Food & Cooking Recipes Main Dish Recipes Casserole Recipes 30 Make-Ahead Casserole Recipes for Easy Weeknight Dinners Prep one of our crowd-pleasing casseroles for a busy weeknight meal. By Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the Martha Stewart recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years. Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 3, 2024 Close Photo: Yunhee Kim Casseroles are perfect one-dish meals and can be weeknight lifesavers—but not if you're spending an hour or more assembling them as the clock ticks closer to dinnertime. That's why we love the casseroles in this collection, which can all be made in advance, then refrigerated or frozen, and just popped into the oven (perhaps with a quick topping added first) when you're ready to eat. On busy nighttime dinners, all that's left to do is sit back, relax, and dig in (and congratulate yourself on your fantastic foresight!). It's a good rule of thumb to bring any casserole up to room temperature (or close to it) before putting it into the oven. 8 Mistakes to Avoid for Casserole Perfection 01 of 30 Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie Kate Mathis A hearty mix of lentils and vegetables makes a delicious filling for this meat-free shepherd's pie. To prep it ahead, make the filling and the potato topping and refrigerate them separately. Assemble the pie while the oven heats and increase the bake time by five to 10 minutes. View Recipe 02 of 30 Mexican-Style Lasagna Christina Holmes This Mexican casserole layered with tortillas makes putting everything together a snap. Combining the main ingredients with fresh greens—like cilantro and spinach—gives the dish layers of flavor. You can assemble the dish ahead and refrigerate, then increase the initial bake time by five to 10 minutes. View Recipe 03 of 30 Eggplant Parmesan Eggplant Parmesan is a crowd-pleasing dish—but one that often takes some time (which is why it's not in your weekly dinner rotation). Make it in advance, when you do have a spare moment, using our favorite recipe; either assemble the dish ahead or follow the recipe instructions for freezing it for up to three months. View Recipe 04 of 30 Mild Curried Lamb Casserole With Almonds This dinner casserole is deliciously different for a couple of reasons. It's a riff on the beloved South African dish bobotie. Made with ground lamb and plenty of fragrant spices—turmeric, cumin, coriander, and ginger—it's fragrant and lively, rather than creamy and cheesy. View Recipe 05 of 30 Cheddar-Topped Shepherd's Pie This hearty dish is easy to put together and always satisfies. Make the meat filling and the mashed potatoes a day ahead, but refrigerate them separately. Then, assemble the pie while the oven is heating. View Recipe 06 of 30 Summer Beef-and-Rice Casserole Andrew Purcell This quick-cooking casserole only needs 20 minutes to bake. The most time-consuming part of making it is the meat sauce—you could make that ahead and assemble and bake the casserole when you need it. Or, prep it all the night before and refrigerate—then enjoy this speedy meal on a particularly rushed weeknight. View Recipe 07 of 30 Honeynut Squash, Leek, and Brie Gratin Johnny Fogg Assemble this elegant gratin the night before, then bake it for dinner. The combination of honeynut squash and brie is unexpected and so good. View Recipe 08 of 30 Chicken-and-Polenta Puttanesca Melts Kate Sears A casserole-like dish that's super fast to put together—who wouldn't like that? Using precooked polenta and quick-cooking chicken cutlets saves time on prep for this comforting dinner. View Recipe 09 of 30 Cheesy Spinach-Potato Egg Casserole Con Poulos This egg casserole with spinach and potatoes is naturally gluten-free and vegetarian. Fontina cheese, nutmeg, and thyme give it a robust flavor. View Recipe 10 of 30 Broccoli-Cheddar Hash-Brown Casserole Yunhee Kim Here's a riff on a Swiss Rösti, where potatoes are fried and then baked. In this casserole version, you add broccoli, eggs, and a mixture of cheddar, Dijon, yogurt, and scallions. It tastes like a loaded baked potato (complete with crumbled bacon on top!) and has the crispness of hash browns. View Recipe 11 of 30 Speedy Baked Ziti Lennart Weibull While this shortcut-baked pasta can be prepped ahead and baked when you need it—thanks to store-bought marinara sauce and a clever substitute of ricotta and heavy cream for the usual béchamel—you can also assemble it in 30 minutes and bake it in just 30 more. View Recipe 12 of 30 Jewish-Deli Strata Yunhee Kim A strata is one of the easiest, most reliable brunch dishes you can make, and typically consists of bread, eggs, and cheese. Here, rye bread, smoked salmon, and Havarti star alongside classic bagel garnishes like capers, red onion, and lemon for a bagels-and-lox-inspired meal. View Recipe 13 of 30 Sausage and Bean Casserole Consider this an upgraded version of basic pork and beans, with deep flavor thanks to red wine and thyme. You can make it in two medium-sized shallow baking dishes or eight ramekins, so everyone gets their own individual portion. View Recipe 14 of 30 Tian Provencal With Polenta Bryan Gardner Quick-cooking polenta, a classic shortcut ingredient that doesn't taste like it, provides heft to and forms the base layer of this delicious casserole, which also includes leek, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and Gruyère, a cheese that always melts beautifully. View Recipe 15 of 30 Sausage-and-Kale Stuffed Shells Justin Walker Spicy pork sausage (you could certainly swap in sweet) and hearty kale come together with creamy cheese for a crowd-pleasing meal you can make hours, days, or even weeks ahead of time if you freeze it. View Recipe 16 of 30 Hatch Chile Corn Pudding Marcus Nilsson This Monterey Jack-topped casserole is made with green chiles from New Mexico's Hatch Valley, along the Rio Grande. They're earthy and buttery-tasting, but if you can't find them, Anaheim or Cubanelle peppers work, too. View Recipe 17 of 30 Chicken Tetrazzini David Loftus Chicken, mushrooms, and pasta unite for a delicious and easy freezer-friendly dinner. You make it using a rotisserie chicken, with the skin removed and meat shredded, which cuts down significantly on your prep time. View Recipe 18 of 30 Mushroom and Black Bean Tortilla Casserole To create this Tex-Mex-inspired casserole, you combine sautéed mushrooms, cooked black beans, and store-bought salsa with corn tortillas. Margaritas are optional, but highly recommended. View Recipe 19 of 30 Chicken and Spinach Casserole The supermarket staple of rotisserie chicken strikes again in this comforting casserole. You combine the shredded chicken with sautéed spinach in a cream sauce, pour into a baking dish, and top with torn bread. View Recipe 20 of 30 Tuna Casserole Con Poulos To prepare this classic ahead of time, make a thick, creamy, and brothy sauce, then toss with cooked elbow pasta, canned tuna, and peas. Transfer it to a baking dish and top with a panko-Parmesan mixture; all that's left to do is pop it in the oven whenever you're ready for a warming, hearty meal. View Recipe 21 of 30 Taco Casserole Mike Krautter Making beef tacos ahead of time might be tricky, yet the casserole version is completely doable. Just cook the meat, vegetables, and beans, and when it's dinnertime, top with a mixture of tortilla chips and cheese and bake. Serve with sliced radishes, jalapeños, olives, sour cream, and cilantro. View Recipe 22 of 30 Baked Polenta With Sausage and Artichoke Hearts Use a tube of store-bought polenta and you're almost halfway through this delightful Italian-esque casserole. Sweet Italian sausage and marinated artichoke hearts are the other main ingredients. View Recipe 23 of 30 Chicken-Sausage and Bean Casserole With Sage There's plenty of flavorful, crispy topping on this filling dish of cannellini beans and chicken sausage. The garnish of fried sage leaves gives it an elevated touch. View Recipe 24 of 30 Cheddar, Beef, and Potato Casserole Chris Simpson The not-so-secret ingredient to this beefy casserole is frozen shredded potatoes or hash browns, which provide plenty of crispy deliciousness. To make the dish ahead, prep step 1 and refrigerate. Then, add frozen vegetables and potatoes on the night you're baking the casserole. View Recipe 25 of 30 Chicken, Leek, and Mushroom Casserole Chicken breasts, leeks, and mushrooms—there's a lot to love about this dinner casserole. Be sure to use a denser multigrain bread in this recipe, as it's the base for the other ingredients (lighter bread will become gummy). View Recipe 26 of 30 Chicken and Kale Casserole Anna Williams Everyone will adore this dinner casserole—even those who aren't usually keen on greens. Shredded chicken, kale, and large pasta shells are baked with two types of cheese for a comforting meal. View Recipe 27 of 30 Cheese Enchilada Casserole Customize this rich entrée to suit your family's taste by using any sauce in the cheese enchiladas. To make it ahead, prep the sauce the night before. Then, fill and bake the casserole—it only takes 20 minutes—and serve with a mix of toppings. View Recipe 28 of 30 Sausage, Chicken, and White-Bean Gratin This casserole feeds a crowd. It's packed with chicken breast, Italian sausage, and canned white beans. Consider it an easy riff on the French classic, cassoulet, a bean-and-meats gratin of epic proportions. Prepare the elements ahead and then assemble the gratin on the night you're baking it while the oven heats. View Recipe 29 of 30 Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole Yunhee Kim Just like Mom used to make! This old-school creamy casserole starts with a rotisserie chicken, saving you all kinds of time. View Recipe 30 of 30 Chicken Enchilada Casserole This enchilada casserole is light on the cheese but packed with flavor. There's tomatillo sauce, shredded chicken breasts (or use leftover roast chicken), cotija cheese, and chopped fresh cilantro for serving. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit