Cooking for a Crowd

Once a month I'm in charge of providing a meal for 40 people. It's something I've been doing for about a year and a half now, and I'd like to share with you how I make it work on a budget.

Back in the beginning it was rather stressful when my weekend came up. I didn't have a big variety of recipes in my kitchen yet so I was always at a loss for what to make and lacked in creativity. As a married woman I had grown accustomed to cooking for two. It sure didn't take long to get out of the habit of big-family cooking that I had done so much of back home with 12 siblings! Not only that, but each time I decided on my meal plan for crowd-cooking I had to have prep in mind because I couldn't rope a sibling or two into helping peel potatoes or anything. Thankfully I have a very helpful husband and he always jumped in to save the day. But boy was it rough! We both rejoice at how far we've come in this area since then.

In those early days I did a lot of internet research trying to find ideas on how to cook for larger numbers, but I never seemed to come up with much. Especially in the department of recipes. It seemed like everyone was always suggesting things like pulled pork barbecue, sloppy joes, build-your-own pizzas, tacos, or for the extreme budgeter, hotdogs. All typical american meals. And if you try to add up the expenses for any of those it really does add up. Tell me why they suggest a meal that features almost just meat? Or something with lots of cheese? Have you ever priced all that? I know some of those suggestions are rather delicious, and some are certainly on my list of favorites, but it just wouldn't work for me feeding so many on a regular basis. If you highlight meat in a meal such as in pulled pork or sloppy joe, you should plan on 1/4lb. per person. Multiply that by 40 mouths to feed, and figure on regular store prices of somewhere close to $3 per pound for a pork roast or $4/lb for ground beef, and you've spent up to $40 on meat alone! Then you have to figure in your other ingredients, condiments, buns, and side dishes on top of that. If you're lucky or plan ahead, you might be able to catch a sale and cut the numbers down greatly, but it still leaves you with a pretty hefty receipt. All this to say I did make meatloaf once or twice and was able to do it quite cheaply. But it was the day I decided on the "easy deli sandwiches" that so many had been suggesting that I knew I needed to rethink how I planned crowd meals. It was a lesson that cost me at least $50 even while choosing sale options, and there wasn't very much food leftover that day at all.

Before I go on I must stress this point. Growing up I remember my dad always reminding us not to worry about cost when it comes to hosting or giving to other people. He encouraged us to do what it takes to make sure it's done right and nice. He was always more than willing to cut expenses in other areas in order to deliver a quality meal (and in plenty sufficient quantity!) to whatever event we were cooking for. My husband echoes the same advice, and I wholeheartedly agree. I can't say enough how important it is to be sure your guests are happy and don't feel like you've shorted them a well-rounded, nutritious, and delicious meal. You must do your part in making it as nice as possible. This does not mean you need to make it gourmet or spend an entire day slaving away over the stove. All it means is that in the end your goal is to deliver a meal or dish that makes your guests satisfied that you have put some thought and effort into whatever you're serving.

This is something that you can take to the budget book though. Just be cautious and plan well. You can still be frugal (not stingy; there is a difference) and make it work! Shop sales, and certainly feel free to cut cost whenever possible, as long as you're not sacrificing quality in the end product.

So, yesterday was my Sunday to feed everyone at church. The problem was, due to our extremely busy schedule since the beginning of the month, I forgot all about it until Saturday afternoon, even though I had it written on our calendar. That didn't give me much time to pull things together, so the meal was a bit more simple than I normally do.

The menu? Sausage and potato soup. It was what I had ingredients for and it could be put together pretty fast. My brother-in-law was out of town for a week, so we took over milking their cow while they were away, and as pay we got to bring home the milk! I had several gallons in my fridge still so this is what brought the decision for a milk-based soup. I needed a way to use it up anyhow, so it was a pretty easy decision. Often I hear people saying soup is a cheap way to feed people, but it really depends on what you're making. I don't find it to be all that much different in price than a casserole or something else. A good hearty, meaty, soup can break the bank just as well as a barbecue sandwich. Yeah, sure you can cut way down on meat in chili, but unless you're trying to go almost-vegetarian, anyone's favorite chili doesn't involve hide-and-seek-hamburger. And where vegetable soups might taste good, they are generally not very filling, which doesn't make for a good match when you're in charge of feeding a group of people and plan that for your main dish.

The ingredients that went into my potato soup were as follows: Smoked sausage (conveniently there was a truckload sale going on, and I was able to get a family pack [2.63 lbs] for $4.99...same price as 14 oz normally!), Carrots ($2 worth; I had them already), potatoes (homegrown), onions (homegrown), milk, and any spices and cornstarch. Having a garden sure cuts on cost, even though potatoes an onions are considered inexpensive. In all I spent less than $8 on the pot of soup, but if I would've had to buy the milk ($6) and veggies ($? haven't bought potatoes or onions in years), it would've more than doubled my cost. But even if you'd roughly guess the pot at just under $20, you've done well considering the fact that you are serving 40 people. But ... don't forget the sides! A simple pot of soup isn't quite enough to call it a decent meal. I made two double batches of hearty rustic bread to go along with the soup, and served it with some fresh, yellow grass-fed butter. Normally I try to aim for two side dishes with a meal when I'm cooking for others, but for some reason this week it didn't cross my mind. There was enough food though that I brought home enough leftover soup for two suppers and one of the loaves of bread didn't even get touched, so we brought that home, too.

I think I officially broke the record on least amount of expense going into my crowd meals. With the bread at less than $2.40 for both loaves, and the soup being under $8, my grand total was somewhere around $10.40 even with the butter. Looking back, I would add a few more potatoes to the soup. There were plenty of carrots, and every ladle-full was loaded with meat (extra points for that on my part!), but I could've used some more bulk with the potatoes. I did most of my prep Saturday night by cutting the vegetables and sausage and cooking until just tender, but didn't actually make it into soup until Sunday morning in my sister-in-laws kitchen. It's always more of a challenge cooking away from home. All in all though, it was very tasty. Sis-in-law made a dessert to go with the meal and she had plenty of leftovers too, so everybody must've gotten their fill.



Note: Generally I'm promoting nutrition, made-from-scratch, and healthy homegrown ingredients when I cook. I just want to clarify that I even though I used smoked sausage in this soup, I do not consider it a healthy food choice.