Top 10 Recipes for a Perfectly Simple Buffet
Top 10 best simple make-ahead recipes for a great, easy, and perfectly simple buffet…The best simple buffet for any occasion!!
Stop looking; you just found the Top 10 recipes for a perfectly simple buffet!! …If you’re like me, you love when everything is simple! That’s why I’m proposing to you my top 10 best simple make-ahead recipes for a great, easy and perfect buffet…The best simple buffet for any occasion!! 🙂
All the plates are easy to make, and all your guests will enjoy them! Believe me, I tested it many times on different occasions and with different people, and it has always been a success!
That simple buffet is for 12 to 15 people. Just add a little more if you have a bigger crowd!
I like offering 12 different plates: 8 cold ones and not more than four hot ones; having more than four hot dishes to heat won’t probably fit in your oven.
On top of these 10 recipes, I always have one or two big sandwiches trays, an assorted cheeses plate with raisins, crackers, or French baguette, and a plate of assorted marinades…but feel free to add your favorite dish too!!
The goal here is to offer a large variety and have enough food for everyone! Also, make sure that you serve dishes that all your guests will enjoy!… It’s ok to offer exotic plates, but maybe not all of your guests will like too spicy dishes… Again, simple is best!
So, take out your nicest serving plates, and let’s create that So Perfectly Simple buffet!! 😊
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Here are my favorite Top 10 recipes for a perfectly simple buffet… the top 10 best make-ahead recipes!!
Let’s start with the cold dishes…
First, the best pasta salad! so tasty…
One of the good old classics…but always so popular! I like making this salad with any short pasta: bows, macaroni, fusilli, small shells…choose whatever you like. You can also add ham or pepperoni dice to it to pimp it up a little 🙂 In this version, I used grated cheese because it’s faster, but small dice of cheese would be perfect too. Italian dressing adds a zesty taste and gives a great texture to this salad.
Pasta salad
Ingredients
- 1 large box of short pasta
- ¼ cup sliced green onions
- ½ cup sliced stuffed green olives
- ½ cup diced celery
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- ½ cup diced green bell pepper
- ¾ cup thickly grated yellow cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ¾ cup store-bought Italian dressing
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta following instructions on the box. Drain well and cool.
- In a large bowl, mix well all ingredients. Adjust seasoning if needed
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Add a bit more mayonnaise or Italian dressing if necessary. Garnish with parsley, olives, or slices of bell pepper
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Now a plate that will make people smile…
Look at these beauties! 😊 I just love these cherry tomatoes! So pretty and yummy…always a hit! And I sometimes add a bit of smoked salmon on top of the stuffed cucumbers, depending on my guests… it adds a little fancy touch. Serve them with capers and fine slices or onion…absolutely delicious!!
Stuffed cherry tomatoes and cucumbers
Ingredients
- 24 cherry tomatoes
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 container garlic and herbs cream cheese spread
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh chive
- ½ tsp onion powder
- salt & pepper
- sprigs of fresh chive to garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix all ingredients except cucumbers and tomatoes
- Pour the cream cheese mixture into a pastry bag or cut a corner of a Ziploc bag and use it as a pastry pouch
- Cut cucumbers into 1-inch slices
- Using a small spoon, make a cavity in each slice, without piercing the bottom
- Cut off the top and hollow out the mini tomatoes. Dry cavities well with a paper towel
- Spread the vegetables on a serving plate
- Using a pastry bag, fill the cavities of tomatoes and cucumber slices with the cream cheese mixture, finishing the tops in rosettes
- Garnish with chive sprigs
- Cover well and refrigerate until serving time
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Another classic that has to be part of my top 10 recipes for a perfectly simple buffet!
Another classic that has to be part of any buffet! I always like to have a large variety of veggies…and of course, any dip will do… But I’m proposing to you my favorite one. It’s very tasty and kind of neutral…everyone usually likes it 🙂 even kids! I also like to serve that dip in a bread bowl… Ha! ha! a little fewer dishes to do!!
Pro tip: add a spoon or 2 in the dip bowl to avoid people dipping directly in it
The best dip for veggies
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
- ½ tsp Tobasco or Sriracha sauce
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients
- Pour into a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight
- Serve with a variety of raw vegetables
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That plate will definitely add a special touch to your perfectly simple buffet!
Like many of you, I like shrimps…especially shrimps with this dill and lemon sauce! So easy to make! 🙂
You can also serve them in verrines, so chic and so easy to serve! Just put a spoonful of sauce in the bottom of each verrine and add 1 or 2 skewers on top, depending of the size of the shrimps.
You can also change the fresh dill for fresh parsley and add a few capers…both versions are delicious!!
Shrimp skewers, with dill and lemon sauce
Ingredients
- 500 grams medium raw shrimps,
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1½ tsp chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 8 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix mayonnaise, garlic, dill, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate
- In a large saucepan, bring water and salt to boil
- Add raw shrimps and cook for a few minutes, until shrimps turn pink
- Drain and put shrimps into ice water
- Cool and peel shrimps. Dry well
- Thread 2 or 3 shrimps on a long toothpick, depending on the size of the shrimps
- Place shrimp skewers on a serving plate
- Pour dill and lemon sauce into a small bowl or in 2 hollowed-out lemon halves and set on the serving plate
- Garnish with fresh dill and lemon slices
- Cover well and refrigerate until serving time
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These 2 mini-croissants recipes will be a great complement to your sandwiches tray
I love serving these. And feel free to garnish your croissants with wathever you like!
Any kind of deli meat, seafood salad, roast beef…in short, mini-croissants are good with everything!! 🙂 be creative… don’t be affraid to try different combinations… Below, you’ll see that I propose you chicken salad and deli croissants…the chicken salad ones are definitely the most popular, so if you run out of time, just double the chicken salad recipe and skip the deli ones!!
Chicken salad mini-croissants
Ingredients
- 12 mini-croissants
- 1 cup cooked, cooled, and diced chicken
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup finely diced celery
- ¼ cup finely diced green onions
- ¼ tsp celery salt
- ground pepper
Instructions
- Mix well all ingredients, cover, and refrigerate a few hours or overnight
- A few hours before serving, cut the croissants in half lengthwise
- Garnish with chicken mixture
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve
Deli mini-croissants
Ingredients
- 12 mini-croissants
- 12 slices of cooked ham
- 12 slices of salami
- 6 slices of Swiss cheese, diagonally cut into two
- 3 to 4 romaine lettuce leaves washed and well dried and cut into pieces
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Cut the mini-croissants in half lengthwise
- Brush one side of each croissant with mayonnaise and the other side with mustard
- Garnish each of them with a slice of cooked ham folded in 3, a slice of salami folded in 2, half a slice of Swiss cheese, and a few pieces of lettuce
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve
- *You could also cut each filled croissant in halves and stick a toothpick in it to serve
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Now, here are the hot plates from my top 10 make-ahead recipes for your Perfectly simple buffet!!
A perfectly simple buffet wouldn’t be complete without that good old classic!!
That is THE best simple recipe for any perfectly simple buffet!! 🙂
These meatballs are so easy to make! And you can even make them ahead and freeze…which I love!! so convenient! You can serve them on a plate with a toothpick in each or serve them directly from the slow cooker…it’s always nice to have a little sauce on the bottom of our plate!
Sweet and spicy meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of fully cooked meatballs, frozen
- 1 cup raspberry jam
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp hot pepper flakes
- 1 or 2 cloves
Instructions
- Spray the slow cooker container
- Add frozen meatballs
- In a saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients
- Cook and stir until jam is melted
- Pour over meatballs
- Cook on low for 5 hours
- *Meatballs will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container or up to 3 months in the freezer. Reheat just before serving
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Sausages and honey spicy mustard…I love them so much, it had to be part of my Top 10 recipes for a perfectly simple buffet!!
Almost everyone likes sausages and your meat lovers will be happy to have a full plate without any veggies! 😄
I like to have at least 3 different kinds of sausages: Italian, Toulouse, bacon & cheddar…I’m all about variety!
I usually cook and slice them in advance. Having only to re-heat them at serving time makes it one of the easiest plates for a buffet!!
*I serve sausages with honey spicy mustard but it’s also nice to have ketchup, Dijon, and yellow mustard too!
Sausage rings with honey spicy mustard
Ingredients
- 6 large sausages, ideally 3 different varieties
- ⅓ cup Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ground black pepper
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- Add sausages and cook at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes, turning two or three times during baking.
- In the meanwhile, mix well all the remaining ingredients, cover, and refrigerate. The mustard will keep up to 3 weeks in an airtight container.
- When sausages are well cooked, cool, and cut into thick slices. Refrigerate until serving time.
- When serving time, places sausages slices on a baking sheet and heat for 10 to 12 minutes at 400°
- Arrange on a serving plate around mustard bowls. You can pick a toothpick in each slice or put a big spoon or spatula on the serving plate.
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Pizza… what more can I say!
My top 10 recipes for a perfectly simple buffet could have been 10 pizza recipes!!
Ha! Ha! I just love pizza!!…almost as much as I love desserts!! 😃 … any kind of pizza… But mini-pizzas on Naan flat bread are the best!!
I’m proposing you 2 versions: all dressed and vegetarian, but the possibilities are endless…as long as there is a lot of cheese they will all be perfect!
Mini-Pizzas
Ingredients
- 36 mini flat Naam bread
- 1 jar pizza sauce
- 1 small pepperoni, thinly sliced
- 12 mushrooms, thinly sliced
- ½ green bell pepper in thin strips
- ½ red bell pepper in thin strips
- 15 stuffed green olives sliced
- 1 small onion in thin strips
- 1 cup pre-cooked broccoli cut into small florets
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup yellow or marble cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Spread the mini Naan bread on a large cooking sheet, lined with parchment paper
- Spread a spoonful of pizza sauce on each Naan
- Top half of the mini Naan with mushrooms, peppers, olives, onions, and broccoli
- Top the other half with mushrooms, peppers, olives, and pepperoni
- Sprinkle grated mozzarella and cheddar on each bread: the more cheese, the better!
- Cook at 400° for 10 to 15 minutes. Finish cooking at broil if needed, until cheese is melted and lightly toasted
- * Do not garnish the pizzas more than a few hours in advance, otherwise, the bread will become wet
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Last but not least…
Chicken, bacon, and pineapple mini-skewers!
I’m such a fan of mini-skewers…They are so easy to make, to serve…and to eat! 🙂 they are definitely the best for your perfectly simple buffet!
…So cute and pretty…
Chicken, bacon, and pineapple mini-skewers
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 can of pineapples big chunks ( reserve the juice )
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 12 slices bacon, half-cooked and cut into 3
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1-inch squares
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- the pineapple juice from the can
Instructions
- Coat each chicken cubes with bacon
- Thread on wooden skewers or long toothpicks, one chicken cube, one piece of bell pepper and, one pineapple chunk
- In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and mix well
- Place skewers in a rectangular airtight container
- Pour marinade over and coat well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook
- At cooking time, place skewers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Brush with the remaining marinade
- Bake at 400° for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside
- Transfer to a serving plate and serve
And now…what’s for dessert?
To me, desserts are the best part. I just love desserts…and I mean all kinds of desserts!! 😊
I like to have at least 2 different desserts when serving a buffet.
I try to choose something that all will like, and of course, desserts that can be served in single portions…
Most cakes can be baked in a 9×11 mold cake and cut into single portions… and of course, make-ahead desserts are the best!!
Looking for great ideas? Have a look at my Top 10 favorite make-ahead desserts… believe me, it wasn’t easy to pick only 10!!! 😄 Any of these desserts will perfectly end your meal!! But wait! I have more!!
If you don’t find THE dessert you were looking for…
I have the perfect solution!
Simply my best and favorite desserts! The ones I’ve been baking for a long long time!!
Believe me, they will please your family and friends for sure!
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So these were my Top 10 best recipes for a great, easy, and Perfectly Simple buffet!
Most of them are make-ahead recipes which means that you’ll be able to prepare almost everything in advance…this will allow you more time to enjoy your guests!!… which I love 🙂
As you probably know by now, I’m all about simple things!
I truly believe that nothing as to be complicated to be…
…So perfectly Simple!!
Feel like you would need a little hand with your buffet? Have a look right here where I help you plan and organize your perfectly simple buffet…
And grab some great ideas to set up your buffet table 🙂
As always, I would love to hear from you! 🖤 Use the comment box for any questions or to share your best tips! Or even better, use that comment box to send me YOUR favorite buffet recipe …I just can’t wait to try it!!
*If you like this post, let your friends know! 😉 Please share it!
Talk to you soon!
Related Posts:
-10 Easy Appetizer Recipes
-12 Best Party Salad Recipes
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.
Thank you Mark!
Hope to see you back soon! 🙂
Linda