What is a easy and cheap way to feed a group of 20 people?

Question

My son is going to be one and we are having a party for him.Every bday party we have we feed everbody.This time we are strap for cash.We usally do hotdogs,nachos or tacos but I wanted to do something different and inexpensive.

Answer 1

Fried Chicken. Pick it up hot and ready. Just call or go in the day before to place your order. (It will be cheaper than going through the drive-thru at KFC) And make the classic potato salad and baked beans at home. Both are inexpensive to make and are perfect for feeding large numbers of people. Then for dessert cake and ice cream.

Answer 2

I also vote for the spaghetti, but if there is going to be a lot of kids (for his B'Day party), substitute the spaghetti for some of the fun shaped pastas. Easier for little hands and it will be more festive. If you have a Wild Oats store (or organic style), they carry lots of different shapes and flavors -- I LOVE the 3 or 4 colored pastas (there is a brand from the grocery store that has 4 colors and each color has a different shape) and I have yet to have a kid not eat them. Serve with whatever sauce your family likes. French bread and vegetable trays will be good inexpensive fillers also.

Answer 3

If you have a Sam's Club or BJ membership get a bag of frozen chicken breast (the larger ones not the strips) thaw, slice in halve and put them on the grill. Make a pasta salad with sweet red & yellow peppers, olives, tomatoes, and toss with itlian dressing. Cut up a whole watermelon, grill hot dogs for the kids, a bowl of salsa & chips and cool drinks and of course a cake for the birthday boy.
I did a single serve cake for my son's 1st last year & made cupcakes for everyone else. I did the same menu for 20 people for about $75.

Good luck & Happy Birthday to your son.

Answer 4

Have a "hay stack" - everyone participates and builds their own. It's more fun and less work on you!! You can supply the hamburger seasoned with taco mix. Then ask everyone [or at least the ones you're comfortable with asking] to bring the other ingredients: chopped tomatoes, black olives, melted cheese - kept warm in a crock pot, bell pepper, onion, lettuce you can go on and on with ingredients. When guests arrive and it's time to eat everyone builds their own "haystack"! We have found there's less food wasted when they build their own. You could take it even further and have a barn yard theme for the party! Dress you're little party guy as Old McDonald or one of their fav animals!

Answer 5

How about tacos and different rollup sandwiches with different meats in each.

You take flour torlillas or wraps any flavor, then I mix 8 ounces cream cheese, half cup of mayo, chopped pepperoni, ham or any other meat, these things are optional, since kids sometimes don't like (green onions, pimentos, black olives, any other veggie), spread evenly on tortilla, roll up like a burrito, wrap in plastic wrap tightly and let sit over night, then slice and eat, yummy!

Answer 6

potluck! in my family they have over 20 people and we bring something to the party every year after year esp on holidays like christmas, new year, fathers and mothers' day and my granny's birthday

if you don't want potluck order pizza, or fried chicken or pick up a big platter of meats, cheese or fruit or sushi
for ordering sushi make sure you phone ahead 1 day (you get 10% off your order)

Answer 7

I would reccomend, "Roll Your Own Burrito" get ground beef, cheese, dice some tomatoe and lettuce, salsa.. For 20 people its quite inexpensive, and everyone is satisfied. I think this meal could actually be put together for $25.

Answer 8

Have a pasta bar!!! Make parsley pesto (its cheaper than basil) and make spagetti and meatballs and a pasta with an alfredo sauce. You can substitute expensive ingredients for cheaper ingredients that taste almost (or just as) good! For example if you have an alfredo recipe that calls for Parmesean Origgiano cheese (which is about 25.00 per pound) substitute parmesan cheese. Its almost as good, but not as smokey and it is aged for a bit longer. The colour is a bit lighter too, but they are very similar. I recently made a large pot of a pasta dish I made up myself. This is cheap, easy and very favorful:

Cherry tomatoes diced (about 2 cups)
roasted red pepper from a jar
2 cloves of minced garlic
half a spanish onion (you could use vidalia, whatever you got on hand is fine)
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
handful of broccoli florrets
handful of chopped fresh parsley
handful of fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
splash of red wine
tons of grated parmesan cheese
packet of whatever shape pasta you want


(you could totally add sound ground beef to this or if you are looking for a more figure friendly dish you could add ground turkey and sautee it up with the veggies. Or you could toss in some broschutto or bacon for a smoky flavor)

sautee up veggies and tomatoes and such and add red wine to it when its sauteeing (wine in cooking should be just as good as wine in straight drinking from the bottle) and this is the time to add the meat if you are using it. start seasoning with salt and pepper. Boil pasta and put in evoo (extra virgin olive oil) and salt then cook until Al Dente. Drain Pasta and set aside. Finish sautteing veggies and herbs (and meat if using it) then dump pasta directly into saucepan. toss and put in nice bowl and top with mounds of yummy parmesean cheese and a sprig of fresh basil to garnish.

Serve with your favorite wine and have extra cheese to pass at the table for cheese lovers like me. :-)

More recipe tips you can go to:

http://www.allrecipes.com
http://www.foodtv.com
http://www.recipezaar.com

Also on food network a great "on a budget" show you can look under is Good Deal with Dave Leiberman.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

Answer 9

$5 Hot & Ready Pizzazs from Lil Caesers. They come in
Cheese & Peppersoni. Their Crazy bread is also ready to go & cheap.

also go to Costco or Sam's Club to buy snacks/juice boxes
in bulk. Goody bags from the Dollar store.

Answer 10

Baked Ziti or rotini and a large salad

Boxed pasta is always on sale and there are plenty of 99 cent pasta sauces.