Make Ahead Meals for Family Dinners and Parties

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Blending butternut squash with coconut milk, tofu, and curry gives this vegetarian soup a pleasant creamy texture while packing plant-based protein. You can easily make this into a freeze-ahead meal by making the soup, portioning it out, and reheating it for lunch or dinner.

Make-Ahead Mac and Cheese

All mac ‘n’ cheese can be made ahead of time with some success, but this recipe is optimized for it. Assemble the mac up to four days ahead, bring it to room temperature for a few minutes, bake it for a half-hour, and dinner is served! It’s also a perfect recipe for a holiday celebration, since you can do all of the work before the big day.

Make-Ahead Kale Salad

Combining red kale leaves with Brussels sprouts and pomegranate seeds gives this salad beautiful colors. Since both vegetables can hold dressing longer than other salads, this is the perfect salad to make ahead for a quick meal. Add shredded or grilled chicken or cubed tofu for extra protein.

Big Batch Steamed Egg and Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches

Not only will you get nine servings from this one recipe (meal prep for the win!), these super yummy sandwiches can be assembled (without the greens) and then frozen for easy reheating. No need to defrost, just pop them in the oven for 15 minutes, add the arugula, and enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

This classic soup—a must during cold and flu season—keeps for in the fridge for five days or about four to six months in the freezer if stored in airtight food storage containers. For the best results, store without noodles, then add freshly cooked pasta once you reheat the soup. While storing the noodles in the soup won’t be terrible, they are likely to get absorb more broth and get mushy.

Slow-Cooker Pork with Peppers and Olives

This mostly hands-off recipe makes eight servings, so it’s ideal for feeding a crowd or meal-prepping for a busy week. Mix up your meals by serving it over rice one night, tucked into tortillas another, and over polenta a third. It will be delicious every time.

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon and Dill

This hearty winter soup recipe stores splendidly. If your freezer is packed, save space by transferring the soup to resealable plastic bags and stack them flat in the freezer. When ready to eat more soup, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and reheat it on the stove until thoroughly heated.

Savory French Toast Casserole

Forget everything you thought you knew about French toast and head on over to the savory side. This make-ahead recipe is inspired by Bombay toast, and it’s absolutely loaded with flavor thanks to a few toasty spices. Assemble the dish up to 24 hours ahead, and bake just before serving.

Creamy Potato-Cabbage Soup

What’s not to love about this recipe? It’s cozy, tasty, economical, and a make-ahead winner. Store it in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for up to six months. If you’re freezing it, skip stirring in the sour cream and, if you’d like, just add a dollop before serving.

Shawarma-Spiced Chicken Thighs

Any cut of cooked chicken can be safely kept in the freezer for three to four months, meaning these flavorful chicken thighs are a perfect make-ahead meal. If you can, freeze individual portions for easier defrosting. With this particular recipe, make the creamy garlic yogurt sauce and browned onions when ready to eat.

Butternut Squash Bake with Wild Rice

Whether you’re making this hearty casserole as a Thanksgiving side or a special vegetarian main any night of the year, it’s excellent made ahead. Simply follow the instructions to assemble the dish, cover with foil, and refrigerate until close to serving time. Bake, and dig in—it’s a winner.

Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs

Since tomato sauce freezes well, it’s no surprise that this pasta recipe (filled with the classic Italian topper) freezes well too. Freeze it as you would mac and cheese, and defrost and reheat it the same way. If frozen properly, this dish will stay fresh for about six months—just garnish it with fresh basil when ready to eat. If you don’t want to freeze it, just assemble, cover, and bake within three days.

Breakfast Strata

Filled with good-for-you vegetables (mushrooms, leeks, asparagus, and spinach), this is a perfect meal to make ahead when you want breakfast for dinner. Simply soak the veggies, cheese, and bread with an egg custard overnight, then bake when ready to eat.

Crispy Chicken Cutlets

These cutlets take just 40 minutes to make, and if you happen to have leftovers, feel free to freeze them. The best way to freeze these tasty, crispy cutlets is to place them on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for about an hour.

Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight food storage container with parchment paper between each cutlet. They’ll stay fresh in the freezer for about three months and go great with a fresh salad, a side of pasta, or grilled vegetables.

Green Chile Enchiladas

These vegetarian enchiladas are filled with a cumin-spiced vegetable and bean mixture, which becomes deeply caramelized and savory after a long sauté. They are then baked in spicy green sauce and a blanket of melty cheese.

The easiest way to store this delicious vegetarian meal is before you pop it in the oven. Be sure to cover the enchiladas with aluminum foil in an oven-proof dish so you can cook them straight from the fridge or freezer once ready to chow down. They’ll keep in the fridge for three days and the freezer for about three months.

Turkey-and-Rice Meatballs

These meatballs, made of turkey, rice, olive oil, and seasoning, are easy to freeze and work well in various dishes. Make them with the salad featured in the recipe, or serve them stirred into a brothy soup, twirled into pasta, or beneath a blanket of melted cheese atop a garlic-rubbed roll. You can’t go wrong!

Instant Pot Beef Ragù With Pappardelle

Chunky and hearty, this ragú can be made ahead of time, then frozen for a quick pasta meal. This freezer-friendly meal goes great with polenta, rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes.

Shaved Carrot Salad

Because this colorful, flavorful side is made with hearty carrots, it holds up well in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Make it a meal by adding leftover shredded rotisserie chicken or seared tofu.

One-Pot Chicken Sausage and Beans

Stewy dishes like this are famous for improving after hanging out in the fridge for a day or two. The flavors meld and intensify, making the recipe even more satisfying. It’s also a great candidate for freezing. Either way, if you’re making this ahead, skip the panko topping when you make. While it’s reheating toast the panko in a little olive oil on the stove-top and add it just before serving. That way it will stay crunchy.

Mostly Make-Ahead BBQ Ribs

Save time when making BBQ ribs by pre-baking and refrigerating them before heating them on the grill. (Make them up to a day in advance.) The result? Finger-licking good ribs and a relaxed barbecue party.

Tater Tot Casserole With Sausage

The popular breakfast combination of sausage, eggs, cheese, and potatoes gets a twist by baking them into a casserole and using tater tots. Though these ingredients are known for breakfast, there’s nothing wrong with serving this dish for dinner. Prep ahead, freeze, then bake when needed.

Slow-Cooker Black Bean and Zucchini Chili

As any chili fan knows, this favorite game-day food is a great meal to make-ahead and to freeze. It’ll stay fresh in the freezer for up to six months and can be defrosted and reheated in a slow cooker or on low in the microwave. Once the chili is thoroughly reheated, garnish it with sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced avocado, and any other fixings you like.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Also known as funeral potatoes, this cheesy potato casserole can be enjoyed for dinner or breakfast and works wonderfully as a holiday side dish. While it’s best to freeze after assembly and before baking, you can also freeze baked leftovers.

Spinach-and-Lamb Meatballs

Freeze these flavorful meatballs raw or after baking, then pop them into sandwiches, soups, and pasta dishes, or use them to make kebabs. They’ll stay fresh in the freezer for approximately three to four months.

Slow Cooker Black Bean Posole

This fresh, spicy Mexican soup is a meal in itself when served with tortilla chips, avocado, and sliced radishes. For extra-easy re-serving, freeze leftovers in individual portions and let them thaw in the refrigerator the night before serving.