As much as we'd love to skip ahead and enjoy the food and company, when you're the main cook for a dinner party or Thanksgiving meal, you're attention is required elsewhere. While I personally love hosting, constantly getting pulled away from a conversation to check on a meal can be a real drag. And on top of that, depending on the size of your guest list, feeding a crowd can require cooking for several hours.
Thankfully, there are plenty of recipes out there that require little work and leave a lot more time for play. And most importantly, they make plenty of food to go around! With these easy recipes, you'll make any holiday party, game day, or soirée a breeze.
This slow cooker chicken tortilla soup couldn't be easier to make. You add most of the ingredients to the slow cooker before the soup cooks, and then stir the rest in afterwards. Once it's all set, you can serve this dish with your favorite toppings.
If you need a quick, healthy appetizer, look no further than this cucumber avocado caprese salad. Made with just five ingredients and an easy dressing, this salad comes together almost immediately! It's the perfect thing to make right before your guests arrive.
If you're trying to stay on the healthier side for your party, then your guests will love this crockpot quinoa chicken primavera. Other than the crockpot, you'll just need to sauté asparagus for the topping.
This baked honey sesame chicken is made with a delicious, easy sauce. It bakes for 30 minutes so you can have it ready for whenever you want to serve dinner.
Love lasagna but hate working on all the layers? This ravioli lasagna is the answer. Made with refrigerated ravioli and just a few other ingredients, it couldn't be easier to prepare!
Pulled pork is always a crowd-pleaser, and with this recipe, making it couldn't be simpler. This slow cooker pulled pork can cook from 8-12 hours, so it's the perfect thing to prep the morning of your party and have ready whenever your guests get hungry.
I remember eating walking tacos at sports tournaments and birthday parties, and I'd be just as happy to have them at a party! All you have to do is cook the taco meat in a skillet and have the toppings and chip bags ready.
This Mediterranean pasta salad is as equally delicious as it is refreshing. To make it, you just need to cook the orzo, chop a few veggies and whip up a delicious vinaigrette.
These lentil sloppy joes are sure to please all your guests — carnivores and vegetarians alike. And not to worry, they're super simple to make since all you really need to do is dump all the ingredients in a slow cooker. After three hours, you'll have some tasty sloppy joes for your guests to chow down on.
These beef brisket tacos are sure to impress. Cover with a seasoning rub, sear, then pressure cook for 45 minutes for a delicious brisket that all your guests will love.
This crockpot cheeseburger soup is sure to be crowd-pleasing comfort food. You have to do a little skillet work to prep it, but then it can cook in the crockpot until you're ready to serve it.
If you've got a handful of vegetables at the ready, this Instant Pot veggie soup is for you! Since it's made in a pressure cooker, it comes together quickly for a convenient and hearty dish.
Chili is a simple dish to serve at a party, and this slow cooker chili makes it even easier. Just add all the ingredients into a slow cooker and keep it warm until you're ready to serve.
For such a delicious dish, this white lasagna soup will surprise you with how easy it is to make. While it might be a little more planning than some of the other recipes on this list, it's certainly worth the effort.
Yet another taco recipe, and for good reason — everyone loves them and guests can build their own, saving you time and effort. Once you blend the sauce and add the meat to the slow cooker, you'll have delicious tacos al pastor in just a few hours.
If you're intimidated by the idea of cooking an entire turkey for a family meal, look no further than this instant pot turkey breast. There's no mess, no fuss, and you get perfectly cooked turkey, every time.
If you're hosting a party, you certainly can't forget about dessert. This easy cheesecake dip has the flavor of cheesecake without any of the work or worry about cracking the top.
These salted caramel popcorn bars are easy and twice as impressive as a microwave bag of popcorn.
The name of this recipe says it all: it doesn't get much easier than three-ingredient cookies! All it takes in 30 minutes to make a batch of these tasty peanut butter sweets.
Apple crisp is as tasty as apple pie and half the work. Plus, it can be made gluten-free to accommodate any gluten-sensitive party guests.