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  6. 15 Make-Ahead Casserole Recipes for Easy Weeknight Dinners

15 Make-Ahead Casserole Recipes for Easy Weeknight Dinners

By Lynn Andriani Updated February 03, 2022
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taco-cassarole-0497-d112420.jpg
Credit: Mike Krautter

We're sharing comforting dishes that the whole family will love. Best of all? You'll love that you can prep them ahead and put them in the oven anytime you need an easy dinner.

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squash gratin served in a silver dish
Credit: Johnny Fogg

Casseroles are perfect one-dish meals and can be weeknight lifesavers—but not if you're spending an hour or more assembling them as the clock ticks closer to dinnertime. That's why we love the casseroles in this gallery, which can all be made in advance and then popped into the oven (perhaps with a quick topping added first) when you're ready to eat. It's a very simple way to make a busy weeknight feel much less harried.

You'll find comfort in familiar classics, like tuna casserole and chicken Tetrazzini, in the slides ahead. Our recipes for both are straightforward, easy, and reliable. Other recipes here take well-known casserole combinations—such as broccoli and cheddar, spinach and eggs, and sausage and beans—and reinvent them with new and unexpected additions. And then we've got all-new combinations, like the Honeynut Squash, Leek, and Brie Gratin pictured here, that we know you'll want to try.

What do all of these casserole recipes have in common? Each and every one fits the bill for dinner, though some have that relaxed, any-time-of-day feel to them, such as our Jewish-Deli Strata, which takes a bagel with cream cheese and lox as its inspiration, or Cheesy Spinach-Potato Egg Casserole, which works just as well with a fruit salad for brunch as it does alongside a glass of wine and hunk of crusty bread for dinner.

Be sure to read through the recipe fully before you make it, which will let you know at what point you can stop, cover the casserole, and refrigerate or freeze it before proceeding. And it's a good rule of thumb to bring any casserole up to room temperature (or close to it) before putting it into the oven. After that, all that's left to do is sit back, relax, and dig in (and congratulate yourself on your fantastic foresight!).

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Chicken-and-Polenta Puttanesca Melts

Chicken-and-Polenta Puttanesca Melts
Credit: Kate Sears
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We're starting fast here with this inspired recipe—it's casserole-like but super fast to put together thanks to the precooked polenta and quick-cooking chicken cutlets. It's also a super comforting dinner.

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Cheesy Spinach-Potato Egg Casserole

Cheesy Spinach-Potato Egg Casserole
Credit: Con Poulos
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This egg casserole with spinach and potatoes is naturally gluten-free and vegetarian. Fontina cheese, nutmeg, and thyme give it a nice, robust flavor.

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Broccoli-Cheddar Hash-Brown Casserole

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Credit: Yunhee Kim
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Here's a riff on a Swiss Rösti, where potatoes are fried and then baked. In this casserole version, you add broccoli, eggs, and a mixture of cheddar, Dijon, yogurt, and scallions. It tastes like a loaded baked potato (complete with crumbled bacon on top!) and has the crispness of hash browns.

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Speedy Baked Ziti

Super-Speedy Baked Ziti
Credit: Lennart Weibull
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While this shortcut baked pasta can be prepped ahead and baked when you need it, thanks to using store-bought marinara sauce and a clever sub of ricotta and heavy cream for the usual béchamel, you can also assemble it in 30 minutes and bake it in just 30 more.

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Jewish-Deli Strata

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Credit: Yunhee Kim
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A strata is one of the easiest, most reliable brunch dishes you can make, and typically consists of bread, eggs, and cheese. Here, rye bread, smoked salmon and havarti star alongside classic bagel garnishes like capers, red onion, and lemon for a bagels-and-lox-inspired meal.

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Sausage and Bean Casserole

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Consider this an upgraded version of basic pork and beans, with deep flavor thanks to red wine and thyme. You can make it in two medium-sized shallow baking dishes or eight ramekins, so everyone gets their own individual portion.

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Tian Provencal With Polenta

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Credit: Bryan Gardner
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Quick-cooking polenta provides heft to this casserole (it's also a busy cook's dream, a classic shortcut ingredient that doesn't taste like it). It forms the base layer of this delicious casserole, which also includes leek, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes and Gruyère, a cheese that always melts beautifully

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Sausage-and-Kale Stuffed Shells

Sausage-and-Kale-Stuffed Shells
Credit: Justin Walker
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Spicy pork sausage (though you could certainly swap in sweet) and hearty kale come together with creamy cheese for a crowd-pleasing meal you can make hours, days, or even weeks ahead of time if you freeze it.

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Hatch Chile Corn Pudding

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Credit: Marcus Nilsson
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This Monterey Jack-topped casserole is made with green chiles from New Mexico's Hatch Valley, along the Rio Grande. They're earthy and buttery-tasting, but if you can't find them, Anaheim or Cubanelle peppers can work, too.

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Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken Tetrazzini
Credit: David Loftus
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Chicken, mushrooms, and pasta unite for a delicious and easy freezer-friendly dinner. You make it using a rotisserie chicken, with the skin removed and meat shredded, which cuts down significantly on your prep time.

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Mushroom and Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

tortilla casserole
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To create this Tex-Mex-inspired casserole, you combine sautéed mushrooms, cooked black beans, and store-bought salsa with corn tortillas. Margaritas are optional, but highly recommended.

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Chicken and Spinach Casserole

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The supermarket staple of rotisserie chicken strikes again in this comforting casserole. You combine the shredded chicken with sautéed spinach in a cream sauce, pour into a baking dish, and top with torn bread.

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Tuna Casserole

tuna casserole
Credit: Con Poulos
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To prepare this classic ahead of time, make a thick, creamy, and brothy sauce, then toss with cooked elbow pasta, canned tuna, and peas. Transfer it to a baking dish and top with a panko-Parmesan mixture; all that's left to do is pop it in the oven whenever you're ready for a warming, hearty meal.

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Taco Casserole

taco-cassarole-0497-d112420.jpg
Credit: Mike Krautter
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Making beef tacos ahead of time might be tricky, yet the casserole version is completely doable. Just cook the meat, vegetables, and beans, and when it's dinnertime, top with a mixture of tortilla chips and cheese and bake. Serve with sliced radishes, jalapeños, olives, sour cream, and cilantro.

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    1 of 15
    2 of 15 Chicken-and-Polenta Puttanesca Melts
    3 of 15 Cheesy Spinach-Potato Egg Casserole
    4 of 15 Broccoli-Cheddar Hash-Brown Casserole
    5 of 15 Speedy Baked Ziti
    6 of 15 Jewish-Deli Strata
    7 of 15 Sausage and Bean Casserole
    8 of 15 Tian Provencal With Polenta
    9 of 15 Sausage-and-Kale Stuffed Shells
    10 of 15 Hatch Chile Corn Pudding
    11 of 15 Chicken Tetrazzini
    12 of 15 Mushroom and Black Bean Tortilla Casserole
    13 of 15 Chicken and Spinach Casserole
    14 of 15 Tuna Casserole
    15 of 15 Taco Casserole

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    15 Make-Ahead Casserole Recipes for Easy Weeknight Dinners
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