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Easy dinner party mains

Easy dinner party mains

Planning a dinner party can be exciting but also daunting. If you’re not sure what to cook, take the faff out of entertaining with our simple recipes. These delicious main course ideas are all easy to assemble and cook. Some can be made ahead, some are quick to prepare on the night – and all of them offer maximum flavour for minimum effort.

Take your pick from classic dinner party ideas like creamy risottos, fishcakes, venison, pork and lamb. Choose from elevated chicken traybakes, a whole sea bass with a tomato sauce or homemade gnocchi. You’ll also find plenty of vegetarian and vegan dinner party mains, which are impressive enough to feed the whole gang.

Need help deciding on what to serve with your lasagne or looking for ideas for a full menu? We’ve pulled together dozens of dinner party menus, from vegetarian to seasonal and festive options.

For those nights when hosting isn’t on the cards, check out our easy midweek dinner recipes.

Showing 1-16 of 127 recipes

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Impressive recipes for a special occasion

Picanha steak with parmesan fonduta, radicchio, anchovies and shallots

Tender and juicy picanha steak is cooked to perfection and served with creamy parmesan potatoes and a peppery radicchio and anchovy salad.

Gluten-free

Easy

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Pies

Crab and prawn pot pies with chips and salad

Rosie Mackean's luxurious crab and prawn pot pies make the perfect main for a laid-back dinner party, served with chips and a zingy salad.

Easy

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Easy dinner party mains

Chicken braised in vinho verde with romesco potatoes

This dinner party main will transport you to the Iberian Peninsula. Serve chicken braised in Portugal's vinho verde with romesco potatoes.

Easy

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Monkfish

Fragrant roast monkfish with green curry beurre blanc and crispy noodles

Roast monkfish, served with green-curry beurre blanc and topped with crispy noodles, is a dinner party main with real wow factor.

Gluten-free

Easy

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Easy dinner party mains

Classic saltimbocca

Italian saltimbocca sees thin tender slices of veal wrapped in sage leaves and prosciutto and served with a white wine pan sauce.

Easy

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Creamy pasta

Chicken alfredo

Creamy and rich with a hint of garlic and dried herbs, this easy chicken alfredo pasta is the ultimate in Italian-American comfort food.

Easy

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Fennel

Fennel tarte tatin

This fennel tarte tatin is a great vegetarian dinner or side for a roast. Fennel seeds temper the sweetness and goat’s cheese adds tang.

Vegetarian

Medium

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Chicken thighs

Chicken thighs in a mustard, tarragon and grape pan sauce

The sauce is the star of this easy bistro dish, made using all those delicious brown bits from the bottom of the pan for buckets of flavour.

Gluten-free

Easy

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Lamb curries

Atul Kochhar’s lamb pepper fry

Atul Kochhar's Keralan lamb pepper fry is flavoured with curry leaves, cloves and plenty of black pepper. It's ready in just 30 minutes.

Dairy-free Gluten-free

Easy

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One-pot chicken

Braised chicken with kefir, orzo and dried limes

An easy chicken dinner with big flavour. Tender braised chicken and toothsome orzo mingle in a tangy kefir sauce in this elegant one-pot.

Easy

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Soufflés

Cheddar and chive soufflé

This cheddar and chive soufflé makes an impressive main course for a light, elegant lunch. Serve with a green salad.

Vegetarian

Medium

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Alternative Christmas roast

Herby tamarind lamb with baked jollof rice

This tamarind and herb-stuffed lamb with baked jollof rice recipe is a celebratory Senegalese-inspired one-pot by Lerato Umah-Shaylor.

Dairy-free Gluten-free

Medium

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Duck

Roast duck breast with honey, sesame, orange and celeriac

Thrumming with earthy autumnal sweetness, this roast duck recipe with celeriac and orange wedges has serious duck à l’orange undertones.

Gluten-free

Easy

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August seasonal

Braised chicken with a runner bean fricassée

This is a simple and summery chicken dish which makes great use of seasonal produce. The runner bean fricassé helps eradicate the issue of runner beans being stringy.

Freezable Gluten-free

Easy

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30-minute meals

Grilled miso, lime and ginger mussels

Grilled mussels with lime are perfect for a starter or served with chips for a main, These crispy-zingy savoury bites are incredibly moreish.

Easy

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New potatoes

Summer roast chicken with holiday potatoes and courgette and peach salad

This simple, home-cooked roast chicken is minimal fuss for maximum flavour and can mostly be prepared before guests arrive. The pickled courgette and peach salad is a particular favourite for serving alongside.

Gluten-free