Thinking of what to cook for dinner can be stressful. We all have those moments when it comes down to meal time, especially trying to discuss with your significant other what ya’ll should do for dinner… no one can ever make a decision. When it comes to cooking for a dinner party that can get even more stressful! Here, is a round up of my favorite and easy recipes to cook for a large or small group of guests.
Lemon Chicken Pasta
- 8 oz angel hair pasta
- 1 lb chicken breasts, pounded to about ½-inch thick
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ cup flour
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Season chicken generously on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Then dredge chicken in flour until coated on all sides.
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When butter is hot and starts to turn brown, add the chicken and cook on each side, flipping once, until golden brown and chicken is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- In the same skillet, add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. When melted and foamy, add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk to combine. Add the parmesan cheese and whisk until smooth and melted.
- Plate the pasta and top with chicken and sauce. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese and parsley if desired. Serve and enjoy!!
// Recipe and image from here
Nicoise Salad
- 1/3 cup lemon juice or red wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsp finely chopped shallot
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano or tarragon
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad
- 2 grilled or otherwise cooked tuna steaks* (8 oz each) or 2-3 cans of tuna (you can also use salmon)
- 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered lengthwise
- 1 1/4 pounds small young red potatoes or fingerling potatoes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium heads Boston lettuce or butter lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 3 small ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup niçoise olives
- 2 Tbsp capers, rinsed and/or several anchovies (optional)
*Marinate tuna steaks in a little olive oil for an hour. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat, or place on a hot grill. Cook the steaks 2 to 3 minutes on each side until cooked through.
1 In a jar, place the oil, lemon juice or vinegar, shallots, herbs, and mustard. Cover with a lid and shake until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2 Place onion slices in a small bowl and sprinkle with 3 Tbsp of the vinaigrette. (The onions soaking in the vinaigrette will help take some of the bite out of them.)
3 Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Add 1 Tbsp of salt. Heat on high to bring to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or so, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain. While the potatoes are still warm, cut them into halves or quarters, depending on the size of the potatoes. Place them in a bowl and dress them with about 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette.
4 While the potatoes are cooking, fill a medium sized pot halfway with water, and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil on high heat. Add the green beans to the boiling water. Cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 3-5 minutes (more or less, depending on the toughness of the beans). Drain and either rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, or shock for half a minute in ice water.
5 Arrange bed of lettuce on a serving platter (I used two serving platters, shown in the photos). Cut tuna into 1/2-inch thick slices. Mound tuna in center of lettuce. Sprinkle the tomatoes and onions around the tuna. Arrange the potatoes and green beans in mounds at the edge of the lettuce.
6 Arrange hard boiled eggs, olives, and anchovies (if using) in mounds on the lettuce bed. Drizzle everything with the remaining vinaigrette. Sprinkle with capers if using.
Serve immediately. Should be served slightly warm or at room temperature.
// Recipe and image from here
Eggplant Boats
Ingredients
- 2 medium (15 oz each) white eggplants, stems trimmed off and halved lengthwise
- 3 links (8.4 oz?) sweet Italian chicken sausage, casings removed (I used Premio)
- 1/2 small onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 1/3 cups crushed tomatoes
- 5 basil leaves, chopped (plus more for garnish)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
- 4 teaspoons grated Pecorino Romano
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Hollow out the flesh of the eggplant to create a boat using a melon baller or small knife, leaving a 1/2-inch of the skin all around to create a shell. Roughly chop the scooped out eggplant flesh.Drop the eggplant into the boiling water and cook 3 minutes (poking it with a spoon so they stay submerged). Remove with a slotted spoon and set them on paper towels on the counter.Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up while it cooks into smaller pieces. Add the onions and garlic and cook on a medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add 1 cup chopped eggplant and cook about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup crushed tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh basil.
Pour 1/3 cup of crushed tomatoes on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish and place the eggplant boats on top. Season the eggplant with salt and divide the sausage and sauce evenly among the 4 eggplant boats.
Top each with 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 teaspoon each of Pecorino Romano cheese. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes until cheese is melted and eggplant is cooked through.
// Recipe and image from here
Zoodle Pasta
- 2 zucchinis, washed
- 2 tablespoons of EVOO
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- ½ red onion, finely diced.
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4-6 strips of bacon
- 1 jar of your favorite organic marinara sauce
- First, preheat oven to 375ºF. Then, line a baking sheet with tin foil and place bacon on top. Cook back in oven at 375º for 20-25 minutes, or until bacon reaches desired texture. Place bacon on a paper towel-lined plate and pat off excess grease. Chop into bite sized pieces.
- Next, prep veggies by chopping mushrooms and finely dicing red onion.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of EVOO in a sauce pan on medium/high heat. Sauté veggies for about 5-10 minutes, or until they cook down. Season with salt and pepper. Add in marinara sauce and let simmer on low.
- For the zoodles, begin by spiralizing 2 zucchinis. You can watch a video on how to do so from Inspiralized HERE.
- Then, in a separate sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon of minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of EVOO. Add in zoodles and sauté for about 5-7 minutes or until they cook down.
- Transfer zoodles on to servings plates, top with sauce, and a sprinkle of bacon.
Serves 2
// Recipe and image from here
I love Zoodles! I’m excited to try this recipe.