Snacks for Dinner: Small Bites, Full Plates, Can't Lose

by Lukas Volger

Overview

The author of Start Simple redefines “dinner” in this creative cookbook that elevates snacks and grazing foods to main-course status, filled with 100 recipes and 75 color photos.

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED COOKBOOKS OF 2022—Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Bookriot

We’ve all been there. Pressed for time, patience, or the will to cook yet another meal, we turn to eating snacks for dinner. While these “meals” are often thrown together, there is no denying that grazing on smaller bites is less stressful and often more pleasurable than planning and preparing a traditional meal.

In Snacks for Dinner, Volger transforms carefree noshing into nourishing meals with recipes to inspire your own make-from-scratch snack spreads that are not only quick to makes, but also deeply satisfying. The perfect snack-y dinner revolves around 7 main components:

Crispy-Crunchy: Savory Bites

Tangy-Juicy: Pickles & Marinades

Scooped and Smeared: Dips & Spreads

Centerpiece-ish: A Little Heartier

Small but Mighty: Spoon Salads & Soup Shots

Vessels: Crackers, Breads, & Chips

Sips-Sweets: Drinks & Desserts

Volger shows how these flavorful components can be mixed and matched to create a palate-pleasing meal. Following Volger’s guidance, you may start out with a few Smoky Glazed Pistachios for crunch and add some zesty Orange & Mustard Marinated Asparagus with a side of Honey Pickled Shallots. Craving something creamy? Try a Toasted Walnut and Feta Dip or Gingery Green Tahini with homemade Nut & Seed Crackers or crudités. The possibilities are endless. Best of all, many of these bites can be made ahead and stored in the fridge or pantry for easy assembly.

With Volger’s simple, wholesome, recipes and pairing guidance, snacks for dinner is no longer shameful—but a healthy, fun, and respectable choice. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063143227
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/03/2022
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	193,466
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Lukas Volger is the author of four previous cookbooks, including Start Simple and Bowl, and is the cofounder and editorial director of Jarry. His writing and work have been featured on The Splendid Table and Food52, and in Vogue, Bon Appétit, and the New York Times.

Table of Contents

Introduction Leslie's Lunch 1

Accessorizing | A Few Tools, Tips + Tricks for Better Cooking 9

Crispy-Crunchy | Savory, Snacky Bites 31

Three Tips for Upping Your Knife Game 52

Tangy-Juicy | Pickles + Marinades 55

Mom + The Sanctity of a Recipe 75

Scooped + Smeared | Dips + Spreads 79

How to crudités 107

Centerpiece-ish | A Little Heartier 113

A Snack Box Wedding 149

Shall but Mighty | Salads + Soups 153

Everyday Flowers with Blake 176

Sturdy Support | Crackers, Breads, Chips 181

A Few Ideas for Store-Bought Breads, Crackers + Chips 195

Sips + Sweets | Drinks + Desserts 199

A Few Favorite Snacky Dinner Menus 227

Acknowledgments 233

Index 235

Editorial Reviews

04/18/2022

The ho-hum “balanced” meal is satisfyingly reimagined in this flexible assortment of finger foods from culinary editor Volger (Start Simple). Arguing a simple assemblage of small bites can be just as “complete” as an elaborate dinner, Volger offers up a snack-style approach to eating that “decenter” what he deems fillers—starchy foods like pasta or bread—and puts vegetables first. In one recipe, leaves of Brussels sprouts become crisped chips after 20 minutes in the oven, while, elsewhere, baked parsnip fries—a revelation as they caramelize—get paired with a green chile–sunflower seed romesco sauce. Various homemade spreads are offered up—including a rich and tangy blend of toasted walnut and feta (“the perfect excuse,” Volger writes, “to eat a whole block of cheese in one sitting”)—but store-bought items are encouraged in the name of ease, such as a good-quality ricotta in place of the decadent made-from-scratch recipe provided. Among the many tempting dishes are a texture-rich salad of lentils, carrots, dates, and dill and a silky eggplant-chickpea dip with radishes or grilled bread. Desserts, meanwhile, can be as sweet and simple as dates stuffed with cheddar and honey, or a one-bowl almond cake topped with pistachios and sliced plums. The snacking game gets a definite upgrade in this winning collection. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"If I had to choose one word to describe Lukas Volger’s Snacks for Dinner, it would be LIBERATING! Snacks for dinner recalibrated my entire mindset about what dinner can be – from colorful crudites and dip, to a spread of pickles with crackers, hearty centerpieces which can be eaten by hand, and soups that can be sipped like a smoothie, Lukas succeeds in showing us that dinner need not be onerous, complicated or anything less than simple and fun. Lukas’s snacky-style eating single-handedly brings joy back to the dinner table."  — Hetty McKinnon, author of To Asia with Love

"This book is an absolute treasure for home cooks searching for celebration. Just one or two of these playful-yet-simple recipes can transform a humble snack into a full-fledged party for one, two, or a crowd. A bowl of Chex Mix gets studded with crispy ramen clusters; sweet potato dip is perfumed with the smoky scent of chipotle. With Snacks for Dinner, Lukas has not just given us permission to serve snacks as a meal, he also celebrates the whimsy and freedom that can come with it."  — Jesse Szewczyk, author of Cookies: The New Classics

"Snacks for Dinner gives us permission to make meals out of all of the nibbles we’ve too long relegated as 'starters.' Why can’t dinner be a union of crispy lemony chickpeas and creamy, dilly white beans alongside charred radicchio with farro and burrata? Now it can. With each bright, textured, vegetable-loaded bite more irresistible than the last, dinner has never been so delicious." — Alexandra Stafford, author of Bread Toast Crumbs

"Snacks for Dinner perfectly captures the vibes of my favorite kind of dinner party: impromptu yet deeply thoughtful, fancy-feeling but not fussy, with vegetables at the center. With delightfully clever recipes and his warm, confident guidance, Lukas shows us how to turn something as humble as dip and crackers into a memorable meal that’s worth sharing." — Christina Chaey, senior food editor, Bon Appétit

“Snacks for Dinner is a joyful invitation to make your meals simpler, fresher, and SO much more fun! Whether you want to spice up a weeknight dinner or assemble a stunning special occasion spread, Lukas’s thoughtful writing and creative recipes will give you the skills, confidence, and inspiration you need.”  — Jeanine Donofrio, author of The Love & Lemons Cookbook

“The snacking game gets a definite upgrade in this winning collection.” — Publishers Weekly

"Personal stories, suggested pairings, and menu tips make this ideal for those who enjoy hosting gatherings or dream of eating whole meals of delicious snacks." — Booklist

From the Publisher

Snacks for Dinner is a joyful invitation to make your meals simpler, fresher, and SO much more fun! Whether you want to spice up a weeknight dinner or assemble a stunning special occasion spread, Lukas’s thoughtful writing and creative recipes will give you the skills, confidence, and inspiration you need.” 

Jeanine Donofrio

"This book is an absolute treasure for home cooks searching for celebration. Just one or two of these playful-yet-simple recipes can transform a humble snack into a full-fledged party for one, two, or a crowd. A bowl of Chex Mix gets studded with crispy ramen clusters; sweet potato dip is perfumed with the smoky scent of chipotle. With Snacks for Dinner, Lukas has not just given us permission to serve snacks as a meal, he also celebrates the whimsy and freedom that can come with it." 

Jesse Szewczyk

"If I had to choose one word to describe Lukas Volger’s Snacks for Dinner, it would be LIBERATING! Snacks for dinner recalibrated my entire mindset about what dinner can be – from colorful crudites and dip, to a spread of pickles with crackers, hearty centerpieces which can be eaten by hand, and soups that can be sipped like a smoothie, Lukas succeeds in showing us that dinner need not be onerous, complicated or anything less than simple and fun. Lukas’s snacky-style eating single-handedly brings joy back to the dinner table." 

Hetty McKinnon

"Personal stories, suggested pairings, and menu tips make this ideal for those who enjoy hosting gatherings or dream of eating whole meals of delicious snacks."

Booklist

"Snacks for Dinner gives us permission to make meals out of all of the nibbles we’ve too long relegated as 'starters.' Why can’t dinner be a union of crispy lemony chickpeas and creamy, dilly white beans alongside charred radicchio with farro and burrata? Now it can. With each bright, textured, vegetable-loaded bite more irresistible than the last, dinner has never been so delicious."

Alexandra Stafford

"Snacks for Dinner perfectly captures the vibes of my favorite kind of dinner party: impromptu yet deeply thoughtful, fancy-feeling but not fussy, with vegetables at the center. With delightfully clever recipes and his warm, confident guidance, Lukas shows us how to turn something as humble as dip and crackers into a memorable meal that’s worth sharing."

Christina Chaey

"Personal stories, suggested pairings, and menu tips make this ideal for those who enjoy hosting gatherings or dream of eating whole meals of delicious snacks."

Booklist