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

FAQs

What is the cheapest meal to make for a party? ›

Cheap catering food ideas include rice or pasta-based dishes, hot dogs, burritos, tacos, cookies, and muffins, which are loved by everyone and are often more affordable than sophisticated seafood or meat dishes.

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.

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.

Grain Salad with Roasted Vegetables + Miso Soup — Another favorite dish for a big crowd is a grain salad. You can toss it with simple, inexpensive seasonal roasted vegetables like squash or carrots — or baked tofu cubes — and then serve it with a side of basic miso soup for a very filling meal.

What's the cheapest way to feed a crowd? ›

Rules to Plan By

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.

Pasta is one of the cheapest and most filling pantry staples you can buy, and that's exactly why it's the perfect food to feed to a crowd! Plus, everyone loves a good pasta dish. Grab yourself a buffet server warming tray so you can pop your cooked pasta inside and keep it warm all evening long!

Serving budget-friendly cuisines like salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes can be a very cost-effective choice. Or, if you're looking for a more casual option, how about a barbeque? Burgers, hot dogs and other grill-oriented foods are sure to be crowd favorites, and they won't rack up a big bill.