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    27 Make-Ahead Recipes That Freeze Well And Make Great Leftovers

    Step one: Make a big batch of something delicious now. Step two: Bask in the glory of (still-delicious!) leftovers later.

    Make-ahead meals can be a lifesaver.

    Cooking up a big batch of something and freezing the leftovers means weeknight meal prep — just reheat and eat — can often be done in minutes. Doubling or tripling recipes means you'll be able to buy in bulk and save a couple bucks. And freezing perishable items means you'll waste less, too.

    (*Note that for all hot foods listed below, you'll want to let them cool completely before tossing them in the freezer. Find this and more tips for properly freezing foods here.)

    1. Freezable Oatmeal Cups

    So simple: Just spoon oatmeal into a muffin tin, then sprinkle on your favorite toppings — like berries, nuts, or granola. Get the recipe.

    2. Pancakes

    3. Lighter Breakfast Sandwiches

    4. Blueberry Green Smoothie

    Better known as: How to make sure all that fruit you bought — it was on sale! — doesn't wander into overripe territory. Get the recipe.

    5. Egg & Cheese Veggie Cups

    6. Vegan and Gluten-Free Waffles

    7. Ham, Egg, and Green Chile Breakfast Burritos

    8. Sunrise Smoothie

    9. Ham, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches

    10. Lemon, Raspberry, and Oat Muffins

    11. Chipotle Chicken Chili

    Chilis freeze well — and Ree Drummond has a trick for storing them efficiently: "My general approach is filling the bag, then totally flattening it as I seal it. So whether it’s taco meat or soup, they freeze flat and allows me to stack them as high as they’ll go." Get the recipe.

    12. Spicy Chickpea, Coconut, and Tomato Soup

    13. Hearty White Bean Ragout

    14. Slow Cooker Orange-Ginger Chicken

    Find this 30-minute recipe — along with five more — here.

    15. Shredded Beef Enchiladas

    16. Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew

    17. Corn and Potato Chowder

    18. Single-Serving Pasta

    You could make a huge batch of pasta and then eat it every day until it dries out. ORRR you could split it up, freeze it, and have a ready-to-go weeknight dinner. (This version pre-freezes the noodles on baking sheets, so that they don't stick together later in the bags.) Instructions here.

    19. 5-Ingredient Black Bean Soup

    20. Cookie Dough Fudge

    21. Blackberry Cheesecake Squares

    22. Homemade Biscuits

    Recipe here. Make a stack of these, then top them with...

    23. Three-Ingredient Blueberry Jam

    24. Oatmeal Cookies

    25. Grab 'n' Go Banana Bites

    26. Mint Chocolate Brownies

    27. No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake