212 ahead recipes

Miniature chocolate peanut butter pies in mini muffin tins. Graham crust, frozen peanut butter filling, and chocolate ganache topping. Make 24 ahead and stash in the freezer for up to a week.

A chilled shrimp and vermicelli salad loaded with peas, green onions, dill pickles, hard-boiled eggs, and bell pepper in a tangy sour cream and mustard dressing. A hearty make-ahead salad that feeds a crowd.

Pasta green salad tosses rotini and shredded Swiss with green beans, peas, cucumber and bell pepper in a creamy lemon-dill yogurt dressing. A bright, make-ahead potluck salad you dress right before serving.

Asparagus simmered in orange juice and topped with sliced rounds of make-ahead ginger-orange compound butter with fresh cilantro. An elegant spring side dish that melts into a glossy finishing sauce.

Hearty low-fat vegetable soup with potatoes, zucchini, squash, carrots, pureed tomatoes, and kidney beans. Oil-free and loaded with garden veggies, this make-ahead soup tastes even better the next day.

Four pepper salsa with red, yellow, and green bell peppers plus green chiles, pulsed in a food processor with plum tomatoes, mustard seeds, and fresh cilantro. A colorful, make-ahead party salsa.

Pasta shells Florentine stuffed with a spinach, mozzarella, cottage cheese, and Parmesan filling seasoned with nutmeg, baked under spaghetti sauce. A vegetarian stuffed shell dinner that's easy to assemble ahead of time.

Handy pastry dough: make-ahead pie crust with egg and vinegar that keeps two weeks in the fridge. Makes five balls ready to roll for pies, quiches, or turnovers on short notice.

Christmas cookie slices are old-fashioned icebox cookies: vanilla shortbread dough rolled into logs, chilled, sliced thin, and baked into crisp golden rounds. Make ahead and ready to slice for holiday baking.

Classic apricot sweet simmers dried apricots with cardamom, ginger, and almonds into a fragrant, spiced compote, much like Hyderabad's qubani ka meetha. Naturally fruit-sweet, served chilled. A make-ahead Indian dessert.

Crispy flour-dredged soft-shell crabs served on a pool of creamy tomato sauce with creme fraiche, cumin seeds, celery seeds, garlic, and shallots. A restaurant-worthy crab dish with a make-ahead sauce.

A make-ahead layered pasta salad loaded with kidney beans, corn, bell peppers, and a creamy taco-seasoned dressing. This Southwestern pasta salad feeds a crowd and tastes even better the next day.

Make-ahead barley polenta cooked in milk and honey, chilled overnight, then cut into squares, coated in wheat germ, and pan-fried in butter until crispy. A wholesome, nutty breakfast or side dish.

Barely-baked chocolate truffle squares with a full pound of melted semi-sweet chocolate, whipped egg whites, and a tangy sour cream swirl on top. Chilled, sliced, and frozen for make-ahead indulgence.

Homemade Swedish Christmas sausage (julkorv) stuffed into natural hog casings with ground beef, mashed potatoes, allspice, and cloves. A treasured Scandinavian holiday tradition you can make ahead and freeze for the big day.

Cocktail seafood Swiss quiche bakes crab and shrimp into a creamy custard of eggs, milk, mayonnaise, and nutty Swiss cheese. A make-ahead party slice that cuts cleanly into bite-size cocktail wedges.