24 Affordable Recipes To Make For Your Next Summer Party (2024)

FAQs

What is the best cheap food to feed a crowd? ›

Baked potato party. Buy enough potatoes for 30 people. Get smaller potatoes rather then large ones so people can have several with different toppings. For toppings make a chili, A curry, bacon, spring onions, cheese, cheese sauce, sour cream, butter, and roasted garlic butter, anything else you want.

Pasta Bar: Set up a DIY pasta bar with options like spaghetti, penne, and bowtie pasta along with marinara sauce, Alfredo sauce, meatballs, grilled chicken, and a variety of vegetables. Pasta is inexpensive and filling, and guests can customize their plates to their liking.

Watermelons. The pink, hydrating fruit nabbed the top spot on this last after it was purchased by an impressive one out of every 14 shoppers. Given watermelon's inherent deliciousness and versatility, we're not surprised it was named the most popular food of the summer.

Chicken Wings: Chicken wings are a classic party food. You can marinate them in your favorite sauce, then bake or grill them until they are crispy. Meatballs: Meatballs are another easy and tasty option. You can use ground beef, pork, or chicken, then add breadcrumbs, egg, and your favorite seasonings.

How much food do you need for 24 people? ›

Each adult will consume 1 pound of food total; children, about 1/2 pound. The more options you have, the less you need of each; decrease the main course portion sizes by 1 to 2 ounces if served on a buffet. Guests will always eat — and drink — more at night than during the day.

Aim to provide around 6-8 courses of small bite size food per person. Each course should have enough for 1-1.5 pieces of food per person.

Create a “Bar” and feed everyone cafeteria-style

There are lots of bar ideas out there, such as the Nacho bar, Baked potato bar, Burrito bar, Hot dog bar, Root Beer float bar, Hawaiian Haystacks bar, Sandwich bar, etc. All of these can be done on the cheap, and links to all these ideas can be found below.