13 Make-Ahead Dinners You’ll Be So Glad You Prepped Early

Here’s a little meal-prep wisdom: Do the part that takes time now and save the crunchy part for later! The beef-and-veggie filling can be made up to two days ahead, then all that’s left is layering it with tortilla chips and cheese before dinner.

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Stuffing individual pasta shells feels much more reasonable on a Sunday afternoon than it does after work on a Monday evening. Luckily, Ree says you can fill these cheesy spinach-and-mushroom shells the night before, refrigerate them, then add the sauce and cheese when you’re ready to bake it.

Get Ree's Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Shells recipe.

You don’t have to make the entire dinner ahead of time for it to count as meal prep! Chop the peppers and squash, shred the cheese, and make the pico ahead, then the actual fajitas should come together in less than 15 minutes when you want them. Ree loves these so much she says she could eat them “every day and twice on Sundays.”

Get Ree's Veggie Fajitas recipe.

Some busy nights call for dinner that can simply be ladled into a bowl. Ree’s taco soup is loaded with beef, beans, corn, and plenty of Tex-Mex flavor—and she says it tastes even better the next day. Make a pot ahead, stash it in the fridge, and let everyone add their own mountain of toppings when hunger strikes.

Get Ree's Slow Cooker Taco Soup recipe.

Ree describes baked ziti as lasagna’s “fun, slightly chaotic cousin,” which seems appropriate for a busy week. It has all those saucy, cheesy layers without quite as much fuss, and the whole thing can be assembled ahead and baked when everyone is finally home at the same time. It also feeds 12, so tomorrow’s lunch may be handled, too!

Get Ree's Baked Ziti recipe.

Make the chicken once and decide what dinner is later! This saucy shredded BBQ chicken keeps for up to three days in the fridge and can become sandwiches, tacos, baked potatoes, pizza, or a salad if Monday-you and Wednesday-you happen to want completely different things.

Get the Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken recipe.

Ree loves broccoli-cheese anything, so naturally she turned it into a full dinner with chicken, rice, and a buttery cracker topping. She also specifically designed this casserole for getting ahead: Assemble it up to two days early, or split the recipe between two dishes and freeze one for a future week when you’ll be very pleased with yourself.

Get Ree's Broccoli Chicken Casserole recipe.

This is one of Ree’s lifelong comfort foods—her mom used to make it—and it happens to be a very good friend to your freezer. The little parmesan meatballs bob around with potatoes, cabbage, and other veggies in a cozy broth; freeze the leftovers, then add plenty of parmesan and crusty bread when they make their comeback.

Get Ree's Italian Meatball Soup recipe.

There’s beef, pasta, creamy sauce, melty cheese, and crispy onions involved, so nobody is going to complain that dinner was made ahead. Ree loves this one precisely because she can prepare it “days or even weeks ahead” and pop it in the oven whenever she wants. That sounds like a pretty good weeknight insurance policy!

Get Ree's Hamburger Casserole recipe.

“There’s nothing fancy or gourmet about ’em,” Ree says of sloppy Joes. “And that’s exactly why I love ’em!” Her slow cooker version gives the sweet-and-tangy sauce plenty of time to cook down and the finished filling freezes beautifully. Reheat, grab the buns, add potato chips and pickles. Dinner is served!

Get Ree's Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes recipe.

This one is for the Sunday when you actually feel like getting a little cooking done. Roast the squash, brown the sausage, and layer everything with spinach and plenty of cheese; then refrigerate the assembled lasagna for up to two days or freeze it for later. You can even prep the components separately if your meal-prep ambition comes and goes. (Understandable.)

Get the Butternut Squash Lasagna recipe.