Hosting friends or family for a meal? Then this collection of easy recipes – with top tips and tricks for preparing ahead – is your bible. From fun party foods like sharing nachos and tacos to spicy curries, easy one-pot dishes, comforting pies and wow-factor meals, there's something for everyone, and all the recipes feed at least six people.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover 32 dinner party recipes everyone will love.
Beef Wellington is a dish that's guaranteed to wow a crowd – and with our recipe you'll get perfect results, every time. To make it, surround prime beef fillet with a mushroom and liver pâté, then encase the whole lot in crisp, buttery puff pastry. The beef, pâté and accompanying gravy can all be made ahead, so when it comes to serving, all that's left to do is assemble the Wellington for baking. When it's ready, serve it up with potatoes and buttered greens.
With its indulgent layers of rich meat sauce, creamy white sauce, and slices of aubergine and potato, cheesy moussaka is just perfect for a gourmet gathering. You can make it with either pork or lamb mince; the choice is up to you. Get sorted ahead of time by assembling it in the morning, then leave it in the fridge until you're ready to bake it. Easy!
In this colourful vegetarian dish, runner beans are cooked in white wine, tomatoes and garlic, topped with a crunchy feta and pistachio crumb, and served with potato and carrot purées. Both the crumb and purées can be cooked ahead and reheated – and the prep for the beans can be done in advance, too.
Who can resist a good steak and ale pie? In this recipe, chunks of melt-in-the-mouth beef are slow-cooked in a rich ale and mushroom gravy, and topped with buttery puff pastry. The preparation for this British favourite is minimal – the oven does all the work. The filling will keep for up to three days in the fridge, and it freezes perfectly if you need to keep it for longer. Serve with buttered greens and potatoes on the side.
Hearty and wholesome, this lightly spiced curry pie is a dish everyone will want to dig into. It's budget-friendly, too, made with one small pack of minced beef, a selection of fresh or frozen vegetables – feel free to use whatever you have to hand – and plenty of herbs and spices. You can make the filling up to two days ahead, then assemble the gorgeously buttery filo pastry crust on the day of your dinner party.
A golden, pastry-encased veggie centrepiece that tastes as good as it looks! Filled with an umami-packed mix of mushrooms and lentils, this plant-based twist on classic beef Wellington proves that vegetarian mains can be just as luxurious as their meaty counterparts. The wellington will need to rest in the fridge for at least an hour before baking, so it's worth making this dish well in advance of your guests arriving.
A classic lasagne is always a crowd-pleaser. This one does take a little time to make, but it's easy, and most of it is hands-off cooking. The rich meat sauce can be made ahead and left in the fridge for up to two days (or it freezes perfectly). You could assemble the whole dish in the morning, then leave it chilled until you're ready to bake it. Serve with a crunchy green salad for a balanced meal.
The secret to a great chilli? A long, slow cooking time. This recipe is rich and spicy, and you'll need to simmer it for two hours for maximum flavour. The bonus is that it keeps for up to three days in the fridge – and it freezes well, too, so it's as brilliant for batch-cooking as it is for a big family dinner. Try serving it with bowls of sour cream, grated cheese, guacamole and tortilla chips.
Looking for a fresh take on salmon? Look no further than this recipe. Here, a whole side fillet is coated with a punchy, herby green sauce, baked in the oven and served with roasted miso onions. The skin is baked separately so it crisps up, then it's sprinkled over the finished dish. You can make the sauce and cook the onions a few hours ahead (just reheat the onions to serve) – so, when it all comes down to it, it's a simple case of baking the salmon. The recipe calls for ghee, but you can substitute it with olive oil or melted butter.
Indian butter chicken is the perfect dish for those who love aromatic, creamy curries without a big kick of chilli. For a family dinner, add two extra chicken thighs to the recipe to serve six. You can save time by making it a day in advance – just add the butter once reheated. Serve with rice and flatbreads for a hearty, filling meal.
This easy recipe looks great and tastes amazing – and, best of all, it can be prepared ahead of time and popped in the oven when needed. Tender chicken breasts are cooked in a sauce of Taleggio cheese, cream cheese and pesto, then covered with breadcrumbs for a crispy topping. For a pop of colourful goodness, tomatoes are added to roast towards the end of cooking.
Get the recipe for pesto chicken with Taleggio and tomatoes here
A roast dinner for eight people, all cooked in one tin! In this recipe, the lamb is stuffed with a garlicky cheese and basil mixture that can be made the day before, and it's well worth it – the savoury, salty pecorino is a wonderful contrast to the sweetness of the lamb. Add fresh tomatoes and potatoes, plus a good glug of white wine, for an easy, tasty sauce.
Get the recipe for roast leg of lamb with pecorino and garlic here
Perfect for a special lunch, this sweet and spicy grilled salmon tastes fabulous paired with a punchy salsa and buttery caramelised onion rice. You can marinate the salmon and make the salsa the day before, then add the fresh coriander to serve. The caramelised onions can also be prepared ahead of time, so all you have to do is cook the rice. What could be simpler?
Want to spend less time cooking and more time mingling with your guests? Try this super stir-fry – it can be prepared a few hours in advance, then takes just 20 minutes to cook. An irresistible one-pan-wonder, it's packed with juicy prawns, tender strips of chicken, black bean sauce, five-spice, and lots of fresh, crunchy vegetables. Just add jasmine rice to serve.
A creamy filling of spinach, mushrooms, ricotta and Gruyère is encased in buttery puff pastry to create this stunning vegetarian centrepiece. It's easy to make, too; the recipe uses shop-bought pastry, and the filling can be prepared up to eight hours in advance. Then, it's just an assembly job before baking. Serve with salad and new potatoes for a meal everyone will enjoy.
Thick, fiery and packed with slow-cooked lamb shoulder and chunks of potato, this spicy vindaloo is the perfect treat for curry lovers. If you want to prep it in advance (or simply fancy a tasty leftover lunch), it'll happily keep in the fridge for two days. Serve it with naan bread or rice, with a bowl of yogurt and fresh mint on the side to cool down the heat.
Tacos are such a fun, easy way to feed a crowd; just put all the fillings into bowls, and let your guests dig in. It takes a bit of preparation – the meltingly tender pork needs to be marinated overnight, then slow-cooked in white wine. To make things easier, you can make it two days ahead, then reheat it in the microwave. Serve with chopped onions, avocado, lime, fresh coriander and plenty of tomato salsa.
A big pan of steaming paella is such a convivial dish. This one's made with juicy prawns, squid, mussels and spicy chorizo for plenty of wow-factor. It may look impressive, but there's not much preparation involved – just a bit of chopping. Finish it off with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of fresh parsley for a Mediterranean flourish.
The ultimate pre-dinner nibble, this vegetarian flavour sensation couldn't be simpler to make – just double up the recipe, load your tortilla chips with smoked tofu, tomatoes, onions and jalapeños, then cover in cheese. Bake your creation in one large dish or two smaller ones, and serve hot and oozy from the oven. Don't forget the guacamole and tomato salsa.
When you slow-cook a leg of lamb, the meat just falls off the bone. This rich, aromatic recipe is made in a slow cooker, then crisped up in the oven – but if you don't have a slow cooker, you could put it in a covered pot and bake it on a low heat in the oven for around four hours instead (just double up the liquid). Serve on flatbreads with hummus, fresh coriander, pomegranate seeds and spring onions for a colourful dinner the whole family will love.
Crisp fish in a lightly spiced batter, served in flour tortillas with chipotle cream sauce and crunchy fresh vegetables – what could be more delicious? These fish tacos make a great party food or build-your-own dinner. The batter and sauce can be made ahead, and the vegetables can be chopped up ready to go. Then, all you need to do is fry the fish.
The perfect sharing platter for a casual get-together. In this recipe, tortilla chips are topped with strips of juicy sirloin, peppers, onions and smoky jalapeños, then covered in a rich cheese sauce. Double up the recipe to feed eight, and leave the steak to marinate for around eight hours to really pack in the flavour.
Thai curries are aromatic, spicy and sweet – and this crowd-pleasing recipe is so good, you'll come back to it again and again. The base is made with a shop-bought red curry paste, so most of the work is done for you. The rich sauce is thickened with ground roasted peanuts and finished with fresh red chilli and Thai basil for an extra burst of flavour.
To make these tasty wraps, cook minced pork in garlic, ginger and soy sauce, spoon the mixture into lettuce leaves, and top with crunchy peanuts, fresh herbs and spring onions. Our recipe uses a slow cooker, though if you prefer, you could cook your pork on the hob for around an hour or so instead. It can also be made in advance, then reheated. Double the quantities to serve a hungry group of eight.
This French classic combines crisp shortcrust pastry and a creamy, cheesy bacon filling. It's a dream dish for feeding a crowd as it can be made ahead and frozen, or baked in the morning and flashed in the oven to reheat. Use shop-bought pastry, and it's a doddle. Serve with a crisp green salad and new potatoes if you want a more filling meal.
Slow-cooked, spicy beef is shredded to make the perfect taco filling in this recipe, which comes with generous helpings of sour cream, salsa, onions, chillies and fresh lime. The slow cooker does the hard work, so all you need to do is pop it on in the morning. You can marinate the beef brisket overnight in the sauce, then switch on the cooker and go. In fact, this dinner is so fuss-free that your guests can build the tacos themselves. Simple!
The ultimate British comfort food for a chilly day, this meal is a real winner: a rich sauce of minced lamb, mushrooms and vegetables, topped with buttery mashed potato. Plus, you can make the meat sauce up to two days ahead. If you fancy something a little different, try topping it with sweet potato mash instead, or a combination of mashed potato and celeriac.
Here, sweet and spicy slow-cooked chicken thighs are topped with a sweetcorn batter to give a lovely, crispy crust. The chicken, flavoured with spices, peppers and tomatoes, can be made up to three days ahead. It can be frozen too, although the batter needs to be done before serving. Fresh or frozen corn is essential (don't use tinned, which won't give the crispy topping).
There's nothing more tempting than a big platter of nachos. In this slow-cooker recipe, tortilla chips are topped with spicy shredded beef (which requires overnight marinating), jalapeños, melted cheese, tomato salsa and guacamole. To feed a crowd, just double or triple the recipe as needed.
In this Middle Eastern–inspired recipe (which you can double up to serve eight), griddled chicken skewers are served with a crunchy slaw, dill labneh, pickles and flatbreads. Get ahead by marinating the chicken and making the labneh the day before. The slaw will keep in the fridge for two hours, so you can make that a little in advance too. When it's time to serve, put everything into bowls and leave your guests to do the assembling.
In this recipe, spicy beef, peppers, black beans and sweetcorn are wrapped in flour tortillas, covered with cheese, then baked to make an easy dinner for six. The beef filling is much better made the day before serving, although it will keep in the fridge for up to three days. Serve with guacamole and tomato salsa for a Mexican feast.
In this recipe, chicken thighs are cooked in barbecue sauce for succulent, sweet, spicy meat, then served in buns with chipotle mayonnaise and avocado. It's as fuss-free as it gets; the chicken is made in a slow cooker, so you can forget about it while you get ready for the gang to arrive. Don't have a slow cooker? No problem. Just cook the thighs on the hob on a low heat for around an hour.
Get the recipe for slow-cooked barbecue chicken sliders here
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Last updated by Jessica Morris.