Meal Ideas for Large Groups

You think you have asked for a bit of a trouble by inviting guests over, even though you are of the opinion that you may not exactly be great at culinary exploits? Well, do not worry, quite of a few of us are not precisely charmers when it comes to food. Then what are the options on the platter before us, especially if a large group is going to gatecrash your place?

Meal Ideas for Large Crowds

#1
It is healthy, light, green and absolutely low in calories as compared to other dishes and you can easily make it in a heap! Yes, I am talking about sumptuous salad! Salad can work well as a main course as well as an entree or an accompaniment. Who said salad can be boring? Add meat - turkey, chicken or ham or hard-boiled eggs to the salad. To add a nice flavor, also put in some cheese along with croutons. There you go! You have a great meal at hand without much of a hassle and it does not require an exquisite planning too.

#2
One of the tricks regarding meal ideas when there are a lot of people is to have one or maximum 2 dishes. That makes the things easier to manage and is very convenient. One of such food items is pasta or spaghetti. Pasta is not a big deal to make and there is also an option available as to whether you want to serve it with or without meatballs and an added advantage is, considerable amount can be prepared at one go depending on the number of people. If pasta is made with vegetables and some herbs, it will be even more filling and will taste yummy.

#3
Soup Coup - yes, another fantastic item. It is light, for starters and it need not be drab and tasteless! Begin with seasonal vegetables, as they are fresh as compared to the other vegetables not available in a particular season. The green vegetables and legumes get cooked fast. Adding them towards the end of the preparation will be perfect. But hey, do not forget to add your herbs and other garnishing for a refreshing and delicious taste!

#4
I sometimes wonder if there was no bread, what would we have done? God bless the person who invented this amazing thing! Nevertheless, I guess you got the drift of what I was coming to. Sandwiches! The award for the best and the easiest of the cheap meal ideas for large families, has to go to sandwiches! Make them plain or make them grilled, add chicken, cheese or have vegetables stuffed in it! They are always a hit in a crowd. Have a green chutney a la Indian style with coriander, chili and coconut and mint! Wow! I am smacking my lips already! To add to this already tasty combination, you have mayonnaise, coleslaw, white sauce and umpteen other things to go with it. The options do not end here! Experiment with the bread - footlong, garlic bread, corn bread, bun and so on to get the perfect recipe. What you can also do is keep the mentioned ingredients ready - chopped vegetables, cheese slices and the likes and request the people to conjure a sandwich with items of their choice! Lovely, isn't it?

#5
Pigs in a blanket coupled with salad is yet again a sumptuous pick. Do I need explain how to make pigs in a blanket? Moving on, if this does not appeal to your taste, you can go for mini pizzas, burgers or even hotdogs! Do deviate a bit from these typical recipes, you can also go for a simple fried rice, it is easy and can be made in good quantities at a time!

With the variety of foodstuffs and spices we have, the list can actually be quite long! You can pick from whatever you have, based on generally what most of the guests would like to have!

At the end of the day, if we do not satisfy our gastronomic desires, everything goes for a toss, right? Here is where I have to go and grab a bite!

Bon Appetit!