Appetites: Combat rising grocery prices with simple, flexible approach to batch cooking
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You may have seen TikTok videos showing batch cooking sessions that crank out elaborate individual meals for each day of the week. Madeline Summers has a different take on saving time and money in the kitchen.
“A more practical approach to batch cooking is going to be cooking individual pieces that can tessellate together into different meals,” said Summers, who works for Mississippi Market Co-op in St. Paul. “So you can match your proteins, your veggies, legumes, sauces together to make something different each day.”
This kind of mix-and-match cooking can help reduce food waste, she said. No more veggies going bad in the fridge. Instead, base your meals around a big batch of roasted vegetables (see recipe below). Prep them at the start of the week and use them to make quick healthy meals like tacos, grain bowls, pasta dishes and so on.
“When you’re ready to cook, you mix and match them to your taste or to the current recipe that you are making,” she said.
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Listen to the conversation with Madeline Summers by clicking the player above. Find the recipe for Summer’s Mise en Place Veggies below and other batch cooking ideas from Mississippi Market Co-op here.
‘Mise en Place’ Veggies Recipe
Mise en place means “everything in its place” — it’s how chefs stay organized for busy dinner service. At home, the same mindset can make daily cooking easier and more enjoyable.
You can love to cook and still feel overwhelmed by the grind of everyday meals. Traditional batch cooking (think giant pots of chili) often leads to waste — of food and money. This approach is just as simple but way more flexible: roast a few veggies, then mix and match with grains, proteins, and sauces all week long.
With a few prepared basics in your fridge, you’ve got a build-your-own meal station ready to go — perfect for busy nights and picky eaters alike.
Ingredients:
4 medium sweet potatoes, chopped
4 zucchinis, chopped
4 bell peppers, chopped
2 large red or yellow onions, chopped
Olive oil + salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Toss each veggie with a little olive oil and salt. You can use the same bowl — just don’t mix them together.
Spread everything out on a couple of sheet pans, keeping each type of veggie in its own “zone.”
Roast until tender and golden:
Zucchini, peppers and onions usually are done in 15–20 min.
Sweet potatoes might need a little longer to cook. Maybe 25–30 min.
Remove each section as it’s ready so nothing gets mushy
Store each veggie in its own container in the fridge — veggies can stay good for about 5 days.
Note: But wait! Where is the rest of the seasoning? If you are reheating, you can add seasoning then. You will still get quite a bit of flavor!
Meal Ideas – Hot or Cold!
Breakfast hash: Toss sweet potatoes, peppers and onions with bacon ends or a soft egg for a cozy, quick breakfast.
Quick succotash: Warm up zucchini, peppers and onions with thawed frozen corn and a little butter.
Grain bowl: Layer veggies over rice, quinoa or farro, add a protein (beans, tofu, chicken), and drizzle with a favorite sauce.
Tacos or wraps: Pile veggies into a tortilla with shredded chicken or beans and top with yogurt sauce or salsa.
