22 Show-Stopping Recipes For Your Next Dinner Party
Take a cue from Ree Drummond and prep in advance!
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So, you're throwing a dinner party. Whether you're hosting people for a special occasion like a birthday, anniversary, or a holiday or just having friends over to catch up, it's a great way to connect and bond over the good stuff in life: food! But oof, it can be stressful. You want to impress everyone with your culinary skills, but you also want to spend time mingling with guests.
What's a host with the most supposed to do? Take a cue from Ree Drummond when she preps her Thanksgiving menu and plan ahead. The dinner party recipes included here can either be made in advance or paired with something that is. For example, if you want to make a roast beef, make the mashed potatoes two days ahead and just reheat them as the meat cooks. Then pull the lemon tart out of the fridge that you made yesterday as the dinner plates get cleaned up.
You'll find ideas for every part of a dinner party menu to mix and match: easy appetizers, impressive main courses with vegetable side dishes, and even a impressive desserts to end the evening. You can also make a batch cocktail which will help free up your hands and time to enjoy chatting up your guests or tackle any last minute challenges that might occur. Because while you can't control every little thing that might happen, the more you plan in advance, the better off you'll be for a successful evening.
Roast Chicken
A whole roasted chicken is much easier than turkey but just as special. You don't have to brine it in advance and you still get lots of juicy, flavorful meat and crispy skin.
Get Ree's Roast Chicken recipe.
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
If you're looking for a go-to side dish that goes with practically everything, you can't go wrong with mashed potatoes. Ree makes hers up to two days in advance because they reheat very well.
Get Ree's Creamy Mashed Potatoes recipe.
Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
Roasting veggies helps enhance their natural flavors. Plus, the process is mostly hands-off, which gives you more time and space to prep your other dishes. Pick your favorite or whatever is in season!
Get the Caramelized Brussels Sprouts recipe.
Baked Brie
A warm, molten wheel of baked brie is the best way to kick off the festivities. It's one of the easiest starters you'll ever make. You don't even have to remove the rind!
Get the Baked Brie recipe.
Panna Cotta
If you're more of a cook than a baker, dessert might feel extra challenging. Panna cotta looks and tastes restaurant quality, but it's as easy to make as Jell-O!
Get the Panna Cotta recipe.
Roast Beef
Making a big roast will surely impress everyone, whether it be roast beef, prime rib or beef tenderloin. This recipe spends plenty of time in the oven and resting before it gets carved, so you can get everything else on the table.
Get the Roast Beef recipe.
Green Beans Almondine
Green beans are tossed with butter, lemon, shallots, garlic, and crunchy toasted almonds for a quick, flavorful side dish that's ready in just 30 minutes. They'll pair with any protein, too!
Get the Green Beans Almondine recipe.
The Best Lasagna Ever
Lasagna recipes, or baked pasta dishes in general, are excellent ideas because you can prep them in advance and just pop them in the oven. No meat to cut, no thermometers to use―just serve 'em family style.
Get Ree's Best Lasagna Ever recipe.
Shrimp Cocktail
It only takes about three or four minutes to cook shrimp. Plus, this needs time to chill so you can make it in advance and just pull it out of the fridge when guests arrive.
Get the Shrimp Cocktail recipe.
Slow Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip
There's a reason this dip never went out of style. Who doesn't love hot, cheesy goodness? Making it in the slow cooker keeps the oven free for other dishes and keeps it warm throughout the festivities.
Get Ree's Slow Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe.
Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Preserves
If roasting a giant bird or a big ol' piece of beef feels intimidating, make this! Ree says pork tenderloin "looks like you spent way more time on it than you did." In fact, it only takes 20 minutes in total.
Get Ree's Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Preserves recipe.
French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms
Mushrooms are savory and satisfying and just so happen to be the perfect little vessels to stuff for an appetizer. This fun twist can be assembled a day in advance, too!
Get Ree's French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms recipe.
Baked Salmon
Baking salmon in the oven is easy peasy lemon squeezy. Plus, the marinade has mustard, honey, and olive oil besides the lemon, too! It takes just 20 minutes, start to finish.
Get the Baked Salmon recipe.
Chocolate Mousse
Mousse is one of those classic French desserts that just feels so elegant. You can make it the day before and just let it sit out for about a half hour before you garnish and serve.
Get the Chocolate Mousse recipe.
Antipasto Skewers
It's like a charcuterie board on a stick! Slide salami, cheese, and pickle veggies onto skewers and let guests nibble at will. You can also assemble these ahead of time, eliminating any last-minute scrambling.
Get the Antipasto Skewers recipe.
Green Goddess Salad
A fresh green salad can lighten up any dinner menu, but you don't want to worry about it getting soggy from the dressing. This option will stay crunchy and fresh for days.
Get the Green Goddess Salad recipe.
No-Knead Dinner Rolls
Skip the complicated kneading process and still get fresh-from-the-oven dinner rolls on the table. They bake up in muffin pans so you don't have to worry about shaping them perfectly, either.
Get Ree's No-Knead Dinner Rolls recipe.
Potato Leek Soup
A first course of creamy soup at a sit-down dinner feels so luxurious. And if you pick a recipe that you can make in advance (like this!), all it needs is a splash of a few things as it reheats.
Get Ree's Potato Leek Soup recipe.
Beef Burgundy
If you're going more casual but still want something impressive, channel your inner Julia Child... or in this case, Ree Drummond! This hearty beef stew is actually better the next day so you can make everything ahead of time.
Get Ree's Beef Burgundy recipe.
Spinach Puffs
Make your life easier and start these impressive-looking appetizers with some store-bought puff pastry. Even better? Make them in advance and reheat them in your air fryer. Genius!
Get the Spinach Puffs recipe.
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