Skip to content
Ratatouille meatballs meal prep bag recipe

Ratatouille meatballs meal prep bag recipe

11 ratings

Created by The Tesco Real Food team

Get ahead for the week without spending hours cooking with our simple freezer bag hack. Bung your prepped ingredients into a bag, freeze, then cook whenever you're ready. These meatballs are cooked in a ratatouille-inspired sauce and served with spaghetti for a simple meal that's packed with veggies. See method

  • Serves 4
  • Takes 55 mins plus freezing
  • 600 calories / serving
  • Freezable

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion, cut into 3cm chunks
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 3cm chunks
  • 1 aubergine, woody ends removed and cut into 2cm chunks
  • 1 medium courgette, woody ends removed and cut into 2cm thick half moons
  • 3 large garlic cloves, finely crushed
  • 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes​
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 336g pack 12 beef meatballs

To serve

  • 300g spaghetti
  • 50g Parmigiano Reggiano
  • 20g fresh basil, leaves picked (optional)
If you don't have red onions, try using white, brown or spring onions

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    2525kj
    600kcal     30%

  • Fat

    17g 25%

  • Saturates

    8g 39%

  • Sugars

    15g 17%

  • Salt

    0.9g 14%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 74.6g Protein 31.8g Fibre 9.2g

Method

  1. Tip the onion, pepper, aubergine, courgette, garlic, tinned tomato, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf into a large freezer-proof bag. Seal and shake to evenly combine. Add the meatballs, reseal and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, defrost fully in the fridge overnight.
  2. To cook, preheat the oven to gas 5, 210°C, fan 190°C.
  3. Tip the contents of the dump bag into a large, high-sided baking tray, arranging the meatballs on top of the ratatouille. Cook for 35-40 mins, tossing halfway through, until the vegetables are tender but are still holding their shape and the meatballs are cooked throughout. Remove the thyme and bay leaf.
  4. Cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions. Drain, then toss the spaghetti through the ratatouille and meatballs.
  5. Divide between 4 plates and serve topped with Parmigiano Reggiano and basil, if you like.

Freezing and defrosting guidelines

In order to enjoy optimum flavour and quality, frozen items are best used within 3 months of their freezing date. For more tips on freezing and defrosting food, read our article Love Your Freezer.

See more Meal prep bag recipes

For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.

You may also like

Be the first to comment

Before you comment please read our community guidelines.