Single Girl Dinner Parties | Simple Italian

7 Dishes for an easy-to-make Italian themed dinner party

Potlucks are a single girl’s best friend. For less than $20 a person, you can have a multi-dish meal and really enjoy each others’ company (and by that I mean open more than one bottle of wine without paying an arm and a leg). My sister hosted a group of us for a cozy dinner party at her place. Their friends met through a series of MeetUp events when they were all somewhat new to San Francisco a few years ago. Who says you can’t meet new friends online?

What was on the menu for our Italian dinner party? Caprese skewers, cheese and crackers, bruschetta, prosciutto-wrapped melons, arugula ravioli, and salmon with asparagus… with a little vino and a delightful bundt cake. It’s a delicious night in for up to 10 friends, or pick and choose a few dishes for a party of two. Best part about this menu? You can pick up all the ingredients from Trader Joe’s. Read on for ingredients and recipes.

From Top:

Ania’s Bruschetta

Organic Italian baguette
Trader Giotto’s fresh bruschetta sauce

Nini’s Proscuitto with Melon

Smoked prosciutto
Pre-cut cantaloupe slices
Organic mint leaves as garnish

Eleni’s Cheese Plate

Grape tomatoes
Crottin Goat cheese 3-pack with garlic & herb, pepper, plain
Uncooked whole wheat spaghetti as toothpick
Raw almonds

Eleni’s Cheese and Crackers

Trader Joe’s Wild Blueberry Vanilla Chèvre
Trader Joe’s Raisin Rosemary Crisps

Alex’s Caprese Skewers

Cherry tomatoes
Mozzarella cheese
Basil
Trader Joe’s balsamic vinaigrette

Christine’s Arugula & Parmigiano Reggiano Ravioli

Trader Giotto’s Arugula & Parmigiano Reggiano Ravioli
Wild Arugula
Trader Giotto’s Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Traditional Marinara Sauce
Garlic
Parmesan Romano & Asiago Cheese
Raw Sliced Almonds

Christine’s Salmon with Asparagus

Salmon
Asparagus
Pearl tomatos
Garlic
Lemon
Pesto
Freshly shaved Parmesan, Romano & Asiago
Recipe for foil baked salmon here

Epicuro Primitivo red table wine

Ania chose this perfectly fruity and smooth accompaniment to our meal.

Jill’s Cream-filled bundt cake with raspberries

The group is lucky enough to have a professional baker in its midst. While we opted to keep her recipe a secret, you can visit her website Delish Designs to hire her for dessert bars and event planning.