22 Easy Dinner Party Recipes That Look and Taste Impressive

A whole roasted chicken is much easier than turkey but just as special. You don’t have to brine it in advance and you still get lots of juicy, flavorful meat and crispy skin.

Get Ree’s Roast Chicken recipe.

SHOP SERVING PLATTERS

If you’re looking for a go-to side dish that goes with practically everything, you can’t go wrong with mashed potatoes. Ree makes hers up to two days in advance because they reheat very well.

Get Ree’s Creamy Mashed Potatoes recipe.

A warm, molten wheel of baked brie is the best way to kick off the festivities. It’s one of the easiest starters you’ll ever make. You don’t even have to remove the rind!

Get the Baked Brie recipe.

If you’re more of a cook than a baker, dessert might feel extra challenging. Panna cotta looks and tastes restaurant quality, but it’s as easy to make as Jell-O!

Get the Panna Cotta recipe.

SHOP RAMEKINS

Making a big roast will surely impress everyone, whether it be roast beef, prime rib or beef tenderloin. This recipe spends plenty of time in the oven and resting before it gets carved, so you can get everything else on the table.

Get the Roast Beef recipe.

Green beans are tossed with butter, lemon, shallots, garlic, and crunchy toasted almonds for a quick, flavorful side dish that’s ready in just 30 minutes. They’ll pair with any protein, too!

Get the Green Beans Almondine recipe.

It only takes about three or four minutes to cook shrimp. Plus, this needs time to chill so you can make it in advance and just pull it out of the fridge when guests arrive.

Get the Shrimp Cocktail recipe.

If roasting a giant bird or a big ol’ piece of beef feels intimidating, make this! Ree says pork tenderloin “looks like you spent way more time on it than you did.” In fact, it only takes 20 minutes in total.

Get Ree’s Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Preserves recipe.

Mushrooms are savory and satisfying and just so happen to be the perfect little vessels to stuff for an appetizer. This fun twist can be assembled a day in advance, too!

Get Ree’s French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms recipe.

Baking salmon in the oven is easy peasy lemon squeezy. Plus, the marinade has mustard, honey, and olive oil besides the lemon, too! It takes just 20 minutes, start to finish.

Get the Baked Salmon recipe.

Mousse is one of those classic French desserts that just feels so elegant. You can make it the day before and just let it sit out for about a half hour before you garnish and serve.

Get the Chocolate Mousse recipe.

A fresh green salad can lighten up any dinner menu, but you don’t want to worry about it getting soggy from the dressing. This option will stay crunchy and fresh for days.

Get the Green Goddess Salad recipe.

Skip the complicated kneading process and still get fresh-from-the-oven dinner rolls on the table. They bake up in muffin pans so you don’t have to worry about shaping them perfectly, either.

Get Ree’s No-Knead Dinner Rolls recipe.

A first course of creamy soup at a sit-down dinner feels so luxurious. And if you pick a recipe that you can make in advance (like this!), all it needs is a splash of a few things as it reheats.

Get Ree’s Potato Leek Soup recipe.

If you’re going more casual but still want something impressive, channel your inner Julia Child… or in this case, Ree Drummond! This hearty beef stew is actually better the next day so you can make everything ahead of time.

Get Ree’s Beef Burgundy recipe.

Make your life easier and start these impressive-looking appetizers with some store-bought puff pastry. Even better? Make them in advance and reheat them in your air fryer. Genius!

Get the Spinach Puffs recipe.

SHOP AIR FRYERS