12 Make-Ahead Dinners for the Back-to-School Rush

This collection of 12 Make-Ahead Dinners for the Back-to-School Rush is perfect for the last stretch of the holidays, when a full freezer is worth more than a full diary. It brings together Turkish manti, a slow-cooked lamb tagine with apricots, a chickpea and butternut squash curry and a tray of mini sausage rolls, ideal for anyone who wants dinner sorted before the first school run of term. Don't forget to save this list before your next big shop.

Slow Cooked Lamb Tagine With Apricots

Apricot lamb tagine served with pickled peppers — Ayla Clulee

Lamb is cooked low and slow with warm spices and dried apricots until the meat gives way and the sauce turns thick and glossy. It improves after a night in the fridge, which makes it a sensible thing to cook on a Sunday.

To learn more: Slow Cooked Lamb Tagine With Apricots

Tas Kebabi - Turkish Beef Stew

tas kebabi served with rice — Ayla Clulee

Cubes of beef are browned, then cooked slowly with onions, tomato and peppers until tender. Serve it over rice or bulgur, and keep the leftovers for a second dinner later in the week.

To learn more: Tas Kebabi - Turkish Beef Stew

Turkish Manti Recipe

manti is typically served with tomato butter sauce and garlicky yogurt — Ayla Clulee

Tiny parcels of pasta are filled with spiced mince, then served under garlicky yoghurt and paprika butter. Freeze them raw on a tray, bag them up, and they go straight from freezer to boiling water on a busy night.

To learn more: Turkish Manti Recipe

Kadınbudu Köfte - Turkish Meatballs with Rice

A plate with meat patties, salad and tomatoes — Ayla Clulee

Mince and cooked rice are worked together, shaped into patties, then coated in egg and fried until crisp on the outside. They reheat well and are just as good cold in a lunchbox the next day.

To learn more: Kadınbudu Köfte - Turkish Meatballs with Rice

Butternut Squash Curry with Chickpeas

a bowl of butternut squash curry — Ayla Clulee

Squash and chickpeas simmer in a spiced coconut sauce until the squash is soft enough to break with a spoon. Double the batch, freeze half in portions, and you have a meat-free dinner ready whenever you need one.

To learn more: Butternut Squash Curry with Chickpeas

Hashweh - Lebanese Ground Beef and Rice

Lebanese ground meat and rice dish served in a bowl — Ayla Clulee

Spiced mince is cooked with rice and toasted nuts into a single fragrant pot that feeds a table without much fuss. It reheats beautifully and works as a filling for wraps and stuffed vegetables too.

To learn more: Hashweh - Lebanese Ground Beef and Rice

Kol Böreği - Turkish Arm Borek

kol boregi - Turkish ar borek cut into bite sized pieces — Ayla Clulee

Sheets of pastry are rolled around a savoury filling and coiled into a tray before baking. Assemble it ahead, freeze it unbaked, and bake straight from frozen for a hot lunch or a light supper.

To learn more: Kol Böreği - Turkish Arm Borek

Fellah Koftesi

Fellah Köfte served with yogurt — Ayla Clulee

Small bulgur dumplings are rolled by hand, simmered, then finished with a garlicky tomato sauce. The uncooked balls keep well in the freezer, so a single afternoon of rolling covers several meals.

To learn more: Fellah Koftesi

Shortcrust Pastry Mini Sausage Rolls

mini sausage rolls served with tartar sauce on the side — Ayla Clulee

Seasoned sausage meat is wrapped in homemade shortcrust and baked until deep golden. They freeze raw or cooked, which makes them the most useful thing in the freezer come lunchbox season.

To learn more: Shortcrust Pastry Mini Sausage Rolls

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese (Baked)

freshly baked smoked gouda macaroni and cheese — Ayla Clulee

Pasta is folded through a smoky cheese sauce, topped with crumbs and baked until bubbling. Build it the day before, keep it covered in the fridge, then bake it when everyone walks through the door.

To learn more: Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese (Baked)

Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs

Golden chicken meatballs garnished with parsley on a plate. — Ayla Clulee

Minced chicken is seasoned, rolled and cooked in the air fryer until browned outside and juicy in the middle. Batch them, freeze them, and reheat as many as you need for pasta, wraps or rice bowls.

To learn more: Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs

Air Fryer Turkey Burgers

Turkey patties cook through in the air fryer while staying tender, with none of the spitting fat of a frying pan. Shape and freeze them raw between sheets of paper, and dinner is fifteen minutes away.

To learn more: Air Fryer Turkey Burgers