I love having people over, but I am far less interested these days in spending the whole night in the kitchen while everyone else is sitting at the table having a lovely time.
So I wanted to put together an easy make-ahead dinner party menu that feels generous and special, but lets you do most of the work before your guests arrive.
This is the sort of menu I want when friends are coming over: something doing it’s ‘thing’ in the oven, a really good salad, warm garlic bread on the table and a dessert that takes almost no effort at all.
The menu is:
The lasagne can be assembled the day before, the salad dressing can be made ahead, the garlic bread can be ready to pop into the oven, and affogato is barely a recipe — in the very best possible way.
Which means that when your friends arrive, you can pour yourself a glass of something lovely, sit down and actually enjoy them.
This is a vegetable-forward lasagne inspired by Ottolenghi, with plenty of silverbeet and spinach, herbs, bubbling cheese and a crunchy hazelnut topping.
It is rich and comforting, but without the usual béchamel it feels a little lighter than a traditional lasagne. Best of all for entertaining, it can be assembled the day before and refrigerated. Just leave the hazelnuts off until you are ready to bake it.
A simple green salad is exactly what this lasagne needs alongside it, but simple does not have to mean boring.
The dressing is really what makes this one: shallot, lemon, mustard and good olive oil, balanced so it is bright without being too sharp.
Make the vinaigrette ahead, then toss it through your leaves just before serving so everything stays beautifully fresh and crisp.
I have happily shared this one before & you can grab it here if you prefer the stand alone version
Because if there is bubbling lasagne on the table, it’s only natural that cheesy warm garlic bread find it’s way there too.
This can also be prepared ahead and simply baked while the lasagne is resting.
This may be one of my favourite ways to finish dinner when people are over.
Great quality ice cream, freshly brewed espresso and dark chocolate shavings. Some of you will have this from my cookbook ‘Family‘.
There is no dessert to bake, unmould or worry about. Simply bring everything to the table and pour the coffee over at the last minute.
Bake the lasagne until bubbling and golden. Let it rest for a few minutes while you warm the garlic bread and dress the salad.
After dinner, all you need to do is scoop the ice cream, make the espresso and pour.
Whoo hoo..
Entertaining does not need to mean making six complicated things or disappearing into the kitchen for half the evening.
For me, the best dinner parties are the ones where the food is generous, everyone feels relaxed and the person doing the cooking actually gets to be part of the night too.
I hope this menu gives you one less thing to think about the next time you say, “Come over for dinner.”
Enjoy.
Nellie x
Since 2009, I’ve been bringing people together around real food, recipes made to cook, share, and enjoy.
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