11 Recipes You Should Make For Your Next Outdoor Dinner Party

Listen, when you make this roasted zucchini and tomato crostini recipe, you better plan to make extra. If you’re serving a party of six people, make a minimum of twelve. Honestly, I would make even. They’re going to be popular, and you don’t want to anger the crowd. If you have leftovers, toss them in your air fryer the next morning and top with a fried egg. You can thank me later.

These zucchini boats aren't your average zucchini boats - they are, in a word, amazing. Also, something about calling them boats makes our kids less reluctant to try them. Grilled stuffed zucchini with shrimp is a fun and unique way to cook dinner, and super easy to serve a large crowd. The spicy shrimp give this dish a nice kick, but you may want to tone it down a bit if you’re not into that much heat.

Come summer, I cannot get enough couscous. Whether it’s Moroccan or Israeli, those little balls of goodness bring me so much joy. Couscous is great served hot or cold. In the case of this black bean couscous salad recipe, it makes a wonderful addition to your dinner party menu as a fresh, chilled salad with a bold southwestern flare. It complements grilled meats, fish and chicken all equally well, but is so simple to prepare.

In all the confusion getting ready for your party, making sure everything is perfect, perhaps you forgot to think about dessert! It’s ok, we got you covered. These cake mix lemon bars are sweet and tart morsels that are sure to be a hit among your friends. Also, this recipe comes together in under 30 minutes, from start to finish. We keep cake mix on hand just for such occasions. They taste like they were made completely from scratch so no one will ever be the wiser.

I like to have a backup plan in case the weather doesn’t want to cooperate. Sure, most things done on the grill can be done in the kitchen, but it’s not the same. Instead of panicking, cook some pasta, add seasoned chicken breast, and make this easy dish that will taste like you spent all day cooking. Our chicken asparagus pasta recipe is indeed tasty all year long, but it's especially fitting when you want to serve pasta that tastes a bit fresher in the heat of summer.