I need some easy recipes for groups of 15 or more. This weekend I am planning and preparing 4 days worth of meals for my whole family at my parents' home. I feel like I've used all my good ideas on my family before and would like to try some new things. Any suggestions?
Have you done spaghetti? If you mix the sauce in with the noodles its way faster to serve. And then just add some green salad and garlic bread. Its a favorite of ours, but kind of boring I guess.
ReplyDeleteTACO SOUP
ReplyDeleteThis one is so yummy, and by the time you put some grated cheese, Salsa, and sour cream on top. It fills you up faster than you think!! We make this and then just eat it, (literally scooping every bite) with chips :)
TACO SOUP
1- Cook 2lbs Hamberger
1 lb Sausage (hot or regular)
2- Add 1 Large Can Crushed Tomatoes
1 Large Can Red Kidney Beans (drained & rinsed)
2 Cans of Corn, including the liquid
1 Pkg. Taco Seasoning
3- Heat thoroughly; (maybe 1/2 hour to an hour to let flavors blend)
Serve with Grated Cheese, Salsa, and Sour Cream. And eat with Chips!
It's so easy, and it so yummy, and feeds a lot of people!
This is a little expensive, but every time I make this, everyone wants the recipe. It's soooo good! And it makes a TON! And you can't save it. I've made half before, when there aren't so many people.
ReplyDeleteCRAISINS SALAD
1 Head Red Leaf Lettuce
1 Head Green Leaf Lettuce
1 Head Iceberg Lettuce
1 8oz. Pkg. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 8oz. Pkg. Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1lb. Bacon, cooked & Crumbled
1 8oz. Pkg. Craisins
1 Cup Sliced Almonds, toasted
Dressing:
1/2 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Red Onion Chopped
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp Mustard
1 Cup Salad Oil
In a blender, mix all the ingredients except Oil. Then add the oil and mix again.
Just a note: I use real bacon already in bits from a pkg. because I'm too lazy to cook and cut it myself. If you like :)
Also, with the lettuce, I just buy a pkg. of Red, Pkg. of Romaine, and then a head of Iceberg. And, you have to use this dressing, because it makes the salad!!
Well, I grew up in a family of ten, and basically learned how to cook for the masses. I've had to learn how to "scale back"!
ReplyDeleteSome things I would try - first of all, Marla's spaghetti idea is a great one...I like to make spaghetti sauce in the crock pot and let it simmer all day. I use italian sausage and cut it into "meat balls" that I brown in a sauce pan and add to the sauce in the crockpot in the morning. Basically the sauce is made up of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, minced garlic, oregano, basil, and a few tablespoons of sugar. Add a little bit of balsamic vinegar towards the end of cooking for a little extra kick. It makes for a really yummy sauce. Anyway, if you do the sauce in the crockpot, when it comes time to cook the meal...it's just cooking the pasta and putting together a salad and maybe some albertson's garlic bread.
The other thing I think works great is mexican food. Have you tried the cafe Rio recipes? (again - crockpot meat, either chicken or pork) the rice is easy to make, buy the uncooked tortillas from costco, some lettuce, tomatoes, salsa..the tomatillo dressing. It's surprisingly easy to pull together and it feeds a small army of people!
mexian idea#2 (one of my favorites) is a white sauce/chicken enchilada. basically chicken, (I just steam some chicken breasts in my steamer - easy) sauce is made up of cream of chicken soup, sour cream and canned green chilis. cook CORN tortillas by dipping them briefly in hot oil (or if you want to be more healthy, you can steam them) Then you roll into each tortilla a little chicken (cut up into small peices) and sauce, pack them all into a 9x13 pan. For 15 people I would probably make two pans. When you are all done, you spread the remainder of the sauce on top of all the enchiladas and then top with cheese. I like to serve with Rice-a-Roni "spanish rice" and (of course) chips and salsa.
for mexican dish #3 - a quesadilla bar. Awesome. Simple. fun. check out the pioneer womanfor instructions....
and my last idea for you - BBQ Pork sandwiches. you just buy a pork roast, cook it forever on low in your crockpot, shred it with forks and add the BBQ sauce of your choice. Serve on hamburger buns and maybe with chips and a salad?
I'll come back if I think of more! :)
I just found this recipe but it sounds really good! you could just double it for your family.
ReplyDeleteChicken and Cheese Enchilada Soup
(makes 6 servings)
1 15 ounce can black beans, drianed and rinsed
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 10 ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow, green or red bell pepper
1 10.75 ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 chicken breasts
in a 3-5 quart slow cooker, combine drained beans, drained tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell peppers. In a large bowl, whisk togehter enchilada sauce and soup. Gradually whisk in ilk until smooth. Pour sauce mix over other ingredients in cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 or high 3-4 hours.
Cut chicken in bite sized cubes. Cook over medium heat until cooked. Add into soup. Stir in shredded cheeses. Can be topped with avocado, sour cream or crushed tortilla chips.
Enjoy!!
In case you don't already have them....these are the Cafe Rio Recipes:
ReplyDeleteCafé Rio Chicken
1 8 oz bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic - minced
5 lbs chicken breast
Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours. Shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.
Café Rio Dressing
1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos or 4 TB salsa verde (green salsa)
½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1/8 tsp Tabasco sauce
Mix all but cilantro together in blender. Add Cilantro last and blend well. Refrigerate.
Café Rio Pork
1 cup Pace salsa
1 cup brown sugar
3-4 lbs pork sirloin roast (very lean)
Mix salsa and brown sugar together and pour over a pork roast. Cook in a crockpot all day and shred right before serving.
Café Rio Rice
3 cups water
3 cups Minute rice
4 tsp chicken bouillon
4 tsp minced garlic
½ bunch cilantro
1 can green chiles
¾ tsp salt
1 Tb butter
½ onion chopped
Blend cilantro, green chiles and onion together in blender. Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients. Simmer covered 30 minutes.