Make ahead meals are my favorite. What do I mean by “make-ahead” exactly? For me it’s the meal that I don’t have to do a thing to when I get home other than heat it up. (Think frozen pizza, only better.)
Aside from being stupid easy, make-ahead meals mean less cleanup. All the messy stuff is already done.
I generally reserve make-ahead meals for nights that I know we’re going to get in late, because of extra curricular activities, etc. They’re also my go-to for nights when Grandma picks the kids up and brings them home for us so we can work late. Generally it’s once or twice a week.
I’m a pretty big fan of Aldi, and these meals are even more economical when you do your grocery shopping there. Also note that these recipes are designed to leave us (a family of four) with leftovers since we rely on those for our work week lunches. The links on the ingredients are the to the Instacart items. (Get $10 off your first Instacart order here!)
I have a handful of these types of meals that I make, but my three favorite are:
- Mexican Noodle Hotdish
- Tator Tot Hotdish
- Crock-Pot Chili with Cornbread
Mexican Noodle Hotdish
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of ground beef (can substitute other ground meat)
- 1 24oz jar of mild salsa
- 1 packet of reduced sodium taco seasoning
- 1 16oz box of rotini
- 1 12oz package of Mexican style cheese (or substitute your favorite cheese)
- 4 cups of water
- Sour Cream (for garnish/mix in)
Instructions
- Brown and drain ground beef
- Stir in taco seasoning, salsa, noodles and water. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and noodles are soft.
- Fold in the cheese, reserving about ⅓ of the package.
- Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray and pour the noodle mixture into the dish, spread evenly.
- Top with remaining cheese, cover and put in the refrigerator. (Note: you can eat this immediately too, just skip the baking dish part)
- When it’s time, preheat your oven to 350° and bake until heated through. Add sour cream on top.
Tator Tot Hotdish
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of ground beef (can substitute other ground meat)
- 2 cups Colby jack cheese (more or less depending on how much you like cheese. I love it, it’s the glue that holds my life together
- Three packages of frozen mixed vegetables, or one of each (corn, carrots, green beans)
- 2 cans of cream of chicken soup (reduced sodium)
- 1 32 oz package of potato puffs
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 2 tsp Granulated Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
Instructions
- Brown and drain ground beef
- In a large bowl, mix together beef, mixed vegetables, cheese, cream soup and spices
- Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray, pour mixture in and level
- Arrange potato puffs on top in rows to cover the top entirely, cover and put in the refrigerator
- When it’s time to eat, preheat oven to 350° and bake for 20-30 minutes or until heated through and tots are golden brown
Crock-Pot Chicken Pot Pie
Can you believe I don't have a picture of this one?!? Next time it's on the menu I'll remedy that.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts (about 2 pounds – this is not an exact science. More or less is OK)
- 3-4 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2-3 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 package frozen peas
- 1 package frozen corn
- 2 cans of cream of chicken soup (reduced sodium)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 Tbsp parsley
- 1 can biscuits
Instructions
- Line your Crock-Pot crock with a disposable liner for easy clean-up
- Add chopped onion, carrot and celery, spices, chicken stock, and cream soup to crock and stir
- Place chicken breasts in the mixture and cover by scooping mixture over them. Cover and place in refrigerator until it’s time to cook
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until chicken is cooked through
- Remove chicken breasts, transfer to cutting board and shred.
- Replace shredded chicken into the crock, and add frozen peas and carrots. Stir.
- Allow peas and carrots to heat up while cooking biscuits in the oven.
- Serve Crock-Pot mixture in a bowl with a biscuit on the side