The best budget-friendly batch-cook recipes | Features | Jamie Oliver (2024)

If you want to save time and money in the kitchen, while making your ingredients go further, get on board with batch cooking.

These batch-cook recipes don’t take much effort, but they’re great for helping you save money and get ahead for busier days. From homemade chicken nuggets to a versatile veggie chilli and more, fill your freezer with these fuss-free meals for the days when you don’t have time.

Jamie’s brand new book, ONE, has an entire chapter dedicated to the art of batch cooking. What’s more, every recipe is cooked in just one pan or tray, meaning less washing up! From a warming veggie chilli and Bolognese to an outrageous pulled pork, these are big-hitters that are designed to take the hassle out of everyday cooking. Plus, they’re the gift that keeps on giving – each principle recipe comes with Jamie’s favourite ways to use the leftovers. Looking for convenient and tasty go-to meals for busy days? These are recipes the whole family will love.

Visit our budget-friendly recipe hub for more cooking inspiration to help you save time and money in the kitchen.

Brilliant batch-cook recipes from ONE

Packed with flavour and lots of lovely veggies, this comforting chilli is sure to go down a storm. Plus, it couldn’t be easier to rustle up – you’ll only need 8 ingredients and just 12 minutes of prep time. With warming chipotle, black beans and crumbly feta, it’s a thing of joy. Enjoy as is, batching up extra portions to stash in the fridge or freezer for future meals. Here are some of Jamie’s favourite ways to use it:

Sweet potato chilli nachos

Reheat some chilli until piping hot, then spoon over crunchy tortilla chips and grate over a little Cheddar cheese, finishing with some jarred sliced jalapeños and a couple of fresh coriander or baby mint leaves, if you’ve got them.

Sweet potato chilli quesadilla

For two, smash leftover sweet potato and grated melty cheese between two tortillas and toast on both sides in a hot frying pan until golden. Remove, then quickly reheat some chilli until piping hot. Add jalapeños, yoghurt, and fresh coriander.

Sweet potato chilli soup & avo

Slice some leftover sweet potato. Blitz some chilli in a blender, loosening with a little water, if needed. Reheat both in a pan until piping hot, then serve with cubes of ripe avocado, fresh coriander leaves, yoghurt or soured cream, and toasted tortillas.

Sweet potato chilli salad bowl

Reheat some chilli until piping hot, then serve with rice and crunchy salad like shredded carrot and juicy tomatoes, dressed with lemon and fresh coriander. Finish with yoghurt or soured cream, a drizzle of hot chilli sauce and a tiny bit of feta.

Sweet potato chilli wrap

Reheat some chilli until piping hot, then spoon over a warm tortilla and add shredded little gem lettuce, fresh baby mint leaves and a little crumbling of feta. Serve with a lime wedge, for squeezing over.

Sweet potato chilli jacket

Keep it classic – reheat some chilli until piping hot, then spoon over a crispy jacket potato and serve with a dollop of yoghurt or soured cream, a tiny bit of feta and a few fresh coriander leaves, if you’ve got them.

OUTRAGEOUS PULLED PORK

This is one of those recipes that you make once and it instantly becomes a family favourite. And perhaps because the leftovers make some of the tastiest meals you’ll ever enjoy – from pulled pork baps to pork noodle cups. Not forgetting some of the crispiest crackling! You’re gonna love it.

50/50 BOLOGNESE

For a recipe that’s easier on your wallet while also being better for you and the planet, you can’t beat Jamie’s 50/50 Bolognese. Lentils are the secret weapon in this dish, helping the meat go that much further, while adding extra nutrition, ensuring it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

More batch-cooking recipes

A rich, full-bodied base made with chickpeas, lentils and mushrooms is topped with fluffy sweet potato mash and crisp zesty breadcrumbs for a dish that is super warming and a real autumn pick-me-up. Even better when the flavours have had a chance to develop.

Smoky, cheesy, sweet, spicy – this recipe has the lot! Featuring the humble bean and beautiful sweet potatoes, it’s hard not to enjoy every single mouthful of this dish. Great as a meat-free main, or you could ditch the croutons and enjoy it as a killer side.

Gift your future self by cooking up a batch of this principle cheese sauce – fantastic for stirring through freshly cooked pasta or using in a pasta bake. Feel free to flex the veg, go orange with carrot or squash, or green with broccoli and spinach – delicious!

Get some ready-rolled filo pastry and cook your future self this beautiful broccoli quiche – the perfect fuss-free lunch or dinner you can defrost in minutes. The recipe serves six, so you can either put the whole thing in the freezer or portion it up for another day (or two). Just make sure the quiche is wrapped tightly in aluminium foil or cling film for freezing, and eat it within three months.

This pizza dough is super-quick to make, so it’s easy to rustle up an extra batch. Simply divide and roll it out into rounds, pile them up with a layer of greaseproof paper between each, wrap in clingfilm, and freeze.

Double up the ingredients in this batch-cook beauty to get even more meals racked up in the freezer for future dinner times. Spag Bol is a real family favourite, so having a few emergency portions to hand that can be on the table in minutes will be a saviour on those inevitable busy school nights!

This fragrant one-pot recipe is so simple to make and uses ingredients you probably already have in your store-cupboard. You can easily make a huge batch of this budget-friendly veggie curry to defrost and dig into whenever cooking doesn’t take your fancy. Remember to freeze it in portions, then enjoy it served with fluffy rice or a side of naan.

This veggie favourite is perfect for prepping in the morning, ready to finish off at lunch or dinner time. It’s a great one to portion up, too, if you’re ever after a quick dinner from the freezer.

Got a few fussy eaters at home? Whiz up a batch of this super healthy and seriously tasty hidden veg sauce. This is one incredibly versatile batch-cook recipe to have ready in your freezer – whether you use it for pasta dishes, curries, soups, in a chilli or even on a pizza, it’s got you covered for any occasion. Feel free to adapt the veggies you use to suit the seasons or use up what’s in your fridge to help cut down on food waste.

We love an easy swap recipe like this versatile veggie chilli. The dish really can take on whatever veg you have to hand, so feel free to swap the sweet potatoes for regular ones you already have, or add in the half a courgette that’s been sitting in your fridge. Plus, you can defrost and serve your chilli however you like – with rice, with tortilla chips, in a wrap… This batch-cook recipe never gets old.

This is the ultimate hack for making pesto last longer. Cooked up in 15 minutes, our batch pesto recipe contains a bunch of nutrients, protein and a good boost of vitamin E – plus just a few ingredients make a huge 16 portions! Simply roll up your lovely fresh pesto in greaseproof paper, pop it in the freezer and slice off the portion you want, as and when you need it. Melt it onto pasta dishes, add it to a chicken traybake or drizzle it over pizza for serious added flavour.

Make your own healthier, tastier version of the classic freezer food, chicken nuggets, using staple household ingredients. Being baked rather than fried and coated in wholemeal bread rather than white bread, the little extra effort it takes to batch-cook these proper chicken nuggets is well worth it for a crowd-pleasing dinner that’s higher in fibre and lower in calories than the shop-bought versions.

THE FREEZER IS YOUR FRIEND

Just remember – if you’re batch cooking, let food cool thoroughly before freezing – break it down into portions so it cools quicker, and get it into the freezer within 2 hours. And make sure everything is well wrapped, and labelled for future reference so you’re not playing freezer roulette! Simply thaw in the fridge before use, and use within 48 hours. If you’ve frozen cooked food, don’t freeze it again after reheating it.

Looking for more ways to save money on mealtimes? Check out our 12 top tips for cooking on a budget.