There are a number of ideas for arranging a meal for groups. From a light dish to a zippy one, they are all there! Take a look at a few ideas.
When it comes to a large group, cooking a meal can prove to be a daunting task. You need to take into consideration all the members' taste. Also, you need to be careful about the quantity of the food; neither should the gathering or party fall short of food, nor should you be left with a huge quantity of leftovers.
To take care of these factors, you can opt for dishes that are favored by people in general, such as, salads, sandwiches, pasta, etc. Take a look at few such ideas given here.
Soup
Soups can work great for starters as they are light and tasty at the same time. You can add green vegetables and legumes along with herbs and other garnishing for a refreshing and delicious taste.
You can add meat like turkey, chicken, ham or even hard-boiled eggs to add variety to the salad. For a nice flavor, you can include some cheese along with croutons. With salads, you can have a great meal at hand without much of a hassle, and without requiring an exquisite planning too.
Pasta
Pasta is loved by adults and kids alike and will not require too much of your time to prepare as well. With just a few different additions, you can make it in a variety of flavors.
It can be made with vegetables and some herbs, and can also be served with meatballs. In the same way, another great idea is opting for spaghetti as a part of main course.
Sandwiches
Best and easiest of all the options available, sandwiches fall under cheap meal ideas for large families. Make them plain or grilled, add chicken, cheese, or have vegetables stuffed in them, they are always a hit in a crowd.
For an accompaniment, you can have a green chutney of Indian style with coriander, chili, coconut, and mint. To add to this already tasty combination, you can have mayonnaise, coleslaw, white sauce, and umpteen other things to go.
You can also experiment with the bread―footlong, garlic bread, corn bread, bun, and so on to get the perfect recipe. Keep the ingredients like chopped vegetables, cheese slices, and different sauces ready, and conjure a sandwich with items of the guests' choice.
Other Options
Pigs in a blanket coupled with salad is yet again a sumptuous pick. If this does not appeal to your taste, you can go for mini pizzas, burgers, or even hotdogs.
Deviating 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 decide to prepare the dishes from the ingredients available at hand, based on what most of the guests would like to have, and have a great and easy-to-manage gathering.