Festive Make-Ahead Meal Ideas

Beefy onion soup mix and red wine combine with chicken thighs, mushrooms, and onions for a stew that's luscious and comforting on a cold winter day.

Take 30 minutes to prepare this stew, then let your slow cooker do its magic. Pop it in the freezer for safekeeping for up to a month!

A delicate cream-and-wine sauce makes this delightful dish sing.

Chock-full of dried cherries and toasty walnuts, this tart-sweet side dish is scrumptious served alongside holiday beef or pork roast. It may become your family's new favorite holiday side.

You can top this modern spin on classic sweet potato casserole with chunks of pineapple and creamy blue cheese (shown here), or you can try one of our other fresh topping ideas: peanuts and coconut, bacon and rosemary, onion and garlic, or smoked almonds.

A rich spinach-and-cheese filling jazzes up roasted turkey.

Layers of tangy peppers and creamy goat and ricotta cheeses put a festive spin on classic lasagna.

Serving rich and creamy bisque is a delightful way to indulge your guests -- and you can make this easy, elegant recipe the night before.

This apple-and-spice cake is oh so nice. It simmers for two hours and then keeps up to 10 days in the refrigerator.

You can bake these buttery cakes and freeze them for up to a month. Powdered sugar, fresh raspberries, and shredded orange peel make a beautiful (and tasty) topper.

Each wedge of creamy cheesecake reveals a layer of deliciously tart cranberries baked inside.

This layered frozen dessert is ultradecadent -- and a proven crowd pleaser with its crunchy, nutty layer.

The creamy, spicy flavor of eggnog makes these little cakes sing. If you don't have individual fluted tube pans, make the dessert in a 10-inch fluted tube pan instead.

Pound cakes are noted for their tenderness and velvety texture. This one is spiced with both ground ginger and chopped crystallized ginger.

These muffins are a sweet treat -- and the recipe calls for applesauce, which cuts down on fat and calories without sacrificing moistness.