These 30 Make-Ahead Casseroles Are Perfect for the Holidays

Updated December 19, 2019

Make-ahead meals are a great way to get a healthy meal on the table during the busy holiday season. Whether you're looking for heat-and-eat breakfast casseroles or need to feed 10 people for dinner, fill up your fridge today for delicious food the next! Simply assemble your casserole the day before and bake it whenever you're ready to eat.

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Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

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This one-pan chicken-and-broccoli recipe comes out of the oven all browned, cheesy and bubbling like a casserole, but is really prepared more like a skillet meal on the stovetop. Serve with a crunchy green salad. 

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Cheesy Beef Enchilada Casserole

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This veggie-packed beef enchilada casserole is mild, so put out hot sauce and chopped jalapeños if you're feeding heat-seekers. The quick and easy dinner recipe makes extra cheese sauce—save it to make One-Pot Mac & Cheese with Cauliflower & Brussels Sprouts later in the week, or serve it with steamed vegetables, such as broccoli, for an easy side dish.

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Chicken, Quinoa & Sweet Potato Casserole

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This protein-loaded chicken and sweet potato casserole dish is made with multicolored quinoa, a blend of white, red and black varieties, but any color will work.

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Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

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All the delicious flavors of your favorite chicken Cordon Bleu--salty ham, melty cheese, tangy mustard--with no tricky assembly required. This healthy comfort food recipe would be perfect for a potluck.

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Eggplant Tortilla Casserole

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This layered casserole is inspired by classic cheese enchiladas, minus the fuss of rolling and stuffing individual tortillas. You'd never guess that within this comforting Tex-Mex casserole hides a layer of thinly sliced eggplant. The thin slices become tender when roasted and add a subtle savory note.

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Chicken-Noodle Casserole

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Flavorful Chicken-Noodle Casserole comes to life with this diabetic-friendly recipe. Select light sour cream to lower fat and calorie content. 

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Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Tex-Mex Casserole

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You won't believe this enchilada-like casserole isn't made with meat! The smoky chili powder and cumin give it a satisfying meat-like flavor. Look for meatless crumbles in the produce section of the supermarket near the other vegetarian and vegan products. For a twist, swap the meatless crumbles for black beans or ground beef.

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Reuben Casserole

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This Reuben casserole recipe has all the delicious elements of a Reuben sandwich with much less sodium and calories. Thinly sliced angel hair cabbage cooked with a splash of vinegar stands in for the sauerkraut, and lower-sodium deli turkey adds a rich, meaty flavor in place of the traditional corned beef. 

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Cheesy Meatball Bake

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Use leftover Italian meatball soup along with beans, reduced-fat cheese, tortillas and an easy tomato sauce to make a family-pleasing casserole that's great for weeknights.

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Broccoli Casserole

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The lightened-up luscious sauce elevates this easy casserole recipe over standard broccoli and cheese side dishes

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Chicken & Mushroom Shepherd's Pie

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The creamy chicken filling is spiked with sherry and the potatoes are mashed with olive oil in this healthy shepherd's pie recipe. To make individual pies, use six 10-ounce ramekins. Serve with a green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and crusty bread.

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Baked Cavatelli Casserole

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This easy to make, comforting dish will keep you warm on a cold day

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Tamari-Ginger Meatball & Eggplant Casserole

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Eggplant soaks up the flavors of ginger, garlic and tamari in this Asian-inspired casserole recipe. A hot pepper in the topping adds a bit of heat, but opt for sweet if you prefer.

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Buffalo Chicken Casserole

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We took the classic flavors of Buffalo wings—hot sauce, blue cheese, carrots and celery—and created a finger-licking-good casserole. Serve this dish during football season to a hungry crowd and it's sure to be a hit. We don't typically recommend ingredients by brand name, but in this case we make an exception for Frank's RedHot Sauce. It has the perfect balance of spice and tang for this casserole. Texas Pete and Crystal hot sauces are suitable alternatives if you can't find Frank's. 

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Apple-Cheddar Ham and Egg Casserole

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This casserole featuring eggs, cheese, ham and fennel would also make a perfect breakfast for a special day.

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Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole

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Usually made by layering creamy chicken and tortillas (lasagna-style), this classic Tex-Mex chicken casserole gets speedier for an easy weeknight dinner when we mix everything together in a skillet, then pop the whole pan under the broiler to make the cheese topping gooey.

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Greek Tuna Casserole

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Tuna casserole is a timeless comfort-food recipe; this one incorporates eggplant, artichoke hearts, oregano, olives and feta cheese for a Greek flair.

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Garlic Cashew Chicken Casserole

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Combine brown rice, cashews, chow-mein noodles and vegetables galore with chicken in this delicious casserole.

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Creamed Spinach Casserole

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This creamy spinach casserole recipe is a more sophisticated cousin to creamed spinach. It's perfect for weekend entertaining or as a holiday side dish.

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Apple, Bacon and Sweet Potato Mini Casseroles

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These sweet and savory mini casseroles are ready in just an hour. Refrigerate or freeze the leftovers to enjoy later.

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Chicken-Spaghetti Squash Bake

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In this version of a chicken-and-broccoli casserole, spaghetti squash takes on a creamy texture when baked with cream of mushroom soup.

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Cauliflower Casserole with Mixed-Seed Crust

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The cheesy-seedy crust that tops this healthy cauliflower casserole recipe evokes everything bagels. Serve for the holidays or as a hearty side dish with roast chicken.

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Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

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Reduced-fat soup, semi-soft cheese and fat-free milk make this classic casserole recipe low in fat and calories.

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Quinoa Chicken Enchilada Casserole

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Protein-rich quinoa makes a satisfying layer in this easy Mexican casserole recipe. If you want to make this dish vegetarian, beans are a nice swap for the chicken. Serve with a green salad tossed with an oregano vinaigrette

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Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole

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Use reduced fat soup and fat-free milk to make this favorite casserole lower in fat and calories. Adding a variety of vegetables makes it more nutritious than the traditional recipe

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Sauerkraut & Sausage Casserole

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One bite of this hearty sausage casserole recipe—full of sauerkraut, apples and kielbasa--and you'll be transported to a tiny pub in the Alsace region of northern France. Serve with extra mustard if you like.

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Chicken, Peppers & Pasta Casserole

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You can assemble this healthy chicken casserole before you leave for a party and pop it in the oven at the host's house. Or make everything the night before, bake it at home and bring it along--it's delicious at room temperature too. 

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Sloppy Joe Casserole

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Like sloppy Joes? Then you'll love this sloppy Joe casserole recipe. This kid-friendly dinner has the classic sloppy Joe flavors kids love, while parents will like all the veggies that are packed in to make it a healthy meal.

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Chicken Enchilada Casserole

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We lightened up this enchilada recipe with a creamy filling that includes just a small amount of light sour cream, rather than loads of regular sour cream.

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Baked Mac & Cheese

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Mac & cheese can be a true comfort on a gloomy day, and our healthy update takes advantage of extra-sharp Cheddar balanced with creamy low-fat cottage cheese and tucks a layer of spinach into the middle, which may help picky eaters down their vegetables. Whole-wheat pasta adds robust flavor and extra fiber. 

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