# Ultimate Guide to Weeknight Meal Prep Dinners

A comprehensive guide to preparing various proteins, legumes, and vegetables that can be mixed and matched for diverse weeknight meals.

- Cuisine: Moroccan
- Category: Drink
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- rice
- Japanese spice mix (Togarashi)
- lime zest
- lime juice
- black beans
- pinch salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 onion, peeled and ends off
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- salmon
- olive oil
- salt
- ground fennel
- ground white pepper
- chicken
- Old Bay seasoning
- 1 kilo ground beef
- Ras el hanout spice blend
- kimchi
- peeled and deveined prawns (shrimp)
- Tajin (Mexican spice blend)
- 1 whole lemon juice
- 1.7 kilos cabbage
- 34 grams cooking sea salt
- caraway seeds
- zucchini (courgette), top and tail removed, cut diagonally
- apple cider vinegar
- cherry vinegar
- Chinese style black vinegar
- coconut vinegar

## Instructions

1. Wash rice until water runs almost clear, then cook in a rice cooker with enough water to the first knuckle.
2. If using a pot, rinse rice well, add water to the first knuckle, bring to a simmer, turn heat low, and cook until water evaporates.
3. Fluff the cooked rice.
4. Season rice with Japanese spice mix (Togarashi), lime zest, and lime juice; stir in half the seasoning, then the other half.
5. Transfer seasoned rice to a container, label it, and let it cool completely before covering and refrigerating.
6. Soak black beans covered in water overnight in the fridge (24 hours).
7. After soaking, rinse black beans well until the water runs clear.
8. Cook black beans in lots of water in a pressure cooker with a big pinch of salt, three bay leaves, one peeled onion, and four crushed garlic cloves for 25 minutes on low pressure.
9. If not using a pressure cooker, simmer beans in a normal pot for about 1.5 hours, keeping them well covered in water and stirring occasionally, then add seasonings.
10. Release pressure, check if beans are tender but still holding shape, then drain, removing only bay leaves.
11. Pour cooked black beans into a container, label it, and let them cool before refrigerating.
12. Season salmon with olive oil, salt, ground fennel, and ground white or black pepper.
13. Bake salmon in the oven at 190°C (fan forced) for about 10 minutes, checking after 8 minutes.
14. Once cooked to medium-rare, place salmon into a container, let it cool down before covering, then refrigerate.
15. Season chicken with olive oil, a decent amount of Old Bay seasoning, and salt.
16. Sear chicken on a ripping hot grill to get good bar lines.
17. Transfer chicken to a paper-lined tray and finish cooking in the oven until internal temperature reaches 68-70°C.
18. Pull out cooked chicken into a container, let it cool down completely before covering and refrigerating.
19. Heat a pan and break up beef mince into small pieces.
20. Season beef with salt and Ras el hanout, letting it brown without stirring initially to allow for a good Maillard reaction.
21. Cook beef in batches (e.g., two 500g batches for 1kg total) to achieve good color.
22. Cook beef until all pink disappears, then transfer to a container, label it, and let it cool before refrigerating.
23. Drizzle peeled and deveined prawns with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and Tajin seasoning, ensuring even distribution.
24. Heat a pan with a little more olive oil.
25. Add prawns individually to the hot pan to maintain pan temperature, cooking for a couple of minutes per side until tails turn pink and they get some char.
26. Turn off the heat and add the juice of a lemon to the cooked prawns.
27. Transfer prawns to a container, label it, and let them cool.
28. Using a peeler, thinly slice cabbage for sauerkraut.
29. Weigh the cabbage (e.g., 1.7 kilos) and calculate the amount of cooking sea salt needed (20g per 1 kilo of cabbage; 34g for 1.7kg).
30. Distribute salt evenly over cabbage in batches, rubbing it in thoroughly, then let sit for half an hour to release liquid.
31. Add caraway seeds to the cabbage and mix evenly.
32. Pack the cabbage tightly into a fermenting jar (ceramic or glass), pushing down to eliminate large air bubbles and ensuring liquid covers the cabbage.
33. If liquid doesn't cover the cabbage, dissolve 20g of salt per liter of water and pour a small amount over the top.
34. Place weights on top to keep the cabbage submerged under the water level.
35. Add water to the jar's airlock (if applicable).
36. Allow sauerkraut to ferment for 3-4 weeks (3 weeks for crunchy, 4 weeks for funkier flavor).
37. Top and tail zucchini, then cut straight down the middle and slice on an angle relatively thick.
38. Sauté zucchini in a hot pan with a little olive oil and salt.
39. Season the sautéed zucchini with vinegar (e.g., apple cider, cherry, Chinese black, or coconut vinegar) to balance flavor and aid preservation.

## Equipment

- rice cooker
- pot with a lid
- container
- pressure cooker
- baking sheet
- oven
- grill
- pan
- cabbage peeler
- weighing scale
- ceramic fermenting jar
- glass jar
- weights

## Tips

- Season your rice to enhance its flavor.
- For meal prep salmon, bake it to control temperature and prevent dryness when reheated; slightly undercook it.
- Season proteins with complementary spices that allow for mixing and matching.
- For chicken, start on the grill for char lines and finish in the oven for even cooking and to prevent drying out.
- Use good quality beef from a butcher to avoid excess water release during cooking.
- Do not overcook ground beef; cook until the pink disappears.
- Cook prawns quickly, aiming for a little char, and flip when tails turn pink.
- Undercook vegetables slightly for meal prep as they will be reheated; overcooked vegetables are not appealing.
- Add acid (citrus or vinegar) to vegetables to balance and enhance flavor, increase acidity for longer freshness, and help maintain crunch.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=visxjkAQpTU
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/55876c71-aad7-40f9-b2d8-cdeb1275051e
- Extracted: 2026-01-02

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt