71 Fall Dinner Party Ideas for Menus That Wow
Summer barbecues are great and all, but fall dinner party ideas can feel even more exciting—it’s time for juicy roast chickens carved at the table and vegetarian entrées where squash is the star. Before the weather gets really cold, you can host a big group outside under twinkling lights, which makes any feast feel magical. But what will you cook? Below you’ll find 71 of our favorite fall dinner party recipes, including luscious braised duck legs, easy (but impressive) pork roasts, baked pastas, foolproof seafood, and so much more.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich1/71Stuffed Squash With Preserved-Lemon Gravy
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews3/71Crisp Roast Duck
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell4/71Pork Chops With Fig and Grape Agrodolce
Fresh figs and grapes cooked in balsamic vinegar and honey make a wonderful sweet and sour sauce for pork chops. The recipe also includes an easy radicchio salad dressed with lemon juice, sharp mustard, and honey, so most of your fall dinner party menu is complete. (We won't stop you from adding a sweet potato cheesecake to the plan.)
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Dawn Perry6/71Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder With Zesty Basil Sauce
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton10/71Braised Chile-Marmalade Duck Legs With Brussels Sprouts
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou11/71Braised Butternut Squash in Spiced Coconut Gravy
Meet your new favorite squash recipe: big pieces of butternut simmer in a coconut sauce spiked with chile, cayenne, and turmeric.
Photo by Ted Cavanaugh, Chelsea Cavanaugh, Food Styling by Simon Andrews12/71Risotto With Mushrooms and Thyme
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne13/71Clams With Sherry and Olives
The complex flavor of this dish—briny, aromatic, slightly spicy—belies the extraordinarily simple method of actually making it. This dish could easily star in a low-stress weeknight dinner party menu.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell14/71Creamy Squash Risotto With Toasted Pepitas
You know you're looking for fall menu ideas that involve squash, but you might not want to just serve roasted wedges of kabocha or rings of delicata. Here, silky, savory miso and a paprika-packed squash purée boost the fall flavors and hearty richness of dairy-free risotto. Wanna keep going with the squash theme? Wrap up the meal with a pumpkin pie.
