Make Ahead Meals for Holiday Company

Pasta with Red Wine & Meat Ragu

Perhaps you’ve found yourself in this situation before:  Company comes into town for the holidays and you’ve placed all your meal planning efforts on the big feast and at the last minute you realize that you also have to feed them prior to the actual holiday dinner!  If you are anything like me, you are probably starting the holiday preparations a couple days ahead to eliminate the rush on the actual day – so having to prepare another dinner on top of it all sometimes really complicates things.

One way to minimize this often difficult challenge is to plan a week or two in advance for these “pre” or even “post-holiday” dinners by making up some dishes in advance that you can either refrigerate for a few days or freeze and reheat.  Below, we assembled a rather lengthy list of delicious meals that can be prepared in advance.  We’ve divided them into two sections; those that will do best refrigerated up to 2 days and those that can be frozen for up to 2 weeks.  Pair these wonderful dishes with a salad and you’ve got a hearty delicious meal that will make you look like a chef extraordinaire!

Meatloaf with Roasted Vegetables

Meals that can be made and refrigerated for up to 2 days:

Crockpot Beef Bourguignon
Meatloaf with Roasted Vegetables
Meatloaf with Pancetta, Mushrooms and Oats
Puerco Verde
Baked Potato Soup
Fennel, Leek & Potato Soup
Asian Chicken Casserole
Arroz con Pollo
Basque Chicken
New Orleans Chicken Jambalaya
Sante Fe Lasagna
Pasta with Red Wine & Meat Ragu
Baked Penne with Broccoli & 3 Cheeses

Minestrone Soup

Meals that can be frozen for up to 2 weeks:

Beef Ragout
Minestrone Soup
A Man’s Chili
Beef Stew
Hearty Beef Chili
Butternut Squash Soup
Chili Verde
Irish Beef Stew
Italian Meatball Soup
Wild Rice & Mushroom Soup
Albondigas
Layered Baked Fettucine
Country Stew
Chicken Chili
Old Fashioned Lasagna
Chicken Lasagna with Pesto

Happy Thanksgiving!

- Chef Jessica

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