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If you’re raring to get back to hosting holiday guests this season, here are three tantalizing appetizer recipes from Food Network chef Giada De Laurentiis. Easy to make, these starters will have your holiday crowd grazing in no time.

Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis prepares food at a 2015 Food Network event
Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis prepares food at a 2015 Food Network event | Manny Hernandez/Getty Images

De Laurentiis’ Stuffed Mushrooms are a hit in more ways than one

With almost 400 five-star reviews on Food Network’s site and only seven ingredients, the Rome-born chef’s Stuffed Mushrooms appy is a winner. Featuring Italian-style dried bread crumbs, grated Pecorino Romano cheese, minced garlic, chopped fresh parsley and mint, extra virgin olive oil and, of course, mushrooms, it’s easy to make and deliciously flavored.

The bread crumbs are mixed with cheese, garlic, herbs, and oil. The mixture is then packed into the stemmed and hollowed mushrooms and baked in a 400-degree F oven for about half an hour.

Of this recipe, De Laurentiis notes in the FN video, “Sometimes simpler is better and that’s how my stuffed mushrooms are. Each firm cap is packed with a light, zesty blend of bread crumbs and Romano cheese. This is one platter that’s always empty at the end of the night.”

Reviewers loved how simple these stuffed mushrooms are to make: “These are so easy and soooooo good. I have been making stuffed mushrooms for years, and find this my best recipe,” one reviewer noted on FN’s site. Another agreed saying, “Incredibly easy to make … made them in a toaster oven and only took fifteen minutes … DELICIOUS.”

De Laurentiis’ Baked Caprese Salad has just 5 ingredients

Take a sliced baguette, olive oil, Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and basil and what you get is this party favorite. The baguette slices are toasted in a 450-degree F oven, topped with tomato slices, and cheese. Five minutes later, top with a basil leaf, and drizzle with olive oil. Find the full recipe, reviews, and video at the Food Network site and prepare for no leftovers.

Reviewers praised this simple but wildly popular recipe for how satisfying it is: “So simple, yet so incredible. We make this at least twice a week. I could easily make a meal out of just this. It’s that good!,” said one home cook.

Related

Giada De Laurentiis’ Fudgy Brownie Recipes Transform Boxed Mix into Decadent Dessert

The chef’s Fried Ravioli come together quickly thanks to these shortcuts

With just five ingredients — buttermilk, bread crumbs, store-bought cheese ravioli, grated Parmesan, and store-bought marinara sauce — your guests will think a lot more trouble went into this recipe than it actually did.

The oil is heated and the buttermilk and bread crumbs are placed in separate dishes for dredging the ravioli. Each ravioli is dipped into the buttermilk first, then the bread crumbs, and then into the hot oil in batches. Allow the fried ravioli to drain on paper towel-lined plates, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve with heated marinara sauce.

As one home cook noted on Food Network’s site (where you can also find the recipe and video), “Too easy to taste this amazing! I will be making these for all social gatherings in the future, especially holidays. They’re sure to make a lasting impression!”

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