What can I make that is easy, cheap and will feed 15 people?

Question

We are having a family gathering tomorrow before an event. I need to make something to feed everyone but I need it to be as inexpensive as possible and relatively easy. I will be busy tomorrow so no time to prepare the sort of things I normally would for something like this. I have been racking my brain but can't think of anything. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I am starting to panic!

Answer 1

Try making sandwachies and chips, it's cheap, kool, and fun and everyone can eat it!

Answer 2

When we used to have holiday parties for 400-700, I always made chili, cornbread and green salad....plus cookie trays

Answer 3

well if you have an albertsons by you you can get some ham and cheese from the deli and get a few french breads..

sandwiches are really good on french bread!

you'll just need like a pound of ham and half a pound of cheese.

cut whole loaf like a hot dog bun and put the meat & cheese and cut the bread into slices after..

Answer 4

ramen

Answer 5

Spaghetti with salad and garlic bread.

Answer 6

Lasagna is relatively cheap... and a family-favorite at my house! You can also prepare it the night before and leave it in the fridge until it's time to cook.

Also, you can buy frozen garlic bread, and to make things even easier... I'll buy a salad from a takeout place. Then it's still a home-cooked meal but saves me time! :-)

Answer 7

is it an entire meal you need, or just a "snack" of sorts??

i would make a double or triple batch of my taco dip,

2 or 3 bricks of philly cream cheese

2 or 3 cans of hormel chili with beans

2 packages of "fiesta blend" cheese mis, or something of the sort.

spread CC in pan, top with chili, top with cheese, bake until cheese is bubbly!!  

serve with tostitos or my favorites, frito's scoops..

shouldn't cost more than $20 and its deeelicious!!!

Answer 8

everyone loved meatball pasta

good ground veal and pork, with lots of cheese, you can buy a good canned tomato sce, freshly cooked pasta with olive oil and garlic and 3 different types of chees's, serve it with fresh hot garlic bread and a rocket and avocado salad with honey balsamic dressing, its easy to do up in bulk and wont take long, mince and garlic bread are cheap

google a recipe

EVERYONE LOVES MEAT BALLS

Answer 9

Sphagetti, everyone loves spaghetti!

Answer 10

How about a large casserole?

Answer 11

You could buy a couple frozen Lasagna's and just stick them in the oven a couple hours before dinner time.  

Spaghetti is always cheap and easy, just throw it in a crockpot and make throw some garlic bread in the oven.

Grilling would be a good idea too..

The last get together we had, we grilled burgers and brats, had a crock pot of mac and cheese, a bean/hamburger dip w/ chips, veggies, etc.

You could make a couple batches of a hamburger helper also and put in a crock pot....

Hope this helps

Answer 12

Grilling is by far the cheapest way to go.  There are the options of hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken leg quarters.  All are easy to grill, and chicken leg quarters are super cheap.  After that, I would go with prepare-ahead type stuff, like potato salad, cole slaw, or quick items, like corn on the cob.  Picnic style with family...you can't go wrong.

Answer 13

big pot of chilli

Answer 14

Vegetable tray, cheese and crackers, fruit tray, chips and dip, cold cuts...do not panic; all of these are simple and easy.

Answer 15

A beef stroganoff or a risotto would be good for such a large group of people.

Answer 16

How about a salad, pasta and meatballs, with some bread?

Answer 17

a whole dinner? or just one 'side'?

Answer 18

how about a slow-cooker BBQ beef or pork thing, with hamburger buns, chips and a salad? If your local grocery store has marked down meat, get it there, buy generic brand buns and chips and keep the salad simple.

Something like this:

:

4 lb pork roast

2 onions, sliced, divided

1 onion, chopped

5 or 6 whole cloves

2 cups water

16 oz bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

salt and pepper

Preparation:

Place one sliced onion at the bottom of Crock Pot.

Stud pork roast with cloves and season with salt and pepper.

Place roast in slow cooker on top of the sliced onion. Cover with the second sliced onion and add enough water to fill Crock Pot two thirds of the way.

Cover and cook on low 8 to 12 hours.

Remove roast. Remove and discard cloves, bone and fat as well as any water, onions and grease remaining in pot.

When pork roast is cool enough to handle, use a fork or your fingers to pull it apart until the entire roast is shredded.

Return the pulled pork to the crockpot. Mix in the chopped onion and BBQ sauce and cover. Heat on high for 1-3 hours or until the onions are soft.

Serve on buns with BBQ sauce. Garnish with dill pickle spears, thinly sliced raw onion.

Answer 19

Spaghetti dinners are cheap, easy and can be served family style or help yourself.  A deli tray (you can make one yourself not pay the grocer all that dough to put it on plates for you) with rolls, pickles, etc.

BBQ some basic burgers and dogs in the backyard possible too?  

How about cheap pizzas?

Answer 20

Pizza and macaroni and cheese or get them drunk enough so they won't realize that you didn't plan ahead and don't love them enough to do so

Answer 21

Why don't you do a simple salad (ceasar or garden) and a pasta? You could buy a higher end sauce (like a fresh rose from the fresh pasta section of the grocery store) and you could add some chicken and goat cheese crumbled on top? its really good.

If those flavours are not appealing I would still go with some sort of pasta and salad with bread- its filling and most people like it.

Answer 22

Gumbo

Answer 23

pasta is always good and cheap

Answer 24

I would just do a barbecue and serve hotdogs and hamburgers.

Answer 25

how about some pasta or some rice?

fairly easy to make, and very cheap.

how about some chicken? chicken is very cheap at the market...

how about chicken pasta fettuchini (could add in some broccoli) ?

its delicious and not pricey.

hope i helped.?

Answer 26

bbq beef brisket.