20 Weeknight Meals You’ll Love Even More as Leftovers

updated May 1, 2019
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(Image credit: Lauren Volo)

Weeknight meals that can be enjoyed multiple times are the gifts that keep on giving for most home cooks. Not only are these types of dinners quick and easy to make on night one, but they also taste just as good, if not better, when reheated.

Tonight’s meatloaf becomes tomorrow’s hearty sandwich; a beefy macaroni skillet dinner becomes the lunch you stick in your kid’s thermos; and a veggie soup become your breakfast (yes, breakfast!) for the rest of the week. So think beyond tonight’s dinner when you plan meals for the week, and consider how many ways you can enjoy them beyond day one. Here are 20 meals to kick things off.

Easy Casseroles

Lasagna usually wins the prize for best casserole to enjoy as leftovers, but it takes time to assemble. These five casseroles, however, do not, and are just as satisfying the next day.

Comforting Soups and Stews

Soups and stews that rely on conveniences like canned beans and rotisserie chicken come together in no time.

Weeknight Braises

Fact: Not all braises take an eternity. And when they do and we want them on a weeknight, we pull out the slow cooker.

A Few More Meaty Mains

Lean on your slow cooker, your cast iron skillet, and the oven for a few additional meaty dishes that will take you through the rest of the week with leftovers you can use for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.