Food and Recipes Dinner 20 Make-Ahead Meals That'll Make Weeknights Easier (And More Delicious) By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna Sims is a Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and ideates content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 28, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Southern Living Just because your weeknights are busy doesn't mean that you can't enjoy a home-cooked meal with your family. These make-ahead meals will help you keep your fridge and freezer stocked with delicious meals that can be on the table in a flash. Spending a few hours in the kitchen meal prepping on a Sunday afternoon will translate into stress-free weeknight dinners with no shortage of flavor. These family-friendly casseroles, baked pastas, and soups are the weeknight superheroes you've been searching for. Nobody will object to a Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole showing up on the table, and there's no problem that our Quick Beef Chili can't fix. In a rush, but need to throw together a brunch? Our Bacon-and-Cheddar Grits Quiche is here for you. These easy make-ahead dinners will be there for you through thick and thin. Take it from us: setting aside a little time to prepare ahead of time can transform your weeknight from stressful to relaxing. 01 of 20 Baked Ziti with Sausage Greg Dupree Recipe: Baked Ziti with Sausage If you're looking to switch up your traditional ground beef and chicken dinners, sausage will add some variety to your weeknight menu. 02 of 20 Quick Beef Chili Becky Luigart Stayner Recipe: Quick Beef ChiliIn addition to making dinner a breeze, prepping chili ahead will also allow ample time for the flavors meld, resulting in maximum flavor. 03 of 20 Chicken-and-Wild Rice Casserole Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Buffy Hargett Recipe: Chicken-and-Wild Rice Casserole The chopped almonds and Cheddar cheese are only added during the last 5 minutes of baking, so be sure not to add them before freezing this casserole. 04 of 20 Easy Taco Soup Jennifer Davick Recipe: Easy Taco Soup Simply warm and serve with your favorite taco toppings for a winning meal that only requires a few minutes to reheat. 05 of 20 Extra Easy Lasagna Southern Living Recipe: Extra Easy Lasagna Assemble your lasagna the day before so all you'll have to do is pop it in the oven when you get home after a busy day. 06 of 20 Pizza Spaghetti Casserole Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Pizza Spaghetti Casserole An unbaked casserole can be frozen for up to one month before serving. The day before you're ready to serve, thaw in the fridge and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking as directed. 07 of 20 Basil Tomato Soup Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Basil Tomato SoupJust add a grilled cheese for a compete meal that no one will complain about. 08 of 20 Baked Smokin' Macaroni and Cheese Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Baked Smokin' Macaroni and Cheese Adding ham to homemade mac and cheese makes it hearty enough to serve for dinner. The ability to assemble it ahead of time makes it even more enticing. 09 of 20 Shepherd's Pie with Potato Crust Greg Dupree Recipe: Shepherd's Pie with Potato Crust Preparing the filling ahead of time will allow you to serve this impressive dish in record time. 10 of 20 New Tuna Casserole Greg Dupree Recipe: New Tuna Casserole If making ahead, we recommend not adding the potato chip mixture until right before you put it in the oven. 11 of 20 Chicken-and-Brisket Brunswick Stew Iain Bagwell Recipe: Chicken-and-Brisket Brunswick StewThis stew is hearty, comforting, and comes together in just one pot. Need we say more? 12 of 20 Bacon-and-Cheddar Grits Quiche Alison Miksch Recipe: Bacon-and-Cheddar Grits Quiche Whether you want to serve breakfast for dinner or want to serve a hot morning meal that requires little prep time, this cheesy quiche can be baked up to two days in advance. 13 of 20 Easy Chili Lee Harrelson Recipe: Easy Chili We always keep a few quarts of this chili stocked in our freezers. 14 of 20 Tomato-Basil Lasagna Rolls Hector Sanchez Recipe: Tomato-Basil Lasagna Rolls Roll ups are a more fun (and more cheesy) way to serve lasagna. Equally as fitting for an elegant dinner for two as they are for supper with the kids. 15 of 20 Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Greg DuPree Recipe: Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese If you have this Bolognese on hand, you'll just have to boil your choice of noodles when you're ready for a quick spaghetti dinner. 16 of 20 White Chicken Chili Becky Luigart Stayner Recipe: White Chicken Chili Meal prepping is even easier when your slow cooker does most of the work for you. 17 of 20 Jambalaya Melina Hammer Recipe: Jambalaya Prepare as directed and store in a 9x13 baking dish for a one-dish dinner in a flash. 18 of 20 Chicken Cobbler Casserole William Dickey Recipe: Chicken Cobbler Casserole Rotisserie chicken will help your meal prep come along even faster. Since it's prepared in a square baking dish, this casserole won't take up as much valuable space in your fridge or freezer. 19 of 20 Hearty Beef and Freezer Veggie Soup Greg DuPree Recipe: Hearty Beef and Freezer Veggie Soup Let this hearty soup simmer low and slow on Sunday afternoon and you'll have a warm dinner to look forward to every night. 20 of 20 Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole Southern Living Recipe: Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole This make-ahead casserole only takes 23 minutes to prepare. Whip it up once and you'll soon have it constantly stocked in your freezer for busy days and last-minute company. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit