My Top 10 Recipes for Hosting Gatherings
I’ve compiled a list of my favorite meals to serve at gatherings, both formal and informal. These are my go-to recipes for easy, scaleable meals that are sure to please. These recipes range in their complexity, but all of them are relatively simple and extremely adaptable. I hope you’ll find this a helpful resource as you cultivate community and do life around the table with friends and family.
How to use these recipes: While I am passionate about good food and excellence, more than anything these recipes are meant to be a tool for gathering your loved ones around the table. I usually eyeball quantities and am always adding or taking away ingredients from recipes depending on the season, what I have on hand, and what is needed for any given gathering. These recipes are meant to be more like guidelines - a place to start for those more comfortable and creative-minded in the kitchen, and a plan for those that need one! Whatever your comfort level in the kitchen, you will find these recipes very approachable and easy to follow!
1.) This Big Batch Kale Salad Lasts All Week Long!
This hearty salad is great to make ahead and have on hand for last minute hosting! I love that I can just grab this from the fridge if I need something quick to feed guests - it’s always a hit! This recipe is easy and super customizable! It’s a great base to build a killer salad just the way you like it. Top it with avocado, tuna or chicken, pecans or almonds, goat cheese, or any of your other favorite salad toppings!
2.) Our Favorite Baked Chicken Breast Recipe
This baked chicken recipe is flavor-packed, perfectly tender, and really easy to make. Whether we're making it for dinner or meal prepping for the week - this is hands down our favorite (and most used) baked chicken recipe. I love pairing it with roasted red cabbage and sweet potatoes, salad, and a grain!
3.) Nacho Bell Grande: A Family Tradition
My mom has been making Nacho Bell Grande as long as I can remember. This is not just a dish - it’s an experience. It’s an initiation into the family. It’s the best nachos of your life. It’s the perfect dish for celebrations and for cultivating community around the table. Nacho Bell Grande is extremely easy to make and is perfect for feeding a group on a budget.
4.) Cheese and Charcuterie Boards
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE making entire meals of cheese and charcuterie. It’s easy and delicious, there is zero cooking involved, and very little clean up. It’s my favorite way to make even an ordinary day feel special! In this post, I explain my step-by-step process on building cheese boards and provide a master list of my favorite ingredients to choose from!
5.) Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Tomato Sauce
This is hands-down one of my favorite pasta sauces I’ve ever had, and it was created using a bunch of leftovers from my fridge! The depth of flavor is out of this world. Guaranteed to please, this recipe is easily adaptable and is a great way to use up the vegetables in your fridge!
6.) This Barbacoa Recipe is a Crowd Favorite
This barbacoa is flavor-packed, insanely tender, and is another crowd favorite. Taco nights are one of our go-to’s for hosting people in our home, and this barbacoa recipe takes it to the next level. This shredded chicken with a honey lime tequila marinade is also PERFECT for a taco night!
7.) Chili as Simple as it is Delicious
This incredibly easy chili recipe is perfect for feeding a crowd on a budget or for meal prepping for the week! As soon as the weather turns remotely cool, I get so excited to make this family favorite.
8.) Sweet Potato Hash
This is hands-down my number one favorite dish to make for brunch. Serve with a fried egg and some greens, or go all-out on a gorgeous spread. Caramelized onions, rosemary, and garlic are the stars of this dish.
9.) Chicken Ramen Bowls
This is another cold weather favorite, though I’ve made this plenty of times in the middle of Summer at the request of my husband, sweating the whole time because it’s just that delicious. This is perfect for a date night, and is easily scaleable for feeding a group. It’s also a great recipe for getting friends and family involved in the process!
10.) Authentic Italian Pesto Pasta
I’ve saved my favorite for last. This pesto recipe is inspired by my time in Italy back in 2013. This isn’t your normal, every day kind of meal. We reserve this for special occasions and celebrations. In true Italian fashion, this recipe and method requires you to slow down and really interact with each ingredient. Serve on its own, or as part of a larger, multi-course meal!