36 Impressive-Yet-Foolproof Dinner Party Mains
Be the Host with the Most
There are a few things that are essential for a memorable dinner party: great appetizers, a cocktail or two (plus the right glassware for serving) and of course, dinner and dessert. If you’ve spent a lot of time working on the little details like drinks, decor and the cutest miniature treats then you’re in the right place — we’ve got all the no-stress mains you could ever need to finish up your menu, each one as impressive (and dinner party-worthy) as the next. Just take this Milanese specialty of cross-cut veal shanks, for example. It’s braised with vegetables and white wine which might seem complicated — but this recipe only requires 10 minutes of prep work. Most of the cooking is hands off. After you brown the veal shanks and puree the vegetales for the sauce, the heat takes care of the rest.
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Osso Buco
Bundt Pan Spanakopita
Here’s an easy kitchen hack for traditional Greek spinach and cheese pies. A Bundt pan gives you a break from filling and folding all those individual triangles — and it turns a crispy appetizer into a showstopper that could pass as a main course.
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Bundt Pan Spanakopita
Beer-Braised Ribs with Clams
Tender littleneck clams, savory pork ribs and earthy new potatoes come together in an herbaceous tomato broth — the perfect dish for casual outdoor dining.
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Beer-Braised Ribs With Clams
Chicken Cacciatore
Buttery egg noodles are topped with juicy browned chicken thighs and a medley of sauteed vegetables in Ree Drummond’s classic chicken cacciatore recipe.
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Chicken Cacciatore
Beef Wellington
Make any day a special occasion by serving decadent Beef Wellington — tender slices of beef tenderloin wrapped in a flaky pastry crust. Before wrapping the tenderloin in the puff pastry, coat the meat in a homemade mustard-and-horseradish dressing to lock in tangy flavor.
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Beef Wellington
Grilled Tequila Garlic-Lime Flank Steak
Guy Fieri makes a tequila-spiked marinade for flank steak, reserving the extra to boil down for a tasty sauce. He serves the juicy meat with warm tortillas so everyone can wrap it up, fajita style.
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Grilled Tequila Garlic Lime Flank Steak
Bundt Pan Roast Chicken with Potatoes
Get double duty out of your Bundt pan by using it as a stand for roasting chicken and a pan for potatoes. The juices from the chicken slowly infuse flavor into the spuds while they cook.
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Bundt Pan Roast Chicken with Potatoes
Curried Chicken and Rice Casserole
When dining out in an Indian restaurant, it’s customary to spoon the protein and vegetable mixture on top of the rice. Here, the order is reversed: Tender pieces of curried chicken and vegetables are layered at the bottom of a casserole dish, and the coconut rice is spread on top before baking.
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Curried Chicken and Rice Casserole
Filet of Beef Bourguignon
For an elegant yet comforting meal, serve Ina Garten’s melt-in-your-mouth filet of beef cooked with mushrooms, carrots and pearl onions for a built-in side dish.
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Filet of Beef Bourguignon
Four-Cheese Baked Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
The combination of zesty tomato sauce, tender rigatoni and melted cheeses makes this dish unforgettable. If you’re planning for a special occasion, skip bland, store-bought breadcrumbs and prepare your own by pulsing toasted rosemary focaccia in your food processor.
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Four-Cheese Baked Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Beef Bourguignon
Our fans can’t resist Ina’s beef Bourguignon — and your dinner guests won’t be able to either. It’s like beef stew with an elegant French accent.
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Beef Bourguignon
Paprika Roast Leg of Lamb with Mint Sauce
Lamb and mint are a legendary pairing, but there are so many better ways to express it than old-school, neon-green mint jelly. Take this herbaceous mint sauce made from scratch. The bold flavor of the pureed mint, parsley, garlic and capers will be worth the effort.
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Paprika Roast Leg of Lamb with Mint Sauce
Killer Kale Pasta
The star of many a salad finds new expression in Guy Fieri’s zesty kale pasta with rotisserie chicken and nutty Parmesan.
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Killer Kale Pasta
Herb-Stuffed Roast Arctic Char
If you’ve ever shied away from serving whole fish, now is the time to give it a try and impress your guests at your next dinner party. Food Network Kitchen’s foolproof recipe takes the worry out of the process.
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Herb-Stuffed Roast Arctic Char
Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken
Ina Garten dresses up her classic roast chicken by baking it with bacon on top. Then she adds a head of garlic and a sliced lemon to the roasting pan to flavor the sauce.
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Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken
Goat Cheese Enchiladas
Bobby Flay puts a spin on this classic Mexican entree by swapping the usual flour or white corn tortillas for blue corn tortillas. Blue corn yields a sweeter, nuttier taste that pairs perfectly with Bobby’s Red Chile-Tomato Sauce.
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Goat Cheese Enchiladas
Bouillabaisse
This hearty fish stew consisting of shrimp, mussels and white fish in a comforting tomato broth is a whole meal in a bowl. Serve the stew with toasted baguette slices and red pepper rouille for dipping. Even the aroma coming from the kitchen alone will impress your dinner guests.
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Bouillabaisse
Orange-Cardamom Roast Chicken
Give your Sunday supper an Indian spin with Aarti Sequeira’s Orange-Cardamom Roast Chicken. The secret to evenly cooked meat and crispy skin is to butterfly the chicken before roasting on high, high heat.
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Orange-Cardamom Roast Chicken
Mustard-and-Herb-Crusted Pork Roast
Make sure the fragrant herb crust adheres to your pork roast by first applying a thin coating of Dijon mustard. This will not only help the panko breading to stick, but also introduce a desirable spicy element.
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Mustard-and-Herb-Crusted Pork Roast
Eggplant Meatballs with Marinara Sauce
Who says meatballs have to contain meat? Surprise your dinner guests with this hearty vegetarian take on the classic pasta dish. Once roasted, eggplant takes on a meaty flavor and texture that’s ideal for forming meatballs.
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Eggplant Meatballs with Marinara Sauce
Beer-Brined Beer-Can Chicken
Grillers swear by beer-can chicken, but truth be told, the cooking technique is more fun than function, as the beer doesn’t impart much flavor or moisture. The can, however, serves an important purpose: It lets you cook the chicken in an upright position so the skin gets crisp all over, similar to a rotisserie chicken. For real beer flavor, try beer-brining the bird before grilling and fill the drip pan with beer, too.
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Beer-Brined Beer-Can Chicken
Creamy Chicken Pasta
This stick-to-your-ribs pasta dish comes together in under an hour, which is ideal for stress-free entertaining. Prepare the sauce before your guests arrive, then cook the fettuccine according to the label just a few minutes before everyone is seated for dinner.
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Creamy Chicken Pasta
Portobello Parmesan
Mix up your usual eggplant Parmesan by swapping in large portobello mushrooms instead. They’ve got a great meaty flavor and texture, and can be dredged in flour just like eggplant.
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Portobello Parmesan
Honey-Lime Roast Chicken
Honey and lime juice create a quick, sweet and tangy marinade for juicy pieces of dark and white meat chicken.
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Honey-Lime Roast Chicken
London Broil with Herb Butter
Instead of buying an individual steak for each guest, go with flavorful and less expensive London broil. Sear the beef and then slice against the grain into thin strips. To gild the lily, top the freshly sliced beef with a pat of herb butter.
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London Broil with Herb Butter
Oven-Fried Chicken
It takes five steps to fix Ina’s juicy, oven-fried buttermilk chicken: marinate, refrigerate, flour, fry, bake.
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Oven-Fried Chicken
Fajitas
Tyler’s fajitas feature chipotle-marinated skirt steak, juicy peppers, onions, guacamole and warm flour tortillas, making it a definite crowd-pleaser.
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Fajitas
Spatchcocked Roasted Chicken with Mustard Vinaigrette
“Once you’ve cut out the backbone and laid the chicken down, press on the top of the bird to flatten it that extra little bit — it makes for good even cooking,” says Alex.
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Spatchcocked Roasted Chicken with Mustard Vinaigrette
Seafood Gumbo
Each spoonful of this hearty gumbo is packed with shrimp, crabmeat and lobster. Don’t forget to incorporate Creole seasoning for authentic Louisiana flavor.
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Seafood Gumbo
Grilled Branzino with Basil, Lime and Ginger
When buying whole fish to prepare for the grill, don’t hesitate to ask the fishmonger to gut and scale your selection. Once the dirty work is out of the way, all that’s left to do is prepare the marinade and stuff the fish.
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Grilled Branzino with Basil, Lime and Ginger
Sunday Meat Sauce with Orecchiette
When your guests hear that pasta with meat sauce is on the menu, they’ll immediately imagine spaghetti. Surprise them by serving the comforting dish with orecchiette instead. The small bowl shape makes it easier for sauce to cling on and is much easier to serve than long noodles.
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Sunday Meat Sauce with Orecchiette
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
The key to achieving gumbo’s signature spiciness is the tasso ham, a specialty of south Louisiana cuisine. This flavorful, fatty cut of salt-cured pork is rubbed with a spice mixture containing cayenne pepper. If you can’t find tasso, andouille sausage is a perfectly good replacement.
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Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Eggplant Parmigiana
A classic eggplant Parm is a surefire hit, and Alex Guarnaschelli’s recipe is perfect for feeding a crowd. For authentic Italian flavor, use San Marzano plum tomatoes in the sauce and a mixture of Parmesan, provolone and fresh mozzarella when building the layers.
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Eggplant Parmigiana
Moroccan Lamb Tagine
Ina puts her own spin on this traditional Moroccan dish by pairing lamb shanks with Yukon gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and lots of Middle Eastern spices. For convenience, you can make the entire pot a day ahead of time, refrigerate it and simply reheat it slowly on top of the stove. All you’ll need to prepare that night is some couscous.
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Moroccan Lamb Tagine
Greek Strudel with Chicken and Rice
If you thought strudel could be prepared only with sweet, fruity fillings, think again. This savory strudel is loaded with chicken, rice, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and goat’s-milk feta, all sealed inside a flaky pastry crust. Use store-bought phyllo dough to save time, and focus on creating the rich filling.
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Greek Strudel with Chicken and Rice
The Ultimate Lasagna
Tyler Florence dubbed this dish The Ultimate Lasagna with good reason: It’s built in three generous layers of lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese and savory Bolognese sauce. If you can, prepare the Bolognese well in advance. That way, constructing the dish will be a breeze.
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The Ultimate Lasagna