A 5-course summer dinner that you can prepare in advance
Warm temperatures and long, light days are the perfect excuse to enjoy good food in good company. That’s why I’ve put together this 5-course menu of healthy recipes packed with vegetables—enough to keep you enjoying the evening all night long. You can prepare most of the recipes in advance, so the chef of the house can join in the fun, too. All the recipes feature seasonal vegetables. This means you’ll be using the most flavorful, most sustainable, and most affordable produce currently available.
Each course is paired with a complementary beverage. As you’d expect when you come to my place, these are all completely alcohol-free, but I’m sure you won’t hear anyone complaining about that.
Appetizers
For an appetizer, we’re serving a typical Spanish welcome dish. A gilda is often the first of the many tapas served throughout the evening. This is my take on it, featuring vegetables (what else? 😉) and a unique blend of spices. In the mocktail, ginger and fresh herbs create a zesty flavor that certainly holds its own against this bold-tasting dish.
Appetizer
The appetizer is a light yet very intriguing salad. The grilled eggplant and halloumi immediately evoke barbecue vibes. The strawberries mixed in add a surprising touch. The mocktail is a slightly sweet and slightly bitter combination of grapefruit and ginger. The mint adds a refreshing note. This mocktail is so delicious—it’s truly the one I’m most proud of. It also pairs beautifully with the salad.
- Salad with Grilled Eggplant, Halloumi, and Strawberries
- Drink: mocktail with grapefruit, ginger, and mint
Main Course
Next up is this pasta dish with summer vegetables. You can prepare it entirely in advance; it’s quick to make but still has all the flair of a lunch at a chic little restaurant. That’s always a nice bonus!
Dessert
Dessert is the moment everyone’s counting down to. So you want something that will impress your guests but isn’t too heavy to eat (like a 7-layer chocolate cake or something like that). These little cakes offer the same burst of flavor but are a lot less work to make—and can be prepared entirely in advance. Great, right?
To go with coffee or tea
Your summer dinner with friends is bound to be a blast, and you won’t be able to shoo your guests out right after dessert. That’s why it’s incredibly hospitable to have a little something else to serve once the group has moved from the dinner table to the garden chairs, had a cup of tea, and a couple of people have offered to help with the dishes. These ice cream pralines are perfect for those moments. They’re refreshing, don’t take much effort to make, and, once they’re ready, you can just grab them straight from the freezer.
- Ice cream pralines with blueberry filling
- Drink: delicious with linden blossom tea (herbal tea) or jasmine tea (real tea leaves)
Would you like some more inspiration? Here’s my summer menu from last year. Would you rather have a little extra fun while cooking? In my cooking show *De Zomermenu*, you can cook along with me live as we prepare some fantastic dishes using summer seasonal vegetables.
Love this recipe? Then share it with everyone you love. That way, together we can help the world enjoy healthy food!