Confession: I typically lose sleep the evening earlier than internet hosting a cocktail party. I blame it on a mixture of pleasure and nerves, however wow, entertaining could be tense. As a part of my mission to resolve my internet hosting anxiousness, I’ve compiled an inventory of scrumptious, simple, and cheap meals for giant teams that I at all times return to—and that each visitor will love.
These recipes clear up the dilemma of deciding what to cook dinner for giant teams however keep away from the hefty price ticket that may typically include group dinners. As we all know, cooking for greater than 4 folks can get actual expensive, actual quick. The underside line? Spectacular doesn’t need to imply costly. These meals make the most of grocery retailer staples, store-bought substances, and reasonably priced meats—with out sacrificing taste or high quality.
Learn on for my go-to cheap meals for giant teams, plus Camille’s ideas for cooking for a crowd.
Camille’s High Ideas for Cooking for a Crowd
Do all doable prep upfront so that you could benefit from the night, too. Something that may be made beforehand is vital. It takes the stress out of your day-of prep and makes certain you get to benefit from the occasion your self. Soups, sauces, and salad dressings could be made completely upfront so when the clock strikes pleased hour, you’re forward of the sport. It’s additionally useful to do any knife work upfront and retailer your chopped items within the fridge. That method, when it’s time to cook dinner, you’ve already executed loads of the grunt work.
Select crowd-pleasing dishes that everybody can get pleasure from. Once you’re cooking for a bunch, it’s essential to contemplate your visitors’ dietary wants. Dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, and/or vegan recipes fare effectively for giant teams. That method, everybody can savor the second collectively. Comforting meals are additionally at all times a success at dinner events. If it’s one thing you like, the chances are excessive that your visitors will like it, too!
Leverage batch cooking and “build-your-own” parts. Sheet pan recipes, casual spreads, and topping bars are heroes in the case of meeting. Prep the principle parts and let your visitors construct their completed items. Not solely does this make your job simpler, nevertheless it’s an effective way to spark dialog and creativity!
Meat & Hen Recipes for Massive Teams
Why We Love It: These simpler-than-they-seem Mexican-inspired tacos are one among Camille’s favourite summer time meals for weeknights and entertaining. Because of a zesty marinade and the proper mixture of garlic, herbs, and spices, they pack loads of daring and shiny taste. Plus, they use flank steak—a scrumptious however comparatively low cost reduce that makes for tasty tacos. Merely add toppings of your alternative and revel in!
Hero Ingredient: Tacos are nothing with out their toppings. I go for loads of cilantro and salsa verde. And don’t skimp on the guacamole.
Serve With: 4-Ingredient Watermelon Mint Margaritas, please.
Why We Love It: Camille took this traditional technique of making ready rooster and turned the quantity up with a twist. Marinating rooster in yogurt tenderizes the meat, lending tons of taste and making a scrumptious crust. It makes for the proper cheap meal for a big group as a result of you may merely scale up as wanted, marinate forward of time, and throw your rooster on the grill. No stress!
Hero Ingredient: This recipe is about as simple and easy because it will get. With so few substances, what’s included all performs a key function. That being stated, the lemon infuses your marinade with recent, summery taste.
Serve With: The Finest Easy Inexperienced Salad and a crisp, chilly glass of rosé.
Why We Love It: There are such a lot of explanation why I like this straightforward sheet pan dinner. It’s quicker than takeout, crammed with loads of complete and nutritious substances, and tastes merely divine. It additionally occurs to align with varied diets resulting from its exclusion of grains, processed substances, and added sugars.
Hero Ingredient: Any recipe with goat cheese has my coronary heart.
Serve With: Rosemary and Olive Oil Focaccia
Why We Love It: This saucy rooster and veggie meal will get higher the longer it marinates, and it’s the proper flavorful meal for greater than two. This recipe could be made with rooster breasts or thighs and quite a lot of cheap spices and pantry staples. Serve over a mattress of white rice for that cozy, home-cooked meal you crave all day.
Hero Ingredient: Coconut milk provides this slow-cooker meal an added creaminess.
Serve With: Baked Chili Miso Broccoli
Why We Love It: Soup is likely one of the finest issues to serve to giant teams as a result of it’s cheap and many of the cooking time is hands-off. Plus, so long as you will have a large enough pot, it’s simple to double. To this present day, this Hen Tortilla Soup is one among Camille’s hottest Instagram recipes, so should you haven’t made it but, that is your signal. It’s the proper serve-yourself recipe for giant gatherings as effectively.
Hero Ingredient: The home made tortilla strips are next-level.
Serve With: Skillet Vegetarian Cornbread Stuffing
Why We Love It: Bone-in, skin-on rooster thighs get the low and gradual therapy on this easy sheet pan recipe. They’re roasted alongside artichokes, purple onions, cherry tomatoes, garlic, lemon slices, and inexperienced olives till golden brown and scrumptious. The perfect half? All it’s important to do is throw every part on a sheet pan and roast for an hour. That is a kind of recipes that’s a lot greater than the sum of its components.
Hero Ingredient: For those who suppose slow-roasted rooster is bland—suppose once more! The secret is to crank up the oven for these final ten-or-so minutes to crisp up the pores and skin.
Serve With: This can be a full sheet pan dinner by itself, however should you actually need to spherical it out, these crispy potatoes are excellent.
Lime-y Hen Tacos with Jicama, Avocado, & Mint
Why We Love It: These tacos are one among my favourite recipes for the easy prep and flavors which are something however. You may make the rooster beforehand and chop all the veggies upfront. All it’s important to do is char the tortillas and serve. You don’t even need to construct the tacos your self—let the visitors assemble their very own.
Hero Ingredient: The lime-y rooster is reasonably priced and addictive.
Serve With: Mexican Chopped Salad with Honey-Shallot French dressing, Camille’s Traditional Margarita
Why We Love It: This roasted rooster recipe yields the juiciest chook with the crispiest golden brown pores and skin. And all you want is olive oil, salt, pepper, and some supporting actors to make that dream a actuality. The cherry tomatoes, garlic, and lemon slices that roast alongside the rooster create probably the most wonderful sauce that flavors the chook superbly. Then, a salsa verde elevates your complete creation much more.
Hero Ingredient: The garlic caramelizes to pure perfection and is delightfully spreadable.
Serve With: Make-Forward Vegan Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Root Greens with Gremolata and Whipped Feta, or Apple Walnut Salad
Why We Love It: Discuss a showstopper! This roast rooster recipe is simply as scrumptious as it’s visually interesting. It options Brussels sprouts, fingerling potatoes, inexperienced olives, carrots, and copious quantities of garlic and olive oil. The rooster roasts to perfection whereas the veggies beneath create a decadent sauce all on their very own. It’s the hands-off masterpiece your subsequent gathering wants.
Hero Ingredient: Don’t you dare waste any of that liquid gold. Switch these pan juices into some form of vessel or pour straight over the rooster earlier than serving—you’ll be glad you probably did.
Serve With: Kale Italian Chopped Salad, No-Knead Olive & Rosemary Focaccia
Pasta Recipes for Massive Teams
Why We Love It: This zucchini pasta recipe celebrates the season’s finest flavors. Summer season squashes, nutty parmesan, zesty lemon, and fragrant herbs come collectively for a tasty and easy pasta recipe that each dinner visitor will love. It’s the Italian countryside meal you’ll begin to lengthy for when summer time rolls round.
Hero Ingredient: Grated Parmesan is a top-tier topping.
Serve With: Easy Inexperienced Salad, Summer season Cheese Board
Why We Love It: A whole serving of greens in pasta kind? Signal me up. This silky sauce that lovingly coats every noodle is my new favourite method to eat greens. With solely 5 substances, this make-ahead sauce is the king of cheap meals for giant teams. Merely prep your sauce, select your favourite noodle and accompanying veg, and high with a number of ending touches.
Hero Ingredient: Burrata, toasted breadcrumbs, recent herbs, lemon juice, and flaky salt make glorious topping selections.
Serve With: Grilled Peach and Asparagus Salad with Spicy Pepitas, Cashew Mozzarella, and Goji Chipotle Dressing
Why We Love It: I like the thought of serving an enormous bowl of pasta salad for a laid-back gathering. This recipe couldn’t be tastier however isn’t fussy—each impressing your visitors whereas additionally making them really feel proper at residence. The briny, fruity flavors of the olives and artichokes are pure Mediterranean vibes. And when mixed with just a little crispy bacon, lovely issues occur. (Be at liberty to go away the bacon out and preserve a bowl on the facet for additional sprinkling you probably have vegetarian visitors.)
Hero Ingredient: Cavatappi is vital on this recipe. Its quick, twisted form soaks up all the nice inexperienced dressing.
Serve With: That is the proper one-dish meal, however we love beginning with this Ricotta with Pears and Honeyed Pistachios and having fun with a candy and tart Salty Canine cocktail alongside.
Why We Love It: All of us love pasta ceremonial dinner, and this recipe is infinitely customizable and simply doubled. Actually, Camille lays out all the doable swaps and her finest ideas for cooking this for a crowd within the recipe put up. Other than the simplicity of constructing this dish, it has all of my favourite issues: rigatoni, pesto, and crispy Brussels sprouts. For those who’re on the lookout for a no-fuss, show-stopping pasta for a big group, that is it.
Hero Ingredient: The caramelized, crispy, garlicky Brussels sprouts style much more indulgent than the noodles.
Serve With: As a result of this can be a one-pot meal, any of those refreshing kombucha cocktails would convey a pleasant, funky twist to the expertise.
Why We Love It: This eggplant lasagna is a comfortable one-pot dinner that visitors of all ages and palates will love. It’s vegetarian, which is a plus for dinner events the place visitors have dietary restrictions, and it’s comforting all the identical. The icing on the cake? Retailer-bought marinara makes prep a breeze.
Hero Ingredient: Because it’s in a skillet, you may place your complete creation immediately on the desk and serve it up household fashion.
Serve With: Roasted Heirloom Carrots With Wild Rice And Tahini
Vegetarian Recipes for Massive Teams
Why We Love It: For those who’re not placing potatoes in your pizza, take this recipe as an indication. I’m obsessive about the crispy-creamy texture play created by the melt-in-your-mouth potatoes and burrata set in opposition to the skinny, crunchy crust. It’s a fantastic possibility for giant teams with a light-weight substances listing and shortcut methods to make all of it the better. Discuss hostess with the mostess.
Hero Ingredient: I’ll by no means, ever say no to burrata. It does creaminess to perfection.
Serve With: Heat Spinach-Artichoke Salad with Quinoa Crunchies
Why We Love It: Minimal effort meets most taste on this vegetarian tikka masala. It has all the flavour of your favourite take-out meal and may simply be scaled as much as accommodate any-sized group. Once more, it’s nice to set out in “serve yourself” vogue and is straightforward to double as effectively.
Hero Ingredient: The Greek yogurt deserves a medal for making this so creamy.
Serve With: Heat naan is essential—and should you actually need to throw a celebration, this Vegan Flatbread with Roasted Carrot and Pink Pepper Hummus is a crowd-pleaser.
Butternut Squash Pizza With Arugula & Almond Ricotta
Why We Love It: If I’m invited to a pizza ceremonial dinner, 10/10 occasions I’ll settle for. Everybody loves pizza, and this recipe shall be prepared quicker than Domino’s can ship. For those who’re trying to make this meal the principle occasion of a night, you can too let {couples} customise their very own pizzas.
Hero Ingredient: Home made almond ricotta, whereas delish, leans this pizza towards the dearer facet. For those who aren’t entertaining a plant-based crowd, be at liberty to swap out with store-bought complete milk ricotta.
Serve With: A couple of salads are key. Go all in with this Grapefruit, Avocado, and Golden Beet Salad with Crunchy Chickpeas and Feta or Carrot, Kumquat, and Golden Beet Salad.
Why We Love It: Spiced potatoes stuffed into smooth bell peppers make for a magical dinner. These are lighter than conventional samosa, however scrumptious all the identical. It’s such a straightforward make-ahead dinner as a result of the filling will preserve in a single day. When the time comes, merely roast your bell peppers, stuff them with filling, and let visitors high accordingly.
Hero Ingredient: Chutney, recent herbs, yogurt, and purple onions make scrumptious ending touches.
Serve With: Chaat Masala Citrus Salad
Why We Love It: Soups are an effective way to feed a crowd with out stretching your pockets. You get much more out of them than you set in, which is pure magic. This candy potato and black bean chili exudes all the autumn flavors with stick-to-your-ribs veggies that make it hearty and wholesome. It’s loaded with black beans, flavorful veggies, and plenty of spices that preserve it heat and comforting. Only a fast sauté of these veggies and a gradual simmer takes this recipe from pot to bowl in beneath an hour.
Hero Ingredient: As with all comforting soup recipe, the secret’s within the presentation. Lay out all your toppings and let visitors construct their masterpiece!
Serve With: Tacky Bitter Cream and Onion Biscuits
Seafood Recipes for Massive Teams
Why We Love It: These grilled shrimp tacos are a summer time obsession. With a brief and candy ingredient listing and a most important protein on the cheaper facet, it’s a fantastic batch of substances for decent days and grilling outdoors. Change up your toppings with something from slices of creamy avocado to bits of recent cilantro and some squeezes of recent lime.
Hero Ingredient: Pico de Gallo is at all times a winner with these tacos!
Serve With: Guacamole, Spicy Mezcal Paloma
Why We Love It: Camille picked up this recipe from Contramar in Mexico Metropolis and we’ve been modified ever since. It’s additional suitable for giant teams because the parts could be shortly prepped upfront. When everybody is able to dig in, simply set out the tostadas and toppings and let everybody construct their very own!
Hero Ingredient: Avocado mellows out this recipe’s spicy and savory taste mix.
Serve With: Mexican Chopped Salad, Margarita on the Rocks
Why We Love It: My household has a convention of indulging in salmon for no less than one evening of our summer time trip. This salmon recipe has solely 5 substances and comes collectively in a snap. The peach salsa brings all of the summer time fruit flavors, whereas chile lime seasoning provides a kick of zest to this grilled fish.
Hero Ingredient: Peach salsa, want I say extra?
Serve With: Salt & Vinegar Potatoes, Vegan Pink Pepper Pasta
Why We Love It: What’s higher than a taco bar after an extended day of poolside or yard enjoyable? These chimichurri fish tacos are one among my go-to cheap meals for giant teams, and they are often topped with varied flavorful additions that each one visitors can decide and select from.
Hero Ingredient: Cilantro is the hero of this chimichurri sauce.
Serve With: Mexican Avenue Corn Salad
This put up was final up to date on July 11, 2025 to incorporate new insights.
