Using the words “flavor profiles” sounds fancy, but basically here’s what we’re talking about.
You know what they say—spice is the variety of life.
OK, I might have messed that up, but the gist is that spicing up your meals is the best way to guarantee you stay excited about meal prep and keep doing it every week.
Meal prepping the same basic recipes weeks in a row can be awesome when you’re first starting out, but as you might have already figured out, it gets boring fast. And it makes meal prep A LOT harder to stick with.
Bland food leads to boredom, which leads to takeout.
I’ve been there so many times. I’d make a basic meal prep with no flavor, pull it out the next day for lunch, and find it so unappetizing and boring that I’d toss it and get takeout instead. And then I’d wonder what happened to make it seem so blah!
Have you ever done that?
The most obvious way to avoid this whole scenario from happening is to make food that’s so flavorful, you’ll actually want to eat it.
But why is the struggle with keeping meal prep interesting so real? Here’s why:
- You don’t know where to start when it comes to trying new flavors.
- You don’t know if you’ll even LIKE new flavors.
- You don’t know WHICH flavors you’ll like.
- Discovering new flavors and cooking styles requires more time and effort than your go-to dish
- You’ll probably have to spend more money on fancy ingredients
- Even just looking up new recipes is time-consuming!
How do you keep it interesting without using up a ton of time learning new recipes, spending money on fancy ingredients, and cooking something that potentially tastes bad to you?
First of all, I like to draw inspiration from the restaurants I eat at on a regular basis. I LOVE Asian food of all types and I’ve eaten enough Thai and Japanese food to know what ingredients make those cuisines different.
Every time I travel, I also try to include a cooking class on my itinerary, as this is a quick and easy way to turn my vacation into a meal prep, learning opportunity (not to mention, eat great food and meet amazing people).
What do all of these different kinds of meals have in common? Flavor profiles.
What’s a flavor profile anyway?
A flavor profile is a set of basic and common spices, seasonings, and aromatics that are common in a specific cuisine.
The keyword in that definition is basic.
Flavor profiles are memorize-able. Meaning, you won’t need a recipe to whip up a Thai-inspired meal because you will already know the basic ingredients that will make it taste kinda like Thai food.
Again, you’re not going all out to make authentic meals here. That is a different conversation and kind of not the point to what we’re trying to talk about. You’re simply taking inspiration from other cuisines and cultures to spice up your basic, go-to preps. This is how we keep things interesting and innovate.
Side note: my very first idea for this site was to be JUST about flavor profiles because they’ve been a huge factor in my cooking journey.
In fact, I originally didn’t want to write recipes at all because I rarely use them myself! I just rely on these basic flavor profiles, which I’ve pretty much memorized because they’re really THAT simple.
Don’t miss this: Click here to get a free recipe guide packed with meal prep-perfect recipes for each of the 10 flavor profiles!
1. Asian-inspired
Basic Americanized Asian dishes include stir-fries, rice bowls, noodle bowls, broccoli bowls (all the bowls).
What you’d need to create an Asian-inspired prep:
Spices
- Ground garlic
- Coriander
- Ground ginger
- Star anise
Ingredients
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Agave (I use this when making a stir fry sauce)
- Sriracha (or any type of chili sauce)
- White or brown rice
- Tofu
- Meat: beef, chicken, fish, seafood
- Fresh ginger
- Fresh garlic
- Noodles
Inspired? Check out this Tofu Stir Fry
2. Mexican-inspired
Basic Mexican dishes include burritos, fajitas, tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas. I like making burrito and fajita bowls the most! (But this tortilla soup is pretty awesome, and very easy!)
What you’d need to create a Mexican-inspired prep:
Spices
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
Ingredients
- Cilantro
- Limes
- Avocado
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Onion
- Sweet potato
- Cheese
- Black beans
- Rice
- Tortillas
3. Thai-inspired
Basic Thai dishes include pad Thai, peanut chicken or tofu, chicken or tofu lettuce wraps, shrimp rice bowls. (Try this No-Reheat Thai Chicken Noodle bowl for inspiration!)
What you’d need to create a Thai-inspired prep:
Spices
- Garlic powder
- Coriander
- Turmeric
- Lemongrass
- cardamom
- Basil
Ingredients
- Coconut milk
- Fish sauce
- Limes
- Peanuts
- Noodles
- Chilis
- Peanut butter
Thai rice bowls
4. Indian-inspired
Basic Indian dishes include curry, tikka masala, butter chicken, lentil dal. If you’re looking for an inspiring recipe to riff off, try this Creamy Butternut Squash Curry over rice.
What you’d need to create an Indian-inspired prep:
Spices
- Garam masala
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
- Cumin
- Nutmeg
- Curry powder
- Ground ginger
- Garlic powder
Ingredients
- Fresh ginger
- Fresh garlic
- Coconut milk
- Tomatoes
- Cilantro
- Chilis
- Onions
- Curry paste
- Limes
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Potatoes
- Basmati rice
5. Italian-inspired
Basic Italian meal prep dishes include pasta, pizza, and roasted meals (think chicken bakes).
What you’d need to create an Italian-inspired prep:
Spices
- Garlic
- Basil
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Thyme
Ingredients
- Parmesan and mozzarella cheese
- Canned or fresh tomatoes
- Pesto!
- Olives
- Olive oil
- Lemon
- Mushrooms
6. Moroccan-inspired
Basic Moroccan meal prep dishes include couscous and rice bowls, stews, kebabs. One of my favorite recipes is for these Moroccan chickpeas with tomatoes and sweet potatoes.
What you’d need to create a Moroccan-inspired prep:
Spices
- Cumin
- Ground ginger
- Cayenne
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- Ground garlic
- Parsley
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Couscous
- Cilantro
- Potatoes
- meat (chicken, beef, lamb)
- Tomatoes (canned, whole)
- Onion
- Chickpeas
- Carrots
7. Mediterranean-inspired
Basic Mediterranean meal prep dishes include couscous and rice bowls, chickpea or lentil salads, roasted chicken or fish with veggies.
What you’d need to create a Mediterranean-inspired prep:
Spices
- Basil
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Oregano
- Dill
Ingredients
- Fresh mint
- Lemon
- Cilantro
- Couscous
- Rice
- Tomatoes
- Fish, chicken
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce and greens
- Chickpeas
- Lentils
8. American-inspired
Yes, it’s a thing!
Basic American meal prep dishes include pasta bakes, casseroles, wraps, BBQ anything, burgers.
When thinking American-inspired, think of making a healthy version of whatever you’d order at a fast food place, for example this delicious turkey burger with sweet potato fries meal prep recipe
What you’d need to create an American-inspired prep:
Spices
- Salt + pepper
- Chili powder
- Garlic
Ingredients
- Potatoes
- Corn
- Cheese!
- Meat: chicken, beef, pork, fish
- Hearty veggies, collard greens
- Sriracha
- Soy Sauce
9. Basic Lemon Garlic
This is my go-to in a rush!
Basic lemon garlic dishes could be anything with chicken, fish and green veggies. Best for grilling, steaming and baking when you’re in a rush but want a punch of flavor.
What you’d need to create a lemon garlic meal prep:
Spices
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt + Pepper
Ingredients
This flavor profile works great with chicken, fish, green veggies, quinoa, pasta and salads.
10. Basic Grain Bowl
This is a flavor profile I made up that I love using when making easy grain bowls!
A grain bowl generally has a base of quinoa, rice or beans and goes with various proteins (eggs, fish, chicken, beef, tofu, tempeh, seitan) and pretty much any veggies you want (I like broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, red peppers, asparagus, onions, cauliflower and zucchini).
Spices
- Salt + Pepper
- Cumin
- Cayenne
- Cinnamon
- Garlic
Ingredients
- Proteins:
- Grains:
- Veggies:
- Top with your favorite sauce (I like this tahini one from Minimalist baker).
Other flavor profile ideas:
You may also want to look into Cajun, Cambodian, Eastern European, French, Cuban, Korean, Filipino, and Spanish flavors and basic recipes for meal prep inspiration!
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