Make A Month Ahead: Deep Dish Apple Pie
Freeze Ina’s Signature Pies ahead of time for a rainy day. After assembling, place the entire pie—greased tin and all—into a loose-fitting plastic bag and seal. Thaw it in the refrigerator the night before baking, and you’ll have fresh, juicy apple pie on your table in about an hour the next day.
Get the Recipe: Deep Dish Apple Pie
Week Ahead: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Vegetable soups freeze easily without cream or eggs, making them a great starter. The warm curry flavor in Ina’s butternut squash soup retains well when reheated before serving. For an extra quick start, cube and squash the onion ahead of time.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Curry Dressing
Week Ahead: Perfect Cranberry Sauce
Check cranberry sauce off your to-do list ahead of time and freeze it. Our simple recipe is easy to throw together with a few simple ingredients, and the citrus will bring a fresh zip to your sauce, even after reheating on the stove.
Get the Recipe: Perfect Cranberry Sauce
Week Ahead: The Best Pie Crust Ever
Planning to make pumpkin pie? Prepare ahead with Aaron Sanchez’s Failsafe Cookbook. It can be rolled out early and frozen – and will actually benefit from some freeze time. In addition to giving you more valuable kitchen time, chilling the dough will make it crispier and more flavorful.
Get the recipe: Countdown #1 Best Pie Crust Ever
Three Days Ahead: Herb-Baked Turkey with Apple Cider Marinade
Brining is an easy, hands-off way to infuse flavor into a turkey before it goes into the oven. Annie’s recipe maximizes flavor (but minimizes prep work) by letting the turkey sit in a no-cook apple cider brine for 2 to 3 days.
Get the Recipe: Brining Herb-Crusted Turkey with Apple Cider
Make Two Days Ahead: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
Dicing the squash ahead of time will make Ina’s hot fall salad a breeze.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Two Days Ahead: Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, Parsnips and Brussels Sprouts
With just some herbs and olive oil, this side of Giada brings out the flavor and texture of the root vegetable. Cut the veggies two days in advance and let the oven do all the work before serving.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, Parsnips and Brussels Sprouts
The Day Before: Sweet Potato Souffle
Do most of the prep work early by boiling and mashing the sweet potatoes a day in advance. Let them come to room temperature before using, then you can start baking.
Get the Recipe: Old School Sweet Potato Souffle
The Day Before: The Pioneer Woman’s Pecan Pie
Letting the pie rest overnight makes this classic dessert from Ree a natural make-ahead dessert. Cool the pie on the countertop before refrigerating, then let the pie come to room temperature before serving the next day.
Get the Recipe: Pecan Pie