11 Make-Ahead Dinners That You Can Freeze for Busy Fall Nights

Baked Pot pie with one serving taken out of skillet and on a plate. Skillet is on a white tablecloth and has serving plates around it. — Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

Just because I work from home doesn’t mean I necessarily want or have the time to cook dinner every night. Truth is, I’m not even sure what I feel like eating half the time. So, I’ve been meal-prepping a few favorites to stash in the freezer to give myself options—far more budget-friendly than hitting up the supermarket frozen food aisle, and I have 100% control over the ingredients. Plus, I can tuck into my cozy meal knowing cleanup will be a breeze.

To make things easier, we’ve curated a selection of freezer-friendly dinner recipes you can prepare in advance and enjoy whenever you want, whether it’s just yourself, the household, or last-minute dinner guests. The list includes comfort classics like shepherd’s pie and meatloaf, inspired mashups like an eggplant parm lasagna and French onion soup mac and cheese, and fabulous vegan black bean burgers and enchiladas. With these 11 make-ahead dinner recipes, you’re guaranteed a comforting home-cooked meal, whatever your mood.

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Really Awesome Black Bean Burgers

You don’t have to be a vegetarian to love these moist and robust black bean burgers. They have a deeply savory, hearty texture that will satisfy even diehard carnivores. Partially dehydrated canned black beans, crumbled feta, well-seasoned sauteed onions and peppers, chopped cashews, and panko crumbs combine to create burgers with a meaty bite loaded with complex flavors. Freeze a single layer of the formed patties on a parchment-lined baking sheet for about an hour, then cut the parchment around each one and stack the frozen patties with parchment layered in between each one. The uncooked burgers will keep in a zipper-top freezer bag for up to three months.

Really Awesome Black Bean Burgers
Vegan Spinach and Hominy Enchiladas With Spicy Cashew Cream

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Whether you follow a vegan diet or simply want to incorporate more plant-forward options, these rich and spicy enchiladas are wonderful to add to your dinner rotation, especially for chilly nights. Be sure to drain the sautéed spinach and onions well before mixing in the canned hominy to prevent the filled enchiladas from getting soggy. To prep ahead and freeze, wrap the assembled enchiladas in plastic wrap, then foil. Remove the plastic and re-cover the dish with foil before baking from frozen, about 30 minutes covered and another 5 to 10 minutes until bubbly and heated through.

Vegan Spinach and Hominy Enchiladas With Spicy Cashew Cream
Lasagna Alla Norma (Lasagna With Eggplant, Tomato, and Cheese)

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

This layered version of the Sicilian summer favorite pasta alla Norma can best be described as a cross between eggplant parm and classic lasagna. It makes great use of late summer and early fall produce in a hearty, comforting dish that’s made for fall nights. Salting the eggplant before frying, then blotting the fried slices well, ensures a silky texture and keeps the eggplant from becoming soggy; blotting the cheese dry and using a thick tomato sauce also prevents the lasagna from looking watery once baked. Wrap the assembled, uncooked lasagna well in plastic film and foil to freeze for up to three months, then remove the plastic layer before baking.

Lasagna Alla Norma (Lasagna With Eggplant, Tomato, and Cheese)
Easy Weeknight Chicken Pot Pie

Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

This cozy chicken pot pie is a one-skillet wonder that’s already super easy to put together on a weeknight. You can streamline the process further by prepping the creamy chicken filling and freezing it ahead of time. Transfer the thawed filling into a cast-iron skillet (or baking dish) and cover with thawed store-bought puff pastry, then brush on egg wash and bake until golden brown and bubbly.

Easy Weeknight Chicken Pot Pie

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Classic, Savory Shepherd's Pie (With Beef and/or Lamb)

Vicky Wasik

If there’s one thing the Brits are known for, it’s making rib-sticking comfort food to get you through a chilly evening, and nothing’s better than a classic shepherd's pie. Our version features a few nontraditional ingredients, like red wine, tomato paste, and Parmesan cheese, which add depth and complexity to the hearty veggie-studded meat sauce and the creamy mashed potatoes. This recipe is designed to deliver maximum savoriness, whether you choose ground beef or lamb, or a combination of both. The assembled casserole can be refrigerated up to two days, wrapped in plastic, or frozen up to three months, wrapped in plastic and foil.

Classic, Savory Shepherd's Pie (With Beef and/or Lamb)
French Onion Soup Mac and Cheese

Serious Eats / Hannah Huffman

Serious Eats readers know we’re unabashed fans of mashups—from smash burger quesadillas to red velvet brownies—and this one, created by our Birmingham colleague Julia Levy, hits it out of the park. Her inspired French twist on All-American mac and cheese starts with deeply caramelized onions flavored with dry sherry and fresh thyme that becomes the base for a rich, creamy mornay sauce made with nutty Gruyère. The addition of concentrated bouillon paste provides an intensely savory, beefy flavor without diluting the sauce, while a topping of panko and store-bought crispy fried onions drives home the French onion soup vibes. You can prep the caramelized onions and shredded cheese a week ahead, and/or freeze the assembled casserole, wrapped in plastic and foil, up to three months.

French Onion Soup Mac and Cheese
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

Bathed in a bacon-infused tomato sauce spiked with beer, paprika, and ground caraway, these bratwurst-and-rice-stuffed cabbage rolls are a harbinger of autumn and Oktoberfest. They’re also a fantastic make-ahead dish that freezes and reheats remarkably well. Bake them covered in foil to keep the rolls moist and help all the flavors meld.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe
Foolproof Pan Pizza

Serious Eats Team

Pan pizza is arguably the best type of pizza to make ahead and freeze. Its thick, crispy crust is structurally sturdy, and the puffy, soft layers of cheese and sauces ensure a moist interior once reheated. Our foolproof recipe delivers a dough that requires no kneading, only a nice long rest in the fridge, and no stretching—just nudge the dough with your fingertips to shape and knock out some of the excess air bubbles, and you’re ready for sauce and toppings.

Foolproof Pan Pizza

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Broccoli and Cheese Galette

Vicky Wasik

Vegetable galettes are great anytime of the year; simply swap in seasonal produce. The key is to pay attention to each vegetable’s texture and water content, and encase it in a good flaky pie dough. Here, we opt for broccoli florets sautéed with sliced onions and paired with a cheesy mornay sauce. To make ahead and freeze, you can either assemble, bake, then wrap and freeze once cooled, or you can assemble, wrap and freeze, then bake from frozen (leave off the egg wash until you’re ready to bake).

Broccoli and Cheese Galette Recipe
Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken, Lentil, and Bacon Stew with Carrots

Serious Eats / Greg Dupree

A few simple steps and minimal ingredients come together in a pressure cooker to produce an absolutely satisfying and budget-friendly meal in under 45 minutes. Chicken and French lentils are the stars, while diced pancetta, onion, and carrots are flavor-boosting supporting players. A bit of sherry vinegar stirred in at the end adds a hit of bright acidity. Allow the stew to cool completely before portioning it out into freezer-safe containers and stashing for the months ahead.

Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken, Lentil, and Bacon Stew With Carrots
Classic Meatloaf

Serious Eats / Mariel De La Cruz

We cooked our way through countless variations of the classic All-American meatloaf before arriving at the one recipe we think should be the gold standard: moist yet not overly juicy; firm enough to hold its shape but tender; and loaded with meaty flavor and umami. A mixture of buttermilk and gelatin results in a moist, velvety texture; aromatics, mushrooms, anchovies, Marmite, and soy sauce provide a concentrated flavor base. Cool the baked meatloaf completely before slicing up the loaf and dividing it into freezer-friendly portions.

Classic Meatloaf (The Food Lab)