I need a main dish for 11 people that is not too hard and not too expensive.?!
Answers: Under $30 would be great under $20 would be even better. I was going to make a burrito pie but i am thinking that would far outreach my budget because i would have to make 2 for that many people. I also would like something that the main dish is enough for all the people - i.e i don't need to make side dishes. Any recipes, suggestions or the like would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance.
So many great ideas! My mother-in-law (family of 8) makes a taco soup that even has leftovers for HER family. Serve it with cornbread muffins to stretch it and it's quite good. Here's the recipe:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, minced
1 15-oz can pinto beans
1 16-oz can stewed tomatoes
1 14 1/2-oz can hominy
1 13 1/2-oz can tomato juice
1 small can chopped green chiles
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix
1 pkg dry taco seasoning
1 tsp salt
Brown the beef with the onion and drain off the fat. Add all remaining ingredients and cook until heated all the way through.
Salmon, grilled with lemons
I wish I knew what a "burrito pie" was
sheppards pie
Homemade mac n cheese with tomatoes.
Garlic bread
Some veggies on the side.
how about a big cassarole pan of lassagne and a big green salad and some cheap french bread . that will feed alot of people or sub lassagne for spaggehtti.
Broccoli and chicken with rice casserole in cream of mushroom sauce. Fast and inexpensive!
I'd say Chicken with Creamy caper sauce. Get some chicken breasts (2 for each person) fry them until cooked. add some white wine, creme freche and capers and a handful of parsley. Reduce by half and serve with some potato's. Takes about 15 minutes to make, while you're making it you can get on with something else like serving lots more alcohol.
You can make a casserole but you are still going to be looking at having to make more than one. Usually if I have a large group of people I like to make a ham. You can usually get a decent size one for around 20.00. I rub mine down with brown sugar and then glaze it with a cherry glaze. About 10 minutes before I take it out of the over I garnish it with pineapples and cherries. They are pre-cooked so all you really need to do is warm it up for about 3 hours. Spiral Hams are the best to do this with.
ENCHILADAS, RICE AND BEANS.REFRIED BEANS.OR TACOS OR .BEAN AND CHEESE BURRITOES WITH A CAN OF WOLF BRAND CHILI ON TOP...CHILI DOGS OR CHICKEN POT PIE... THE LIST IS ENDLESS
meatloaf is always an inexpensive dish for a large amount of people
also B-B-Q sandwiches... you would just need the bbq and buns and some cole slaw and no other side dishes would be needed other than maybe offering chips or if you wanna do more than that just some baked beans would make for a great meal
I would do lasagna. You can get by with only one pound of burger, one big jar of sauce and use a half bag of cheddar and a half bag of mozerella. Pick up a cheap pkg of hamburger buns, butter them and put a bit of the cheeses on them. Pop into microwave just before you're ready to serve and you have homemade cheese bread. If you make a 9 x 13 size pan, cut into 12 pieces. Don't forget the noodles!
this is like a rice casserole
you need:
a big box of rice
ham cut up, or diced ham
bacon
cream of mushroom soup, a few cans.
cheese, cheddar, shredded if you like
cook the rice, while that is cooking, have the fully cooked ham cut up into cubes, then cook the bacon. mix the rice and cream of mushroom in a dish, so that it is thick but not watery...then...
get 1 or 2 casserole dishes, put one layer of rise at the bottom of the pans, then sprinkle the ham and cheese as a second layer, then rice and as third layer, then bacon strips on top. put it in the oven at about 375 degrees. let it heat up, then when you think its almost done being fully heated, sprinkle cheese on top. put back in the oven, and however you like the cheese to look on top is when the meal is done. yummy and filling.
you can serve as is, or have some garlic toast along side. a cheap meal under $20 dollars, and easy to make.
How about a big taco salad? You can make a lot for very little.
Spaggetti and meatballs also works. It is really cheap. You can serve it with garlic bread.
I will double the recipe that I use that feeds 5 people. Big people too, so your 11 should be fine.
10 cups spiral pasta, cooked and drained
2 lbs. italian ground sausage
2 medium green peppers
2 jars (28 oz. each) meatless spaghetti sauce
12 ounces (or more!) shredded mozzarella cheese
Cook sausage and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in pasta and spaghetti sauce; mix well. Transfer to TWO 13 in. x 9-in. baking dishes. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle cheese (thickly). Bake 5 - 10 minutes longer until cheese has melted.
Serve with salad and Garlic toast. This is a BIG hit at my house and we live cheap!
How about chicken cordon bleu with buttery mashed potatoes and a nice gravy.
You can use simple grated cheddar for the cheese. All you need to do is:
1. Take one chicken breast
2. slice it on the side, then spread it out
3. pound it with a rolling pin so it gets thinner
4. Put a slice or half a slice of ham in it
5. spread a little grated cheese mixed with a little mustard.
6. roll up the whole thing and tie with string on both ends vertical and horizontal [so the cheese doesn't come out]
when cooking:
1. heat a little butter in a pan
2. add the pieces of chicken and cook on all sides on a high flame and then slowly with a little bit of stock, covered, for about 10 minutes.
3. when done, serve with butter mashed potatoes with herbs and a gravy / cream dressing.
looks great, tastes great and doesn't cost much.
what do you say?
hope this helps.
sid
Spagetti would feed them all under $30.00. If you can afford it also do garlic bread and salad. If you make a meatless spagettti just sauce with mushrooms and the spagetti you can do salad and the bread and make a more complete meal.
Enchilada Casserole
Buy 2 lbs ground beef. 5.00
One big package corn tortillas. 2.00
2 cans cheap cream of mushroom sauce. 1.20
2 cans Enchilada Sauce 2.00
2 medium onions 1.00
2 small cans chopped green chiles 1.20
1 can corn .50
1 large bag Tortilla chips 2.99
1 Large Jar Picante Sauce 1.99
4 cups grated sharp chedder cheese 4.00
__________
21.88
In a large pot sautee the onions add the beef, cook til done, drain. Then add Enchilada sauce, green chile, cream of mushroom soup undiluted, the corn and salt and pepper to taste. You can add a little garlic powder but don't over do it.
Then in a large pan layer the corn tortillas then add sauce. Then repeat. Ending with a top layer of meat and sauce. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes then top with cheese ( you may have some left over) and place back in the oven til cheese is bubbling.
Serve with the salsa and chips.
If your guests enjoy spicy food add some jalepenos to the meat mixture or buy the spicy Enchilada sauce and chiles. We like it hot, but some of our guests do not, so I sometimes make two.
Chicken and Ho-made noodles.
Get a 5 lb bag of leg quarters Wal-mart in my area $4.50 approx. Boil and De-bone.
Then egg noodles ho-made: 2C. Flour, 2 eggs, 1/2 tsp. salt. Roll till about 1/8 in thick then cut them with a pizza cutter. I usually double the noodles for that much chicken. You will need to add chicken base to taste. And use the biggest pot you can find, or 2 large crock pots.
But you can freeze what you don't need....The noodles make their own gravy you do have to cook on low 2-3 hours...
I always do a spaghetti bolognese when I have that many people round, or I do chicken in barbecue sauce because I can do that in the slow cooker and then all I've got to do when the guests arrive is prepare some pasta or rice and then serve it!
Depends on which route you want to go. Like homeless cheap, or average yearly salary. I would go with burgers. But use Venison. Hand make the patties with a lil bit of onions. Then let it sit over night in Habanero sauce. Then grill. The grill will kill some of the hottness. But the test is great.
If you want to go real cheap, mac and cheese, mixed with tuna and peas. All together. Great poor man food. YEAH
When in doubt cook a whole pork loin.
If you have half decent knife skills , you can butterfly it ,then stuff it , roll it , tie it ,roast it .
A whole loin will yield about 24 finger width slices . The finger in question is mine and I have big fingers
Plan B would be buy 3 whole chickens and cut them into quarters .serve w/stuffing
If you can get them cheap enough $.89lb serve half chickens