With a husband in full time college ministry, we find ourselves hosting meals at our home quite a bit. I love it. I love hosting people. I love feeding people. I especially love feeding college students because they are so grateful for pretty much ANY home cooked meal. They are my best eaters. 🙂

I am by far not the perfect hostess. We tidy up, but my house is a house lived in and I can’t hide that. Our kitchen table is from a garage sale and our food budget is limited.

I say all of this because some people think they need to have the perfect setup to host. Not true. Our kitchen table and the food that goes on it isn’t all that fancy. The truth is, 95% of people don’t care about that stuff. The important thing is that they feel welcome, loved, and nourished in our home.

When you open up your home to someone, you are in a way opening up your life to them. People respond to THAT, not the number of courses a meal may have. Don’t stress yourself out. Focus on the people, not on the performance of your meal and home.

Because I am so often making meals for groups of people, I’m constantly on the lookout for meals that are tasty AND feed large groups. I created this round up of meal ideas more for my sake. I needed a reference to go to when I have a group coming over and my only idea is spaghetti or pancakes. Hopefully it will prove to be useful to you too!

Lastly, one thing that makes a group meal SO fun is having a fun question that everyone answers. We’ve designed Table Talk Cards to give you some great ideas. While these were designed with kids in mind, I have no doubt that many would be great conversation starters. I’d recommend the Tweens & Teens edition if you have all adults. 

On to the meals!

20 Meals that Will Feed Large Groups of People

Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Beef Sandwiches

The key to this recipe is in the homemade BBQ sauce. Once it’s in the slow cooker, it’s pretty much hands off which is something I need when I have people coming over. And guys, this recipe is GOOD. So good that it is making it into our next cookbook. (Here is all about our first, From Freezer to Table, if you’re interested.)

Hearty Baked Penne Pasta

This recipe makes a TON. Groups love the hearty, beefy, cheesy pasta. Serve it with some garlic bread and a salad and you’ve got a great meal for your next group. When I’m not hosting groups, I assemble this pasta, divide it in two, bake one, and freeze the other. It makes a GREAT freezer meal. Just be sure to undercook the noodles a tad if you’re going to freeze it. Here are 70+ other great freezer meals!

Killer Carnitas

These slow cooker carnitas are one of my all-time favorite meals to serve groups. They are easy, affordable, delicious and can be customized for each person’s preference. This recipe is from our cookbook, From Freezer to Table, but if you don’t have that Pulled Pork with a Mexican Flare is pretty similar!

Chicken Spaghetti

When I made this Chicken Spaghetti recipe for the first time, my husband ate it for about 5 meals in a row and proceeded to ask me to make it again the next week. It’s creamy, flavorful, and filling. This recipe easily makes TWO 8×8 dishes or one very full 9×13 dish. It’ll feed the masses. 🙂

Tip: Here is where you can find grass-fed beef and organic chicken you can trust!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Cheese Taquitos

 

To make this a meal for large groups, simply double the portion in the slow cooker. It’ll cook for the same amount of time and you’ll have twice as much to feed people! I always always always double this recipe when I make them and freeze one for later. Here are what containers we use and recommend when freezing meals.

 

Mexican Soup

If I had to guess, this is in the top 5 recipes I have made most frequently in my home. My husband wants it ALL. THE. TIME. It also makes a big ol’ batch. AND it’s really filling. Serve it with some tortilla chips and with shredded cheddar cheese and you’re people will be happy campers. We loved this recipe so much that we even adapted it to be made in the slow cooker. That recipe can be found in our cookbook, From Freezer to Table.

Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup

I really like this soup for a lot of reasons. The flavor is deep and interesting. Although, if you have youngsters or picky people, you may want to consider leaving out the artichokes. It’s filling and makes the house smell awesome. A great one to make in the fall or winter!

 

 

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

 

 

This recipe is in our free e-cookbook,Top 10 Easy Freezer Meals. You can download this, print it off, and have it for future reference when looking for great freezer meals.

Southwest Chicken and Bacon Wraps

Bacon, marinated grilled chicken, two kinds of cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes wrapped in a tortilla with ranch salsa sauce.  What’s not to love about the Southwest Bacon and Chicken Wrap? I love creating meals that people can customize to their liking. It’s easy to double the chicken and other ingredients and just lay out an assembly line.

 

Beefy Baked Ravioli(Fake Out Lasagna)

This fake-out lasagna is a dinner time favorite in my home. It’s very easy to make, super filling, and is freezer friendly. Kids love this meal. Who we kidding, all ages love this meal!

 

Whole Grain Pizza Bread

This is kind of a fun idea for an informal gathering. Just lay out some whole grain baguettes and let people make their own “pizza”!

 

Cheesy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

Here’s my husband’s and my favorite enchilada recipe.  If you want to go lighter on the cheese, these enchiladas are really quite good for you.  With the chicken, beans, vegetables, and whole wheat tortillas, you’re getting some great lean protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.If you’re making this for kids, you may want to pull back on the spice a bit. Double it for a large group!

 

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

I realize there are many paths to an excellent homemade roast, but this one I researched and have tested MANY times over the years. This real food Pot Roast, along with some Homemade Wheat Sandwich Bread to sop up the sauce, might well be my favorite comfort meal of all time.

Crock Pot Pumpkin Spice Latte

If you’re hosting in the fall or winter, this delicious drink is a total crowd-pleaser.

 

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

Here’s a breakfast idea for ya: Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal. Not only are the ingredients cheap and the assembly instructions simple, but people just really love this recipe! We have lots of variations of baked oatmeals on the blog. Just poke around our breakfast category in our recipe index.

10 Minute Tortilla Soup

This one-pot wonder is packed with flavor, but is also vegetarian! This winning combination of ingredients and flavors is sure to impress your family and friends.

 

Slow Cooker Shredded Balsamic Beef

This recipe might be the easiest and very best slow cooker meal I’ve ever made for my family. Everyone, from ages 4 to 42, devoured this tender, flavorful meat dish. I have served it with mashed potatoes (and of course veggies and fruit), which is perfect for all that extra sauce in the crock, or Basic Roasted Veggies go well with it, too. Then, the next night we had this same Slow CookerShredded Balsamic Beef on mini wheat rolls as “french dip” sandwiches. A great idea on making this stretch for a large group.

 

Mini Fruit Pizzas 

I had to include one dessert idea. Mini Fruit Pizzas are one of my favorites to serve to a crowd. They are really easy put together and both kids and adults love them. I also like that each person makes their own so they can pick and choose what goes on their fruit pizza. It’s a fun way to wrap up a group gathering!

 

Bonus Recipes:

If you own our cookbook, From Freezer to Table, here are 10 recipes that would be great for a crowd:

 

1. Cilantro Lime Chicken: Page 68 (Put them in wraps and provide Mexican fixins.)
2. Cheddar Chive Burgers: Page 98
3. Totally Tasty Taco Kit: Page 108
4. Foolproof Pork Tenderloin: Page 114 (Make two for a large crowd)
5. Baked Pink Pasta with Sausage: Page 153
6. Meat Lovers Lasagna: Page 168
7. Creamy Chicken, Veggie, and Wild Rice Soup Page: 183
8. Cheeseburger Soup: Page 189
9. Chili Rubbed Beef Brisket: Page 195
10. Killer Carnitas: Page 196

Watch our one minute trailer about our cookbook!