The winter months leave many of us longing for slow cooked meals that are rich in flavor and comfort. That doesn't always mean, however, that we have the time for such luxuries, as this can be the season where our calendars are the most full. Here are 5 foods you can prepare ahead of time that will make a rich, flavorful meal much more quickly.
1. Mix & Freeze Biscuits: There aren't many meals that don't benefit from a rich biscuit by their side. Mix them ahead and freeze them in individual portions or an 8x8 pan, so they can go straight from freezer to the oven. If you don't have freezer space for something like this, make sure this 15 minute cream biscuit recipe is on standby, make a little gravy while they're baking and dinner is served.
2. Pre-Chop & Freeze Mirepoix: No, it doesn't really take that long to cut up a few carrots and celery stalks and who doesn't have an onion laying around? What? We used the last one earlier this week. Dang! If only I had a pre-chopped bag of mirepoix in the freezer to fall back on!
3. Make A The Meatballs!: That was our poor attempt at an Italian accent (you should hear our German... look out!), but there isn't a dish that's made more lavish with the addition of a hearty meatball. It will only take you the time for water to boil for pasta while you reheat some homemade meatballs in the sauce of your choice. Heck, forget the pasta all together and make your own meatball subs... toasted with extra melty cheese? Yes please!
4. Make Sauce Cubes: Most sauces can be frozen into ice cube trays and popped out into plastic bags for easy storage. Cook something low and slow during your holiday activities and then freeze it off for nights where there isn't even time to contemplate dinner, let alone make it. In combination with a meat or pasta, you're all set (psst, you can even make those ahead too and make your own bagged meals ready to heat and eat)
5. Buy Eggs: Eggs are so darn versatile that they can turn a simple pantry staple into a meal in just a few minutes. Chop the weeks leftovers and add them to a pan with a little egg and you have a newly invented frittata. Plus, if you already have biscuits premade and frozen, you have breakfast for dinner good enough to feed even the most hungry cowboy in your home.
Related: 10 Quick and Easy Stir-Fry Dinners
(Image: Sarah Rae Trover)
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home
Recipe: Spring Fruit and Nut Tabouli
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
TW Salt Mill by Wil...
Which Wall Color Gives the Best Sleep?
Ana Creates a Community at Home
I've used the sauce cube trick when I made some Thai peanut satay sauce. Great for single serves on chicken sandwiches, salads and even noodles. Very handy.
I just had an epiphany looking at that photo. All these years of cutting round biscuits then re-rolling... Why have I never made them square?? So much easier.
Thanks!
Great advice!!
I make those cream biscuits all the time, including every time that I have cream to use up. I freeze them unbaked and then bake as needed for our small household of two. They are outstanding with soup and salad, and I'm never sad if there are leftovers for breakfast.
Stupid question: should I precook the mirepoix before I freeze it? (I thought raw celery was one of the veggies that didn't freeze well...)
For freezing, do you mean cut dough and freeze before cooking?
Yes, precook the mirepoix! I usually spread the cooked mixture in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze it that way. That way I can bag it up in loose particles, and just scoop out what I need!
Tatterhood....Re the biscuit dough...can u freeze the dough and then cook it right from the freezer?
Yes, biscuits and scones can be baked straight from the freezer! I do this a lot with buttermilk biscuits. Just add a few extra minutes to the baking time (and maybe cut one open to check before you turn off the oven--a couple times I ended up with biscuits that were still a little gooey in the middle, before I settled on the right baking time).
@Tatterhood, great tip! Thanks!!