Meal Prepping Appetizers

It’s the time of year for feasting, extravagant food and multiple courses, for friends and family. Everyone is busy and budgets are tight. Finding ways to streamline your cooking is imperative and this all starts with appetizers. Meal prepping appetizers can save you a ton of time and money. We are here to help with recipes and tips. 

Appetizers are small foods before the main course but despite their size can be more expensive and time consuming to cook than the entree. Meal prepping appetizers yourself rather than buying pre-made can be more work but this will save you money and create better food. You can control portions, salt and sugar levels, and focus on delivering a nutritious appetizer to kick the meal off right.

Grocery prices have grown so much so fast and knowing how to pick your recipes and plan your grocery shopping can save you on meal prepping appetizers. Do your research early, plan your cooking schedule, and make in bulk to maximize your time in the kitchen.

Focus on appetizer recipes that use ingredients that are always cheaper and simpler to make. It doesn’t mean that they aren’t still delicious or part of the festive meals. Foods like beans, rice, potatoes, lentils, and bananas are all common ingredients that can be cooked quickly and easily. They usually can be done in 30 minutes with minimal involvement. 

Meal prepping appetizers for holiday meals can also benefit from using canned or frozen fruit and veggies. Depending on the recipe, swapping to these shelf stable options can be cheaper than organically grown as well as avoiding food waste. 

Buying in bulk has been a long standing approach to saving money and time with cooking. If you’re committed to multiple holiday parties and need to bring food to each one, bring the same appetizer each time and buy the ingredients in bulk right from the beginning. This is especially the case when buying shelf stable ingredients that are on sale. Not to mention the time savings in the kitchen. Cook the base ingredients in bulk and form an assembly line to improve productivity. 

Another way to make the most of meal prepping appetizers is to plan ahead and recognize that you’ll have leftovers. Use those leftovers for future lunches. This means choosing recipes that are meal prep friendly, they store and reheat well. Again, potatoes, beans, and rice are great options for this. You can add those to future meal preps and mix and match easily. This’ll make meal prepping the days after the big holiday meal a breeze. As often as you can, leave any extra ingredients that you don’t need for the party stored separately rather than combined. That way you can finish the assembly later for better quality. Maintaining texture and flavors is key in meal prepping and that’s, often, much easier to do before you combine. 

Remember the age old rule of cooking: people eat with their eyes first. Work on your presentation. Making something quick and cheap can seem fancy and festive if you put work into making it look delicious and fit for a party. Just serving it out of a pot or a plastic container is fine but if you’re trying to class up a meal then serve it with finesse. Put the food in a serving dish, sprinkle some finishing spices on top, top it with fresh herbs, serve it hot. These tips can elevate your meal and make it feel special.

Meal prepping appetizers can ensure that you serve good food and enough for everyone. The trick is making good decisions along the way. Don’t cook ingredients too far in advance. That’s a quick way to waste a lot of time and money. The day before is a safe bet.