30 no-oven easy entertaining ideas
- Helen Salter
Published: January 16, 2023 at 1:09 PM
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Stylish yet simple, these no-oven recipes use clever shortcuts and minimal prep - perfect for make-ahead dishes or stress-free entertaining.
Give the oven a break with our no-cook entertaining recipes. For starters, feed a crowd with speedy crab and prawn cocktail rolls, or warm up with a slow cooker tomato soup topped with salsa macha. For mains, our rich lamb casserole with crispy hash browns does just the trick with no oven required, while for desserts, you can whip up our raspberry chocolate pots, brioche ice cream sandwiches or grapefruit and mint syllabub, all of which take less than 20 minutes of prep.
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We have more effortless recipes which cut corners, such as our easy party food platters, easy summer dinner party ideas and easy Christmas entertaining ideas. We also asked 15 foodies to share their easy entertaining hacks and tips.
Looking for low-cost recipes for a dinner party? Check out our budget recipes, budget vegetarian recipes and budget vegan recipes.
Jump to:
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- Starters and sides
- Mains
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- Desserts
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No-oven easy entertaining ideas
Starters and sides
Pineapple, ginger and chilli salad
This was inspired by the salad served at Tamila in Soho, London – a gorgeous mixture of sweet, salty, hot and sour flavours.
Paprika crisps and fennel crudités
A plate of paprika crisps and mojo verde dip makes for fuss-free entertaining – they take only 10 minutes to prep with no oven required.
Tomato soup with salsa macha
This tomato soup topped with crushed tortilla chips and salsa macha is easy on the eye and simple to make. If you’ve got a slow cooker, you can keep the soup hot in it until you’re ready to serve. Garnish with coriander.
Melon carpaccio with chilli honey dressing
Arrange paper-thin slices of sweet melon on your prettiest platter then drizzle with a sweet-spicy dressing.
Prawns pil pil
Use the hob to create this deliciously garlicky prawns pil pil, where plump prawns sit in a spicy oil. Don’t forget the crusty bread for mopping up all of those wonderful juices.
Burrata and tomato salad
Simply pair creamy burrata and sweet, ripe tomatoes with a punchy dressing of olive brine, lemon and black pepper to make this fresh side salad.
Crab and prawn cocktail rolls
Cut corners by using shop-bought prawn cocktail and brioche buns to make this starter. Serve with thick-cut crisps and dressed lettuce leaves to turn into a fun spread which feeds a crowd.
Bloody mary prawn lettuce scoops
Serve this speedy no-cook starter at your next dinner party – it's a fun alternative to classic prawn cocktail and only takes 15 minutes of prep.
Picnic platter
Take a few picnic staples, such as cheese, chutney, pâté and salami, and turn it into a no-cook dinner party centrepiece. Finish it off with some quick and easy pickles, if you like.
Chargrilled bang bang chicken noodle salad
A fresh, vibrant, hearty salad of slippery noodles with crunchy, zingy veg and a rich ginger peanut sauce.
Crudités with chipotle aïoli
Serve a crunchy crudité board at your next dinner party – it's a fresh, healthy, no-cook option and guests will love the chipotle aïoli.
Mains
Lamb casserole with a hash brown top
Give the oven a break with our rich lamb casserole with crispy hash browns on top. Perfect for warming you up without the effort. If you prefer, you can brown this in the oven and leave it to stay warm while you serve your starter.
Summer tolma with barberries
Summer tolma with barberries is a vibrant and satisfying dish that brings together fragrant herbs, warming spices and a delightful tang from dried barberries or cranberries. It is naturally gluten-free and vegetarian, making it suitable for a range of diets. The recipe is a little fiddly but becomes easier with practice, and the finished tolma are perfect for adding to a meze spread or serving alongside simple salads and grilled vegetables. With its fresh flavours and appealing textures, this dish is a wonderful way to make use of what you have in the fridge and enjoy a taste of summer.
Pomegranate glazed lamb kebabs
Grill shop-bought lamb kebabs and pair with a simple sticky glaze to make this effortless main.
Chicken tacos
Cuts corners by using a shop-bought rotisserie chicken instead of roasting in an oven. Serve as part of a Mexican-style feast and let everyone build their own.
Truffle pasta mafalde
A handful of simple ingredients, including quality shop-bought pesto, wide-ribboned mafalde and colourful radicchio makes this dish much more than the sum of its parts.
Mushroom pearl barley risotto with roasted carrots
You won’t need to continuously stir this mushroom risotto thanks to pearl barley. Topped with beautifully sweet and nutty roasted rosemary carrots, it's a deceptively easy yet special main.
Desserts
Peach melba sundae platter
This is so impressive looking for what is essentially a last-minute assembly job and makes for an effortless dinner party dessert.
Strawberry sgroppino
Five minutes is all you need to whip up this refreshing three-ingredient dessert.
Raspberry chocolate pots
This is the ultimate fuss-free pud. Double cream, raspberries and dark chocolate are all you need to make this silky and decadent pud – a restaurant-level dessert with minimal prep required.
Berry tiramisu
A fuss-free dessert which feeds up to 12 – try this berry tiramisu made with tart raspberries, rosé wine and creamy mascarpone, ready in just 15 minutes.
Peach melba smashed pavlova
Shop-bought meringue nests and custard combine to make a no-cook pavlova that's brilliant for entertaining.
Espresso martini pancakes
You only need five ingredients to recreate these knockout coffee pancakes. Flavoured with espresso and salted caramel, they're sure to leave a smile on your guests' faces.
Halva-topped rice pudding
You only need five ingredients to whip up this rice pudding, one of them being ready-made rice pudding. Simply sprinkle with cinnamon, cardamom and a little orange zest, and top with halva and extra cream. Halva is available in tubs from the olive shop – it keeps well and makes a great addition to biscuits and bakes.
Fruit and cream layer cake
Panettone and pandoro have become popular Christmas gifts – if you’ve got one you haven’t used yet, give this easy cheat's bake a try.
Air fryer brownies
If you've already got the knack of using an air fryer, this is really easy. Let the air fryer do all the work with this speedy brownie recipe. You could add nuts or dried fruit to the batter, if you like, for extra flavour.
Double chocolate and passion fruit tart
A standout dessert for a dinner party or special meal, you only need a handful of ingredients to assemble this zingy no-cook tart, some of which are ready-made ingredients.
Brioche ice cream sandwiches
This sweet treat is deceptively easy to make, thanks to shop-bought brioche buns and gelato.
Grapefruit and mint syllabub
End your dinner on a high note with this sophisticated syllabub using floral rosé – it takes just 10 minutes to make, too.
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Pomegranate ice cream
This creamy no-churn ice cream couldn't be easier to make, and it's perfect for serving at alfresco gatherings. Pomegranate molasses adds a fruity, sweet-and-sour smack of flavour, too.
Authors
Helen Salter
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