Need ideas for cooking for a group of 8 adults

Ok anyone got any "budget" ideas for cooking for such a big group? Doesnt have to be gourmet...but not bangers and mash :lol:

Hoping to spend under $50! Is it possible? And we can't do bolognese as thats what we did last time.

Pastitsio! I'll come back and post my recipe, it is sooooooooo yum, and definitely budget! Just offer a salad and bread, and you're done!

What about a roast? With gravy & roast vegies. Or something slow cooked, if you have a slow cooker big enough, could use chicken drumsticks or another cheap cut of meat.

curry!!
green chicken curry with rice or rogan josh....always a hit

Patstitsio?? what the?? Would love the recipe as I've never heard of it!!!!

I have a 6litre slow cooker but that normally only feeds 4 adults...

a big curry sounds like a hit with a big thing of rice?

Sorry D, forgot about this hun! It's a pasta dish, but oh-so-yummy, and you can do a fair bit of it ahead of time :D Will come back when DS is asleep and post the recipe.

Mabello definatly go the curry!!!
you can cheat and get the packet stuff...any flavour

Yeah, the only thing with a curry though is that if you're making it from scratch, and don't make it all the time, it ends up being expensive to buy all of the ingredients. If you do make it though, I can give you the easiest recipe in the world to make some bread to go serve with it, people love that.

Here's the recipe for Pastitsio - you can make the meat sauce and pasta ahead of time (mix them together), and then make the cheese sauce at the last minute before you put it in the oven. It is sooooo tasty!

Ingredients (serves 8)

* 2 tablespoons of oil
* 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 750g veal or beef mince
* 800g can chopped Roma tomatoes
* 140g tub tomato paste
* 1 cup white wine
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 500g packet dried macaroni pasta
* 180g butter
* 1 cup plain flour
* 100ml cream
* 3 1/2 cups milk
* 2 eggs lightly beaten
* 1 1/2 cups tasty cheese, grated

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180?C. Grease two, 26cm x 18cm lasagne dishes. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Add mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break it up, for 5 minutes or until browned.
2. Stir in tomatoes and juice, paste, wine, basil, oregano and cinnamon. Season to taste. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until thick. Cool.
3. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain and return to pan. Stir in meat sauce.
4. Melt butter in a saucepan over high heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Slowly add cream and milk, stirring constantly. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce comes to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Stir in eggs and cheese.
5. Spoon meat and pasta mixture into prepared dishes. Pour cheese sauce over mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until hot and golden.

If I'm making it just for us, I halve the recipe, and still makes enough for leftovers the next day.

Let us know what you decide D, and how it goes!

what about fajitas or tacos?

The meat would be easy to do in a big batch and then salad stuffs are reasonably cheap....everyone could just help themselves.

Can you do a couple of lasagnes and salads?

Ingredients arent too expensive and it is so yummy!!

How about a bbq Danni?
You could make your own burgers and kebabs (satay chicken ones are yummy!). Then throw together a few salads and garlic bread. Ingredients for tossed salad, potato salad, coleslaw aren't too expensive.

Baked potatoes
Tacos
Lasagna
Curry idea is a great one
Sausage casserole
BBQ with chicken wings, kebabs etc
Chicken breasts stuffed with camambert and bacon
lamb cutlets

I would say some sort of pasta like lasagne or fettuncine carbonara. With a nice garden salad, some crispy sourdough (warm it up in the oven) with balsamic & olive oil to start.

Can't forget dessert either - is that included in the $50 budget. I make this yummy ice cream pie - you make a base with chocolate & rice bubbles and then let your fav tub of ice cream soften and mould into the pie dish on top of the rice bubble/choc base. You can also garnish with a bit of grated chocolate (or just crumble a flake is easier still) or depending on the ice cream flavour you could use berries (frozen ones so not too expensive).

Good luck & bon appetit!!!

I agree with the fajitas. My friend makes them when 8 of us go away for a weekend. And they're always a hit. She makes a batch of chicken and a batch of beef, some guacamole and then we help ourselves and roll em up.

i woudl suggest burritos/tacos maybe even enchiladas - just make up a heap of taco mince and have salad there, enchiladas (chicken) as extra/different food. maybe some garlic bread

we've done this when we've fed up to 15 people for less than $50 - though salad from garden has saved a lot. taco shells,burrito wraps aren't too exxy, taco packet mix is only about a dollar, cook up a kilo of mince or something. make up a packet of enchiladas as well if you want something other than just mince


either that, or if you want something completely different, go a roast - you can get a couple of lamb roasts for less than $30, vegies are cheap as. do baked spud, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot, cauli/broccolli in white sauce - we have done this for about 12 people and just made more veg so that the meat goes further. if you can't get roast cheap (think coles is cheap at the mo) you could do a lamb and a beef. if you're not big on doing individual veg (space/time) do a combined vegie back - stir fry veg in light garlic butter, make white sauec, cover veg, bake - easy peasy!

thanks for so many ideas!!

NOrmally I would do a bbq but thats what they did last time we went there.

I actually thought of the taco/burrito idea this morning! I'm either gunna go with that, or do a big batch of chow mein with rice.

Either way, its gunna be the premium mince 2kg for $10!! :lol:

Janie- Your pastitsio recipe sounds yum! Im gonna try it!

Sounds good, have fun D! That's the main thing :D

AJC, love the sound of your pie. Would you mind posting the recipe? Did you see Cai's recipe for Oreo pie this week? Mmmmmmmm, drool :lol:

Tobyturtle, it is so yummy! Dh loves it, I think it might be his favourite (and he gets plenty of yummy meals cooked for him). Just a tip, don't let the meat sauce get too dry. I hope you enjoy it, let me know!

Yes can i please have more info about the base of the ice cream pie!!!

Ice cream pie recipe is here:
https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...ml#post1610153

(hope that works am not to savvy with links)

Nope didn't see the oreo pie recipe but am going to look for it right now. And will probably make one and eat it too :dance:

Hope it goes well Mabello!!

I suggest large meditteranean veggie dishes where you can do several things, have them all prepared in large lasagna dishes and then just heat them in the oven/under the bbq hood so you're not running around cooking, you can just serve up.
in
Things like:
ratatouille or whole baby zucchinis braised in a tomato & onion sauce
red capsicums stuffed with bolognaise then slow-roasted until they are falling apart (mmmmmm!)
a pumpkin, feta and pine-nut fritatta or zucchini slice - serve hot or cold
baby potatoes cooked in cream with a sprinkle of salt/parmesan over the top

Get a good crusty loaf and a fresh green salad and everyone will love it!