To ask for your best get ahead entertaining main course ?

[Conniebanana]

I'm cooking for friends soon and need some new tried and tested get ahead dishes. I'm cooking for 10/12 and I generally do a one pot type thing like cassoulet, hotpot , tagine and then do nice sides and a pudding. Sometimes a hot salad starter.
Mains I'm dithering on. Nigella chicken and chorizo bake with potatoes in it looks good but I'd prefer something without the carbs in it as I also do a veggie option that goes whey the same sides.
If you've got an excellent baked cheesecake I'll love you forever too ! Hope this ok to ask

I've made the nigella chicken thing a few times and it can be a bit bland and watery.

I'd make Turkish things like koftas and kebabs 🤤

If they are ok with spicy food do a thali. Three different curries sever with rice, naans, poppadoms, pickled etc.

You could do a chicken tikka masala, a chickpea and spinach curry and a lamb jalfrezi so you hit everyone's tastes!

I had this chick pea salad on the Eurostar, no kidding, and loved it. Great vegetarian option and full of flavour.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/no-cook-chickpea-salad

Goats cheese always adds a great tang.

Maybe a bit pedestrian, but lasagne can be made ahead and tastes better when eaten the day after cooking imo. Lasage, green salad, garlic bread. Lots of wine.
Crumble and ice cream for dessert. Simple but satisfying.

Here's a good cheesecake recipe

www.maryberry.co.uk/recipes/desserts/baked-berry-cheesecake

For a crowd, I would probably keep it simple eg a couple of large dishes of lasagne (prepare in advance) with salad and garlic bread

Or, if you are trying to impress, then curry is often good to prepare in advance and reheat

Chicken breast stuffed with garlic and lemon ricotta, make ahead of time and just cook in oven for 20 mins. Serve with potatoes dauphinoise and cooked green beans.

Or, slow cooked lamb shoulder (I do it in sore cooker and then blast in oven to crisp up), served with Greek salad, tzatziki, flatbreads etc

Slow cooked dry rubbed pork shoulder, served with flatbreads, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, shredded veg

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pulled-pork
This is my choice for a party , I’ve made it for 50 for our house warming , and 16 for a NYE party
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-ever-macaroni-cheese-recipe
this for a side / veggie dish and a bowl of green salad

www.nigella.com/recipes/london-cheesecake
this cheesecake recipe , but I don’t do the sour cream topping , just add loads of berries

Slow cooked Moroccan lamb shoulders - marinade overnight, in the oven in the morning.

Loads of gorgeous salads with pittas / flatbreads. Eg cous cous salad, tabbouleh, beetroot and feta, Greek salad

I long for a life where I can ask this kind of question and it actually be happening 😂

Nothing to add really except if it’s warm weather why not barbecue?

@Neverendingdust I've not got a bbq 🤣. And it requires standing about bin all about the prep night before or during the day and shove in oven and forget about it
There are some lovely ideas here and I really want crumble and cream cream but want my mum to make the crumble. I have no clue how she does it but it's always a bit crunchy and stodgy and delicious all at once

Bin all = I'm all
Sausage fingers. Maybe I should cook those..

The Get-Ahead Cook by Jane Lovett is a game-changer for this! One of my most used cookbooks.

Pulled pork. Hardly any work, you can do it the say before if you don't get up at the crack of dawn. Potato salad, ordinary salad, brioche buns - done.

We have people over this weekend and I’m doing a serve yourself chili with rice, homemade salsa, corn chips, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce/tomato/corn salad. People can have as much or little as they like of anything. Will make the chili the day before and the rest is just a bit of throwing together..

Black pudding and bacon salad is delish as a starter. Chop both into small bits and fry. You can pre-cook those. Warm them to serve, fling over some salad leaves and toss the lot in your pre-made vinaigrette. Winner!

These all sound delicious, everyone we know to invite is either vegetarian or vegan! Very worthy but so hard to make something special easily.

Pulled pork is my favourite make ahead dish, served with whatever fancy salad bits you like and tortillas, or more as a roast if you prefer.

Burnt basque cheesecake is ridiculously easy to make but sounds fancy.

24 hour slow cooked pulled pork shoulder with a load of sides.

Mac & cheese for the carby types, with truffle oil. Make cheese sauce in advance.

Coleslaw - make in advance & refrigerate.

I usually make a bean or lentil side in advance & warm it

Dishes of greens and salad veg.

@SquirrelFan I'm veggie but will cook meat for those who like it and because they think I'm a good cook they usually all have a bit of veggie option too.
I was thinking I may do posh Mac n cheese as the veggie
Husband not keen on pulled pork so maybe something else like that but not that. I once made a lamb hotpot that was so easy but raves about. Can't remember which group I served it to tbh !!

Parmigiana? A bit lighter than lasagne for summer, plus good for veggies too.
Serve with a big green salad and a tomato salad, or a load of green beans or asparagus.
I like to bake the aubergine instead of fry it so its less greasy and also less stinky for the house.

amp.theguardian.com/food/2021/sep/01/how-to-make-aubergine-parmigiana-recipe-felicity-cloake

Salmon en croute if you have a few bob to spend. Two half sides of salmon, (lidl one is fine) fry off mushroom, a little onion and fresh herbs, 2cloves garlic and lemon rind at the end. Let us the mixture cool and put between the salmon pieces. Flour the parcels and wrap in puff pastry. Chill for at least a hour and put in the oven. Really quick and simple but always goes down well. Dessert = can’t go wrong with a M and S Tiramisu. I usually get when my DH is not around as he makes a killer version that I can never match up to.
Have a great dinner, I love entertaining but have recently moved so short on people to invite around!

This is a very nice variation on the Nigella Spanish Chicken casserole.

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/one-pot-recipes/spanish-chicken-with-butter-beans-chorizo-and-tomatoes

This is a very lovely baked cheesecake

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/dessert-cakes/baked-vanilla-cheesecake-with-caramel-sauce?amp

I would swap the caramel sauce for a raspberry coulis if you have a rich main.

DH has vetoed pastry due to his reflux FFS I might just make him a pot noodle !
Current thinking is a lamb or pork slow cooked thing plus fancy salads and a Mac n cheese (not a great match but who doesn't love it?) cheesecake and just need a veggie starter. Can't be arsed making two starters