There’s something about fall that makes me want to cook a little more.

Maybe it’s the cooler weather. Maybe it’s wanting something warm and comforting at the end of a busy day. Or maybe it’s just that after a summer of trying to figure out dinner around everyone’s schedules, I’m ready for food that feels a little cozier.

But here’s the thing: I don’t have time to make a big, complicated dinner every night.

Most weeks, we really only have time to make a bigger meal on Sunday—and sometimes Saturday. So I’ve learned to make those meals work a little harder for us.

My fall food rule: whenever you’re making something, make extra.

It’s one of the easiest ways I’ve found to make the rest of the week a whole lot easier.

If You’re Making Lasagna, Make Two

Lasagna is delicious, but it’s also a project.

You’re already boiling noodles, making the filling, layering everything, and waiting for it to bake. If you’re going to put in all that effort, why not make two?

You can eat one for dinner and freeze the second one. Or eat it for a night or two and freeze the leftovers.

Future you will be very happy when you pull a homemade lasagna out of the freezer on a night when you absolutely do not have the time or energy to make dinner.

And this doesn’t have to be limited to lasagna.

If you’re making a meal that takes some time, think about whether you can double it. Spaghetti and meatballs are another favorite around here. I’ll make extra sauce and extra meatballs and freeze them so we have an easy homemade meal waiting for us later.

You don’t have to cook a giant freezer-meal marathon. Just make more of what you’re already making.

Make Your Crockpot Work for You

Fall is also the perfect time to pull out the crockpot.

Italian beef sandwiches are one of our favorites because they’re so easy to get going. Put everything in the crockpot, let it do its thing, and you’ve got dinner without spending your whole evening in the kitchen.

And if there’s extra? Even better.

Leftovers can become another dinner, lunch, or something you can tuck into the freezer for another busy week.

That’s really the goal with all of this: one cooking session, multiple easier meals.

Save Those Scraps

This is probably one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen.

Instead of throwing away every little carrot end, onion scrap, or celery end, I save them in the freezer. Once I have enough, I can use them to make homemade stock.

You can make vegetable stock, chicken stock, or beef stock, depending on what you have.

Chicken stock is especially easy. The next time you pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, don’t automatically throw away the bones. Save them and use them to make a batch of chicken stock.

Beef stock is a little trickier because you need beef bones, but we buy a quarter cow, so we get soup bones that way.

And then I freeze the stock in a silicone tray that makes giant ice cubes.

I love this because I’m not stuck thawing an entire container of stock when I only need a little bit. I can grab a cube or two and toss them into whatever I’m making.

And we use it for so much more than soup.

I used chicken stock in an Alfredo sauce last week, and because I already had the stock made, I was able to whip up the sauce with ingredients I already had at home.

That’s the kind of kitchen shortcut I love.

You Don’t Have to Make Soup to Use Homemade Stock

I feel like homemade stock sometimes gets lumped into the category of “things you make if you’re really into cooking.”

I’m not.

😂

My kids only started eating a little bit of soup last year, and we don’t even like chili, so soup isn’t a huge part of our fall dinner rotation.

But stock? We use that all the time.

Pasta sauces, gravies, rice, casseroles, soups when we do make them…there are so many ways to use it.

And because it’s already made and sitting in my freezer, it’s one less thing I have to think about.

My Biggest Fall Meal-Prep Tip: Make Extra

We have a lot going on during the week. Between soccer, Cub Scouts, religion class, and everything else that comes with having kids in activities, dinner doesn’t always happen at a reasonable hour—or even at home.

So I’ve stopped expecting myself to make a big meal every night.

Instead, I try to make the most of the days when I do have time.

If Sunday is the day I can make spaghetti and meatballs, I’ll make extra.

If I’m making lasagna, I’ll consider making two.

If I’m cooking something that freezes well, I’ll save some for later.

If I’m chopping vegetables, I’ll save the scraps for stock.

If I’m making stock, I’ll make enough to fill the freezer.

I’m basically trying to make Future Me’s life easier.

Because there will absolutely be a night when I don’t have time to cook.

There will be a night when we’re running from one activity to another.

There will be a night when everyone is hungry and I’m staring into the refrigerator wondering what we’re going to eat.

And those are the nights when I’m really glad I made extra on Sunday.

So that’s my fall food challenge for you:

Whenever you’re already making something, ask yourself: Can I make extra?

You don’t have to completely change the way you cook. You don’t need to spend an entire weekend meal-prepping.

Just make a little more.

Save the leftovers.

Freeze the extra.

Save the scraps.

And give Future You a little bit of help.

Now I want to hear from you!

What’s something you make extra so you can freeze it or have leftovers for another meal? Or what’s your favorite fall meal that makes great leftovers?

Share your ideas in the comments—I’m always looking for ways to make those busy weeknights a little easier!