Save yourself time during the busiest hours of the evening by prepping your veggies ahead of time!
How to Prep Veggies for the Week
Meal prepping your veggies ahead of time truly has such an impact on the amount of time spent in the kitchen each evening. When you think about the typical meal (whether it be a casserole, soup, or dinner bowl) and the effort that goes into making it, a lot of time is spent washing and cutting the vegetable component of the meal. I don’t know about you, but spending my time chopping veggies at 5 PM on weeknight (the exact time that my kids need me most, the dog needs to be fed, and my early wake-up is taking its toll on me) doesn’t sound great. Because home-cooked meals for my family are a priority to me, I find this kitchen hack absolutely genius!
Can you meal prep vegetables?
Absolutely! The kind of meal prep we’re talking about here has less to do with cooking the veggies ahead of time and more to do with getting them as ready as possible (think: washed, dried, chopped, etc.) so that getting dinner on the table becomes an easier to-do amidst the chaos that tends to come with weeknights.
Kitchen Hack: Wash and chop veggies as soon as you get home from the store.
Ready for the good stuff? Without further ado, our genius hack for veggie meal prep:
- Wash your veggies. As soon as you get your groceries home (whether you got them by way of grocery delivery or good old-fashioned grocery shopping), wash all of the veggies that need washing. All of them! Even if you don’t have time to do the rest of the prep, simply washing your produce before stashing it in the fridge will go a long way in your efforts to make mealtime easier (and, for me, to eliminate the potential food waste that comes with the extra step of washing fruits and veggies before being able to grab them for a quick snack or meal component).
- Let dry. Lay your veggies out on a clean dish towel (or paper towel) to dry, or dry them by hand. You can absolutely go on to the next step before your veggies are fully dry, but be sure to let them dry completely before storing.
- Prep. Once your veggies are washed and dried, prep them for the week’s meals as much as possible. This means that if you need chopped potatoes for Tuesday’s soup, you’ll go ahead and chop them before putting them away. If you need sliced peppers for Thursday’s fajitas, slice them now.
- Store. Store each of your now-prepped veggies in a container of your choice. This can be a jar, food storage container, or a plastic bag — whatever tickles your fancy! Then, pop everything in the fridge!
How to Store Chopped Vegetables
Any airtight storage container works great here. I personally prefer a glass jar (like THESE large mason jars), but use what you have! No need to have anything special or fancy in order to utilize this kitchen hack.
Why Meal Prepping Vegetables is a Smart Strategy
Let’s face it: when it comes to cooking dinner, a lot of time is spent in the prep stage (vs. the actual cooking stage), and prepping veggies ahead of time really helps to make the most out of your weeknight kitchen time.
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