Make Ahead Meal Ideas

[Heather Hughes]

Now that I've got a little one I spend less time in the kitchen. And when I am in the kitchen, I try to make things that will taste good as leftovers or I make something I can freeze for later. So far I've frozen a beef stew (the potato is kind of mushy - maybe a little red one would freeze better than the yukon golds I had on hand) and a baked macaroni with crab (delish but not so healthy).

Here's the link to the Beef Stew in case anyone is interested. My only change would be to add carrots - it needed a bit of sweetness. http://tinyurl.com/63ox2o

Does anyone have any recipes or ideas to share?
Thanks!
Heather

[Tamara]

I really love this recipe for roasted vegetable penne and I enjoy the leftovers. The prep is a little bit of a pain, but you can definitely cut up the veggies ahead of time and then roast them later. It's a nice fall dish and reheats well. You could also serve it as a side to grilled meat. This recipe came out of the Colorado Collage cookbook.

1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
3/4 lbs. eggplant, cut into 0.5-inch squares.
1 lbs. zucchini, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
12 oz. cooked penne pasta (I've been using whole-wheat pasta lately, to make it healthier)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheeze
1/8 tsp. crush red pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss peppers with 1 tbsp. of the olive oil. Pour onto large baking sheet and roast 10-15 min. Toss eggplant with 2 tbsp. of the olive oil. Add to pepper and continue roasting 15-20 min.
Toss zucchini with 1 tbsp of olive oil and add to pepper mixture. Roast 5 min. Remove from oven and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to large bowl and add cooked penne, vinegar, Parmesan, crushed red pepper. Toss, adding remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil. Serve.