Summer sunshine and heat—the best time to call some friends and have them over for dinner. Yet, sometimes feeding a crowd can be a little intimidating. I am from a large family, I have a large family, and my friends are all mostly large families! I have learned a few tricks of the trade on how to please a crowd with a good meal. I gathered together my favorite summer crowd pleaser meals!
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🍔 Hamburgers & Hotdogs – A Summer Classic
Kids and adults love this summer grilling meal. We usually buy a big pack of hot dogs from our local meat locker and pull out ground beef from our half cow. (Highly recommend buying beef this way. You can buy grass-beef so much more affordably, and you can never go wrong with having a stash of meat in the freezer. We usually buy a half cow roughly every 18 months). We make our patties with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and liquid aminos. So delicious.
I usually make hamburger buns from my favorite recipe: Taste of Home’s 40 Minute Hamburger Buns. I have also made hotdog buns before, but usually skip and buy those as the shaping takes a lot longer.
We have all of our condiments – ketchup, mayo, mustard, pickles, tomatoes & onions and usually serve with:
- Roasted potatoes or chips
- Salad
- Watermelon
🍕 Sourdough Pizza Night
Pizza is always a win. What is even better is Sourdough Pizza. My favorite recipe is Farmhouse on Boone’s Sourdough Pizza.
Make sure your starter is fed the night before and then throw together the recipe in the morning. The dough rolls out so easily. This is a great one because most of the work is done in the morning which gives me the day to prep the house.
You can bake in the oven, but also what is really fun and sociable is to use an Ooni oven. It gives the pizza a delicious fire-grilled taste, cooks the pizza in 3 minutes, and gives the guys a fun activity while enjoying beers.
I do make my own pizza sauce. I blend together:
- Canned tomatoes
- Basil or Italian Seasoning
- Diced Garlic
- Onion powder
- Salt & pepper
I usually eye ball the seasoning but roughly a teaspoon of each and taste & add as needed!
Fun pizza topping ideas to mix and match are:
- pepperoni or salami
- sausage
- peppers
- onions
- olives
- zucchini
- kale
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🌮 Mexican Meals: Enchiladas & Carnitas
Mexican food is always a crowd pleaser. My two favorite things to serve are Enchiladas and Carnitas. When having a crowd, being able to prep everything ahead of time creates very low stress. I also do not like to be cooking when my company arrives. Both of these meals are great make-ahead recipes.
Enchiladas
I always use Betty Crocker’s Easy Beef Enchilada recipe. Every time it comes out delicious. I usually make it earlier in the day and warm it up shortly before company arrives. I always serve with rice, sour cream & chips & salsa as a side.
Carnitas
So amazingly good. I cook the pork in the Instant Pot – I do not know how I survived without this must-have kitchen appliance before – meat comes out perfect every single time. My favorite carnitas is the Gimme Some Oven’s recipe. This is a fun one because I prep the meat and then do taco bar style for everyone to make their own.
I lay out:
- Flour and corn tortillas
- Beans
- Rice
- Peppers & onions
- Salsa
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheddar cheese
I did this one time to celebrate one of my children’s sacraments. I had the meat done the night before – even better to let it sit overnight as then the meat soaks in all the juices. In the morning, I warmed up the oven, put the carnitas sheet on a cookie sheet, and then turned it off. It kept the meat warm without drying out. I also prepped and cooked the peppers and onions ahead of time. Then all I had to do when I returned from church was warm up the beans and lay out all the other fixings. Perfect for having a smooth and stress-free celebration! Don’t forget the margaritas!
🍗 Barbecue Favorites: Pulled Pork & BBQ Chicken Thighs
What is summer without some barbecue? Pulled Pork and BBQ Chicken Thighs are a go-to when we decide we want to go the barbecue route.
- For Pulled Pork, I always usually follow Well Plated’s Instant Pot recipe, – again, the instant pot comes to my rescue – and serve with buns and smothered cabbage. I do also really enjoy the slow cooked version of pulled pork from the Kitchn. I explain how I did this one time in this post.
- Picking up some chicken thighs from our local meat store, marinating in the barbecue sauce of choice, and having a cookout is a very easy meal to serve for a summertime evening.
If lots of kids are coming, a good mac & cheese is always a hit as a side. I alternate between:
- Baked oven mac & cheese from The Kitchn – this is a personal preference, but I like my mac and cheese without the crunch and omit the breadcrumbs, but I know people do love the breadcrumbs, so go for it if desired!
- Stovetop mac & cheese from Cookie and Kate
🍳 Summer Brunch for a Crowd
Summer gatherings are mostly in the evening, but having friends for brunch is a good idea too! Especially after church on Sunday. It gives such a relaxing and joy-filled Sunday as friends & family can enjoy the day together with good food, and of course, freshly brewed coffee. If you have a espresso machine – we love our Breville! – even better! Lattes on a Sunday – a gourmet home treat!
My go-to meal for brunch for a crowd is this Overnight Breakfast Casserole. I love this meal because all the prep is done the night before and you just need to throw in the oven and bake for 30 minutes before company arrives. I usually bake and then leave in oven with oven off to keep warm and then it’s all ready when company comes right from mass. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded hash browns
(You can also use regular potatoes: peel, cube, and boil them for 5–7 minutes until tender but not falling apart. Salt the water—about 1 tbsp for every 3 lbs of potatoes.) - 1 lb sausage or bacon, cooked
- ½ cup chopped onion or 2 green onions
- ½ lb additional bacon, cooked
- 1 medium green pepper, chopped
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup baking mix (see homemade version below)
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine:
- Hash browns
- Sausage
- Bacon
- Green pepper
- 1 cup of cheddar cheese
- Transfer the mixture into a greased baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together:
- Baking mix
- Salt
- Eggs
- Milk
- Pour this mixture over the contents in the baking dish.
- Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
- Bake uncovered at 375°F for 30–35 minutes.
- Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
Homemade All-Purpose Baking Mix
(Makes a large batch. If only making enough for one casserole, use the measurements in parentheses.)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (1 cup)
- ¼ cup baking powder (1 tbsp)
- ⅓ cup sugar (1 tbsp)
- 2 sticks of butter (½ stick)
Directions:
Mix flour, baking powder, and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Store in the fridge if not using immediately.
Every time I make it, the prep work does take some time the night before, but it is always worth it. I then bake it in the oven in the morning, and it is ready to serve when everyone is coming directly from Mass. Provide some fruit on the side and it is complete!
Final Thoughts: Hosting with Ease and Joy
Next time you plan to have an event or just a few families over, hopefully these meals give you some good ideas. It is so nice to have a list of meals that are good for crowds. These are also very budget-friendly meals.
I often ask company to bring a side, dessert, or beer or wine to help contribute. Also, even though the numbers can be high for dinner attendance, the adults can still have great hangout and conversation time as the kids all just play. If you need an after-dinner game, Code Names is a great one! We usually do a battle of husbands vs. wives – always brings on everyone’s competitive nature and marriage fun!
Friends and food create such beautiful and life-fulfilling memories. I highly recommend to make dinner parties a core summer memory for your family.
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