If you’re looking for make-ahead Valentine’s Day meal ideas, I’m impressed with you. Not only are you going to engage in the great act of love that is cooking for someone else on a holiday—no matter how Hallmark manufactured that holiday may be—you’re also organized enough to plan in advance so that you’re not spending the evening cooking rather than spending time with your loved one. When it comes to make-ahead dishes, the braise and the casserole are your friend. I’ve included many braised meat and baked dishes below, many of which are French or Italian because…that’s amoré baby. Somehow braising feels sexier in a romance language, you know? All of these dishes will reheat beautifully, and many of them may be even better after the flavors have had time to mix and mingle.
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Photograph: Vicky Wasik. Video: Serious Eats
This lasagna contains no tomato and ricotta like the Italian-American recipes you may know. Instead, it consists of beautifully thin layers of pasta, creamy bechamel, and rich ragu. Each of its components is a project (feel free to skip making homemade noodles, though, if you want to cut a step), but one that can be done lovingly ahead of time, so that on Valentine’s Day you can simply reheat the dish for creamy, rich perfection.
Get Recipe: Lasagna Bolognese
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Serious Eats / Victor Protasio
This vegetarian take on pot pie builds umami-filled, richly textured vegetables like mushrooms, carrots, parsnips, and pearl onions to create a filling that’s as complex as any you’ve ever had with meat. The mushrooms take on an even more intense flavor thanks to a pre-roast, which also helps reduce their moisture content to avoid a soggy pie. Don’t worry, you still have that signature creamy sauce holding everything together, and a topping of crispy, buttery store-bought puff pastry.
Get Recipe: Mushroom Pot Pie
03 of 10
Serious Eats / Fred Hardy
The best thing about braises and stews is that they only get better when given time to let their flavors meld and deepen. They’re not just make-ahead friendly—they’re make-ahead preferred. Such is the case with this elegant French dish, which may not, in fact, have origins in Burgundy. No matter: tender, fall-apart hunks of beef floating in an aromatic red wine sauce is one of the most romantic and cozy things you can serve a loved one on a cold February night.
Get Recipe: Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Stew With Red Wine, Mushrooms, and Bacon)
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If you’re dubious about eggplant’s propensity to become a soggy mess, you should still try this recipe for the Italian-American classic. A special trick to reduce the eggplant’s moisture level before cooking makes them fry beautifully, turning out a crisp and golden brown crust with a jammy center. Immediately blotting them after frying also ensures they don’t absorb excess oil, which, again, prevents sogginess. Parmesan gets added to the breading and sandwiched in between each layer of eggplant and sauce, so you have an extra sharp, umami-rich dish.
Get Recipe: All-American Eggplant Parmesan
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Serious Eats / Julia Hartbeck
A hearty and rich stew with a very similar flavor profile to the beef bourguignon above—chicken gets braised in red wine, along with mushrooms and pearl onions. A few tricks make this one from Daniel Gritzer rise above the fray of recipes for this classic French dish: Marinating the chicken in wine infuses it deeply ith the flavor. Waiting to add the chicken breasts to the pot toward the end of the braise ensures that they won’t overcook. And reducing your braising liquid until it’s glossy and thick means a powerfully concentrated, flavorful sauce.
Get Recipe: Coq au Vin (Chicken Braised in Red Wine)
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This traditional peasant dish from the Languedoc region of France consists of layers of white beans and various cured sausages. It is, without a doubt, one of the most fun cooking projects you can tackle and it only gets more delicious with time for all of the ingredients to marinate. Soaking your beans in salted water softens them for a faster cook time, of course, but also infuses them deeply with well-seasoned flavor. Slowly rendering salt pork adds deep umami richness to the dish. Using fresh chicken or duck without bothering to confit makes things simpler. And adding a bit of store-bought gelatin to the stock helps the casserole form a better crust as it bakes—and the variety of textures is one of the greatest pleasures of this perfect winter dish.
Get Recipe: Traditional French Cassoulet
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Serious Eats / Fred Hardy
Crinkle pie, a social media trend started a few years ago by TikTok creator RamenaSaidWow, features folded sheets of store-bought phyllo dough doused in butter and sugar syrup, with rich custard tucked between the accordion folds of crispy phyllo. Here, we’ve done a savory take featuring winter vegetables: butternut squash, shallots, and kale seasoned with garlic, thyme, and aleppo pepper, then covered with a savory custard. This is another dish that provides a joyous array of textures: a deeply browned, crisp bottom and a golden-brown top, with creamy, soft layers of custard and starchy veg in between.
Get Recipe: Savory Crinkle Pie
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Photographs: Vicky Wasik. Video: Serious Eats Video.
These meatballs are the result of countless hours of testing and perfecting. They use a ratio of half beef to pork, which gives richness but also balanced flavor. Buttermilk-soaked bread ensures that the meatballs remain moist and tender after they’re cooked—and the buttermilk has the added bonus of providing sharpness that cuts through the meat’s rich texture. Bits of mixed-in pancetta squirt fat intot he meatball as it cooks, keeping it from drying out. And finally, broiling rather than frying gives an even sear and a juicy interior—while also being more hands off and mess free.
Get Recipe: The Best Italian-American Meatballs
09 of 10
Emily and Matt Clifton
If you’re a person who thinks we should eat Thanksgiving stuffing more than once a year, I agree with you and also this recipe is for you. This strata (essentially a savory bread pudding with more eggs) features all of your favorite French onion soup flavors: caramelized onions and crispy, bubbly cheese. Serve a light, bright salad alongside for a cozy and romantic vegetarian dinner.
Get Recipe: French Onion Strata (Savory Bread Pudding) Recipe
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Braising is an act of patience: time turns tough and sinewy cuts of meat into fall-off-the-bone tender, buttery delights. Here, tamarind paste adds balanced acidity to rich short ribs, while its sugars allow the meat to caramelize.
Get Recipe: Tamarind-Braised Beef Short Ribs
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