17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (2024)

Colder weather is coming, and throwing a dinner party is the only socially acceptable way to stay home all weekend.

Christine ByrnePublished on October 25, 2014
17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (2)
17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (3)

1. Slow Cooker Pumpkin Beer-Braised Chicken

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (4)

halfbakedharvest.com

Serve it with rice (here's how you make rice without a rice cooker) and maybe have one of your guests bring over some crusty bread, too. Recipe here.

2. One-Pan Chicken with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (5)

foodiecrush.com

Cook it in a pretty cast-iron skillet and leave it in there to serve. Recipe here.

3. Slow Cooker Lamb with Olives and Potatoes

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (6)

Romulo Yanes / marthastewart.com

There are two parts of this recipe that might make you nervous and I'm going to explain to you why NOTHING ABOUT THIS RECIPE SHOULD MAKE YOU NERVOUS.

1) Maybe you've never bought lamb shanks before. Don't worry, most butchers have them, and they're happy to cut and trim them for you.

2) You need to brown the meat before you put it in the crockpot. This should not scare you. Get a skillet really, REALLY hot, then put the lamb shanks in and turn them a couple of times so that they're browned on ever side. And honestly, if you over- or under-brown, it's not a big deal.

Recipe here.

4. Garlic and Rosemary Roast Pork Loin

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (7)

Chris Court / foodandwine.com

First, heat a skillet and brown the outside of the pork loin on the stove top. Then, stick the whole skillet in the oven to finish cooking the meat. To complete the meal, these garlic roasted potatoes are great, and you can cook them at the same time as you cook the pork, since both call for a 400°F oven. This simple green salad would be good on the side, too. Pork loin recipe here.

5. Pasta with Chorizo and Chickpeas

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (8)

Hirsheimer & Hamilton / bonappetit.com

Buying a super-flavorful sausage like chorizo takes no extra effort, but makes an otherwise easy and simple dish dinner party-worthy. Recipe here.

6. Thai-Style Shrimp Curry

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (9)

Liren Baker / kitchenconfidante.com

Red curry paste, which is sold in the ethnic aisle of most standard grocery stores, adds a ton of complex flavor to an otherwise simple dish. If you can't find Chinese spinach, sub regular spinach or mustard greens. Serve over rice or rice noodles for an impressive but quick (20 minutes, start to finish!) dinner party dish. Recipe here.

7. Chicken in Milk

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (10)

jamieoliver.com

Jamie Oliver tells you to "baste with the cooking juices when you remember," because even if you forget, the end result will be delicious. To serve, no need to carve (which really isn't that hard but I get it, it's intimidating), just let the chicken cool a little, pull it off the bone, and serve it on plates on top of mashed potatoes, drizzled with the delicious sauce that's creating in the pot with the chicken as it cooks. Recipe here.

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (11)

8. Roasted Chicken Legs with Potatoes and Kale

Tina Rupp / foodandwine.com

This impressive-looking dish is almost stupidly simple: Remove kale leaves from the stem, slice potatoes, cut chicken legs in half, throw everything together in a pan with oil and seasoning, and roast. If separating the chicken thigh from the drumstick sounds intimidating, just buy 8 chicken drumsticks and 8 chicken thighs. Recipe here.

9. Easy Beef Lasagna

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (13)

jocooks.com

Easy, and everybody's favorite. Recipe here.

10. White Bean Chicken Chili with Butternut Squash

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (14)

foodiecrush.com

This easy stew is so pretty and so hearty that all you need to serve it with is tortilla chips! The recipe is for 6, but if you have a big (at least 6 quart) pot, you can double it and freeze the leftovers. Recipe here.

11. Braised Pork Shoulder

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (15)

marthastewart.com

You could serve this with a quick stovetop polenta. That would be good. Recipe here.

12. Sunday Night Stew and Potatoes

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (16)

thepioneerwoman.com

The best part of beef stew is that it pairs well with both red wine and bourbon, the two greatest things about staying in when it's cold outside. Recipe here.

13. "Stacked" Chicken Enchiladas

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (17)

gimmesomeoven.com

Enchiladas can be easy to make, but this enchilada casserole is even easier. And face it, everything falls apart on the plate anyway. Recipe here.

14. Passover Brisket

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (18)

thepioneerwoman.com

You need to plan ahead, since this one takes 12-24 hours to marinate and 7 hours to cook. But other than that, all you need to do is mix ketchup and soup mix, smother it on brisket, put it in the fridge, take it out of the fridge, put it in the oven, and take it out of the oven. Sandwiches are a good idea, I think, but if that's too lowbrow for you, you can serve this with potatoes. Recipe here.

15. Pork Shoulder Ragu

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (19)

dinneralovestory.com

The only ragu you'll ever want to eat again. Serve it with pasta, prefereably a thick noodle like pappardelle. Recipe here.

16. Best-Ever Homemade Tacos

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (20)

yummyhealthyeasy.com

Sometimes you just want to have a bunch of people over, and you just want to feed them something delicious. This recipe serves 4, but you can easily double it to serve 8. Recipe here.

17. Baked Ziti

17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (21)

simplyrecipes.com

Red sauce Italian is always a crowd pleaser. Recipe here.

Trending Recipes

Trending Recipes

More Tasty Guides

More Tasty Guides

    See all
    17 Easy Recipes For A Dinner Party (2024)

    FAQs

    What is the best food to serve at a dinner party? ›

    Dinner party mains
    • One-pot chicken chasseur. A star rating of 4.8 out of 5. ...
    • Lamb biryani. A star rating of 4.6 out of 5. ...
    • Crispy sesame chicken. A star rating of 0 out of 5. ...
    • Beef bourguignon with celeriac mash. ...
    • Mustard-stuffed chicken. ...
    • Goat's cheese & thyme stuffed chicken. ...
    • One-pan salmon with roast asparagus. ...
    • Butternut chilli.

    What should I cook for dinner when lazy? ›

    30 lazy dinners to make on weeknights
    • Ramen carbonara. 4.75. 4.8. 30 Minute Cheesy Chicken Risoni. 4.3617. 4.4. ...
    • Thai Green Curry Chicken Noodle Soup. 4.857145. 4.9. Family Friendly Fried Rice. 4.285715. 4.3. ...
    • Sri Lankan Coconut & Cashew Chicken with Saffron Rice. 4.184615. 4.2. Potato Gems Shepherd's Pie. 4.2. 4.2.

    How do you impress guests at a dinner party? ›

    Use our eight simple tips to make your dinner parties the talk of the town, and your neighbours fighting for invites.
    1. Greet Your Guests. ...
    2. Store Bought Really is Just Fine. ...
    3. Set a Beautiful Table. ...
    4. Serve a Signature co*cktail. ...
    5. Hot & Ready. ...
    6. Kids' Corner. ...
    7. Make Ahead. ...
    8. Make Extra.
    Nov 24, 2022

    What is the most easiest thing to cook? ›

    17 Of The Easiest Recipes Of All Time (Seriously)
    1. 15-Minute Lo Mein. Pinch of Yum / Via pinchofyum.com. ...
    2. Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas. ...
    3. Honey Balsamic Chicken. ...
    4. Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps. ...
    5. White Bean Soup With Vegetables. ...
    6. Smoked Gouda and Mushroom Quesadillas. ...
    7. Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet. ...
    8. One-Pot Pasta With Spinach and Peas.
    Jan 2, 2019

    What is the cheapest food to make for a party? ›

    20 Great inexpensive party food ideas
    • Ham and cheese pinwheels. ...
    • Mini spinach pies. ...
    • Spaghetti bolognese. ...
    • Baguettes with toppings (bruschetta) ...
    • Egg, cheese, and ham skewers. ...
    • Chicken pot pie. ...
    • Cheese straws. ...
    • Macaroni and cheese. You can make a few dishes of macaroni and cheese and serve it from warming trays.
    Oct 13, 2022

    What are some dinner party ideas? ›

    Most Popular Dinner Party Recipes
    • Chicken Parmesan Meatballs.
    • Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta.
    • Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Burgers with Guacamole.
    • Herb Roasted Turkey.
    • Ground Chicken Tacos.

    What to make for dinner when unsure? ›

    • 1Mid-week lamb ragu. Turn lamb sausages into hearty ragu in this delicious 30 minute meal.
    • 230-min crispy beef and shiitake noodles. ...
    • 3Minute steaks with broccolini & cannellini bean. ...
    • 417-minute spiced lamb cutlets with couscous salad. ...
    • 5Speedy shepherd's pie. ...
    • 6Beef stroganoff. ...
    • 7Lamb kofte with beetroot hummus. ...
    • 8Lamb korma.

    Which cuisine is easiest to cook? ›

    6 Easy-to-Cook International Cuisines to Try
    • Mexican Cuisine. Mexican Cuisine is known for its tortillas and tacos. ...
    • Japanese Cuisine. Japanese Cuisine is another cuisine that you should try out. ...
    • French Cuisine. ...
    • Vietnamese Cuisine. ...
    • Italian Cuisine. ...
    • Spanish Cuisine.
    Jan 14, 2022

    How to make a dinner party great? ›

    The 7 Things I Do Every Time I'm Hosting a Dinner Party
    1. Consider the guest list. ...
    2. Set the menu. ...
    3. Prep beforehand. ...
    4. Play around with the table setting. ...
    5. Set the mood with sensory elements. ...
    6. Give (some) guests jobs. ...
    7. Lead the flow of the evening.
    Oct 10, 2023

    How do you keep guests entertained at a dinner party? ›

    Dinner Party Entertainment Ideas
    1. Don't Get Got. Don't Get Got is a great secret mission game that runs in the background of your next dinner party. ...
    2. A Murder Mystery. ...
    3. A Table Magician. ...
    4. Interactive Games. ...
    5. A Private Chef. ...
    6. A co*cktail Bar. ...
    7. Silhouette Artist. ...
    8. Live Music.
    Dec 31, 2023

    What is the most basic meal to cook? ›

    Here's what they had to say about practicing essential techniques and base recipes.
    • 01 of 10. Cream-Based Soup. Victor Protasio. ...
    • 02 of 10. Roast Chicken. Julia Hartbeck. ...
    • 03 of 10. Pizza. ...
    • 04 of 10. Pasta Carbonara. ...
    • 05 of 10. Whole Roasted Fish. ...
    • 06 of 10. Risotto. ...
    • 07 of 10. Garden Salad. ...
    • 08 of 10. BLT Fried Egg-and-Cheese Sandwich.
    Feb 1, 2024

    What is the simplest form of cooking? ›

    Cooking food in simmering liquid – whether water, salt water or stock – is one of the most classic preparation methods. Read more about the technique here.

    What are good party foods for adults? ›

    38 Ideas For Party Food That Will Please Any Crowd
    • Chicken Fajita Quesadillas. tasty.co. ...
    • Cheeseburger Sliders. tasty.co. ...
    • Tomato Basil Bruschetta. tasty.co. ...
    • Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball. tasty.co. ...
    • Chicken Pesto Pinwheels. ...
    • Garlic Parmesan-Stuffed Mushrooms. ...
    • Deep-Fried Mini Calzones (Panzarotti) ...
    • Honey Lime Sriracha Chicken Poppers.
    Dec 21, 2023

    What is a good plate of food to take to a party? ›

    Delicious transportable dishes for any occasion
    • Cheesy garlic and chive pull-apart sliders. ...
    • Fresh tomato and basil tart. ...
    • Spinach dip in cob loaf. ...
    • Air-fryer crackling pork belly and mango platter. ...
    • Smashed salt and vinegar potato salad. ...
    • Green potato salad. ...
    • Layered curried rice and cauliflower salad. ...
    • Niçoise pasta salad.

    References

    Top Articles
    Latest Posts
    Article information

    Author: Velia Krajcik

    Last Updated:

    Views: 5889

    Rating: 4.3 / 5 (74 voted)

    Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

    Author information

    Name: Velia Krajcik

    Birthday: 1996-07-27

    Address: 520 Balistreri Mount, South Armand, OR 60528

    Phone: +466880739437

    Job: Future Retail Associate

    Hobby: Polo, Scouting, Worldbuilding, Cosplaying, Photography, Rowing, Nordic skating

    Introduction: My name is Velia Krajcik, I am a handsome, clean, lucky, gleaming, magnificent, proud, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.