Our Autumn meal prep guide fills your week with delicious variants that will clear up time for you to enjoy falling into the season. With 7 different recipes, you are able to create multiple meals in this Fall meal prep guide.
What is “Batch Cooking”?
Cook once and eat many times. Batch cooking, in this Autumn meal prep guide, is a method of preparing a quantity of food in one instance in order to save time and effort later. The meals in this guide are already pre-planned and use the same ingredients which you should prep beforehand. By cooking in bulk and preparing large quantities of a few dishes, you’re cooking efficiently and preparing multiple dishes at once. These ingredients are specifically selected to be versatile.
Black Bean & Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 3 tbsps olive oil, divided
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2 jalapeños seeds and ribs removed, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, diced
- 1/2 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and diced into 1-inch cubes
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 15oz cans of diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 2 tbsps chili powder
- ½ tsp cocoa powder
- 2 15oz cans of black beans, drained
Method
Heat half the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Sauté onions, bell peppers, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes until softened. Reduce heat to medium, add jalapeño, garlic, and spices, seasoning generously with salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant. Remove vegetables and set aside.
Add remaining olive oil to the pan and heat. Brown ground turkey for 3-5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper and breaking it up. Return vegetables and spices to the pan, then add chicken stock, tomatoes, butternut squash, and black beans. Simmer for 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with your favorite toppings.
Tamale Pie
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups black bean and turkey chili
- 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal, regular grind
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 2 cup cold buttermilk
- 1 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Method
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium saucepan, stir together cornmeal and salt; add milk slowly, stirring constantly to ensure that no lumps form. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in butter. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool until the chili is ready.
Meanwhile reheat the chili in a cast iron skillet. Once heated through, turn the heat off then and spread the cornmeal topping evenly over the top of the chili. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and place in the oven and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes.
Once the cornbread topping is cooked through, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Roasted Delicata Squash
Ingredients
- 1 lb of delicata squash, deseeded and sliced into half moons
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 cup of wilted baby kale
- ¼ cup crumbled feta
- ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
- 1 tbsp balsamic reduction
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Carefully cut the delicata squash in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds and stringy bits from the center of each squash half.
Lay the squash halves cut-side down on a cutting board. Slice them into half-moon shapes, about ½-inch thick.Then in a medium bowl, toss the sliced delicata squash with a drizzle of olive oil.
Season generously with salt and black pepper to taste, ensuring all the squash pieces are coated. Spread the seasoned squash in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Roast in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the squash is tender and lightly caramelized.
While the squash is roasting, heat a small amount of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the baby kale to the pan and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until wilted.
Once the squash is roasted, transfer it to a serving bowl.
Add the sautéed baby kale to the bowl with the squash and gently toss to combine.
Garnish with toasted nuts, crumbled cheese, pomegranate arils and drizzle with balsamic reduction just before serving.
Loaded Chili Cheese Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes
- 2 cups black bean and turkey chili
- ¼ cup scallions
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- ½ cup diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup pickled jalapenos
Method
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Scrub the potatoes, using the tines of a fork to poke holes all over the exterior of the potatoes. Place the potatoes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Then rub the potato with oil and salt, then bake for 45-60 minutes until the skin is crispy and the inside is soft.
Meanwhile, heat chili in a saucepan, covered, over medium heat for 10 minutes or until bubbling. Set aside covered until the potatoes are cooked through and prepare the toppings.
Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove them from the and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut a deep slit down the center of each potato. Squeeze the sides gently to allow the interior to fluff up. Add a ½ cup of heated chili to each potato then top with preferred toppings.
Jammy Raspberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup fresh raspberries
- ½ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp minced shallots
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp agave syrup
- Kosher salt & pepper to taste
Method
In a blender, combine raspberries, apple cider vinegar, shallots, dijon mustard, and agave syrup.
Blend on high until completely smooth, about 30 seconds.
With the blender running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until emulsified.
Season with Kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
Kale & Wild Rice Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup dry wild rice
- ½ a medium English cucumber, cut into half moons
- 3 tbsps dried cherries
- 2 tbsps toasted chopped pecans
- 1 ¼ cup baby kale
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tsps extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp Kosher salt to massage kale
- Additional Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup jammy raspberry vinaigrette
Method
Prepare the wild rice according to package directions and allow it to cool completely.
In a large bowl, gently massage the baby kale with a pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Once the rice is cool, combine it with the massaged kale and the other in the bowl. Mix well to ensure everything is evenly distributed.
Serve with jammy raspberry vinaigrette
Pumpkin Banana & Walnut Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 tbsps melted butter cooled slightly
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ⅛ cup pumpkin seeds, for topping the muffins
Method
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray a 12-count muffin tin with non-stick spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, olive oil, butter, and eggs. Whisk for about 2 minutes, or until smooth and well combined. Add the banana, pumpkin, and vanilla. Whisk ingredients together until combined. Then fold in the chopped walnuts until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together with a spatula until no streaks of flour remain. Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full and bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
The weekdays of Fall are already hectic enough, with batch cooking recipes and meal preps, you will be able to eliminate one stress factor of the week which is planning for a meal.
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