These easy meals are perfect for large groups on vacation together like a family reunion at the lake or a college friends reunion at the beach. All the tips you need to plan an easy week of dinners and enjoy your time with loved ones.
My husband comes from a very large, very awesome, extended family. His dad was one of seven siblings who all got married and brought grandkids to the family.
All the siblings and the grandkids and the great-grandkids hunker down for a week of fishing, swimming, canoeing, biking, and boating together.
Best Dinner Ideas For Large Families On A Budget
But my favorite part is how all the families come together for a big family dinner at the end of each day.
After watching the aunts plan this epic feast for a few family reunions in a row, I wanted to share all their best tips with you.
I hope these easy recipes for feeding a crowd help you gather your own loved ones for a special reunion you'll all remember.
Best Easy Dinner Ideas That Anyone Can Cook Story
The key to enjoying an epic week of family fun is to spend a little time getting things in order before you arrive for the trip.
Someone should set up a simple signup form so that every family in the group can take one night for the cooking.
Be sure to note if you have any family allergies or special dietary restrictions before you meal plan. In our family we have to note gluten-free and dairy-free options.
Healthy Dinners You Can Meal Prep On Sunday
Does your vacation rental have an oven? A microwave? What kind of small appliances will be available? Is it a fully stocked kitchen or no?
Make a list of what you need to bring from home and what you'll buy at the grocery store when you get there. I like to travel with my own spices and sometimes a few other kitchen staples if we're driving.
Where is the local grocery store? What kind of stock do they carry? Is it just a small town pantry or is it a national chain? Don't plan a menu with items you won't be able to get at your destination.
Cheap Family Recipes
How far is the grocery store from where you're staying? When will you shop vs. when you arrive? Will you have a car full of luggage or can you go back again with an empty trunk? Think through your grocery trip logistics and make your plan.
It's been our experience that when spending vacation time with a really large group like our family reunions, individual families or groups have different ideas of how they'd like to spend their days.
Everyone will be running off in different directions, so let them be responsible for a YoYo breakfast and lunch. (Yo-Yo stands for: you're on your own!)
Healthy Dinner Ideas
Every family chooses one evening to take total control for the dinner. They provide the main dish, all the side dishes, and the dessert for the entire group.
After all, it's the decision making and shopping that are the real drag, right? Actually cooking and eating with family can be the best part of the family reunion.
Now is not the time to be dining on fine china. Go ahead and stock up on paper dishes, napkins, and utensils.
Quick And Easy Midweek Family Meals
This will leave just the cooking tools used for clean-up which is a lot easier to process at the end of the meal.
If your cooking skills are on the light side or you just plain don't enjoy cooking, these easy dinners are fast and easy to pull together for a crowd:
Hot Dogs with Chili Bar: This thick chili is perfect for topping a hot dog and it could be made at home and frozen to bring on your trip. Just thaw and heat and serve with the hot dogs. Or just do the chili bar itself with a big double-batch of the chili and plenty of toppings.
Quick And Healthy Dinner Ideas
Spaghetti with Meatballs: This is my recipe for my favorite Italian meatballs in tomato sauce but you could easily use a giant bag of frozen meatballs and prepared jars of your favorite tomato sauce instead. HINT: If serving kids, be sure to offer a short noodle like penne or farfalle, it is so much easier for them to eat.
Crockpot Sloppy Joe's: Pop this easy sloppy joe mix into your slowcooker for a satisfying meal your whole family will love. Pair it with any of the simple side dishes mentioned at the bottom of the post and a pile of buns.
Taco Night: Tacos are super popular but could be tricky to make for a crowd unless you do things in big batches. My taco skillet would be easy to make in large pans and serve for a group. This crockpot chicken tacos recipe would be a hands-off way to prep the meat. Then just stock up on store bought salsa, tortillas, and toppings. My homemade Mexican rice would be a perfect side dish.
Healthy Meals Recipes: 22 Healthy Meals For Family Dinner — Eatwell101
Chicken Chili: This healthy red chicken chili (with no beans) makes a giant serving to feed a crowd. I love to serve it with sour cream, shredded cheese, and big bowls of tortilla chips for dunking.
Meatball Subs: You could serve this as sandwich bar and put all the meatballs in a big slowcooker to keep warm and just serve the sub rolls on the side.
If your family reunion is meeting up somewhere nice and sunny, there's a good chance that spending time in a hot kitchen is not high on your priority list.
Quick, Easy, And Healthy Family Dinner Ideas
Salad Bar: You could spend all your prep time just chopping raw veggies and proteins for the ultimate salad bar. Bring some hardboiled eggs from home or pre-grilled chicken.
Deli Sandwiches: Head to the grocery store and pick up a fun variety of fresh sliced breads (rye, sourdough, white, honey whole wheat) along with a variety of deli meats and cheeses. The key to this is all in the presentation and wide variety to make it interesting. Splurge on some unique condiments like horseradish sauce or this easy spicy sandwich spread or pickled sandwich toppings, too.
Ultimate Snack Board Night: Snack boards are so fun for a big crowd because you can plan a much bigger variety of items on the board when you've got plenty of people to help you eat it. Start with my cheddar snack board but then consider adding a hot dip like my jalapeño artichoke dip or this Swedish meatball sausage dip.
Recipes For Big Family Salad And Sheet Pan Dinner For Fast And Easy Meals Plus Recipe Development For Food Photography — Judy Doherty Food Cpg Beverage Photography Studio Denver & Us
Take-Out or Pizza Delivery: If you want a hot meal minus the cooking, consider using your budget for the evening to order take-out or pizza from a local place! It's technically a no-cook meal and could be a fun twist for the evening. Add a root beer float or ice cream sundae bar to finish the evening so it looks like you still put thoughtful effort in.
If you're the ultimate planner and want a recipe you can make ahead and bring along for your trip, these recipes are for you.
Or, you could plan to make them ahead on site and freeze them earlier in the week if you want to get your cooking out of the way for when your assigned evening comes later.
Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {healthy Family Recipes }
Make-Ahead Sausage Lasagna: You can freeze this awesome sausage lasagna in advance or make it a few days before you want to serve it and store it in the fridge. Serve with garlic bread and a big green salad.
Make-Ahead Freezer Breakfast Burritos: Surprise your family with a breakfast for dinner option. You could prep these burritos at home and freeze them. Serve with muffins from the grocery store bakery and fresh fruit.
Classic Beef Bolognese: My hearty bolognese recipe isn't quick and easy but it does freeze really well. Spend a lazy Sunday prepping it before your trip and freeze the whole batch in a big casserole pan. Serve with pasta, gnocchi, or as a chili with fresh bread for dunking.
Best Meal Prep Recipes
Chicken Tetrazzini: We have a strict no mushrooms rule in our family, so this version of the classic make-ahead casserole is always a hit!
Stovetop Beef Stew: This freezer-friendly stew tastes amazing over mashed potatoes. You could freeze it in advance and then buy refrigerated potatoes at the grocery store or plan to make my slowcooker mashed potatoes on site.
Shredded Chicken for Tacos: If you know you want a taco night, you could prep ahead my kids' favorite green chile shredded chicken and freeze it.
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Chicken Spaghetti: The kids will thank you when you pull a pan of this hearty casserole out of the oven! You can prep it at home and freeze it.
Chicken Enchiladas: These easy chicken enchiladas could be made in assembly line fashion and frozen in advance or prepped earlier in the day for baking at night.
Sausage Pasta Casserole: My mom is famous for this easy pasta casserole with spinach and sausage. It is always a huge hit with a crowd. Serve it with fresh pineapple, trust me it works.
Easy Family Friendly Dinner Ideas
Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches: You could actually plan to cook this Italian beef at home, shred it, and freeze it in a large 9x13 aluminum pan to bring on your trip or you could plan to cook it in the slowcooker on site. Plan for fresh rolls and pickled
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