7 Dinners You Can Prep on Sunday and Eat All Week

The great part about this hearty recipe? (Other than the fact that it’s downright delicious?) You can make every single component ahead of time, from cooking the lentils to ricing cauliflower to slicing scallions. Store the ingredients separately, and when hunger strikes, just throw everything into a bowl.

Fire up your Crock-Pot on Sunday morning, and by the afternoon you’ll have melt-in-your-mouth-tender steak perfect for building hefty subs. If you’re planning on eating it later in the week, transfer your steak from the slow-cooker to an airtight container and freeze it; thaw in the fridge the night before eating.

Make the aromatic mushroom filling ahead of time and stash it in an airtight container (it’ll keep for two days). All that’s left to do is assemble the pastry and bake it right before dinnertime. Savory pie on a school night? Yes, please.

On Sunday, set aside 45 minutes to slice veggies, marinate green beans, make dressing, cook potatoes, boil eggs and wash lettuce. After a long day at work, the only thing that’ll stand between you and dinner is dressing your salad.

Fun fact: This soup was practically designed to be frozen. Why? The freezer melds its flavors, so when it thaws, it will taste even better than the original version. To save space, pour your masterpiece into re-sealable plastic bags and lay them flat in the freezer.

Breakfast for dinner is totally acceptable when you DIY frozen waffles and sausage patties, right? Here’s how: Cook both ahead of time and—you guessed it—stick them in the freezer. To prepare, simply pop the waffles in the toaster and warm up the sausages in the oven.

Raw kale on its own is tough, chewy and fibrous. No, thanks. But it’s pretty damn delicious when you tenderize it by chopping it into tiny pieces and dressing it advance. That’s why shredding and dressing this salad ahead of time makes a lot of sense. Wait to make the crispy chickpeas until the night of so they stay, well, extra crispy.