Homemade chicken pot pie made with store bought refrigerated pie crusts and rotisserie chicken.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another fan of soup here. I've found minestrone to be a great meal for guests. It's easy to make vegan if needed, and unless you have a guest with an allium allergy just about anyone can eat and enjoy it. In addition to the obvious bread/roll side, it goes well with a good antipasto platter so people who want meat or cheese can have some of that. And it's also easy to eat in company, which I like. I would make such a mess of a Cornish hen trying to cut around all those bones I could never show my face again.

Plus it's so healthy one can serve a luscious dessert if desired (I usually desire. Fancy chocolates, cookies, and truffles are a favorite. Or cupcakes. Or layer cake. Or ice cream. I like them all.)

Minestrone? This as an entrée is not nearly enough food to count as dinner. It's fat free and like 150 calories a serving, it's diet food or an appetizer. A lot of people don't consider soup a meal, but even for those who do, minestrone would be at the bottom of the list for a soup that is hearty enough to be a standalone meal. I'm not even a huge eater, but I would be demolishing that antipasto platter or planning to have a second meal at home. Desserts do nothing for me so that wouldn't enter into my healthy/unhealthy meal calculation at all, I don't eat them.

A little harsh, but I have to agree.

I’m a big fan of a baked pasta dish with a nice salad and bread.

This recipe is easy and colorful, and pretty much everyone loves it:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/baked-penne-with-roasted-vegetables-recipe-1916906

Anonymous wrote:I like to make chili, one pot meat and one pot vegetarian (leftovers make great lunch), which can be made ahead and warmed before eating. All the same topping choices- sour cream, shredded cheese, diced onions, pickle jalapeños, tortilla chips. Rice, corn bread and big green salad on the side. Picky kids can eat chips, rice and cheese.

This is what I do. One meat, one vegetarian, either chili or a type of stew. One in the crock pot, one in a pot on the stove. They can both be set to low, so they stay warm for hours if need be. Everyone can pick from a variety of toppings. Everything is done before guests arrive, so no one is stuck in the kitchen (or at the grill) while the others are socializing.

Super easy mild enchiladas. Use entire rotisserie chicken shredded (or canned/rinsed kidney beans) add rice (we use the microwave kind from Whole Foods) shredded cheese, and place in flour tortilla and put rolled up in greased glass Pyrex. Repeat. Cover with jar of mild enchilada sauce and then cheese. Bake for 25 min. Super yummy.

Chili served with all the toppings, plus hot dogs and buns on the side for anyone who wants a chili dog. You will be surprised at how many people go for the chili dog.

I actually hate grilling. Find it super stressful for some reason, and hate that it has to get done while guests are there.

I totally prefer items that can be made ahead, and either kept hot, or easily reheated in the oven.

Soups
Lasagna
Enchiladas
Fajitas (roasting the chicken and vegetables beforehand)
Meatballs or Bolognese pre-made; boiling pasta just before dinner
Quiche
Roasted veggies
Baked Beans
Mixed fruit (cut in advance and have in the fridge)
I'm also a huge fan of a good charcuterie board

Chili
Lasagne
Salmon
Roasted chicken
Tacos
Enchiladas

Whole roast chicken, roasted veggies + potatoes, salad, crusty bread.

Taco bar. Have beans and beef available for meat eaters and vegetarians. Serve with chips and salsa

Chili and cornbread

As long as you don't have shell-fish allergies, a low county boil is easy. It can be boiled, or made in an instant pot or there are sheet pan versions, but all the prep is done before. It is also just as good with turkey sausage (a lot of our friends don't eat pork). I usually make a smaller portion without the meat for myself and any other pescatarians. Cornbread and roles, on the side. Key lime cheesecake for dessert (there are no bake recipes, if you don't want to deal with a water bath). I agree with a previous poster that ice cream sandwiches, drumsticks, klondike bars work well for kids.

I think a lot of recipes can be modified for kids - like the NYT harissa chicken, just do a portion without the harissa.

I like to make Indian food, as everything can be made ahead, and you need to just heat and serve. Even picky kids will usually eat naan/ dal & rice.

When we were first starting to entertain, we liked to do much ahead of guests arriving: make cold sides like green salad and pasta salad, marinate and prep chicken, steak and veggie kebabs for grilling, and prep corn on cob for boiling. Most work was done ahead, and then spouse or I would pop outside to grill the kebobs for 10ish minutes while the other threw in the corn for a few minutes. It was very easy to manage while still being good hosts.

Some kind of stew, a big pot of it. Serve with rice or couscous. Salad on the side. Melon or berries and store bought cookies for dessert.