I need to cook for 11 adults can anyone suggest cheap mains?

Question

whats for dinner

Answer 1

chicken alfredo

take 11 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or a few more, just in case) - thawed out... oil 2 cookie sheets with olive oil and coat both sides of the chicken with the oil from the sheet

liberally sprinkle on onion powder, garlic powder, lemon pepper, and parmesean cheese. (i like to drizzle some red wine vinegar on mine right here)

bake at 400 until starting to brown just barely on the tips (about 30 minutes) remove from oven and pour 2 jars of alfredo sauce on the chicken on each sheet- be sure to make a mess with it- lots of sauce is important here! its ok for the sauce to go onto the sheet, too... thats a total of 4 jars of sauce. put back into the oven, turn the heat down to 325...

while baking the chicken, cook some noodles or fettucini... about 1/3 pound per person... take the chicken out of the oven when the noodles are done- be sure to season your noodles with a little salt and olive oil before allowing them to sit there and lump together... (after draining of course)

serve with store bought french bread (which you have heatedin the oven), real butter (whipped for dramatic display) and bagged salad with an assortment of dressings from your fridge...

all together i would say this meal should cost about $30 total- and for 11 ppl thats pretty good!

Answer 2

I wish I knew more about what kind of circumstance you're cooking for, but the magic answer is "Cassarole".

About the absolute *cheapest* main dish dinner cassarole I can suggest is Poor Man's Tuna Cassarole, known around here as "Glop".

For 11 adults, get about 4-5 boxes of the cheap mac and cheese box dinners, make them up.. then add a couple cans of cream of mushroom soup, and a few cans of tuna.. (preferably water-packed). If you're feeling fancy, dump it in a baking dish or two, sprinkle some parmesan cheese and crushed up fritos over the top, and throw it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.

You can make enough of this stuff to feed an army for under 10 bucks.

Another suggestion. Rice. Rice is bloody cheap. I got a 50lb bag of it at the local wholesale club store for $12. Rice is simple.. 2 cups water per 1 cup rice. Boil. reduce heat, cover, and let simmer till the water is absorbed.

To make it a main dish, grab a couple smoked sausages when they're on sale (they seem to be offered here almost weekly as "buy one, get one free" deals) and cut em into chunks.. Mix sausage, cooked rice, a little garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, perhaps a little cayanne if you're feeling in the mood for spice. Dump it into a couple baking dishes, top with some shredded cheese, and bake till the top is all golden and gooey.

Third suggestion is ham and beans. Get a few large cans of beans.. you can use most any other than "baked beans'.. navy beans, pinto beans, whatever... and a chunk of ham.. doesnt' hafta be big.. Throw em in a pot, chunk up the ham, add some garlic, onion, salt, pepper...cook till everythings hot and the beans are kinda mushy.

Serve with some cornbread, or cornbread muffins.

Then the perennial "college cuisine" favorite, "garbage cassarole".
The idea of this is simple... Take whatever the hell is left in the fridge, chop it up, mix it together, cover in cheese, and bake. Sometimes, this can be kinda foul. Othertimes, it's suprisingly good. Ultimately, you can wind up with a fairly tasty cassarole out of anything that a normal adult would have as leftovers.. just don't do something like mixing leftover cupcakes with lasagne leftovers. (college kids will sometimes eat anything.)

Another good standby is Spaghetti.. Yeah, you can make some gourmet and seriously expensive pasta sauce... But for 11 hungry adults, I've never found a time where 3-4lbs of boxed spaghetti, and 2-3 jars of regular old spaghetti sauce wouldn't fill everybody up. To jazz it up on the cheap, take a couple pounds of ground beef, brown it up with some garlic and onion, salt and pepper, and once it's all cooked, drain off the grease and pour the sauce in to heat up and mix the flavors... For extra flavor, snag a Chorizo sausage from the grocery store.. they're like 2 bucks for a 2 pack... slit the casings and brown the filling in with the hamburger. adds a nice flavor to the sauce with little extra cost or effort.

Answer 3

How bout bbq? You can buy a pork roast for about $10...cook it on the stove in a pot, add a couple of cups of water cover and cook on medium high heat for about four hours... you'll have delicious pulled pork when its done...maybe add some baked beans, texas toast, and cole slaw on the side, and your done for under $15. Just an idea hope this helps.

Answer 4

A big pan of lasagna, a tossed salad, bread sticks, and chocolate cake for dessert.

Homemade lasagna -- approximately $8 in ingredients
Tossed salad -- $4
Bread sticks --$3
Cake mix and icing -- $3


$18 divided by 11 is about $1.60 per person. Very economical!

Answer 5

There are many options you have. You could make almost any chicken dish, it is cheap. If you want to go cheaper...SPAGHETTI baby! $4 for the burger, $1 for the noodles, and $2 for the sauce.

Answer 6

Baked chicken or turkey is dressy and cheap.
Bake the meat and fix green beans,dressing and potatoes and gravy. Don't forget a simple dessert to impress. Banana Pudding or something.

Answer 7

Cheap means pasta. It goes a long way and you can add sauces, meats, vegetables and get your entire meal taken care of. Add a salad and some bread and you are set.

Answer 8

Any type of pasta will fill people up. The trick is to have alot of veggie and dip appetiezers. Then people are less hungry for the main dish.

Answer 9

Make a huge pot of pumpkin soup and add a pack or 2 of fresh cheese tortellini or ravioli. Serve with crusty bread.

Answer 10

Lasgana, salad and garlic or fresh crusty bread. A good cheap meal and healthy too!