Casual Summer Dinner Party Menu

If you’re looking to spend hours in the kitchen making laborious recipes, this is not the plan for you. These dinner party menu ideas are casual, but they’re inspired by restaurant and catering dishes I’ve had and love.

The fact that everything is based on assembly rather than specific measurements, AND it can all be served at room temperature makes this dinner a breeze for hosts.

The prep work is easily done ahead and there’s minimal cooking involved, so you can focus on quality time with friends rather than manning the grill or stove. This menu is perfect for a ladies night in or a couples gathering.

Helpful Tips

To accommodate a larger group, just follow the recipes as listed and increase the amount of ingredients. For instance add more carrots and potatoes, and make several pizzas.

Keep in mind that these recipes together make a fantastic well-rounded dinner or luncheon, but can also be used separately as appetizers (except the dessert) for any occasion.

If you have space serve this meal family-style on a colorful summer table, where guests can grab platters and pass around as needed.

Finally, feel free to mix and match each dish with other recipes to round out a spread.

Tomatoes & Burrata

We had this at a local restaurant, with a glass of wine, and it was SO good. The flavors are classic Italian and if you’ve never tried burrata cheese before, DO IT! It has a delicate taste with a soft outer shell. Once you cut into it, the creamy center oozes out and blends with the juices of the tomatoes.

Tips: Use really good extra virgin olive oil for best flavor. And I highly recommend using balsamic glaze as it’s thicker and sweeter than balsamic vinegar.

MAKE-AHEAD. Prepare the pickled onions up to 3 days ahead. Use what you need and keep the rest in the fridge for up to a week.

Roasted Vegetable Platter

Feed your guests an updated version of a vegetable platter, with roasted veggies instead of raw crudites. I was inspired by a catered lunch at a business workshop, where the fingerling potatoes took it to another level for me.

A couple of dips are a great supporting cast to the vegetables. Make your own hummus or buy a good brand and transfer it to a small bowl. My creamy poblano sauce is an excellent dip with the veggies, too!

MAKE-AHEAD. The vegetables and dips can be made ahead, covered, and refrigerated until ready to serve. I do suggest taking them out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving, to take the chill off.

Cooking Tip: Since the carrots and potatoes take longer to roast, put them in the oven for about 9-12 minutes depending on thickness, then pull out the pan and add the beans and asparagus; cook for 5 more minutes.

Fig Jam & Prosciutto Flatbread Pizza

For the main attraction this flatbread-style pizza exemplifies the best of sweet and salty combos, and it’s another restaurant-copycat recipe.

Figs and prosciutto are a classic combination and this recipe makes it convenient by using easy-to-find 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.

Tips:

• I love using thin flatbread crusts because it’s how they make it when you’re dining out, but you can use most any type of thin crust pizza base that you like.
• Expand your pizza palette with the ideas from this laid back dinner party.
• I use parmesan cheese in two forms (grated and shaved) which means you can buy a block and shred it and shave it yourself, or you can use a container of grated parmesan, and fresh shaved parmesan.

Ice Cream with Cherries

For dessert, everybody loves ice cream – especially in summer! Here’s how to elevate store-bought ice cream to make it dinner party-worthy.

Start with a flavor that you can build on such as vanilla bean, chocolate, or coffee ice cream. Top it with a jar of dark Italian cherries, bourbon-soaked cherries, or my drunken cherries (they’re actually very mild). Garnish with a couple of thin, crisp cookies.

Tip: This dessert is so light and refreshing, and you can even pre-scoop the ice cream into bowls and store in the freezer until ready to serve.

Other Food Ideas

If you feel like you want to add some more items to the menu, these ideas are in keeping with the casual, make-ahead, and no-cooking theme.

• Potato chips are a staple of outdoor entertaining but you can do more than just open a bag and pour into a bowl. Dress up kettle chips with blue cheese and balsamic glaze – another restaurant dish!
• I recently heard someone complain about the overuse of charcuterie boards, and wishing they’d go away. How absurd! The French and Italians have been serving cheese and charcuterie forever, and that’s because they’re simple, delicious, and crowd pleasing.
  • Keep serving those boards and stock them with your favorite smoked meats and artisan cheeses. Add extra items to help turn it into a meal.
• Individual sandwiches are another menu item that’s satisfying and easy to assemble ahead.
  • Make them in bulk by using a long loaf of Italian bread cut in half (like a sub), layer on the meat and other fillings, and replace the top of the bread. Insert a party pick or toothpick about every 2 inches and then cut between each pick for a single serving guests can eat. You can make a couple of different varieties too, so guests have options.  
• One of my go-to sides is a chopped salad kit. What’s great about them is that there are so many flavor variations, you’re sure to find one to suit your menu, plus they’re a great starting point or delicious as is.
  • You can add more ingredients to the base, and you can make your own dressing if you like. My suggestion is to use about half of the pouch of dressing that comes with the kit, otherwise it can be overwhelming. Once you mix it in and it has a chance to sit it will soften and become more flavorful.

What to Drink

Pitcher drinks or sangria are my go-to beverages for a casual summer dinner party. White wine based peach sangria is refreshing and has been a crowd favorite for years. For a non-alcohol option, mix up a peach-pomegranate-lemon punch. And don’t forget the water to stay hydrated. Fill a pitcher with ice and let guests serve themselves.

This casual summer dinner 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!

For more dinner party menus check out this light rustic dinner party menu or this alfresco dinner party menu with alfresco tablescape. 

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Casual Summer Dinner Menu

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

A fresh and delicious seasonal meal for summer dinner parties, with roasted vegetables, tomato-burrata salad, and prosciutto flatbread pizzas.

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Ingredients

Roasted Vegetables

• 1 pound Fresh Green Beans
• 16 small Carrots, cleaned or peeled
• 1 pound Fresh Asparagus, tough ends cut off
• 1 ½ pound Fingerling Potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Hummus
• Creamy Poblano dip (see notes)

Tri-color Tomatoes & Burrata

• 24 ounces Tri-color cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 16 ounces Burrata cheese
• Pickled Red Onion (see below)
• Fresh Basil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• Balsamic Glaze
• salt & pepper to taste

Pickled Onions

• 1 red onion, sliced
• ½ cup Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt

Prosciutto Flatbread

• 4 or 5 Packaged Flatbread crusts
• 1 jar Fig jam or preserves
• Grated Parmesan
• 9 ounces Prosciutto
• Arugula
• Shaved Parmesan

Instructions

For Vegetable Platter:

1. Preheat the oven to 400º F. 
2. Lightly toss vegetables with olive oil and place on a roasting pan and roast until softened but still firm, as follows: Carrots & Fingerling Potatoes - about 15-20 minutes depending on thickness. Poke with a fork at the earliest time to test for softness. Asparagus & Green beans - about 5 minutes; pierce with a fork to test for doneness.
3. Remove and let cool on a cooling rack. Arrange vegetables on a platter with dips, and serve.

For Tomatoes and Burrata Salad:

1. Prepare the onions ahead by combining vinegar, sugar, and salt in a large lidded jar (shake to mix well). Add sliced onion and shake again to help cover the onion. Refrigerate overnight or at least a few hours.
2. Place burrata in the center of the dish and arrange tomatoes all around it. Add pickled onion as desired, to tomatoes.
3. Tear or cut basil into pieces or strips and add to top of tomato mixture. Drizzle the entire dish with EVOO and balsamic glaze. Sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper to taste.

For Flatbread Pizzas:

1. Preheat the oven to 375º F.
2. Cook flatbread for about 5 minutes to crisp up. Remove and let cool slightly.
3. Spread a LIGHT layer of fig jam over the crust. Sprinkle grated Parmesan over jam, and add a few slices of prosciutto to top. Cook for about 5-6 minutes.
4. Remove flatbread and let cool slightly. Add arugula to top and a few more curls of prosciutto if desired.
5. Top with shaved Parmesan; cut into slices, and serve.

Notes

Get the recipe for the creamy poblano sauce here.

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