Meal Ideas to feed 15?

Question

I'm looking for some meal/casserole ideas to feed a family of 12? I was guessing if I found something to feed 15-20, they could have leftovers. Their baby is in the hospital an hour away from where they live so no mom at home.
Any Ideas or recipes you can share??
THANKS! :)

Answer 1

PASTA, PASTA, PASTA... Make up a rigatoni casserole. You can put it in one of the big aluminun pans that you don't have to worry about them returning and its great for reheating. Just have some extra sauce on the side maybe two loaves of bread and buy a big bag of the salad mix put that in one of these pans too and just slice up some tomatoes and cucumber and radishes to add as flavor. Get one big bottle of italian dressing for them to add to the salad before serving. This is such a nice gesture of you. Plus pasta will be the least expensive. 2-3 boxes of pasta, 4-5 jars of sauce 1 lb of ground beef, 1 lb of italian sausage. There you go. Good Luck...

Answer 2

Wow 12 is a lot. When I think of feeding that many people I think of Thanksgiving. But you don't want to do that, I suggest a big pan of Lasagna or Stuffed Shells. The stuffed shells are easier.
If you buy the boxed shells the recipe is on the back of the box. Basically it's the same cheese mixture that you would put in lasagna, but you fill up the shells. You can freeze them and just reheat them in a 350 oven for about 35-45 minutes. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Bless you for stepping in to help this poor family!

I don't know how much time you have, or how long you plan on helping them out - or how much expense you want to put into it. But why don't you ask the older ones what the younger ones will or will not eat, and what the older ones will eat. Kids can be pretty picky. With a family that large, I'm sure there is always someone who doesn't get what they want.

I'd talk to some of your friends, or church group, and see about making them a few different things - That way everyone is very happy. I'm sure they'll be extremely grateful just for you helping them, but with Mom gone, I'm sure the younger ones - and the older ones for that matter - would really love some personal touch. You can even get the older ones to help out. I'm sure they're used to it - and would be willing to.

They might even give you some of their favorite recipes from Mom that they only get on their birthday or something. With a sick baby, and Mom not there, anything 'just for them' will be remembered for a life time!

Answer 4

You can really do almost any type of casserole that is doubled or tripled :) Chicken broccoli casserole is a fan fav in my house & there are never any left overs of that dish. It's super easy & you can even leave the 35 minute bake time to the family, so it's hot & fresh whenever they want it. All you do is combine 1 can of cream of chicken & 1 of cream of mushroom in a saucepan over med-high heat, then add one block of ceddar (whatever style you'd like), keep stirring until that melts. Then in another pan sautee your chicken with a little extra virgin olive oil until cooked through (you can either cut your chicken into chunks or strips for best results). Then add the cooked chicken and a bag of defrosted frozen broccoli to your cheesy sauce, & pour into a 9X13 baking dish. Finally for a great topping cook a box of stove top as instructed on the box & layer that over your chicken mixture. The last step is baking for 35-40 minutes & viola chicken perfection!!! The prep process takes max 20-30 minutes!! Good luck!

Answer 5

I would get a big foil turkey roaster pan and fill it with Mostaccoli. Its relativley inexpensive. Just some ground beef and sauce and the pasta. Top with mozzarella cheese. Those pans come with handles so it will be really easy to transport. Just cover with foil. If you use 3 or 4 boxes of pasta and about 3 lbs of beef that should feed them for a while. Im not sure if you would buy the sauce or make it, thats up to you. You could even bring a few loaves of nice fresh italian bread from your bakery.

Answer 6

It's nice of you to do this for them especially at this difficult time. Lasagne is always a crowd pleaser, and you can easily double your recipe to make two pans. It makes really good leftovers too. Here's a good one from cooks.com:

Sauce:
1 lb ground beef browned & drained
1 clove garlic
2 lg cans of tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste
1/2 tbsp dry parsley
1 tbsp basil
1.5 tbsp salt
Mix all ingredients & simmer for 1 hour.

Filling:
2 - 12oz containers of cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp fresh parley or 1 tbsp dry parsley
1/2 c grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Mix all ingredients together well.

You will also need 1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese.

To assemble, layer in this order in a 9x13 pan: noodles, cottage cheese mixture, shredded mozzarella, sauce. Layer twice. Top with mozzarella and bake for 45 minutes at 400 F. Makes one large pan.

TIP: Buy fresh pasta sheets - great! But you can also use boxed lasagne noodles too. Cook according to directions or use the no-cook lasagne noodles.

Answer 7

They are lucky to havea friend like you! Someone will help you when you need it most.
Cheesy Tuna broccolli casserole. . makes more than enough for all of them.

2 pk (12-oz) frozen egg noodles 2 cn (4-oz) mushroom pieces;
2 cn (11-oz) cheddar cheese soup 1 pk (16-oz) (4 cup) chopped broccolli
1 cn (12-oz) evaporated milk 2 c Shreded mild cheddar cheese
2 ts Instant minced onion 2 2-quart casserole dishes
1 cn (12 1/2-oz) drained tuna


Preheat oven to 350. Cook noodles according to package directions for 20 minutes. Blend soup and milk till smooth. Add onions and mushrooms to soup mixture. Drain noodles. Layer 1 1/2 cup noodles, 1/2 cup tuna and 1 cup broccoli in each of two casserole dishes. Pour 1 cup sauce over each.Repeat, ending with sauce. Bake for 20 minutes. Add 1 cup cheese to top of casseroles. Bake 15 minutes longer and serve.

Answer 8

As the mother of nine children having 12 at the table is a normal event. I'm not sure how far you are going to travel with this but lasagna or spaghetti is a good idea, chili or vegetable soup is easy to make a big pot of, if you want to really get into it roast a turkey or a ham.

Answer 9

Why not good old hamburger helper since they have recipes for beef, chicken and tuna. Two boxes would probably feed the family depending on how many of them are children. Three may be better and it is fairly inexpensive. I make alot of lasagna and it is not a cheap meal to make if money is an issue. The cheeses alone are costly.

Answer 10

What a nice person you are!

sounds like this family has alot going on... you can do something simple like browning about 2 lbs of ground meat, cut up some lettuce and tomatoes, buy some grated cheese and pre-made taco shells and have a little taco party! That way they can make their own tacos (you can also take some guacamole, onions, etc...) to their own taste. (Kids like to feel like they are contributing by "making their own supper.) Just use paper plates, plenty of napkins for easy cleanup and make sure they have some adult or older child supervision. It is simple and very little cooking involved.
Blessings to you and the family! I hope you have fun!