(L)Oven Monday – Sunday Dinner, Part 2

Last week I began with sharing the three things that are essential to having a successful Sunday dinner.  You can go here to find the details of those  important ingredients –

1. Ponder the needs
2. Plan the menu
3. Prepare ahead

After you have done #1, and you know your budget, the needs of your guests and any other needs, such as time constraint, you can plan the menu.  Today, I’m going to share a few menu suggestions and I’ll put them into a few categories to help you get started.

• Low Budget, Large crowd – 
  • Pasta dishes are great.  Here are some of my favorites that are inexpensive, feed a crowd, and can be made ahead:
    • Spinach Lasagna – You can even make this with no meat
    • Spaghetti Pie – This recipe makes two pies!  It has all the flavors of lasagna with less prep.
    • Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cheese – This link will not only show you the recipe, it will also tell you the whole menu I served on a Sunday when I made this, and the steps I took to get it ready for after church.
  • Chicken dishes, using roasted chicken done in the crock pot.  Here’s the method to cook the chicken breasts in the crock pot.
    • Chicken Enchiladas – This link will, again, show you my whole menu and method to serve this on a Sunday.
    • Savory Crescent Chicken Squares – To make these for a Sunday, prep the meat and cream cheese mixture and have it waiting in the fridge.  When you get home from church, put it into the crescent rolls and bake!
    • Hot Chicken Salad
• Healthy Choices that can be made ahead –
  • Roasted Vegetable Frittata – Brunch food is great for Sunday!  Many restaurants are filled with church-goer’s looking for brunch!  Frittata warms up great.  I would bake the whole thing on Saturday and simply warm it up after church.
  • Baked Potato Soup – Make it ahead and keep it warm in the crock pot.  You can make this a hearty meal by serving a big bowl of salad and a light bread with it.
  • Katie Brown Chicken – This is a traditional kind of Sunday dinner, and soooo yummy!  It’s really my favorite meal!
  • Chicken Taco Salads – If the chicken is cooked, and the other salad ingredients prepped, you could put this together in minutes.
• Crock Pot Recipes can be a life saver on Sunday! This is probably the best way to start out putting a great Sunday meal on the table.  Put everything in the crock pot and head to church.  There may be a little to do when you get home, but not much!  Here are some delicious main dish favorites:
  • Slow Cooker Beef Stew – This is Sunday Roast beef in a bowl.  Add toasted French bread and a salad and you’re set!
  • Taco Soup
  • Balsamic and Onion Pot roast
  • Sour Cream and Bacon Crock Pot Chicken
    
  • Crock Pot Turkey Chili

I hope this second edition of Sunday Dinner will better equip you to put together a menu that fits your needs!  Give one of these recipes a whirl this Sunday and let me know how it goes!

Did you fix Sunday dinner yesterday?  What did you serve?