Confession: I generally 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 worrying. As a part of my mission to unravel my internet hosting anxiousness, I’ve compiled an inventory of scrumptious, straightforward, and cheap meals for big teams that I all the time return to—and that each visitor will love.
These recipes clear up the dilemma of deciding what to cook dinner for big teams however keep away from the hefty price ticket that may usually include group dinners. As we all know, cooking for greater than 4 individuals can get actual expensive, actual quick. The underside line? Spectacular doesn’t should imply costly. These meals make the most of grocery retailer staples, store-bought substances, and inexpensive meats—with out sacrificing taste or high quality.
Learn on for my go-to cheap meals for big teams, plus Camille’s suggestions for cooking for a crowd.
Camille’s Prime Ideas for Cooking for a Crowd
Do all attainable prep prematurely with the intention to benefit from the night, too. Something that may be made beforehand is essential. It takes the stress out of your day-of prep and makes positive you get to benefit from the get together your self. Soups, sauces, and salad dressings could be made totally prematurely so when the clock strikes comfortable hour, you’re forward of the sport. It’s additionally useful to do any knife work prematurely and retailer your chopped items within the fridge. That approach, when it’s time to cook dinner, you’ve already completed a number of the grunt work.
Select crowd-pleasing dishes that everybody can take pleasure in. While you’re cooking for a bunch, it’s necessary to contemplate your visitors’ dietary wants. Dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, and/or vegan recipes fare nicely for big teams. That approach, everybody can savor the second collectively. Comforting meals are additionally all the time successful at dinner events. If it’s one thing you like, the chances are excessive that your visitors will adore it, too!
Leverage batch cooking and “build-your-own” elements. Sheet pan recipes, casual spreads, and topping bars are heroes in relation to meeting. Prep the principle elements 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 & Rooster Recipes for Giant Teams
Why We Love It: These simpler-than-they-seem Mexican-inspired tacos are certainly one of Camille’s favourite summer time meals for weeknights and entertaining. Because of a zesty marinade and the right 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 minimize that makes for tasty tacos. Merely add toppings of your selection 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 basic methodology of making ready rooster and turned the amount up with a twist. Marinating rooster in yogurt tenderizes the meat, lending tons of taste and making a scrumptious crust. It makes for the right 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 straightforward and easy because it will get. With so few substances, what’s included all performs a key position. That being mentioned, the lemon infuses your marinade with recent, summery taste.
Serve With: The Greatest Easy Inexperienced Salad and a crisp, chilly glass of rosé.
Why We Love It: There are such a lot of explanation why I really like this easy sheet pan dinner. It’s sooner than takeout, crammed with loads of complete and nutritious substances, and tastes merely divine. It additionally occurs to align with varied diets because of 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 right 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 without doubt 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 have got a large enough pot, it’s straightforward to double. To today, this Rooster Tortilla Soup is certainly one of Camille’s hottest Instagram recipes, so in the event you haven’t made it but, that is your signal. It’s the right serve-yourself recipe for giant gatherings as nicely.
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 sluggish remedy on this easy sheet pan recipe. They’re roasted alongside artichokes, pink 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 the whole lot 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 elements.
Hero Ingredient: In case you suppose slow-roasted rooster is bland—suppose once more! The hot button is to crank up the oven for these final ten-or-so minutes to crisp up the pores and skin.
Serve With: It is a full sheet pan dinner by itself, however in the event you actually need to spherical it out, these crispy potatoes are excellent.
Lime-y Rooster Tacos with Jicama, Avocado, & Mint
Why We Love It: These tacos are certainly one of my favourite recipes for the easy prep and flavors which can be something however. You can also make the rooster beforehand and chop the entire veggies prematurely. All it’s important to do is char the tortillas and serve. You don’t even should construct the tacos your self—let the visitors assemble their very own.
Hero Ingredient: The lime-y rooster is inexpensive and addictive.
Serve With: Mexican Chopped Salad with Honey-Shallot French dressing, Camille’s Basic Margarita
Why We Love It: This roasted rooster recipe yields the juiciest hen 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 hen fantastically. Then, a salsa verde elevates the 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: Speak about 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 kind 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 Giant 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 approach to eat greens. With solely 5 substances, this make-ahead sauce is the king of cheap meals for big teams. Merely prep your sauce, select your favourite noodle and accompanying veg, and high with plenty 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 really 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 a bit crispy bacon, lovely issues occur. (Be at liberty to depart the bacon out and hold a bowl on the facet for further sprinkling in case you have vegetarian visitors.)
Hero Ingredient: Cavatappi is essential on this recipe. Its brief, twisted form soaks up all the nice inexperienced dressing.
Serve With: That is the right 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 a superb pasta banquet, and this recipe is infinitely customizable and simply doubled. Actually, Camille lays out the entire attainable swaps and her finest suggestions for cooking this for a crowd within the recipe put up. Apart from the simplicity of creating this dish, it has all of my favourite issues: rigatoni, pesto, and crispy Brussels sprouts. In case you’re in search of 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 deliver 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 the complete creation instantly on the desk and serve it up household type.
Serve With: Roasted Heirloom Carrots With Wild Rice And Tahini
Vegetarian Recipes for Giant Teams
Why We Love It: In case you’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 towards the skinny, crunchy crust. It’s an amazing possibility for big teams with a lightweight substances record and shortcut tips to make all of it the simpler. Speak about 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 might simply be scaled as much as accommodate any-sized group. Once more, it’s nice to set out in “serve yourself” trend and is simple to double as nicely.
Hero Ingredient: The Greek yogurt deserves a medal for making this so creamy.
Serve With: Heat naan is essential—and in the event 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 banquet, 10/10 occasions I’ll settle for. Everybody loves a superb pizza, and this recipe shall be prepared sooner than Domino’s can ship. In case you’re trying to make this meal the principle occasion of a night, you may as well let {couples} customise their very own pizzas.
Hero Ingredient: Selfmade almond ricotta, whereas delish, leans this pizza towards the costlier facet. In case you aren’t entertaining a plant-based crowd, be at liberty to swap out with store-bought complete milk ricotta.
Serve With: A number 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 mushy 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 hold 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 pink 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 place 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 hold it heat and comforting. Only a fast sauté of these veggies and a sluggish simmer takes this recipe from pot to bowl in below an hour.
Hero Ingredient: As with all comforting soup recipe, the bottom line is within the presentation. Lay out your entire toppings and let visitors construct their masterpiece!
Serve With: Tacky Bitter Cream and Onion Biscuits
Seafood Recipes for Giant Teams
Why We Love It: These grilled shrimp tacos are a summer time obsession. With a brief and candy ingredient record and a principal protein on the cheaper facet, it’s an amazing batch of substances for decent days and grilling exterior. 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 all the time 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 further appropriate for big teams because the elements could be shortly prepped prematurely. 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 practice 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 a protracted day of poolside or yard enjoyable? These chimichurri fish tacos are certainly one of my go-to cheap meals for big teams, and they are often topped with varied flavorful additions that every one visitors can choose 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.
