25 no-oven effortless entertaining ideas

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No-oven effortless entertaining ideas

Starters and sides

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.

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.

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.

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

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 effortless 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 an effortless no-cook pavlova that's brilliant for entertaining.