Making meals ahead of time can save us money and energy on crazy days when we don’t have much time to get dinner on the table. However, if you’re like Regina from the Kitchn, you get frustrated when all of your casserole dishes (or your only casserole dish) get(s) stuck out of commission in the freezer until you’re ready to reheat the meal.

There is an easy solution to this problem. You can free up your casserole dishes by trying this simple trick:

• When assembling the casserole, line the 9×13 with foil (leaving excess hanging on all sides).
• Once complete, freeze the casserole, 9×13 pan, foil lining and all.
• Once frozen, lift the now-hardened slab out of the pan and fold the excess foil around the casserole.
• Seal and label for long-term freezer storage, and put your 9×13 back in the cupboard!
• Cut to one month later, or whenever you’re ready to serve the dish. Remove frozen casserole from freezer, unwrap, place in 9×13 and let thaw in refrigerator. Then bake as directed.

With this method, you can make many casserole dishes ahead of time whenever you’d like and still have your casserole dishes at your disposal. The frozen “bricks” are also very easy to stack in your freezer.

Thanks to The Kitchn for the tip!