Suggestions for a good but easy dinner to serve guests?

[Greta]

I really thought inspiration would have struck by now, but we have a family coming over for dinner tomorrow night, and I'm still at a total loss as to what to cook!

 

I am an adequate, but not particularly talented, cook.  And when I get nervous, I make stupid mistakes.  So I'd like to keep it rather simple.

 

I will be serving a total of 9 people (teens and adults), one of whom is a vegetarian (not vegan).  No food allergies to worry about.

 

Something that I could assemble in advance and cook in the oven would be preferable to something that requires a lot of last-minute stovetop cooking (it's that time crunch of the guests are here and I have to cook and talk at the same time that makes me nervous).  I don't mind cooking something totally separate for the vegetarian in the group, especially if it meets that same criteria.

 

Any thoughts?  I don't know why I can't seem to think of anything!!!

[Zinnia]

Is it casual?  We tend to entertain pretty casually, so that's my bent.  I tend to go with make your own tacos/fajitas, chili, spaghetti, or a big pan of something like cheese enchiladas or King Ranch chicken (or both).  Sometimes dh will grill chicken breasts or hamburgers/hotdogs.  A simple starch, salad, and dessert.  Lemonade, tea, and water.  

 

And that's pretty much my entertaining menu.  It keeps it simple at the last minute so I can enjoy.  

[Zoo Keeper]

Soup, salad and bread.  Brownies/cookies and ice cream for dessert.

 

Bread and salad and be store bought, and soup can keep nicely in the crock pot (or just simmer on low on the stove). 

[Greta]

Is it casual?  We tend to entertain pretty casually, so that's my bent.  I tend to go with make your own tacos/fajitas, chili, spaghetti, or a big pan of something like cheese enchiladas or King Ranch chicken (or both).  Sometimes dh will grill chicken breasts or hamburgers/hotdogs.  A simple starch, salad, and dessert.  Lemonade, tea, and water.  

 

And that's pretty much my entertaining menu.  It keeps it simple at the last minute so I can enjoy.  

 

 

Yes, casual is the only way I know how to entertain.  :D  Thank you!  These are all great suggestions.  I've never heard of King Ranch chicken, so I'm off to look that up....

[Greta]

Soup, salad and bread.  Brownies/cookies and ice cream for dessert.

 

Bread and salad and be store bought, and soup can keep nicely in the crock pot (or just simmer on low on the stove). 

 

 

That sounds easy!  Love it - thank you!

[Liz CA]

This time of year, I often do a chuck roast with vegetables in the cast iron dutch oven. If you bake it a low temp for several hours, it comes out very tender. It's kind of a "stick-to-your-ribs winter meal.

Very easy, all in one pot, bake a pie or some cookies for dessert - or if no time/inclination to bake, get some mixed nuts for snacks.

[marbel]

I have had success making two kinds of chili - a vegetarian version with beans, and a meat version with no beans.  Then I put them out and tell people to have whichever one they want, or mix them up.  Vegetarians are happy, people who don't like beans are happy.   People who like both are very happy.

 

Here is our favorite vegetarian chili, from Martha Stewart.    We don't have a particular favorite no-bean chili, but it's easy to find recipes online.  

 

Make them a day ahead. This does assume you have two large pots or cockpots for reheating and serving, though.  

 

Offer sour cream, shredded cheese, hot sauce, maybe some pickled jalapenos if you have them.   Cornbread or even easier, chips and salsa.   Salad or vegetable tray.  

 

Hope your dinner turns out beautifully!

 

 

Edited December 8, 2016 by marbel

[Kassia]

Great suggestions, but I wanted to add some kind of baked pasta casserole with cheese.  If you want to have meat for all the guests besides the vegetarian, you could have meatballs on the side.  Plus salad, dessert, etc.

[MeaganS]

I love the tomato soup recipe from King Arthur Flour. It is my go-to soup. Easy and delicious. And I don't even usually like tomato soup. Usually I serve it with an artisan bread loaf (like artisan bread in 5 minutes a day), which can be made ahead. I'd double both for a group that size and the soup could also be made ahead and warmed up. I've also been known to pick up a loaf of bread from Panera if I'm feeling lazy.

 

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/creamy-tomato-soup-recipe

 

And

 

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread

Edited December 8, 2016 by Meagan S

[FaithManor]

I would crockpot a nice vegetarian chili - tomatoes, pinto beans, kidney beans, garlic, cumin.

 

Then pick up a baguette to make into garlic bread and serve with salad and orange slices.

 

Easy, and hearty this time of year.

[FaithManor]

I do serve mine with sour cream and cheddar cheese for toppings for those that want it.

[Cecropia]

I'd go with chili. The recipe I use mostly involves dumping a bunch of cans/jars/cartons into one big pot and simmering it for hours.  Easy.  You could brown and season some ground beef and have it sitting on the side for the meat-eaters to add to their bowls.  I always put out shredded cheese and oyster crackers, too.

 

Chili pairs well with baked potatoes.

[Greta]

You guys are the best!  I love these suggestions.  Thanks so much!

 

We have an amazing French bakery near our house that makes the most incredible breads.  So I'll pick up a couple of different loaves there.

 

And I do have one crockpot plus a huge stockpot that I can keep warm on the stove.  So I think that stew is definitely the way to go.  

 

Again, thank you, you saved dinner!   :001_smile:

[bethben]

Mexican. I have all sorts of toppings (think shredded cheese, guac, salsa, etc) with rice and beans and chicken that can be pre shredded in the crockpot warming. I offer corn and wheat tortillas. This way, everyone makes what they want, everything can be done ahead of time, and it takes care of gluten allergies if needed. It's my go to for large amounts of people.

 

 

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[SparklyUnicorn]

If you REALLY feel overwhelmed, pizza is usually safe.  Order out.  :laugh:

[AmandaVT]

Great suggestions, but I wanted to add some kind of baked pasta casserole with cheese.  If you want to have meat for all the guests besides the vegetarian, you could have meatballs on the side.  Plus salad, dessert, etc.

 

I was thinking baked ziti with a side of sausages or something w a salad would be perfect.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

I was thinking baked ziti with a side of sausages or something w a salad would be perfect.

 

Or lasagna with one being 3 cheese and another being with meat.

[bettyandbob]

I'd throw meat in the Crock-Pot, bake potatoes, have bagged salad and steam frozen broccoli.

[Tess in the Burbs]

casual dinner I would do a taco bar.  Then the vegetarians can still do salad/veggies parts of the meal.  If you offer all the little things mexican food can have it's quite a large amount of choices.  Most can be prepared beforehand and just set it all out before serving.   Same idea for salad, just have some meat choices and all the fixings.   Potato bar.  Chili with toppings.  

[whitestavern]

My go-tos if I want something easy is beef stew. When I'm entertaining vegetarian guests it's veggie lasagne. Both would be served with bread and salad. Both can be made ahead of time.

Edited December 8, 2016 by whitestavern

[Free Indeed]

Stew and cornbread, soup, bread and a salad, taco bar, baked potato bar, pasta, bread and salad, chili and fixings for Frito pie! I love easy.

[hornblower]

vegetarian is easy :)  

Lasagna made with Yves Cuisine Just Like Ground or Gardein's Beefless Crumbles.  Everyone can eat it because it really is indistinguishable from meat in a lasagna so just make 2 pans of it. Use a regular lasagna recipe & just straight sub the vegetarian ground faux meat. 

Salad & baguette on the side

 

[Greta]

Lots of wonderful ideas!  Thank you all so very much!   :001_smile:

[Carol in Cal.]

I would do roast beef and a mushroom cheese casserole as a hearty side/vegetarian main dish.

I'd have blanched, chilled green beans marinating in mustardy salad dressing in the fridge.

Then when the guests arrived everything would be already cooking or in the fridge.

[Greta]

 

I'd have blanched, chilled green beans marinating in mustardy salad dressing in the fridge.

 

 

 

I have never had green beans prepared that way -- sounds very good!

 

 

 

 

I went with the stew, bread, and salad idea and all went well.  They were lighter eaters than I would have imagined, so I cooked way too much!  We have a ton of leftovers!!!  But the evening was really fun.  We entertain so rarely that it was a big event for us.  We really need to do things like that more often (a family of three extreme introverts - we kind of have to force ourselves to socialize!).

 

So, thank you all again for helping me make the evening a success!

[J-rap]

Easiest dinner in the world:

 

Put chicken breasts (recipe says about 3.5 pounds, though I just put in whatever I have), 1 bottle BB sauce, 1 cup coke, 1 sliced lemon, and optional 1 sliced onion, into the slow cooker.  Start on high, then turn it down and cook all day.

 

Break the chicken apart into larger chunks before serving if you like (you can decide how you want to do this...  I break the breasts into misc. sizes, usually cutting each breast-half into halves or even fourths).  Serve over cooked rice.  

 

Serve french bread and a salad on the size. You can get a bagged salad if you want to have it super easy.  Or, sometimes I serve broccoli on the side instead of salad.  (In any event, I think some kind of green vegetable on the side looks pretty.  :))