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Wait Until You See This Italian Dinner Party Menu!

“Wow” your guests with this delicious, yet simple, Italian dinner party menu! We’ve got easy recipe ideas you’ll love from the cocktail to a dessert.

Do you enjoy hosting a dinner party?

We sure do!

It’s especially fun to choose a theme for the dinner.

A theme helps you to set a special table, and it helps all the dishes to work together.

Sometimes we cook all the dishes ourselves, but usually, we do a potluck style of a meal and each guest brings one dish.

One of our favorite themes for a dinner party is Italian food.

After all, Italians know how to cook (and eat) truly delicious food!

You’re going to love this Italian dinner party menu.

The recipes are all easy enough that you could make them all yourself, or you can assign one of the recipes to each of your guests.

Table Of Contents
  1. What’s a Virtual Dinner Party?
  2. Here’s a sneak peek of the menu we’re sharing with you
  3. Appetizer: Easy Italian Bruschetta
  4. Cocktail: The Best Peach Bellini
  5. Main Course: Simple One Pan Skillet Lasagna
  6. Side Dish: Crispy Parmesan Garlic Brussels Sprouts
  7. Dessert: Frozen Limoncello Dessert
  8. More Entertaining Inspiration

What’s a Virtual Dinner Party?

We’ve co-hosted twenty-two virtual parties, and counting!

What’s a virtual dinner party, you may be wondering?

Well, it’s a ton of inspiration for you!

Each month we collaborate with some of our favorite blogging friends from all across the country to create a new dinner party theme.

You can check out all the themes we’ve done here.

We all share ideas for decorating a special table, creating a centerpiece, and a delicious menu that includes a specialty cocktail, appetizer, main dish, side dish(es), and dessert.

Seriously, everything you need to host a fantastic dinner party is all at your fingertips!

You’ve got to see how beautiful everyone’s tables look this month.

I know I say this almost every month, but AnnMarie’s centerpiece might just be my favorite that she’s ever done.

The best part? It would be beautiful in your dining room any time during the year.

Anne is the cook in our blogging duo, and her side dish recipe this month is a copycat from one of our favorite local restaurants.

Here’s a sneak peek of the menu we’re sharing with you

Collage of Italian foods to serve at an Italian-themed dinner party.

Each dish looks more delicious than the next, don’t you think?

The key to all our recipes: we try to keep them simple, with bonus points for make-ahead dishes!

After all, you want to spend time enjoying your guests, not working in the kitchen.

If you’re new around here, we’re Anne and AnnMarie, two moms who are lucky enough to be besties and neighbors.

Two bloggers holding a wood bowl with fresh rolls and a serving dish of Brussel Sprouts for an Italian themed dinner party

That’s Anne, holding the bowl of Brussels sprouts, and AnnMarie is serving up some amazing rolls with Italian dipping oil.

Oh, and we’re both Italian!

Or at least partially Italian.

Are you ready to check out all these recipes?

Let’s take a closer look at our Italian dinner party menu.

Appetizer: Easy Italian Bruschetta

Serving dish of Italian bruschetta topping next to a plate of crostini with the topping on a wood table for an Italian dinner

One of our favorite easy appetizers has got to be bruschetta.

Our friend Michele, from Vintage Home Designs, is sharing her super fresh bruschetta recipe this month.

I’ve already got the ingredients for this appetizer on my shopping list for next week!

Cocktail: The Best Peach Bellini

Two glasses of peach Bellinis sitting on a stone wall next to fresh peaches.

Have you ever had a bellini?

It blends peaches and prosecco, two of our favorites, for a pretty and refreshing cocktail.

Our friend Stacy, from Stacy Ling/Bricks’n’Blooms, is sharing her family recipe for a delicious bellini.

It’s a wonderful way to begin an Italian dinner party before the wine begins flowing!

Main Course: Simple One Pan Skillet Lasagna

Stainless steel skillet filled with Skillet Lasagna on a serving board.

Lasagna might be one of my favorite Italian entrees, but it can be a little labor-intensive to make.

Our friend Jen, from Midwest Life and Style, has a wonderfully simple One Pan Skillet Lasagna recipe for our dinner party this month.

Not only is it tasty, but with just one skillet required clean up after your meal will be a snap!

Side Dish: Crispy Parmesan Garlic Brussels Sprouts

Bowl of crispy air fryer Parmesan Garlic Brussels Sprouts on a table next to a wooden bowl filled with fresh dinner rolls.

For most of our lives, we didn’t like Brussels sprouts.

Then we went out to dinner with friends one time and tried them a whole new way and now we order them almost every time we go out to eat!

Anne created a copycat recipe from one of our favorite restaurants and if you think you don’t like Brussels sprouts either, we hope you’ll give these a try.

This recipe was devoured leaving just a bare bowl at the last dinner party we had!

Dessert: Frozen Limoncello Dessert

Frozen Limoncello Dessert garnished with fresh blackberries and sliced lemons on a dinner table.

Have you ever had Limoncello?

It’s a smooth, sweet Italian liqueur often served at the end of a meal.

Our friend Rachel, from The Ponds Farmhouse, has created a real treat for a frozen dessert featuring Limoncello and toasted coconut!

We can’t wait to give it a try with a low carb twist.

More Entertaining Inspiration

Be sure to check out all our entertaining menus. Just click on any of the links below for more tasty recipes.

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!

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