Life feels pretty hectic for most of us right now, but in truth we have one week, two at best, before the kids finish school, the Christmas travel and countdown kicks in, and full-on madness ensues. Then, hopefully, there’s a period where we get to do absolutely nothing (or at least, nothing we don’t want to do).

Something true of this whole period is that, whether it’s because we don’t have the time or because we don’t want to waste the time, it’s great if we don’t have to worry about cooking dinner every night.

So this week, have five meals that are perfect for making ahead and freezing for later. I encourage you to double the recipes – have half the day you make it, and stash the other half away for later. None of them really take that long to make, but you will thank yourself in the crazy days before Christmas or the languid ones just after when all you have to do is pull dinner out of the freezer and reheat it. The fact they’re all delicious doesn’t hurt – you’ll be happy to be eating these a second time.

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Primo lasagne

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Relatively fuss-free and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Asparagus and pea quiche

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Perfect for warm summer evenings.

Spanish-style chicken casserole

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A lighter, zesty, one-pot stew.

Slow-roasted pasta sauce

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Reheat this veg-packed sauce in the time it takes to cook pasta.

Neighbourhood fish & potato pie with rye gratin

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Any potato and white fish work in this family favourite.