Planning a gathering and need easy dinner party recipes to feed a crowd? Serving dishes that are easy to prepare and packed with flavour can make entertaining a breeze, whether you are entertaining family, friends or a special celebration. Whether you're serving six or more, these are recipes for you to serve your guests and be impressed with the results: Beef Wellington, creamy moussaka, comforting lasagne, hearty pies, spicy chilli and fresh salmon dishes.
Many of these recipes can be made in advance, which allows you more time to enjoy the party than prepare all of the meals from scratch.
Feeding a crowd, the easy way
Hosting friends or family for a meal? Then this collection of easy recipes – with top tips and tricks for preparing ahead – serves as your bible. From fun party foods like sharing nachos and tacos to spicy curries, easy one-pot dishes, comforting pies, and wow-factor meals, this collection offers something for everyone, and all the recipes feed at least six people.
Beef Wellington
Beef Wellington is a dish that's guaranteed to wow a crowd – and with our recipe you'll get perfect results, every time. To make it, surround prime beef fillet with a mushroom and liver pâté, then encase the whole lot in crisp, buttery puff pastry. You can make the beef, pâté and accompanying gravy ahead, so when it comes to serving, all that's left to do is assemble the Wellington for baking. When it's ready, serve it up with potatoes and buttered greens.
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Moussaka
With its indulgent layers of rich meat sauce, creamy white sauce, and slices of aubergine and potato, cheesy moussaka is just perfect for a gourmet gathering. You can make it with either pork or lamb mince; the choice is up to you. Assemble it in the morning, then leave it in the fridge until you're ready to bake it. Easy!
Runner bean and tomato casserole
In this colourful vegetarian dish, cooks prepare runner beans in white wine, tomatoes and garlic, top them with a crunchy feta and pistachio crumb, and serve them with potato and carrot purées. Both the crumb and purées can be cooked ahead and reheated – and the prep for the beans can be done in advance, too.
Steak and ale pie
Who can resist a good steak and ale pie? In this recipe, a rich ale and mushroom gravy slow-cooks chunks of melt-in-the-mouth beef, and buttery puff pastry tops the dish. The preparation for this British favourite is minimal – the oven does all the work. The filling will keep for up to three days in the fridge, and it freezes perfectly if you need to keep it for longer. Serve with buttered greens and potatoes on the side.
Beef and potato curry pie
Hearty and wholesome, this lightly spiced curry pie invites everyone to dig into it. It's budget-friendly, too, prepared with one small pack of minced beef, a selection of fresh or frozen vegetables – feel free to use whatever you have to hand – and plenty of herbs and spices. You can make the filling up to two days ahead, then assemble the gorgeously buttery filo pastry crust on the day of your dinner party.
Mushroom and lentil wellington
A golden, pastry-encased veggie centerpiece that tastes as good as it looks! An umami-packed mix of mushrooms and lentils fills this plant-based twist on classic beef Wellington, proving that vegetarian mains can be just as luxurious as their meaty counterparts. The wellington will need to rest in the fridge for at least an hour before baking, so it's worth making this dish well in advance of your guests arriving.
Lasagne
A classic lasagne is always a crowd-pleaser. This one does take a little time to make, but it's easy, and most of it is hands-off cooking. You can make the rich meat sauce ahead and left it in the fridge for up to two days (or it freezes perfectly). You could assemble the whole dish in the morning, then leave it chilled until you're ready to bake it. Serve with a crunchy green salad for a balanced meal.
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Chilli con carne
The secret to a great chilli? A long, slow cooking time. This recipe is rich and spicy, and you'll need to simmer it for two hours for maximum flavour. The bonus is that it keeps for up to three days in the fridge – and it freezes well, too, so it's as brilliant for batch-cooking as it is for a big family dinner. Try serving it with bowls of sour cream, grated cheese, guacamole and tortilla chips.
Salsa verde salmon
Looking for a fresh take on salmon? Look no further than this recipe. Here, a whole side fillet gets a coating of a punchy, herby green sauce, and you bake it in the oven and serve it with roasted miso onions. You bake the skin separately so it crisps up, then you sprinkle it over the finished dish. You can make the sauce and cook the onions a few hours ahead (just reheat the onions to serve) – so, when it all comes down to it, it's a simple case of baking the salmon. The recipe calls for ghee, but you can substitute it with olive oil or melted butter.
FAQs
1. What are some good recipes for a dinner party with a large number of people?
The easiest dinner party recipes for feeding a crowd are those that can be made ahead of time, like lasagne, chilli con carne, moussaka, pies and casseroles. They are simple to prepare on a huge scale and frequently the following day they will be even better.
2. Do you like to cook ahead of schedule for dinner?
Yes, there are numerous dinner party recipes that can be made ahead of time. Beef Wellington filling, curry pies, lasagne sauces, chilli and vegetarian wellingtons can be prepared hours or even days ahead of time.
3. What kind of impressive dinner party meals?
A nice layering moussaka or a wowing Beef Wellington, salsa verde salmon or a mushroom and lentil Wellington are all great options. They're impressive, yet easy to make meals.
4. What is an easy vegetarian dinner party recipe?
The mushroom and lentil Wellington and the runner bean and tomato casserole are good options for vegetarians. Filling, delicious and ideal for entertaining.
5. How to feed a large group without stress?
Look for 'one pot' meals, recipes that can be baked in the oven or those that can be pre-prepared. Doing some preparation and planning ahead of events, by selecting dishes that are easily prepared at the last minute, will make hosting a lot easier.
