Hosting a dinner party can be stressful, especially if you’re not exactly a cooking connoisseur, but the fear of elaborate meals shouldn’t stop you! There are tons of tasty dishes you can throw together in minutes that will still have your guests saying “yum.”

Minimal effort goes a long way with some meals, so check out this list of simple dishes that are sure to impress your dinner party.

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Pepper-Glazed Goat Cheese Gratin

This sweet and spicy dip is a great alternative to a cheese plate with a total prep time of only 20 minutes. The goat cheese based dish is served warm with apricot preserves, Dijon mustard, a pickled jalapeño, and a couple of other ingredients for a hot and hearty Fall appetizer.
 

 

Cuban Grilled Salmon with Tomato Avocado Salsa

If you’re feeling some tropical food, you’ve got to try this refreshing Cuban grilled salmon with tomato avocado salsa. The meal comes jam-packed with fresh flavours and citrus, creating a light and hearty dish topped with a tasty homemade salsa. The total time to prep and cook this healthy meal is only 25 minutes.
 

Oven-Fried Chicken

A quick and healthy alternative to deep frying chicken is coating it and flouring it before popping it in the oven. This crispy oven-fried chicken is sprayed with canola oil and cooked at a high temperature to make a crispy outer crust while keeping the meat juicy.
 

Salami, Jalapeño & Olive Pizza with Honey

Gourmet pizzas that come drizzled with honey are beginning to pop up all over Pinterest, and it’s a great way to step up your pizza making game with just one ingredient. In this deceivingly elaborate looking pie, crisp cheese comes topped with salty olives and salami, spicy jalapeños, and drizzled with sweet honey for a perfectly balanced combination of flavours.
 

Free-Form Sausage and Three Cheese Lasagna

This gooey lasagna comes packed with cheese and sausage, and can be serves in different ways like traditional layering or with the noodles folded over the filling. With three different kinds of cheese from a sharp Parmigiano to a smooth mozzarella, this dish is a cheese lover’s paradise.
 

Peri-Peri Chicken and Chargrilled Red Pepper Paella with Fresh Lime

This easy meal is a tasty chicken rice dish with a Portuguese twist. There’s a bit of preparation on this one, but the meal is delicious and has a freshly squeezed slice of lime for a refreshing flavour. The total time to cook this meal is 30 minutes, which is definitely worth an awesome Peri-Peri based dish.
 

 

Eggplant Parmigiana

Food Network star Alex Guarnaschelli made this simple and delicious dish, and she claims that it is what she’d eat for her last meal on earth. With a homemade tomato sauce, fried eggplant, and three different kinds of cheese, this quick meal looks elaborate and is sure to impress your dinner guests.
 

Chicken Curry with Cucumber Yoghurt and Roti

This aromatic and flavourful curry comes topped with a drizzle of Greek yoghurt, and served with steamed rice and roti. The curry itself only takes about 10 minutes to cook until you can leave it simmering for about 20 more. Served with a side of cucumber raita, the heavy meal comes with a refreshing twist.
 

Caramelized Figs and Ravioli with Rosemary Brown Butter & Crispy Prosciutto

This simple ravioli recipe doesn’t involve cooking any pasta from scratch, but rather buying a couple of packs of cheese ravioli from your local grocery store and elevating the meal with some caramelized figs in brown butter and crisped prosciutto. The comforting dish is sure to fill you up and the wow-worthy dinner only takes a couple of minutes to make.
 

Seafood Gumbo

This easy seafood gumbo is full of traditional Creole seasoning and is full of every seafood you can imagine, from fresh blue crab to delicious lobster tails. You have the freedom to make the soup as thick or thin as you wish, and most of the cooking time simply involves leaving the hearty stew to simmer on the stove top.
 

Goat Cheese Cakes with Rosemary and Lavender Honey

This sweet dessert has savoury notes with rosemary and lavender infused into the tasty treat. The crust comes packed with gingersnap cookies, and the creamy cake gets drizzled with honey and made into mini individual servings. The fragrant cheesecake is sure to impress your guests, even though it only takes 30 minutes of active cooking and an hour of chilling.