1,078 ahead recipes

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.

Freezer-friendly spinach balls with herb stuffing, Parmesan, garlic, and eggs that bake from frozen in 20 minutes. Make 50 bite-sized appetizers ahead and pull them out whenever company shows up.

Ham-wrapped chicken breasts baked low and slow in a creamy sauce of cream of chicken soup and sour cream. A make-ahead dinner that assembles in minutes and feeds a crowd.

Italian chicken tonnato: poached breasts sliced thin and draped in a silky sauce of tuna, anchovies, mayonnaise, white wine, and lemon. Served cold with capers and parsley. Elegant and make-ahead friendly.

Rich flourless bittersweet chocolate cakes molded in heart shapes, served on a silky pistachio custard sauce. An elegant make-ahead French-inspired dessert that chills for 24 hours before its grand reveal.

A no-cook Texas caviar dip with black-eyed peas, jalapenos, tomatoes, and bell peppers tossed in a cumin-oregano vinaigrette. The ultimate make-ahead Super Bowl snack that feeds a crowd.

An elegant charlotte lined with ladyfingers and filled with a tangy citrus cream made from quark, yogurt, and whipped cream. Topped with glazed fresh strawberries. A make-ahead showpiece for special occasions.

Vietnamese-style coconut flan baked in a water bath with homemade caramel. Silky coconut milk custard with a bittersweet caramel sauce that pools around every slice. Elegant, simple, and make-ahead friendly.

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.

This Eastern European compote simmers dried apples, pears, prunes, and raisins in apple cider with honey and warm spices. A make-ahead fruit dessert that improves over two weeks in the fridge.

Vegetarian wrap packed with sauteed sweet peppers, creamy goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and peppery arugula finished with a splash of sherry vinegar. A fresh, no-cook-ahead lunch ready in minutes.

Creamy curried peanut soup with rice, carrots, and three tablespoons of curry powder, half-pureed with peanut butter for a thick, nutty broth. Make-ahead friendly and topped with scallions and cilantro.

Classic French onion soup with slowly caramelized onions in beef broth, a splash of port wine, and broiled Swiss and Parmesan cheese on toasted baguette. Make ahead and finish under the broiler.

Vanilla pecan slice-and-bake cookies from a make-ahead dough that chills into logs and freezes for up to 3 months. Crisp, buttery icebox cookies baked from frozen in 12 minutes.

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.

Crispy crunch sticks made from refrigerator biscuit dough rolled thin and coated in crushed rice cereal, sesame seeds, dill, and celery seed. A make-ahead snack that freezes and reheats in minutes.