299 ahead recipes

Fresh asparagus spears with a make-ahead orange and lime citrus cream sauce. Just 50 calories per serving, this elegant low-fat side dish is ready in 30 minutes and doubles as an impressive entertaining platter.

This reduced-fat Chicken Jubilee recipe broils chicken until the skin is golden brown and finishes the main dish on the stovetop. It can be prepared ahead, if desired, to save time the next day.

Nutella ice cream cups layered with chocolate ice cream, coffee ice cream, and swirls of Nutella topped with a toasted hazelnut. A no-cook frozen dessert that makes ahead beautifully for up to 2 weeks.

Par-cooked balti meat, the make-ahead base for a balti curry: lamb braised with onions, tomato, ginger and balti spices, then the aromatics blended into a thick curry sauce ready for the final balti cook.

Beef stew braised in red wine with a tart twist: fresh cranberries pulsed with brown sugar and flour stir in at the end for a sweet-tangy sauce. Make it ahead and it only gets better.

A layered no-bake caviar pie built in a springform pan: egg salad base, chopped scallions, whipped cream cheese and sour cream, crowned with black and red caviar. The ultimate make-ahead appetizer for holiday entertaining.

Tender roast pork layered with roasted potatoes, red onions, sun-dried tomatoes, and crisp romaine on lavosh with aioli. This NYC-inspired rolled sandwich is a make-ahead lunch that slices beautifully for picnics and parties.

Creamy vegan tempeh party spread with tahini, black olives, cumin, and turmeric, shaped into a ball and served with crackers or veggies. A high-protein, make-ahead appetizer that's a plant-based spin on a cheese ball.

Rich, velvety chicken liver pate with a warm curry kick, blended smooth with hard-boiled eggs and sealed under a golden layer of melted butter. A stunning make-ahead appetizer that's ready in minutes and improves overnight.

Brightly colored vegetables soak up a tangy vinegar-oil marinade, softening just enough while keeping their crisp bite. Broccoli, carrots, peppers, and zucchini mingle in this make-ahead salad that gets better as it sits and flavors meld.

Steakhouse pan-broiled steak done right in a cast iron skillet, salted ahead and seared in its own beef fat for a deep crust, then finished with a quick red wine and brandy pan sauce mounted with butter.

Roasted chicken seasoned with celery salt, onion salt, and seasoned salt, then baked covered until juicy and finished uncovered for golden skin. A make-ahead win that yields two birds: serve one tonight, debone the other for the week.

Cold soups make for excellent summer fare. The best vichyssoise I ever had in my life was at a French restaurant during a Montreal summer. Humor me. Try the soup in the traditional manner but then, if you must heat it up, (sigh), go ahead.

It's an easy and delicious way to cook broccoli and add tons of goodness to your diet.

Within about 10 minutes, this Mexican coleslaw is ready to go. Refreshing, light, tasty and packed with goodness.

Feel too lazy to cook? Try a quick delicious and refreshing salad, serve it with a few slices of crusty bread. A quick simple and tasty yet light meal within about 6 minutes.