Cost-Efficient Ideas for Hosting Large Meals

In general, meat goes a lot farther than chicken, even though the meat itself may cost more. When meat is sliced and in a sauce, people take just what they will eat. When chicken pieces are served, people take a piece, whether or not they will eat an entire piece.

If making chicken, buy legs and separate the drumsticks, this way you can serve more and there are smaller pieces so people won’t take more than they will eat.

Make filling side dishes such as pasta salad, rice or potato salad. Both pasta salad and rice are quick to make, and all three are quite inexpensive. Add red, green and yellow peppers to the pasta salad for a colorful addition to the table. Egg salad is also a fairly easy and inexpensive side dish that is filling and popular.

Avoid expensive salads such as guacamole or even big salads if you use the prewashed lettuce as it adds up!

When making quiches or kugels, substitute zucchini for broccoli as it usually tastes just as good and is much cheaper!

Serve chicken soup with a lot of vegetables and matzah balls. Soup is always filling and with matzah balls and veggies, you don’t need to serve the chicken. Remove the chicken and use it in a chicken salad for another side dish.

Make sure to serve a lot of challah (or bread loaves during a weekday meal.) People love bread and it is incredibly filling! Make sure to have olive oil and garlic, chumus, or something to dip the bread in.

Rather than buying expensive soda, make a few different juices from concentrate as well as ice tea mixes or lemonade. Always serve water as well as many people simply prefer this.

Do not serve people their meals directly, but rather put out the food on platters on the table for people to take for themselves. This way everyone takes the amount they want, exactly what they like and less food gets thrown away!

Make sure to cook food that is freezable, reheatable and tastes good as leftovers, so in case you are a typical Jewish mother and overcook, it won’t go to waste!!!