft halves are a full dinner that never feels heavy.
About 1 hr · 385 kcal · 33 g protein · 7 g fibre per serving
Turkey, egg and black bean freezer breakfast burritos
Six breakfast burritos filled with spiced turkey, soft scrambled egg, black beans and cheddar, rolled and frozen for the mornings when there is no time to cook. One is a complete breakfast that reheats from frozen in a few minutes.
About 55 min · 490 kcal · 32 g protein · 6 g fibre per serving
Greek lamb meatballs with butter beans and feta
Lamb meatballs with mint and oregano, baked half sunk in a tomato, spinach and butter bean sauce under a little feta. Four small meatballs and the beans make a full dinner from one dish.
About 1 hr 5 min · 550 kcal · 32 g protein · 10 g fibre per serving
Lamb shepherd's pie with mushrooms and thyme
A classic shepherd's pie of lamb, mushrooms, carrots and peas under a potato top mashed with Greek yoghurt. Comforting and soft, with the lamb drained of its fat before the vegetables go in.
About 1 hr 25 min · 545 kcal · 32 g protein · 7 g fibre per serving
Blueberry cottage cheese baked oats
A tray of baked oats made with blended cottage cheese, eggs and protein powder, studded with blueberries and cut into six squares. A square with a spoonful of Greek yoghurt is a breakfast you can eat cold, warm or straight from the freezer bag the night before.
About 1 hr 10 min · 400 kcal · 31 g protein · 7 g fibre per serving
Air fryer chickpea and feta patties with tahini yoghurt
Falafel-style patties of chickpeas, herbs and feta, air fried until golden and served with a cucumber and tomato salad and tahini yoghurt. Crisp outside and soft within, and small enough that three make a meal you can stop at.
About 53 min · 480 kcal · 30 g protein · 12 g fibre per serving

GLP-1 meal prep recipes

How these were chosen

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