Budget Cooking For A Crowd

Budget cooking for a crowd can be challenging.



Not only is it time consuming but it can be expensive…notice I said can be expensive. I didn’t say it has to be. Whether you are planning for a large family get together, a party or a wedding, you can stay within your budget.

1)Have your guests bring their “signature” dish. You’d be surprised how many people love to show off their culinary skills and would be happy to contribute their best dish. Or, you can also ask your guests to volunteer to bring a specific item that you need from drinks, to salads or maybe a dessert.

2)If the weather is nice, BBQ’s are great ways to stay within a budget. Hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, potato or macaroni salad along with maybe some corn on the cob are all very easy to make and extremely budget friendly.

3)Plan as far in advance as possible. If you know what you would like to make, you can buy your meats when they are on sale and freeze them.

4)Plan your menu around fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season.

5)Casseroles and one pot dishes are great for staying on a budget.

6)Use inexpensive fillers to stretch meats or try breading your meats. Stuffed chicken breasts and fried chicken are very budget friendly.

7)Serve homemade bread! It’s amazing how incredibly cheap you can make your own bread and who doesn’t like homemade bread.

Planning ahead is the best way to keep costs down when budget cooking for a crowd. If you have a large freezer, there are several things that can be made in advance and frozen then thawed 24 to 48 hours before your get together and no one will be the wiser.

Here are a few budget friendly dishes:

Freezeable Mashed Potatoes – these buttery tasting potatoes hold up great and can be heated frozen or thawed in the refrigerator overnight and then heated.

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