My family is planning a week-long vacation - about 20 people in two cottages at Lake Erie in a couple weeks.

What meal ideas can you share for easy-to-cook meals that will feed a crowd? We already have chili meal planned, and a spaghetti and meatballs meal planned. What other great ideas do you have?

Thanks!

Italian sausage, peppers, and onions in a crockpot. Serve on soft sub rolls with provolone cheese (YUMMY!)

pulled pork in the crock pot with slaw and apple cobbler(also done in crock pot)...No mess, no fuss, easy stuff in those crocks....

tacos?

You could fry up some chicken ahead of time and freeze it and then just stick it in the oven to heat it up. I like doing a lot of meals ahead of time, freezing and then heating up when needed. Someone suggested pulled pork & italian sausage & peppers, same with those, make ahead and then throw in crockpot and heat up.

I figure I'm on vaca too, so made ahead items to just heat up for me makes my vaca soooo much nicer.

Mac & cheese...make it in the morn, then pop in oven for dinner.Breakfast for dinner with potato/egg casserole,pizza & salad,chicken & noodle casserole,italian beef swiches,baked potato bar,meat loaf,sloppy joes with salad bar.
Turkey breast is easy in crock pot.

Various swiches with chips,veggie trays & dips will please the kids.

Go to Taste of Home and search for "French Toast Strata". Ignore the syrup and just use your own (my recommendation, anyway.) This is really easy & delicious & made the night before and put in frig until baking. We serve this for huge crowds, like 150 and never hear complaints. Just mmmm.....good!

Being that its "hot" why not a Jello salad, different colors and you cut them in pieces( red, whiote,blue?) for the fourth of July? and add some whipped cream to the pieces, and I think about 3 boxes of the stuff should do it, that should serve 12, well if you get the bigger boxes anyway.

also why not a veggie tray.

celery, broccoli, cauliflower, pickles, peanuts? awww cheese too.

oh this too, INEXPENSIVE!!

I have small group this weekend, so keep the ideas coming...

Hot dogs and burgers if there is a grill outside

This is super good and easy: The best stroganoff (in a crockpot)

http://thecrockstar.blogspot.com/200...troganoff.html

chicken and rice in a slow cooker?
pre-cooked Ham?

This looks great! I'm gonna try this recipe. Thanks!

I like to make a Breakfast Casserole the night before and put it in the oven in the morning. Also make Skiers French toast, and an orange juice condensed, dipped monkey bread using refrigerator rolls cut into 1/4. It takes two or three refrig. rolls each, for a crowd. I sprinkle brown sugar at each level before starting the next one. Jan

Chicken spaghetti recipe from Kraftfoods.com or red beans & rice. Both can be cooked ahead of time and carried on ice.

i'm all about quick and easy. got a big crock pot? or even a small one? skin and cut up a chicken, toss it in the pot. add a stick of butter, and a dozen cloves (or more) of peeled garlic, some salt and pepper. let it cook! when you declare it done, take out and put it on a plate. the butter/garlic sauce is put in a bowl, and you dip chunks of french bread in it to "butter" it. for more garlic kick, spread one of those cooked cloves of garlic on the bread along with it. add a tossed salad, and you've got a simple, cool kitchen meal. dessert? watermelon.

I have fond memories of eating these at my friends lake house... make small sandwiches, I use the Hawaiian sweet rolls, use mustard, ham and cheese. Wrap individually in foil and throw into 250 degree oven. Then just grab one and go!

I posted this before, but can't find it....try this....good,colorful & easy to double http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/C...cken-and-Rice.

A family fav is from same site....Baked spaghetti.Can make the day before,just heat in oven.Kids & big kids love it.

What a great bunch of recipes. Our family gets together Up North and between swimming, tubing, water skiing, fishing,etc. there isn't much time to cook. The crockpot recipes really sound good.

Okay...I don't have any ideas for a recipe but I will look to see what I have. I chuckled when I read your post because I live VERY close to Lake Erie. My husband and I went to the Columbus quilt show last weekend with me saying I wanted to get away from up north and visit the central Ohio area for a few days because it is so lovely with all the nice areas of shopping! (new and old)
You will have a great time up here with the nice beach.
Enjoy!
Nancy

BEEF STEW IN THE CROCK POT
LASAGNA
CHEESE CHICKEN CASSEROLE W BROCOLLI
CAN FREEZE
HAM & GREEN BEANS CRCK POT
POT PIE

I FORGOT THIS IS REALLY EASY
SHEPARDS PIE
BROWN HAMBURGER, DRAIN & LAYER IN CASSEROLE
PAN 1 LARGE CAN MIXED VEGETABLES
4 CHEESE INSTANT MASHED POTATOE (MAKE
ON STOVE TOP)
LARGE JAR OF BEEF GRAVY
POUR GRAVY OVER HAMBURG & VEGETABLE
LAYER POTATO ON TOP - POUR GRAVY SMALL AMOUNT
TAKE TACO MIX GRATED CHEESE SPREAD ON TOP
OVER @350 BAKE FOR 25 MIN
DELICIOUS!!!
MAKE AS MANY PANS AS YOU WANT GOES A LONG WAY

This is great for a pot luck dinner or for a crowd, just double the recipe. The recipe should serve 6 to 8 depending on the people.



Chicken and Wild Rice

4 lbs, chicken breast, with the bone
2 boxes Uncle Ben’s Chicken & wild rice
1 lg. onion, chopped
6 tlb. Butter
4 tbl. Flour
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can milk
1 can chicken broth (from the boiled chicken)
¾ lbs. cheddar cheese, shredded
Paprika

Cook chicken in water to cover 30 to 40 mins. Cool in broth. Tear chicken into bite size pieces. Do not use knife.
Cook rice according to directions on box.
Combine soup, milk and broth and set aside.
Sauté onion in butter until soft not brown.
Turn heat down a bit and stir in flour slowly.
Add the soup mixture to the flour, slowly, and wisk to get rid of lumps.
In a 9 by 12 casserole dish layer sauce, rice, chicken, and cheese, 2 or 3 layers. Top with paprika.
Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 mins.

Quick Mexican Casserole

2 cans pinto beans with jalapeno (or chop and add your own)
2 cans spanish rice or 1 box Zatarain spanish rice cooked
1 lb. ground meat
1 med. onion
1 pkg. McCormick original Chili seasoning mix
2 cups grated cheddar cheese or colby jack

Brown ground meat and diced onion. Toss meat,(after adding chili mix) beans and rice in a 9 X 13 pan and mix. Put cheese on top and bake till hot and bubbling.

For a crowd of 20, I'd make 2 pans. This is really good.
Can be made ahead. When I make with Zatarains, I add Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilis, cook till done then add to pan with extra water to keep it sort of lukey.

pasta salad and meat loaf, I have the best recipe for pasta salad

a easy desert could be the dirt cup and worms if there are kids.
it is instant chocolate pudding
put in disposable cups
chocolate cookies crushed spread on top and stick some gummy worms in them
you can also make it in a big bowl and serve or get a new plastic bucket that is cute too.
we had 300 happy boy scouts at camp with this one for their snack time. the adults liked it too

I would love the receipe for pasta salad... made twice in the last month & has no taste, not sure what I am doing wrong... boy lots of good ideas here guys... I love this site!!!

BBQ is always an option and can be made up ahead and frozen if needed....

"Taste of Home" magazines occasionally print out special editions for cooking for a crowd. This is waht I use when I need to make potluck lunch.

breakfast casserole
king ranch chicken
chicken or tuna salad
lasagna (frozen)
pizza and salad
chili
hot dogs , hamburgers and chips

different types of salads
meatball sandwiches
warm up the meatballs in the crockpot and get some type of sub bread and white cheese paremsan
meat loaf mash potatoes and veggie
can male meat loaves ahead and mashed also and just warm up

hamburger helper

I'd also be interested in your best recipe for pasta salad, please share. Thank you:)

This is the recipe craftybear posted & is very good.Be sure to add a bit of lemon juice or vinegar...I like rice vinegar,grated red onion & any veggie you like.I sub colby or longhorn cheese in pasta salad.
Layered Summertime Salad-Taste of Home Recipe

16 Servings Prep/Total Time: 30 min.
20
10
30
Ingredients
2 cups uncooked gemelli or spiral pasta
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup sliced green onions
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled, divided
4 cups torn romaine
1 cup fresh snow peas, trimmed and halved..can sub 1 box thawed green peas
1 cup fresh cauliflowerets
1 cup fresh broccoli florets
1 large sweet red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar and garlic powder; set aside. Drain pasta and rinse in cold water; toss with onions and half of the bacon.
In a large salad bowl, layer half of the romaine, pasta mixture, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, red pepper, mayonnaise mixture and cheese. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with remaining bacon. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 16 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (3/4 cup) equals 186 calories, 13 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 9 mg cholesterol, 115 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein.



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I put Italian dressing over pasta cucumbers tomato's
and just alittle onion
pour it over about 1 bottle does it for a bag of cooked noodles
Better if sits 1 -2 days

thanks for pasta salad recipe:)

Creamy Pasta Salad/w Crabmeat


1/2 cup each light sour cream and light mayonnaise (not fat free)
1 tablespoon each freshly squeezed lemon juice and honey mustard
1/2 to 1 tsp. minced fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 oz medium shell pasta, uncooked (about 5 cups dry)
1 lb lump crabmeat (real or imitation), chopped
1/2 cup each diced red and green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped green onions

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey mustard, dill, salt and pepper. Refrigerate dressing until ready to use.

Cook shells according to package directions. Drain well. Rise with cold water and drain again. Transfer pasta to a large bowl. Add crabmeat, bell peppers, onions and dressing. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

This is very, very good and makes a LOT. (I use imitation crabmeat)

BLT Macaroni salad:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/BLT-Macaroni-Salad-2

Thanks for everyone's ideas! They ALL sound great! Yummy! Now to pick and choose!

Thanks for the pasta receipe!! this will be a good weekend to try it out!!!...

Wow, lots of great recipes! thanks everyone, keep posting them for all of us to enjoy!