Meal Prep menu
Moroccan Meal Prep Menu — A Week of Dishes That Reheat Well
Tagines and soups were never meant to be eaten the moment they come off the heat — most Moroccan slow-cooked dishes reheat better the next day, which makes the cuisine unusually well suited to batch cooking. This menu picks the dishes that hold up best over a week in the fridge or freezer, so one afternoon of cooking covers several dinners. A few batch-cooking tips for freezing and reheating each dish sit alongside the plan below.
The menu
Batch main
Lentil and vegetable tagine
Freezes and reheats without losing texture, since lentils hold up far better than delicate vegetables.
Batch soup
Harira
Improves with a day or two resting and freezes in portions easily.
Batch protein
Grilled or baked kefta patties
Cooked once and reheated through the week, or frozen raw and cooked fresh as needed.
Grain
Couscous or bulgur salad with herbs and lemon
Best made fresh every couple of days rather than frozen, since grain salads lose texture badly in the freezer.
Side
A batch of carrot or beetroot salad
Keeps well refrigerated for four to five days without any decline in flavour.
Condiment
A jar of harissa or chermoula
Made once in bulk, this single flavour base can lift several different reheated meals through the week.
Shopping list
- Brown lentils, carrots, potatoes and paprika for the tagine
- Chickpeas, tomatoes and lentils for harira
- Minced lamb or beef, onion and spices for kefta
- Couscous or bulgur, parsley, mint and lemon
- Carrots or beetroot for the batch salad
- Chillies, garlic and spices for harissa, or coriander and lemon for chermoula
- Freezer-safe containers and bags
- Labels or tape to date each container
Prep timeline
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Prep day, morning
Cook the harira and lentil tagine in large batches, portioning each into containers once cooled.
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Same afternoon
Shape and cook the kefta patties, setting some aside to freeze raw for later in the week.
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Same day, later
Make the harissa or chermoula in bulk and the batch carrot or beetroot salad.
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Through the week
Cook a fresh grain salad every two to three days rather than relying on a single large batch.
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Each mealtime
Reheat portions gently on the stove rather than on high heat, which can dry out a tagine or soup.
Host's tips
- Lentil-based dishes and soups freeze and reheat far better than anything containing delicate vegetables like courgette, which turn mushy.
- Cook grain salads fresh every few days rather than freezing a whole batch — couscous and bulgur both lose their texture badly in the freezer.
- Portion soups and tagines into single-meal containers before freezing, so you only defrost what you need.
- A single batch of harissa or chermoula, made once, can flavour several different reheated meals through the week without repeating the exact same dish.
- Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water rather than blasting in the microwave, which dries out a tagine sauce quickly.
Questions about this menu
Which Moroccan dishes freeze best?
Lentil and chickpea-based dishes such as harira and lentil tagine freeze very well, since pulses hold their texture through freezing and reheating far better than delicate vegetables or fresh salads do.
Can couscous be meal-prepped for the week?
It is better made fresh every couple of days rather than frozen in bulk — couscous and other grains lose their fluffy texture noticeably once frozen and thawed.
How long does a batch of harira keep in the fridge?
Around four to five days refrigerated in a sealed container, and it typically tastes better on day two or three than freshly made, as the flavours have more time to settle.
What is the best way to reheat a frozen tagine?
Thaw it in the fridge overnight, then reheat gently on the stove with a small splash of water, stirring occasionally, rather than using high heat or a microwave, which can dry out the sauce.
Can kefta be frozen raw?
Yes — shaping the patties and freezing them raw, uncooked, works well and often gives a fresher result than reheating already-cooked meat, since they can be grilled straight from frozen or after a quick defrost.
Learn to cook this menu with a local in Marrakech
Every dish here is taught, hands-on, in a Marrakech cooking class — or taste them across the medina on a guided food tour.