Big group meal? Other than lasagna and/or chili...what can I make for a group of eight?

Question

What are some of your stand by recipes?

Answer 1

** Elegant Shrimp Casserole **

1 lb peeled, deveined small s hrimp
1 can French Onion Soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom
1 can mild Rotel tomatoes
1 cup uncooked rice
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup green onion
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1/3 cup dried parsley

Mix all ingredients together. Cover and bake @ 350ºF degrees for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 cup Cheddar Cheese. Bake for 15 minutes.

Serves 8. Great for buffet or potluck!
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** KING RANCH CHICKEN CASSEROLE **

1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (10 3/4-oz) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 (10 3/4-oz) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 (10-oz) can diced tomato and green chiles
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Sauté onion and bell pepper in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken and next 7 ingredients; remove from heat.

Tear tortillas into 1-inch pieces; layer one-third of tortilla pieces in bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with one-third of chicken mixture and 2/3 cup cheese. Repeat layers twice. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes.

Note: Freeze casserole up to 1 month, if desired. Thaw in refrigerator overnight, and bake as directed. Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

--Southern Living, NOVEMBER 2000
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** Taco Soup ** (hearty and sticks to your ribs)

1 to1½ lbs. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can beef broth (or 2 cups water + 2 beef boullion cubes)
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained (I like the mix of white and yellow corn)
2 cans diced tomatoes, any variety, undrained (I like petite diced, w/ onions and bellpeppers in them; if you want heat, use at least one can of Rotel)
1 can red or black beans, drained and rinsed
1 packet Taco seasoning

Garnishes (any or all):
sour cream
diced green onions
sliced black olives
sliced jalapenos
guacamole
shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef over medium heat in large stock pot. When nearly cooked, add onions and sauté w/ ground beef. When onions are wilted but still opaque, stop cooking and drain off any fat. Return to heat and add remaining indredients. Cover and let simmer at least 30 minutes, or up to about 3 hours. (Can be held longer in a slow cooker set on Low.)

Serve in bowls w/ crushed corn chips in the bottom. Top each bowl w/ garnish of choice.
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** Buttermilk Baked Chicken **
--Southern Living 2000 Recipe Hall of Fame

1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 bone-in chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, divided
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 (10 3/4-oz) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish in a 425 degrees oven.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in 1/2 cup buttermilk, and dredge in flour.

Arrange chicken, breast side down, in baking dish.

Bake at 425° for 25 minutes. Turn chicken, and bake 10 more minutes.

Stir together remaining 1 cup buttermilk and cream of mushroom soup; pour over chicken, and bake 10 more minutes, shielding chicken with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Serve gravy on the side along with Mashed Potatoes adn a veggie. Garnish, if desired.

Answer 2

You could make some kind of roast - make sure you get enough - and I have a great stuffed mushroom recipe which you could double or triple depending on how many you wanted:

16 mushrooms - remove stems and chop
1 pkg cream cheese - 8 oz.
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp minced garlic (the wet kind is best)
1 Tbsp Olive oil

Saute the chopped stems in the olive oil and minced garlic until the moisture is out of the mushrooms for the most part. Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl with a hand mixer, adding the mushroom mix. Stuff the caps and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, making sure not to let the mixture seep out.

This recipe is for 1 batch - you would need to make more - they are SO delicious and flavorful! :) Good luck.

Answer 3

I actually like to do a "Mexican Buffet" for large groups. It is nice because most of it is make ahead stuff and everybody gets to decide what they want so they can adjust for their own dietary restrictions, likes and dislikes. I set out on a table or bar the following:

tortilla chips
soft taco shells
hard taco shells
ground beef (cooked with taco seasoning packet)
grilled or sauteed chicken pieces marinated with taco seasoning
vegetarian refried beans
canned black beans
shredded iceburg lettuce
diced tomatoes
black olives
diced spanish onion
pickled jalapeno slices
guacamole
grated cheese
sour cream
mild salsa
hot salsa
fresh cilantro leaves
lime wedges
yellow rice (there are several excellent boxed varieties)

Of course you can add or subtract as you see fit. Make it a "fancier" meal by offering sliced grilled steak pieces, fresh salsas, homemade yellow rice and adding a pan of enchiladas. Serve margaritas and cold beer. Dessert can be a flan, brownies with 1 tsp cinnamon added to the recipe/mix, peanut butter cookies or some nice ice cream.

Answer 4

Maybe it's too late but the greatest solution for these types of situations is a slow cooker. You could through in a roast, some spareribs, some steaks, seasoning, broth of some sort, maybe some red wine and turn it on, wait 10 hours and voila. A super good meal! And pretty easy too!

Answer 5

Fajitas. Just stir-fry a big pile of veggies (peppers, onions, etc) and add some fajita seasoning (or just some chili powder, salt & pepper) and BBQ some chicken breasts, or pork loin or beef (marinate it ahead of time if you want, lime juice, onion, some wine vinegar & oil)
To serve, slice the meat into strips, put the veggies in a bowl, and have some tortillas ready, as well as bowls of condiments (ie: salsa, guacamole, shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, chilies, whatever...)
Every guest makes his/her own fajita to taste.

Answer 6

PETA, is huge out here in Calif. if they would just get their stuff together instead of worrying about a chicken dance. They should focus more on animals in labs for research, and puppy and kitten mills. I'm sure they don't like Digger either they probably think thats being mean to them as well. I'm a huge animal lover, but PETA is just to much for me. Go Dale Jr & HMS

Answer 7

Fried pork chops. Put a little oil in a skillet. Warm, sprinkle pork chops with creole seasoning then cook. Serve with mashed potatoes, green beans. Lots of side dish options.

Answer 8

Shepherd's Pie. You can make it in a big casserole dish. Since it's got meat, potatoes and vegetables, it's a full meal and you don't have to do much else apart from bread and salad and dessert.

Answer 9

Deep fry a turkey with a few sides like mashed potatoes, corn bread, or dressing and some veggies.

Bake a couple of chickens, biscuits, and veggies.

Stew

Answer 10

chicken and dumplings
so easy.
1 large pot/kettle
4 chicken breasts
4 cans jumbo biscuits
1 can/pouch cream of chicken soup
2 cups flour
salt and pepper to taste

boil chicken 30 minutes then cool & shread
cut biscuits into same size pieces
-cover in flour before cutting
add cream of chicken to broth
bring mixture to boil add biscuits
DO NOT stir vigorusly biscuits will turn to mush
gently push biscuits into mixture to keep from sticking together
add shreaded chicken
simmer 30 minutes

Answer 11

how about some barbecue wings?... or some baked chicken from Wal*Mart if you choose that make sure you buy at least 5 or 6 oh and some french fries and fruit salad and veggies!