The Following is a Sponsored Post paid for by Bazoom Publications
Feeding a large group is easier when you choose dishes that are simple to prepare, easy to serve and full of familiar flavors. Thinking about what tastes delicious, is easy to prepare for larger groups and transports well are your main pillars.
Good food has a way of bringing people together, no matter where everyone is meeting. When recipes can be prepared ahead of time and shared with ease, there’s more opportunity to relax and enjoy the company around the table. With a handful of dependable dishes, serving a crowd doesn’t have to feel like a challenge.
A Cold Pasta Salad That Never Goes Out of Style
If there is one recipe that rarely disappoints at a gathering, it’s a classic cold pasta salad. It’s colorful, easy to prepare in large quantities and tastes just as good after spending a few hours in the refrigerator. Better still, it pairs well with almost anything else on the menu, making it a dependable choice when you’re feeding a crowd.
One of the reasons this dish remains so popular is its flexibility. You can use whatever fresh vegetables are in season, switch up the cheese or add herbs that suit your taste.
Ingredients:
- 1½ pounds rotini or penne pasta
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup black olives
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup Italian dressing
- Salt and black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley
The flavors continue to develop while the salad chills, making it an ideal dish to prepare the evening before your gathering. It is also easy to transport, so it’s just as suitable for picnics and outdoor lunches as it is for serving at home.
Chicken and Pineapple Salad for Outdoor Gatherings
This recipe is easy to scale up for larger groups and works well as either a main dish or a side. Because the ingredients stay fresh when packed separately. Again, because it is also a practical choice for road trips, picnics and full-day outdoor activities. Just make sure to pop it in a reliable dish, so you don’t have all your pineapple and cucumber falling out. Exactly as you would use reliable paintball hoppers for your paintballs, the same efficiency must be used when transporting your delicious meals.
Chicken and Pineapple Salad for Outdoor Gatherings
Ingredients:
- 4 cooked chicken breasts, sliced
- 1 fresh pineapple, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- ½ cup toasted almonds
- Vinaigrette dressing
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
A Baked Mac and Cheese Everyone Will Go Back For
Every gathering seems to have one dish that people return to for seconds and baked mac and cheese often earns that spot. It is rich, comforting and easy to prepare in a large baking dish, making it a solid option when several people are coming together for a meal.
One of its biggest advantages is that most of the preparation can be done ahead of time. Assemble everything earlier in the day, refrigerate it and simply bake it shortly before serving. The only slight issue with this one is that if it takes you a long time to get to your destination, it might be cold by the time you get there. But then again, cold mac and cheese is also delicious.
Ingredients:
- 1½ pounds elbow macaroni
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 cups milk
- 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
Serve it alongside fresh salads or grilled favorites and you will have a meal that feels hearty without requiring complicated preparation.
Bringing People Together, One Meal at a Time
The beauty of cooking for a group is that the food does not need to be complicated. Choosing recipes that can be prepared ahead of time, served easily and enjoyed by everyone allows you to focus less on the logistics and more on the people you are sharing the meal with, which is the whole point.
