166 ahead recipes

Make-ahead gazpacho with a Mexican twist: chilled tomato soup brightened with green taco sauce, cucumber, bell pepper, and scallions. A quick simmer melds the flavors before chilling for a sharper, deeper bowl.

Batch-cook and freeze individual hot cereal portions for instant microwave breakfasts. Endless topping options from maple syrup to sautéed apples.

Southern hog head cheese: pork and pig's foot simmered with onions, green onions, parsley, and red pepper flakes, then set into a sliceable terrine. Spread on crackers.

Garlic head soup built on three whole simmered bulbs blended into a brothy base with barley, wild rice, potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms, herbed with thyme, rosemary, and dill.

Vietnamese sour fish head soup with tangy bamboo, fresh pineapple, and aromatic herbs. A bold, brothy bowl that wakes up your palate.

Traditional Rio Grande Valley barbacoa de cabeza, beef head pit-cooked overnight in coals with onion, garlic, and cilantro. The Sunday-morning tortilla filling that defines South Texas cooking.

Homemade seafood stock made from shrimp or lobster heads simmered with celery, onion, garlic, and lemon. A Cajun-style base for gumbo, bisque, etouffee, and chowder.

Traditional French farmhouse head cheese (fromage de tete): pork head simmered with vegetables, herbs, and aromatics, then molded with shallots and parsley into a sliceable charcuterie classic.

An easy make-ahead side dish. Highlights the flavor of each ingredient.

Gherkins wrapped in ham with savoury cream cheese. A quick and easy made-ahead no mess hors d'oeuvre.

A tasty make ahead vegetarian burger mix. Make in advance and have vege burgers ready in a flash for a quick and healthy snack or meal.

Blueberry bran muffins: high-fiber, low-fat breakfast muffins made with All-Bran cereal, brown sugar, fresh or frozen blueberries, and warm cinnamon. A wholesome make-ahead breakfast staple.

Authentic Middle Eastern pita bread with tender pockets perfect for stuffing. This dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a week of fresh-baked flatbreads.

Toss vermicelli, cucumber, radishes, lettuce with store-bought or homemade peanut sauce. The dish can be made a few hours or one day ahead. A deliciously refreshing summer dish.

Feather biscuits (also called angel biscuits) use both yeast and baking powder for an unbelievably light, fluffy texture. The buttermilk dough can chill up to 3 days for make-ahead Sunday breakfasts.

Easy deviled eggs with a creamy, tangy filling, mayo and sour cream brightened by honey mustard, red wine vinegar, and a whisper of curry, plus minced celery for crunch. A make-ahead cold appetizer.