Easy meal for entertaining

I am having a few people over for dinner on Sunday.

Any suggestions on something to make? Sides?

I am totally at a loss.

5 adults

DH doesn't eat seafood so that's out.


TIA!!

Re: Easy meal for entertaining

Easiest meal in the world is a spiral honey glazed ham. Make with some roasted sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus or brocollini and maybe one more side and you are golden!

Taco/burrito bar- fun and easy! Make a crockpot of shredded chicken and maybe some seasoned ground beef or grilled shrimp. Then a pot of rice, a pot of black beans, fresh guac and all the fixins. Also easy and delicious.

Easy meal for entertaining

Baked Ziti, Salad, Garlic Bread.

Re: Easy meal for entertaining

Not sure if you are looking for something more casual or summer-y, but I like to make turkey london broil for company. Easy, slices nicely, and sides are a no-brainer. You can go the Thanksgiving route- stuffing, sweet potatoes, etc.
I also like to grill thin-sliced chicken cutlets in my grill pan with some Ital seasoning, and serve topped with diced tomatoes tossed with evoo, basil, s&p. You don't have to serve super-hot. Just drizzle with balsamic reduction before taking it to the table. I like this with a green salad and roasted baby potatoes.

Re: Easy meal for entertaining

I always serve things I can make (or at least assemble) in advance, when I am hosting a dinner party. That way, I can chat with friends and not have to be in the kitchen and stress about doing everything on the spot. I can just put things in the oven or do some easy last minute stuff (dressing the salad, etc.).

Are you looking to do a more formal sit-down dinner, or something more casual?

In the summer, we grill a lot when we have people over (well, DH grills), and I make side dishes that can be made in advance. If you don't want to do just burgers and hot dogs, you could do a thin cut of marinated steak (flank steak, even London broil), or kebobs (with chicken, beef, lamb, etc.), or even chicken pieces. If you do bone in chicken, I would bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes first (I usually pour bbq sauce or Italian dressing or something over the chicken) and then finish it on the grill to make sure it cooks through. Serve with tomato and mozzarella salad, pasta salad, grilled veggies, etc.

If you don't want to grill, but it's too hot to use the oven and you want to keep it casual, you could do pulled pork (or even pulled chicken) in the crockpot (if you have one) and people can make sandwiches, and you can serve sides (cornbread or corn casserole, salads, etc.).

In the winter, I think it's always easy to do lasagna or a baked pasta dish with salad and garlic bread, and it's something everyone likes. But you may think that is too heavy for summer.

For more formal meals, I've done a larger roasted meat (roast turkey breast, beef tenderloin, pork roast, etc.), which is easy. You can marinate or season in advance, and then just put it in the oven to roast. I like to serve twice baked potatoes, because they look a little fancier and can be assembled ahead of time and just baked off as needed. I also make a carrot soufflé that people love and is great with roasted meats. But again, that might be too heavy for summer.

Maybe you can make chicken cutlets rolled with filling and baked in the oven? They can be assembled in advance and then baked about a half hour before you are ready to eat. There are lots of recipes online, but you can fill with breadcrumbs and mozzarella, ham and swiss, etc., Bread the cutlet roll ups, or just season them (your choice), and bake them. I've made a lemon-wine sauce to go with them, but they are good plain, too.

Easy meal for entertaining

Chicken cutlets, baked ziti and garlic bread. You can make the ziti the day before and just heat it up. Super easy and a total crowd pleaser!

Easy meal for entertaining

Cheese lasagna, salad, and garlic bread.

Easy meal for entertaining

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys!!!!

Re: Easy meal for entertaining

Re: Easy meal for entertaining

Easy meal for entertaining

I ended up making breaded chicken cutlets on the BBQ (there is another thread about them), spinach lasagna rolls (Skinnytaste recipe) and carrots.

Everything was a hit!