Casual Dinner Party Menu & Recipes

Use this casual dinner party menu for hosting a supper or dinner party at home. These simple recipes are full of fresh seasonal flavors and easy to assemble. They’re perfect for a ladies night in or a couples gathering. Follow this easy plan when you need casual dinner party menu ideas to serve 4, 6 or 8 people.

Casual Dinner Party Menu Ideas

These recipes are delicious enough for a casual supper with the family or a dinner party with friends. I served this in my late summer party with iced tea bar and it was fantastic! 

Serve this menu family-style, with all the food platters on the table so guests can grab and pass around as needed. These recipes together make a fantastically well-rounded dinner menu, but can also be used separately as appetizers for any occasion.

For more dinner parties check out this light rustic dinner party menu and fall table setting. Or this alfresco dinner party menu with alfresco tablescape. 

Casual Dinner Recipes

There’s beauty in these menu items because of the freshness of ingredients. These recipes can be prepped ahead, or fully made ahead and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Dinner for 4, 6, or 8 – To serve a party of four to eight people, just follow the recipes as listed and increase the amount of ingredients. For instance add more carrots and potatoes, and make several pizzas.

The fact that these recipes are based on assembly rather than measurements makes this casual dinner menu a breeze for hosts.

Start off your casual supper or dinner party menu with an UPDATED version of a vegetable platter, and serve roasted veggies with two or three kinds of dip. I was inspired by a veggie platter I had at a catered business workshop a few weeks ago.

Roasted Vegetable Platter

• Fresh Green Beans
• Fresh Carrots
• Fresh Asparagus
• Fingerling Potatoes
• hummus, prepared or my classic hummus recipe here
• Creamy Poblano Sauce (dip), recipe found here

Preheat oven to 400 degrees; Lightly toss vegetables with olive oil and place on a roasting pan and roast until softened but still firm, as follows:

Asparagus & Green beans – about 5 minutes

Carrots & Fingerling Potatoes (cut in half lengthwise) – about 9-12 minutes depending on thickness. Poke with a fork at earliest time to test for softness.

Remove and let cool on a cooling rack.

Arrange vegetables on platter with dips, and serve.

This next dish is one we had at a local restaurant and it was SO good. The flavors are classic Italian and if you’ve never tried burrata cheese before, DO IT! It’s so creamy and delicious and goes with the tomatoes splendidly.

Heirloom Tomatoes & Burrata

• Colorful mini heirloom tomatoes, cut in half
• Pickled Red Onion (see below)
• Burrata cheese
• Fresh Basil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• Balsamic Glaze
• salt & pepper to taste

Place burrata in center of dish and arrange tomatoes all around it. Add pickled onion to tomatoes.

Tear or cut basil into pieces or strips and add to top of tomato mixture. Drizzle entire dish with EVOO and balsamic glaze. Sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper as desired.

Pickled Red Onion

• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a lidded jar (shake to mix well). Add sliced onion and shake again to help cover onion. Refrigerate over night or at least a few hours.

Remove onion as needed for recipe.

For the main attraction this flatbread-style pizza adds the best of sweet and salty. Figs and prosciutto are a classic combination and this recipe makes it convenient by using easy-to-find jam or preserves rather than fresh figs (they can be impossible to find year round). Just make sure you proceed with a light hand or else your sweet & salty pizza will taste more like breakfast toast.

Fig Jam & Prosciutto Flatbread Pizza

• Packaged Flatbread
• Fig jam or preserves
• Grated Parmesan
• Prosciutto
• Arugula
• Shaved Parmesan

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook flatbread for about 5 minutes to crisp up. Remove and let cool slightly.

Spread a LIGHT layer of fig jam over crust. Sprinkle grated Parmesan over jam, and add a few slices of prosciutto to top. Cook for about 5-6 minutes.

Remove flatbread and let cool slightly. Add arugula to top and a few more curls of prosciutto if desired.

Top with shave Parmesan; cut into slices, and serve.

This casual supper or dinner party menu is a delight for the taste buds as well as the eyes. The colors…the flavors…the array of options is amazing. I hope you’ll try this party menu soon!

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