39 Make Ahead Meals for a Busy Week

Make ahead meals are what I live on during busy nights. I cook something on a Sunday or prep it in the morning, and then dinner is already waiting when everybody’s hungry and nobody wants to be standing at the stove.

My mom cooked this way without ever calling it anything. There was always a pot of beans or a stew in the fridge, and whatever we ate on a Tuesday had usually been made on Sunday. I didn’t think of it as planning. It was just how dinner happened.

Some of these I cook all the way through and warm up later. Some get put together and baked that evening. And some are just a marinade, started early, so half the work is behind me before I’m even home.

How I Store and Reheat Make Ahead Meals

Most make ahead meals keep three to four days in an airtight container. I let everything cool first, since a hot pot going straight in warms up whatever’s around it.

I reheat everything gently. Low heat on the stove for anything with a sauce, a covered dish in the oven for casseroles, and a little broth or water stirred in if it tightened up overnight.

A few of these work in a slow cooker too, if that’s your kitchen. The braises and the soups take to it best, since they’re already long and low anyway.

Which Make-Ahead Dinners Freeze Well

My freezer is where make ahead meals really earn their keep. Soups and stews freeze best, braises right behind them, and both hold two to three months without losing a thing.

I cool everything completely, then freeze it flat in bags. Flat bags thaw faster and stack better, which matters a lot in my freezer in January.

Casseroles go in unbaked. I put the dish together, wrap it tight, and bake it from frozen with an extra twenty minutes or so covered.

What I never freeze is anything with pasta or potatoes in a cream sauce. The texture goes grainy when it thaws, and there’s no fixing it once it has.

To reheat from frozen I move it to the fridge overnight and warm it gently the next day. If I forgot, a covered pot over low heat still gets there, it just needs more stirring.

Soups and Stews Make the Best Make Ahead Meals

I cook an easy meal on a Sunday knowing we’ll eat them Tuesday. Every one tastes better the second day, and most freeze without losing anything.

Pollo Guisado (Latin Chicken Stew)

Bone-in chicken braised in tomato and recaito with potatoes is one of my favorite make ahead meals. The potatoes keep thickening it overnight. By day two the broth has real body, and it tastes even better.

Puerto Rican Sancocho

Root vegetables and plantains with three kinds of meat in one pot. I make it when I know we’ll be eating it all week. It only gets deeper sitting in the fridge.

Colombian Chicken Stew (Sudado de Pollo)

Chicken stewed with potatoes in tomato and sofrito. I grew up eating this over white rice. Monday’s bowl is always better than Sunday’s.

Rabo Encendido

Oxtail braised until it falls off the bone. It takes an afternoon, which is exactly why I make it ahead and portion it out.

Asopao de Camarones

A shrimp stew somewhere between a soup and a rice dish. Make the base ahead and add the shrimp at the end, so they stay tender.

Sopa de Lentejas

Green lentils simmered with plantain until the pot goes thick. Lentils hold up better than almost anything, and this reheats like it was never put away.

Habichuelas Negras

Black beans simmered slow with sofrito, and I keep a container going all week to spoon over rice whenever dinner needs filling out.

Mexican Chicken and Black Bean Soup

Chicken and black beans in a brothy bowl with cumin. Add the avocado and lime fresh and nobody can tell it was made days ago.

Healthy Ground Chicken Taco Soup

Taco night in soup form, made with ground chicken, and one pot makes enough for two dinners later in the week.

Mexican Street Corn Chicken Soup

Elote flavors in a bowl with shredded chicken. Reheat it gently, and the cotija and lime go on after.

Smoky Tomato Chicken and Corn Soup

Smoky tomato broth with chicken and sweet corn. This one freezes better than any other soup I make. I double it every time.

Creamy Lasagna Soup

Everything lasagna has without the layering. Keep the ricotta separate in the fridge and dollop it at the table so it stays creamy.

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Enchilada sauce and broth do most of the work here. I keep a batch in the fridge for the nights I know I won’t want to cook.

Mexican Street Corn Soup

A thick corn chowder with poblano. It settles overnight, then comes back together with a splash of broth.

Poblano Chicken Tortilla Soup

Smoky poblano broth with shredded chicken. Store the tortilla strips separately so they’re still crisp days later.

Braises and Slow-Cooked Mains

Anything that braises is already a make ahead meal, it just doesn’t get called one. These all sit well and reheat without drying out.

Beef Birria with Consome

Chuck roast simmered with dried chiles until it shreds. Make it Saturday and the consome is deeper by Sunday.

Cuban Mojo Pork

Pork shoulder marinated in citrus and garlic, roasted slow until it pulls apart. The marinade is overnight work anyway, so this one plans itself.

Carnitas Fajitas

The pork roasts with peppers and onions until it shreds. I pull the meat ahead and crisp it in a hot pan right before we eat.

Dutch Oven Pot Roast Chicken in Tomato Broth

A whole chicken braised with baby potatoes and caramelized onions. The broth thickens overnight and the meat stays tender through a gentle reheat.

Cuban Roasted Chicken

Sour orange and a lot of garlic on a whole bird. Roast it ahead and pull the meat. One chicken covers two or three dinners.

Cuban Beef Picadillo

Ground beef with olives and warm spices. I make a double batch because day two is better, and it goes over rice without any extra work.

Casseroles and Meatballs

These are the assemble-now, bake-later ones. Put the dish together in the afternoon, slide it in when everyone’s hungry.

Ground Beef and Potato Casserole with Cheddar

Layered beef and potatoes under melted cheddar. Build it ahead, cover it, bake it when you’re ready.

Ground Beef and Potato Casserole with Tomato Sauce

The tomato sauce version of the same casserole. It holds its shape when you slice it, so leftovers pack well.

Greek Turkey Meatballs with Tzatziki

Turkey meatballs with a cool tzatziki over the top. Roll them ahead, keep the tzatziki separate, and dinner takes minutes.

Greek Chicken Meatballs with Lemon Orzo

Chicken meatballs over a bright lemon orzo. I make the meatballs ahead and cook the orzo fresh, since pasta is always better that way.

Italian Sausage Pasta

Sausage and peppers in a sauce that coats everything. Make the sauce ahead. Boil the pasta when you’re ready to eat.

Salmon with Lemon Orzo

Salmon with orzo and lemon. Make the orzo ahead. Sear the salmon fresh, it’s the one thing here that doesn’t wait well.

Marinated Chicken and Pork Recipes

A marinade is the easiest of all the make ahead meals here. I season the meat early, or the night before, and dinner is most of the way done already. Or you can use a marinade as the base to make the best make ahead meal – just add veggies and a starch for a complete dinner. You can also turn these into sandwiches or quesadillas – just add a blend of cheese and your favorite sauce, and you have the best weeknight meal.

Chimichurri Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs marinated in chimichurri and baked. The longer they sit in the marinade the better, so I season them the night before.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs

Bright, garlicky thighs with plenty of lime. Marinate in the morning and dinner cooks in under half an hour. But these also make the best leftovers.

Peruvian Grilled Chicken with Creamy Green Sauce

Marinated chicken with a green sauce that goes on everything. Make the sauce ahead too. It keeps for days.

Chipotle Pollo Asado

My Chipotle inspiration – the copycat we make instead of ordering out, marinated ahead so it cooks fast on a weeknight.

Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs

I love curries, and these chicken thighs in a coconut milk sauce with curry-ish spices holds beautifully overnight and reheats without splitting.

Bowls and Skillets That Work as Make Ahead Meals

I prep these in parts. Cook the protein and the rice ahead, then it’s assembly on a weeknight.

Taco Rice with Mexican-Style Ground Beef

Seasoned ground beef over rice. I cook a pound of beef ahead and it covers this plus a tray of quesadillas.

Cheesy Taco Rice Skillet

Beef and rice under plenty of melted cheese in one pan. With both made ahead it’s assembly and a broil.

Southwest Ground Beef and Sweet Potato

Ground beef with sweet potato and warm spices that keeps for days and reheats in a skillet in minutes.

Cajun Sausage and Rice

Pre-cooked sausage and rice in one pot. This is what I make when I haven’t been to the store. It packs well for lunch.

Healthy Turkey Taco Bowl

Ground turkey with all the taco seasoning. Portion it out and lunches are handled for the week.

Filipino Adobo Chicken and Coconut Rice Bowl

Adobo chicken over coconut rice. This is one of those dishes that genuinely improves sitting overnight.

Baked Orange Honey-Ginger Chicken and Rice Bowl

Sticky orange and ginger chicken over rice. Bake it ahead. Warm it gently so the glaze stays glossy.

Make Ahead Meals FAQs

If You Like This You’ll Love These Make Ahead Meal Ideas

Here are a few others I’ve made and loved:

45 Easy Recipes with Dinner Shortcuts for Busy Moms for the nights you didn’t prep anything.

57 Delicious Sunday Dinner Ideas for the Table for the day you have time to cook slowly.

32 Cheap Family Dinners Your Family Will Love for the weeks that get tight.

Family-Friendly Meals That Work for Dinner and Leftovers for more that keep feeding you.

If you make any of these make ahead meals, leave a comment. I love reading your comments and will try to get back to every single one.