Entree dishes recipes An entrée is one of several savoury courses in a Western-style and South American-style formal meal; specifically, a smaller course that precedes the main course. Usage often differs in North America where the disappearance in the early 20th century of a large communal main course such as a roast as a standard part of the meal has led to the term being used by some restaurants and frozen-food manufacturers to describe the main course itself. In that case what would otherwise be called the entrée is called the first course, appetizer or starter.
