Tips for Feeding a Crowd

I've hosted or planned several meals for a crowd lately.  I have learned some things along the way and wanted to share them with you.  It can be intimidating to feed a group of people.  I'm hopeful that my tips will make it seem doable and fun.

Tip: Keep in mind your budget, your guests, your time and meals that are portable.

I host a monthly morning meeting at my house.  I like to bake something to share.  Mini muffins are always a hit with kids and moms.  I also bought a bag of frozen biscuits to pop in the oven the morning of the meeting.  They were tasty and really quick.  I put out a variety of jams, jellies, honey, cinnamon sugar and apple butter. 

Tip: Cook the main ingredient at home and transport it in a crock pot.  That way you aren't fussing with cooking at the event and you can plug it in to keep it warm.

Here are some ideas of dinners for a crowd dinner:

TACOS:
I prepared turkey taco meat at home (taco seasoning, salsa, onions and peppers) and then put it in a crock pot.  I also fixed some lime rice (white rice with lime zest, lime juice and chopped green onions).  Both stayed warm in a crock pot and all the guests brought a variety of taco toppings and sides to share.  Tip: Ground turkey is much cheaper than ground beef.

CHARCUTERIE BOARDS:
I bought a couple cheeses and meats, brought the food name tags and then asked guests to bring more charcuterie supplies.  We ended up with a really fun assortment of foods.  Everything traveled really well and stayed cold in my freezer bags.  Tip: Aldi has really affordable charcuterie board ingredients.

HUMMUS BAR
I purchased several different hummus flavors and chopped veggies.  I asked guest to bring any foods that would be good to dip in hummus.  We did traditional hummus flavors along with dessert hummus.

SOUP BAR
We served three different types of soup (Chili, Butternut Squash and Taco Soup) and asked guests to bring sides to go with the soups.  Each soup stayed warm and ready to eat in a crock pot.

HOT DOG BAR
Grill the hot dogs ahead of time and keep them warm in a crock pot.  You can also boil them.  I just prefer the texture of grilled hot dogs.  Then have guests bring sides and toppings for their hot dogs.

PASTA BAR
Cook the pasta ahead of time and then offer a variety of sauces.  You could also have meatballs and bread sticks to go with your pasta.  Maybe even a salad!?

WAFFLE BAR
We are doing a waffle bar with my friends next week.  They've all signed up to bring yummy toppings and I'll premix the waffle batter.  I'm bringing my waffle irons and everyone can make their waffle on the spot.  It should be tons of fun!

Do you have any more menu options for feeding a crowd??