At the GatherJoy table

Dinner party menu ideas

Five menus to borrow. Room to make the night your own.

Start with one dish you want to cook.

Build around it with something bright, something generous for the table and a finish you can prepare ahead. You do not need six courses, or six new recipes, to invite people in.

These menus come from GatherJoy’s curated nights. The recipes belong to their credited cooks and authors; follow the links for ingredients and methods. The swaps and planning notes below are suggestions for adapting the evening, not rewritten recipes.

Choose the menu your kitchen can handle.

Check with your guests first. Ask what they cannot eat before settling on the main, sauces and dessert. Read the original recipes; a dish name is not an ingredient list.
Count the oven and stove space. Pair one dish that needs attention at dinner with sides that can be prepared earlier. Avoid a menu that needs three different oven temperatures at once.
Scale from the recipes, not the photographs. Check each recipe’s stated yield against your guest count. Use extra pans or batches where needed; doubling a recipe does not mean doubling its cooking time.
Give dessert an easy landing. Make it ahead, buy something you love, or invite a guest to claim that course.

A make-ahead Sunday dinner

Hands serving a braise from a red Dutch oven with bread and wine on the table

Menu inspired by Ina Garten · Barefoot Contessa

A braise, potatoes, bitter greens and cake make a generous dinner without a string of last-minute courses. Start here when you want most of the cooking behind you before friends arrive.

Before friends arrive: The catalog recommends making the short ribs ahead. Read Ina Garten’s recipe first, then plan your cooling, storage and reheating around its instructions. Set the table and wash the greens before the doorbell.
Make it simpler: Buy good bread instead of baking focaccia. Keep the salad and choose just one potato side; a smaller menu can still feel like a complete dinner.
Make room for everyone: For someone who does not eat beef, choose a separate centerpiece they can enjoy rather than assuming the sides will be enough. Keep the salad dressing separate until you know everyone’s needs.

Sunday Braise

To start
Big and Bubbly Focaccia
King Arthur Baking · Recipe of the Year
The main
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Ina Garten · Food Network
On the side
Garlic Roasted Potatoes
Ina Garten · Food Network
On the side
Citrus Salad with Bitter Greens
Alison Roman · A Newsletter
To finish
Citrus and Honey Olive Oil Cake
Food52 · Food52

Make this night yours

A help-yourself menu for a crowd

Hands reaching across a taco spread on emerald green tiles

Menu inspired by Rick Bayless

Carnitas, warm tortillas, rice, beans and bright sauces let people build their own plates. This is a useful shape for a casual dinner where guests arrive with different appetites.

Before friends arrive: Use Rick Bayless’s carnitas recipe to set your cooking schedule. Prepare the rice, beans and cake ahead where their recipes allow, and leave warming tortillas for close to dinner.
Make it simpler: Choose either the guacamole or the avocado-tomatillo salsa, rather than both. Put the rice and beans in serving dishes before people arrive.
Make room for everyone: Offer beans as a substantial alternative to pork, checking the broth and cooking fat. Serve cheese separately. Check tortilla ingredients and every sauce with guests who need to avoid gluten or dairy.

Sunday Asada

For the Table
Roasted Tomatillo Guacamole with Cotija
Rick Bayless
For the Table
Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Rick Bayless
The Star
Home-Style Pork Carnitas
Rick Bayless
On the Side
Red Tomato Rice (Arroz Rojo)
Rick Bayless
On the Side
Simmered Black Beans with Epazote & Crumbled Queso Fresco
GatherJoy table suggestion
To Finish
Mexican Flourless Chocolate Cake with Ancho & Cinnamon
Rick Bayless

Make this night yours

A pasta dinner with one last-minute dish

Friends passing a bowl of greens at a shared dinner table

Menu inspired by J. Kenji López-Alt & Yotam Ottolenghi

Opening bites, roasted peppers, cacio e pepe, bitter greens and olive oil cake give the evening a clear rhythm. The pasta is the moment to cook; the rest can wait at the table.

Before friends arrive: Bake the cake and prepare the peppers ahead as the night’s hosting notes suggest. Read J. Kenji López-Alt’s pasta method before dinner, and have the cheese grated and serving bowls ready.
Make it simpler: Choose olives and bread for the opening bites. If your stove or largest pan is small, keep the guest list modest rather than trying to finish several batches of pasta at once.
Make room for everyone: For a vegetarian table, omit the mortadella and choose a pepper preparation without anchovies. Check that the cheese suits your guests; cacio e pepe is not a dairy-free main.

Roman Holiday

Aperitivo Bite
Shaved Mortadella, Green Castelvetrano Olives & Taralli
GatherJoy table suggestion
Salad Course
Roast Red Pepper Salad with Anchovies & Almonds
Yotam Ottolenghi
The Main
Foolproof Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe
J. Kenji López-Alt · Serious Eats
On the Side
Bitter Chicory Salad with Shaved Fennel & Lemon Vinaigrette
GatherJoy table suggestion
To Finish
Everyday Olive Oil Cake with Orange & Sea Salt
King Arthur Baking Test Kitchen

Make this night yours

A seasonal fish supper

Friends sharing salmon, summer vegetables and bread on blue patterned linen

Menu inspired by Alison Roman

Salmon, a tomato tart, bread, a crisp wedge salad and chocolate cake make a summer table of contrasting textures. The tart and dessert take pressure off the final hour.

Before friends arrive: The night’s notes put the tart and cake earlier in the day. Follow Alison Roman’s salmon recipe for timing and doneness rather than treating the fish as an unattended dish.
Make it simpler: Choose the tomato tart or the focaccia if you want less baking. A bought loaf can take the place of homemade bread.
Make room for everyone: Ask about fish, nut and dairy allergies before choosing this menu. If fish is not right for the group, keep the salad-and-bread structure and pick a different centerpiece with your guests in mind.

The Midsummer Fish Supper

To Start
Tomato Tart with Garlic, Capers & Cornmeal Crust
Alison Roman
Bread for the Table
Big and Bubbly Focaccia
King Arthur Baking Test Kitchen
The Star
Slow Salmon with Citrus and Herb Salad
Alison Roman
Salad
Summer Wedge with Herby Buttermilk Dressing
Alison Roman
To Finish
Crispy Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut & Sour Cream
Alison Roman

Make this night yours

A vegetable-led cookbook club

The cover of Tenderheart by Hetty Lui McKinnon: a smiling face made of romanesco, rosemary, ginger, a shiitake and a yellow squash

Book by Hetty Lui McKinnon · Tenderheart

Hetty Lui McKinnon’s Tenderheart night begins with open course prompts, not a fixed recipe list. It is a good option when friends want to choose dishes from their own copies and share the cooking.

Before friends arrive: Agree on the actual dishes before anyone shops. Check which dishes need the oven, which can travel, and which should be finished at the host’s home.
Make it simpler: Choose one vegetable centerpiece, one crisp dish, one dish with a little heat and something sweet. Not everyone needs to bring a separate course.
Make room for everyone: Vegetable-led does not automatically mean vegan or allergy-friendly. Check the chosen recipes for eggs, dairy, nuts and other ingredients your guests avoid. Keep optional chili oil separate.

Tenderheart

These are course prompts, not named recipes. Choose the dishes from your copy of Tenderheart and keep the author and page number with each choice.

To start
Your favorite vegetable dish from the book
Hetty Lui McKinnon · Tenderheart
For the table
Something crisp and green
Hetty Lui McKinnon · Tenderheart
With a little heat
A dish that wants the chili oil
Hetty Lui McKinnon · Tenderheart
To finish
Something sweet, from the book or not
Hetty Lui McKinnon · Tenderheart

Make this night yours

Find the book

A short plan for the night.

A few days before: Confirm your guest count and dietary needs. Choose the actual dishes, read the source recipes, and decide what you will cook and what guests might bring.
The day before: Shop, clear fridge space and set out serving dishes. Prepare only what the recipes say can be made ahead, and follow their storage instructions.
Before the doorbell: Set the table, chill drinks and put your final cooking steps in order. Keep food that needs refrigeration chilled until it is time to serve.
Once everyone is there: Finish the dish that needs you, pass the platters, and sit down. The menu is there to support the night, not take it over.

Find your next night Meet the cooks on The Shelf