If you want to serve a great dinner to guests, and you don’t want to also spend the entire night in the kitchen, choose one or more of the dishes described in this post. Much of the work for these dishes can be done in advance.
Tips for Low-Stress Entertaining
I’ll start with some general tips for low stress entertaining.
- First, when you plan the menu, choose recipes that combine the right amount of last minute effort. If you are making a main course that requires time in the kitchen at mealtime, such as freshly grilled meat or fish, consider choosing salads, sides or other menu items that can be prepared in advance.
- Second, as you plan your shopping for the dinner, create two shopping lists. I like to make a list of the things I can buy a week prior to the meal and a list of the things I need to buy fresh. This way, I can lug home and put away items like canned beverages, flour, butter and the like well before the mealtime cooking. As the big day approaches, I can make a quick trip to the store and pick up the fresh items.
- Third, think about dishes and utensils. If you like to decorate your table or plate your food in an attractive manner, you can make your plans ahead of time. If you serve family style or use a buffet, plan ahead for the serving dishes and/or buffet table.
- Fourth, think about whether you want your guests to help and what they can do. At my most recent dinner, I served multiple courses with paired wines. One guest kept the water glasses full. Another guest graciously took care of pouring the wines. Several guests helped clear the dishes from the prior course and carry the dishes plated with the next course to the table. I was able to focus on finishing and plating each course.
The idea is to limit your effort on the day of your dinner by taking care of administrative items in advance and choosing some dishes that can be made ahead.
Another great option is to share the load entirely. Check out my post regarding a fun dinner party format in which the guests bring a dish and a paired wine and then take turns serving their courses. https://vivisimoforyourlife.com/2026/04/23/fun-dinner-party-format/
Great Make-Ahead Dishes
Below are some dishes I served recently, along with tips about how to accomplish most of the cooking and clean-up in advance. I am attaching the recipes to this post, and I am also sharing the details on wines I have served with these dishes for those who like to pair wine.
Goat Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Figs
Goat Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Figs is one of my most requested recipes, and it is a delicious, upscale appetizer that requires very little effort at serving time. Earlier in the day, cook the onions, assemble the dish and refrigerate until nearly ready to serve. Also, arrange crackers in a dish or basket. At serving time, simply heat the assembled dish in the oven, and place it on the serving table with the crackers. I recently served this dish on my patio on a summer evening, and one of my guests brought a brut rose champagne to enjoy with the appetizer. It was a perfect combination.
Tuna Tartare in Sesame Ginger Sauce
Tuna Tartare in Sesame Ginger Sauce is another upscale appetizer that is surprisingly easy to make and serve. Simply mix together the ingredients earlier on the day of the dinner or party. I have usually served tuna tartare in a larger serving dish buffet style, and more recently, I plated it as shown in the photo and served it as an appetizer course. Tuna tartare goes well with rice crackers and sake. In the photo, it is garnished with a nasturtium, and I wrote more about nasturtiums in last week’s post. (https://vivisimoforyourlife.com/2026/07/30/ingredients-you-should-try-ii-nasturtiums/)
Saffron Soup with Cannellini Beans and Red Potatoes
This Saffron Soup with Cannellini Beans and Red Potatoes is great for entertaining because it has a unique rich flavor and it is entirely make-ahead. I prepared it the day prior to a recent party and put it in a covered pot in the refrigerator. At mealtime, I simply put the pot on the stove to reheat. I’ll admit, the price tag on saffron may give you a little pause, but a half teaspoon creates a large amount of a soup that is truly a special experience for your guests. I recently served it with bread and a wine of 100% Carricante grapes.
Chicken Thighs with Paprika Sauce and Shiitake Mushrooms
The attached recipe for Chicken Thighs with Paprika Sauce and Shiitake Mushrooms creates a tender, moist and incredibly flavorful chicken. In the past, I have made this recipe a week prior to my meal and stored it in the freezer to be reheated at mealtime. The dish freezes well, and making it a week ahead of the meal is a great option. More recently, I made this dish by seasoning the chicken and cooking the broth the day prior and then making the chicken just before dinner, timing it to be ready an hour or two before my guests arrived. I refrigerated it without covering, and put it back into the oven at serving time. This created a beautifully roasted top on the chicken. I have paired this dish with Tempranillo wine.
Barbecued Pork
For the Barbecued Pork in this photo, I used the low and slow cooking method on the grill. It was an all-day project, and all I needed to do after getting it started in the morning was check the temperature of the grill from time to time and brush on some barbecue sauce. There was still a bit of fuss at serving time as I removed the roast from the grill, kept it hot in the oven, and carved and plated it. I was glad I served it with a side that required little effort, the butternut squash recipe described below. We enjoyed a Syrah wine with this dish.
After dinner, I put the leftover pork in the freezer. A few days later, I simmered some barbecue sauce with the leftover pork. Honestly, I liked this version even better than the pork we ate fresh off the grill, so I can recommend the option of grilling the pork a day or more prior to your meal and simmering it with barbecue sauce on the day you will serve it. It creates a casual dish that can easily be served family style or on a buffet.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Pine Nuts
I served the Barbecued Pork with Roasted Butternut Squash with Pine Nuts. For the squash recipe, I did all the cutting, chopping and mixing earlier in the day, and I put everything in a bowl in the refrigerator. At mealtime, I simply poured it onto the baking sheet and put it in the oven.
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Baked Alaska
This baked Alaska features sweet vanilla ice cream, dark chocolate and strawberries. For this recipe, I always prepare everything except the meringue in advance. After the meal, I excuse myself for long enough to whip and add the meringue, bake it and plate it. If you have room in your freezer, you can add the meringue earlier in the day and freeze everything so it is ready to just pop in the oven after dinner. I have done this many times, and it’s a great option. More recently, I have settled in on the practice of making the meringue after dinner and just before baking because I like the texture of the meringue a bit better when it is freshly made. The egg whites should be at room temperature when you whip them, so you can have your mixer set up and have all meringue ingredients on the counter and ready to go before you sit down to dinner, I paired this dessert with a sparkling wine.
Rich Dark Chocolate Sauce
I served the Baked Alaska drizzled with chocolate sauce. If you like dark chocolate, you will love the attached recipe for Rich Dark Chocolate Sauce, and it couldn’t be easier to make.
Make Your Plan
The key takeaway is to design your plan of attack when you create your menu. You can make many dishes or only one or two. You can mix in dishes that require more effort at mealtime or use only make-ahead dishes. You will want to think through your menu in terms of what work will be required at mealtime. The idea is to do much preparation at your leisure and manage the amount that you will need to accomplish at mealtime so you can enjoy your time with your guests.
Also check out Make Ahead for Low=Stress Entertaining II and II:
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