Do you dream of hosting a dinner party for your friends at Uni but don’t want to break
the bank, follow this low effort 3 course Italian style meal which is guaranteed to
impress your guests. The menu includes a Tomato, Basil and Burrata to start,
Creamy Tuscan Pasta for the main and Chocolate Covered Strawberries for dessert.
All recipes are perfect for 4 people, double if needed to serve more guests.
Starter Ingredients: Tomato, basil and Burrata served with warmed bread (serves 4)
- Burrata
- Punnet of Cherry tomatoes
- Garlic Cloves
- Basil
- Balsamic Glaze
- Baguette
Step 1
Begin by roasting tomatoes and a handful of garlic cloves in an oven dish for 30 mins
until charred/golden, once cooked add basil, season with salt and mix together into a
sauce.
Step 2
Then place a baguette in the oven and leave it in until it’s warmed (around 5
minutes).
Step 3
Spread the tomato and garlic mix onto a serving place, place the burrata on the top,
cover in olive oil and drizzle balsamic glaze on top.
Step 4
Once ready, break open the burrata and serve with the warmed bread to share
amongst the guests.
Main Ingredients: Creamy Tuscan Pasta (serves 4) - 200g pasta (my personal favourite is rigatoni)
- 250g Chicken (swap out for vegetarian substitute if needed)
- 40g Sundried Tomatoes
- 1 Brown Onion
- 40ml Single Cream
- Spinach (measure with your heart)
- 10g Parmesan
Step 1
In a pan add the onion and chicken, stir until golden.
Step 2
Whilst the chicken and onion cook, in a separate pan cook your pasta following the
ingredients on the packet (around 10 minutes).
Step 3
Once the onion is golden and the chicken is cooked through, add sundried tomatoes
to the pan, stirring for 5 minutes.
Step 4
Season the chicken, onions and sundried tomatoes, then add the single cream and
spinach to the pan.
Step 5
Add parmesan to sauce, then add in your pasta, stir until the pasta is covered. Feel
free to garnish with leftover basil leaves from the starter and serve to your guests.
Desert Ingredients: Chocolate Covered Strawberries (Serves 4)
- Punnet of Strawberries
- Bar of milk chocolate
Step 1
Wash your strawberries and dry them or the chocolate won’t cover them properly.
Step 2
Break up your milk chocolate in small pieces, place in a bowl and melt in the
microwave, taking the bowl out every 20 seconds to stir in attempt to avoid burning.
Step 3
Dip your strawberries into the bowl, then place them on a plate.
Step 4
Place the Strawberries in the fridge for the chocolate to harden. Remove the
strawberries from the fridge 5 minutes before you serve to your guests.
That’s the menu complete, put on some music, open a bottle of wine, enjoy some
great conversation and tasty food. I did my shop at Sainsbury’s and the price came
out to just over £5 a head (excluding wine), different shops may vary in price. This
just goes to show that you can host an aesthetic and enjoyable dinner party on a
budget.