Why Build-Your-Own Recipes are PERFECT for Feeding Large Groups + Tons of Recipes and Tips
I’m deep in the murky waters of planning a family reunion for the end of June, and of course, the food we shall be eating is at the forefront of my planning. (As well as epic family olympics, name that baby pic competition, and some very low level crafts.)
I’m splitting up the family reunion meals between myself and the siblings-in-law; this year we have some particular food issues among several family members to work around (like gluten, oats, cilantro, peanuts, vegan).
I was chatting with my sis-in-law, Cassidy, and she mentioned how build-your-own meals are a great solution to working around these food issues, and as I thought about it, I was like, “dude, she’s so right!” Not only are these types of build-your-own recipes perfect so everyone can customize their own pile of food (picky eaters or food allergy issues), but in a lot of cases, many of the components can be made ahead of time, which is a sanity-saver if you are in charge of a meal at a family reunion, church camp, etc.
No one wants to be slaving in a hot kitchen when they could be enjoying some good ol’ family time (ahem, or a nap).
That conversation with Cass got the wheels spinning in my head, and I wanted to share some of the ideas I’ve put together for which types of recipes work well for build-your-own meals.
As a quick recap, I’ve done several other posts in the past about feeding large groups with a lot of helpful info (the comment threads of these posts are golden and filled with a lot of other ideas, too!).
How and What to Feed a Large Crowd
Three Fabulous Menus for Feeding Large Groups
Today, I wanted to hyper-focus on large group recipes that are styled toward everyone building their own meal. Think: a smorgasbord of ingredients served assembly line style with no one dictating that you have to put black olives on your taco salad. At first glance, you might be like “chopping all those toppings is not for me, nothankyounoway” and I hear you. I do.
But if you are working around food allergies, intolerances, or other food issues, these types of meals are a lifesaver so those that need to avoid a specific ingredient can do so easily. Plus, they are all ridiculously tasty, and that’s a win for large groups.
*Please keep in mind that cross-contamination is a huge issue with food allergies; separate dishes and serving utensils are essential for each ingredient as well as food safety precautions during preparation (i.e. sanitize cutting boards and knives when switching ingredients, etc).
The Best Build-Your-Own Recipes/Ideas
1) Taco Salad/Taco BarTacos never get old and they are endlessly customizable! For a traditional taco situation, you can include flour tortillas and gluten-free corn tortillas (soft or hard shell). And for taco salad, you can have tortilla chips as an option for crushing on top (or layering on the bottom of the salad).
My favorite taco recipes to use for shells or salad are:
The Best Ground Beef Tacos
Chopped Taco Salad
Chicken Taco Salad
And this bonus recipe:
Taco Salad Dippers (a super fun and really delicious way to change up tacos)
Make Ahead:
- In all the recipes above, the meat can be made in advance, cooled, and frozen for 1-2 months. My preference is to scoop the cooked and cooled meat in gallon-size freezer ziploc bags, press into an even, flat layer, seal and freeze.
- To reheat, I like to thaw in the fridge overnight and then put the meat in a slow cooker to heat on low for 4-6 hours (sometimes I add a little extra liquid like broth, tomato sauce, etc if it looks dry).
- Toppings can be chopped and prepped 1-2 days in advance (probably more, in a lot of cases) and refrigerated.
2) Hawaiian Haystacks
This is hands-down my kids’ favorite meal in the history of ever, and although the combination might seem a bit odd to those that have never experienced the gloriousness of Hawaiian Haystacks, I promise, it’s delicious. We’re talking creamy chicken gravy over rice and oodles of toppings. It is a great option for large groups (our yearly church girls’ camp served it this week to 250!).
Recipe:
Hawaiian Haystacks
Make Ahead/Shortcuts:
- Using rotisserie chicken meat for this recipe will speed up the sauce-making quite a bit.
- The chicken gravy, although made with dairy which often doesn’t freeze well, actually freezes great. It might be very, very slightly grainy upon thawing, but once it’s reheated, hardly anyone would notice.
- To reheat, I thaw in the fridge overnight and the heat in a large electric skillet or roaster so I can stir while it heats (to prevent scorching). It probably stands a good chance of reheating in a slow cooker pretty well, too.
- Toppings can be chopped and prepped 1-2 days in advance (probably more, in a lot of cases) and refrigerated.
3) Breakfast Burritos
Breakfast burritos are a fantastic idea for, well, breakfast but also for dinner! And dishing up as a build-your-own meal means everyone can have a perfect little breakfast burrito exactly how they want it (even if that means leaving off the tortilla completely!). If you include eggs and also another filler, like potatoes, it’s a great meal for those eating vegan/meatless – they can leave out the eggs and go straight for the potatoes.
Recipe:
Breakfast Burritos
*this can be a great no-recipe meal, too – scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, and whatever other toppings would be breakfast burrito appropriate (cheese, hot sauce, roasted or raw chopped vegetables, crumbled sausage or other meat, etc)
Make Ahead/Tips/Shortcuts:
- Scrambled eggs can be made several days in advance and refrigerated and I’m betting they could even be frozen (although I haven’t tried that yet). In both cases, I’d cook the eggs slightly runny so that when they are reheated they don’t dry out.
- For cooking large quantities, this oven method looks promising!
- To warm, heat the scrambled eggs in a skillet (or try in a slow cooker).
- Cooked and crumbled meat and roasted potatoes can also be made several days in advance, refrigerated, and heated in a skillet or in the oven.
4) Sandwich Bar
This one is kind of a no-brainer, but of course I have to include it! A hoagie or sandwich bar is a delicious option for lunches or dinners. And, as a firm sandwich lover, I believe you could repeat this meal several times during a camp/conference/reunion and it wouldn’t get old because of all the options.
You obviously don’t need a recipe for this – the combinations are endless! Buns or rolls, sliced bread (gluten-free and regular if you need!), flatbread would even make a good option. And then go crazy with sliced meats, cheeses, toppings, veggies, spreads.
Make Ahead:
- All the meat and toppings can be cut/prepped days in advance and refrigerated (in bags or on trays).
- Most breads can be made or bought and then frozen with good results (thaw the night before or the day of)
5) Baked Potato Bar
A favorite of mine! This was my Grandma Walker’s go-to meal for our huge family that gathered every summer when I was growing up. There are so many ways to make this meal completely basic and easy…or to customize and fancy it up a bit. I’m making this as one of my meals for our upcoming family reunion. I’m going to serve it with a ground beef brown gravy and lentil chili as “gravy” options.
Ideas/Tips:
- Bake russet potatoes and sweet potatoes
- I think it’s best to bake the potatoes the day of (reheated baked potatoes aren’t quite as good in my opinion). Potatoes can be prepped the day before and refrigerated and then baked hours ahead of time as they can stay warm in the oven or a large, electric roaster for quite a while.
- I don’t always individually wrap potatoes in foil to bake if I want to save a step, but the skins definitely stay softer and yummier if you do. For an extra layer of yumminess, rub the foil with butter and sprinkle with salt and garlic before adding the potato and wrapping up.
- All of the gravy/sauce options below will freeze great for a make-ahead options. As mentioned above, my preferred way to reheat *most* toppings like this is in the slow cooker (if dairy-based, I usually reheat in a large pot or skillet so I can stir to avoid scorching).
Gravy Options:
- Ground beef stroganoff or this slow cooker stroganoff
- Shepherd’s Pie gravy
- Chicken Pot Pie gravy
- Chili
- Ground Beef Brown Gravy: Cook 1 pound ground beef with salt and pepper, drain grease; add 2 tablespoons butter, melt; stir in 1/4 cup flour, cook 1-2 minutes; add 1 tablespoon beef bouillon paste, 2 1/2 cups beef broth, dash of Worcestershire, and cook until thickened and bubbling; simmer 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as additional liquid, if needed, to thin.
6) Mexican Haystacks
This is a family favorite (and as a sidenote, it is one of my go-tos when I need a great take-in meal for a friend or neighbor); it also makes a great meal for feeding a crowd.
Recipe:
Mexican Haystacks
Make Ahead/Tips:
- The Mexican Haystack gravy can be made and frozen 1-2 months ahead of time. I ladle the cooled gravy into gallon-size ziploc bags, press flat, and freeze. I thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a slow cooker (or large electric roaster if I’ve made a ton).
- Toppings can be chopped and prepped 1-2 days in advance (probably more, in a lot of cases) and refrigerated.
- You can serve this over rice (brown or white), quinoa, baked potatoes.
7) Sweet Pork Cilantro Lime Rice Bowls
I detailed this one in a past feeding large crowds post:
- I use a combination of recipes for this meal (modeled after these BBQ Chicken Salad Bowls), I usually use this tomatillo pork or the sweet pork from this recipe – a couple times I’ve used taco meat; shredded chicken would work great, too (the meat can be made and frozen 1-2 months in advance)
- I serve it with cilantro lime rice (this component is a bit harder to make ahead – it doesn’t freeze that great – but it can be made a day ahead of time and reheated)
- Tons of topping options: shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole or diced avocados, olives, etc. and of course this dreamy cilantro lime dressing (served in large squeeze bottles).
8) Yum Yum Bowls/Buddha Bowls
I’m giving these two meals an honorable mention. Both of them might be suited to more adventurous eaters…but then again, maybe not! They’ve both been huge hits with my family and I think they make excellent build-your-own meal solutions.
Recipes:
Yum Yum Bowls
Buddha Bowls
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And that’s a wrap!
What did I miss? Any other build-your-own style meals that you’d add to this list?
I am feeding a crowd of about 45 (performers of The Nativity concert) using a build-your-own recipe and it involves steamed veggies. Any tips on steaming large quantities of vegges without making a billion batches in a small steamer basket and pot and trying to keep it all warm while not going to mush? I’ve heard of people using the instant pot with success but I’ve heard equal, if not more, horror stories about it too. The veggies will include, zucchini and yellow squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot chips. Look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for all your great tips and recipes!!
Such great ideas here! Mel – there was a post about your 2019 family reunion. I think you mentioned exactly where you went. Would love to get a link or information on how to rent that property for a large upcoming reunion in the next year and a half.
Hey Julie – we went to the Three Peaks Lodge in St. Anthony, Idaho. The link is: http://www.threepeakslodge.com
Thanks Mel – looks perfect for us!
I’d love some info on mass producing the Hawaiian haystacks mentioned in this post. They’re on the menu for our ward Christmas party (Mele Kalikimaka themed) where we’re planning to serve 250 people. Do you have suggestions on amounts for a crowd that size? I know that’s the exact same # of people you said you served it to at YW camp but it’s been a while so you probably can’t recall exact info. But any help you could give for the rice, gravy or toppings would be appreciated.
I am serving a Greek salad and gyro bar on Sunday for a farewell. Baklava and almond fruit tarts for desert.
Hi Mel!! I fed a large group last summer and prepared sweet pork salad/burritos. Anyways, I did prepare the cilantro lime rice the night before at home and stored it in ziplock gallon size freezer bags. The rice just needed to be warmed up, but we were camping. I did the boil in a bag method and it worked very well. The only thing is you MUST use freezer ziplock bags or the plastic will melt in the hot water. Just wanted to share this tip in case it is helpful to anyone.
Do you have any suggestions for an open house? My daughters graduation party is from 5-9, so I’m worried about keeping food hot and having it stay fresh without being stuck in the kitchen all night. I’m thinking of having mostly main dish salads and bread sticks but I’m worried that we should maybe have meat. I am thinking about your chipotle chicken skewers with creamy cilantro dipping sauce and coconut rice in addition to the salads, but again, I’m worried about keeping the hot food hot. I would love your input!
Also, another suggestion for a build your own meal is for breakfast. At girls camp last week, we made oatmeal in the instant pot with half almond milk and half water and some cinnamon which was yummy plain, but we had lots of toppings such as berries, nuts, brown sugar, honey, chocolate chips, granola, etc. we also had yogurt there do toppings could be used for yogurt as well. We also had biscuits, and options of gravy, scrambled eggs, ham, sausage, cheese, honey and jam.
We are doing taco salads for my daughter’s graduation open house. Figured the meat and stuff (rice and beans) can be cooked the day before, and kept warm in a slow cookers. Then the rest just needs to be chopped and put out the day of the event. We thought about several different food options, and decided this was the easiest that also allowed for people coming and going to grab “fresh” food.
Hey Shannon – one idea for a meat main dish that could be kept warm is meatballs in the slow cooker (or large roaster). I do them all the time for parties like that because they are popular, easy to serve and can be kept warm easily. You could put them in a slow cooker with marinara sauce or I have a recipe on my site for cocktail sauce + grape jelly that is surprisingly delicious.
One of yours that I’ve used before for a crowd is your instant pot smoky cilantro chicken. (With the cilantro on the side.) It turns into build your own street tacos, with someone manning the tortilla warming/toasting station. (Optional, but delicious.)
This post is great, Mel!
Didn’t run through all the comments, so it might have been mentioned, but what about a “make your own foil pouch” dinner? We’ve done this while camping, so not necessarily with a super large crowd, but it might translate… think pouch friendly veggies (peppers, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, potatoes) and then uncooked chicken chunks, sausage slices, shakeable herb blends, compound butters or special oils. Might be complicated with a crowd to make sure proper foil folding is in place for the griller, but it’s super easy to mark what belongs to who with a sharpie.
I loooove all of these ideas. And I wholeheartedly agree that ‘build your own’ is so fun with a crowd and an easy way to accommodate multiple needs.
Just got back from a family party. An awesome easy craft (my seven year old made thirty for different family members) were friendship bracelets. Here’s a video clip https://youtu.be/YujvDp5BJ78 he did the ones starting at the 3:40 mark. You can buy a huge tub of the thread at walmart for ten bucks, at the end it still had tons left. They looped it around their toes to tie it and only used three strings (which were folded in half to make six).
I just discovered baked scrambled eggs and they are amazing! They turn out better than my regular scrambled eggs and the cleanup is SO much easier! They would be awesome in a breakfast burrito bar.
For a breakfast option how about a biscuit or English muffin bar? Toppings can be sweet like jam/preserves or savory like eggs/meat/cheese or sausage gravy.
Hey Mel…. to add to your list. I love build-your-own sandwich bag omelettes for breakfast. I love to make ahead all of my toppings …. cooked bacon, cooked sausage, cooked ham, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed peppers and onions, fresh spinach, fresh tomatoes, chopped jalepeno and then sour cream and salsa to put on after boiling the omelettes. Amazing breakfast with fresh fruit. Highly recommend. OM Gosh — I almost forgot cheese! For sure cheese — lots of different cheese too.
Ziplock Breakfast Omelets. Every year we go camping with a number of families and this is always a hit for breakfast. Have guests write their name on a quart-size freezer bag with permanent marker. Crack 2 eggs (large or extra large) into the bag (not more than 2). Shake to combine them. Put out a variety of ingredients, such as cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, fried bacon, mushrooms, browned sausage, hash browns, salsa, etc. Each guests adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shakes. Make sure to get the air out of the bag before you zip it up. Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. (We’ve been using Turkey fryers). After 13 min of cooking, open the bags. The omelet will roll out easily.
I didn’t see your comment and commented the same thing above. Love ziplock breakfast omelettes!
We hosted my daughter’s water polo team last year and made make-your-own burrito/fajita bowls. The team had quite a few different dietary restrictions: Lactose intolerant, gluten-free, vegan. I had lettuce, tortillas, rice, beans, corn, tomatoes, grilled peppers and onions, grilled chicken thighs, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, salsa. You could make a salad, have a fajita or burrito or make a bowl. Win-win!
I love making fajita bowls and those are easily vegan. Rice, marinated meat, sautéed peppers and onions (could add mushrooms for vegetarians/vegans), beans, sour cream, cheese, salsa. This also works great for my husband who isn’t a big veggie eater and I love them! I love to make your Indian butter chicken vegetarian by making it with cauliflower, peas, and garbanzos instead of chicken. (Not exactly vegan but in a vegan option you could use coconut milk instead of cream and butter). And I like making coconut jasmine rice with it (sub coconut milk for about half the water when cooking rice). An amazing salad is from Oregano’s here in Arizona and could be customized by letting everyone choose their toppings: romaine, Caesar dressing (vegan if you vegan mayo and almond cheese- oh wait- anchovies paste- ok they would need a separate dressing), chicken, chopped olives, sun dried tomatoes, sautéed onions, green onions, Tri color rotini, red bell pepper, pinto beans, cilantro. It is my favorite salad of all time ever. And they make a cheesy bread that I just make with a loaf of French bread, spread with butter, top with sharp cheddar and Monterrey jack and dried oregano, dipped in marinara sauce. Every time I make it for company the bowl is licked clean.
Whoa…that salad sounds AMAZING! I love how it’s loaded with so much goodness (but easily customizable for people walking down an assembly line of food). Thank you for sharing!
As a primarily plant eater I sub capers for anchovies this does sound so yumm.
Can you tell about the crafts you are planning?
Hi Amanda – I’m going to have some foam stickers there for the younger kids to create their own sticker pictures on cardstock. I also am bringing a huge bin of markers and another of crayons and a stack of coloring books (ranging from super easy to more of the adult coloring book style). I have a fun logo we’re using for our reunion and my son helped me make it into a coloring page and we’re going to do a coloring contest with that. I’m still trying to come up with a few other low-key crafts to do as well.
We’ve done a build your own tinfoil dinner with good success. Different types of a protein like chicken, beef, (I personally really like chicken sausage because it’s pre-cooked) and any veggie you can think of. If you’re worried about chopping veggies all day long we’ve bought frozen vegetables and hash browns and they worked beautifully!!! As a bonus my kids will eat almost anything that has enough cheese on it, so we love throwing that on top at the end!
I never thought of doing a build your own tinfoil dinner lineup. Cool! Thanks for sharing this, Reesa! And I hear you on the cheese thing – that’s my best strategy for getting my kids to eat just about anything. Haha.
We love doing these too! We pre-cook meats to cut down cooking time AND to avoid did safety issues. We’ve done build your own pasta dinners (prep noodles & a beef/turkey/sausage combo) – have a marinara & alfredo choice, optional veggies – roll it all up, 20min in coals or Dutch ovens. Works great with so many meals, breakfast included!
We often do a nacho bar- which goes over well. (Sorry to those dealing with food intolerance/allergies/other health concerns!) We do a very large crock pot with nacho cheese, taco meat, refried, black, and pinto beans (all separate options), shredded beef and chicken, plus shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, diced onions/ scallions, sliced olives, and limes. I always have tortillas on hand for those who don’t want nachos to put together a burrito with all the fixins.
I am loving this idea, Jami! Thank you for sharing!
Sorry Mel, I have to comment again. This game idea was SO fun at our reunion and I have to share. I imagine you’re familiar with the game Bubble Talk, it’s one of our favorites! We used the game for our reunion, except we subbed in silly family pictures, many from the adults as kids (we had access to a TV to show the pics, but they could be printed out large). Everyone was split into teams and were given caption cards to choose from, then we played the game as usual. It was so fun and funny – a little family history wrapped in too!
You can chime in as many times as you want, Angie! Love the ideas! Thanks for the game suggestion! I love combining fun with family history. I’ll be adding this to our family reunion, I think!
My husband’s brother and his family will be visiting next week and between the two families I’ll have 11 kids to feed. This post has just saved my sanity, I was racking my brain trying to figure out what to serve for meals. Thank you!
I hear you! Sometimes recipes like this are great even for smaller groups. They are my go-to for company.
This is a dessert idea, but how about a “build your own sundae bar”? Have a couple different flavors of ice cream, toppings such as m&m’s, oreos, fruit, nuts, etc, and then also whipped cream or different syrups for on top. The sky is the limit on options.
Fantastic idea, Lori!
Hi Mel,
I see you may be considering a burger bar; great choice.
I saute onions (garlic optional) in butter & olive oil for 5 – 10 minutes , add water and
ketchup, reduce until thickens , keep warm great on hot dogs or burgers.
I also make a secret sauce that I have always told children it is my secret “Three Bears Sauce”, 1 part mustard – 2 parts ketchup stir until mixed , pretty simple. You can vary by adding mayo, honey mustard or dijon.
I make my burgers 4 oz, ( 4 per pound ) 5 1/3 oz ( 3 per pound ) or 6 oz You can buy a hamburger maker through Tupperware very reasonable and makes nice uniform burgers.
On a hot bbq I cook burgers 1 minute per ounce per side, 6 oz burger 6 minutes per side , usually works well .
One last tip steam your buns. Take a stainless steel strainer and line it with heavy clean tea towels , put buns in & cover and place over a pot of steaming water simmer.
Enjoy
Charles
You are amazing, Charles! Thanks for all the details for the burger bar (and for sharing that super secret sauce “recipe”!). I love this idea so much. Thank you!
I’m all about this! I’m hosting a seminary end of year dinner tomorrow and there are vegetarians and dairy allergies and picky kids. Last year, we did a taco bar and this year, we’re doing chicken gyros – making falafels/hummus for the vegetarians. And picky kids can just pick and choose what they’re going to eat from all the fixings!
Well since chicken gyros are basically one of my favorite meals ever – I LOVE this idea! And great vegetarian options, too.
We love a good waffle bar. You can provide sweet and savory toppings think fruits, syrups, whipped cream on to country gravy, salsa, veggies, and breakfast meats. It’s a win for everyone.
Thanks for being my go-to recipe blog for lots of years.
Waffle bar is such a great idea!! Especially with the savory suggestions. Yum.
I want to hear more about your family olympics games for your family reunion! I’m in charge of ours this year and am drawing a blank for games and competitions!
Hey Tara! So we have about 48 people. We are separating into six teams of about eight people. Each game we’ll have the team choose a representative (or two or however many is needed for that game) to participate. We’re aiming for lots of fun and low competition. The games are pretty simple – shoe toss off a swing, covering chest or face with shaving cream and having team member throw cheeto cheese balls and see how may stick, water balloon toss and a few others.
I am a huge fan of bars and have done many of the ones mentioned. One favorite I didn’t see mentioned is a pasta bar. We served it with a variety of sauces (marinara, meat, alfredo and pesto) and toppings (proteins, cheeses, fresh basil, capers, etc. etc.) and then precook the pasta. A big salad and bread and you’re set.
Sounds delicious, Eileen! Do you keep the pasta warm or at room temp?
Build your own pasta bar…marinara sauce, Alfredo, pesto, chicken, meatballs
Delicious idea!
Perfect Post for this time of year. We are going to a reunion this summer for about 50 people, and each family is in charge of a meal. Great ideas. I also love the idea of the name that baby game.
Yeah, I’m pretty excited about that game. Hopefully everyone else is, too, or it’s going to be a major bust. Ha.
I so enjoy your writing – your wit, down-to-earthness, and candor about your family adventures is so entertaining. Thank you so much for these recipes – I always struggle and freak out when I have to plan for large gatherings – these recipes give me the confidence to plan ahead, execute a delicious meal AND enjoy the company – a win-win-win! Have fun at your family reunion!
You are so sweet, Patricia. Thank YOU!
I totally agree! These are great meal ideas – I especially love the breakfast burrito idea. That would even be good for dinner! I did the food for our family reunion a few years ago. 63 people! Most of the meals were build-your-own style meals. It worked really well for everyone! Pasta bar is another great one – offer a variety of pastas (including spiralized veggies or spaghetti squash for non-carb/gluten eaters), and a variety of sauces! A hearty salad bar is always a good meal option too.
Pasta and salad bars are a great idea! Adding them to my master list. 🙂
I would like to thank those of you who included past tried vegan options for these recipes. As a new vegan for medical reasons it is a welcome sight. I loved this post and can see a lot of options that I would love to eat. Thank you so much Mel!…and good luck on your reunion.
Thanks, Sarah – I hope you are able to get a lot of good ideas!
Oh my goodness… I love your family! What a great photo! Good luck in the planning
Thanks, Lisa!
My go-tos are a fajitas bar and a tomato-soup-with-stuff-in-it bar. The main preferences I deal with are vegan, GF, and now Keto. Fajitas and tomato soup can work in a way that rice-based, noodle-based or potato-based bars won’t. (Side note: please God don’t give me friends who avoid lectins!) I struggle most when there are onion or garlic intolerances to address! But I’ve done it….
Haha. That made me chuckle, Lisa. You are amazing for working around the vegan, GF and keto food issues! Both the fajitas and tomato soup are great ideas!
my husband is currently lectin free as well as no tomatoes, no peppers, grain free, dairy free. It’s a struggle!
I am also planning a reunion that will take place in 3 weeks! We are doing the taco bar and hoagie bar. A couple other fun “Bar” ideas are, Hamburger bar, with lots of toppings to go on top like bacon, avocado, grilled onions, different sauces, fried egg. For dessert, we are doing a smores bar with a whole bunch of different combos. Look on Pinterest, lots of tasty combinations.
Thanks for the ideas, Lacey! I never thought of a hamburger bar but I love that one! We’re doing a s’mores bar, too, but I”m keeping it pretty simple. I looked on Pinterest a few weeks ago and was like “whoa, this is how some people live” – the s’mores situations were insanely creative…and some just straight up insane. Haha.
I went to a brunch baby shower where one of the food options was an oatmeal bar. The oatmeal by itself was delicious and the amount do toppings was incredible!
Tami down below mentioned that, too! I’m so excited about that idea!
For a breakfast option, a fruit, yogurt, granola bar could be great. Super easy prep. Lots of fruit options. Even the granola could be deconstructed.
YES! Love this. I’m planning on doing a yogurt/parfait/granola bar for one of my breakfasts. I should have included it in the post. Thanks for the reminder!
This year we did a baked potato soup bar for the YW. I made plain and delicious baked potato soup and offered lots of toppings: bacon, cheese (Cheddar and Parm), scallions, steamed broccoli, cooked ground beef, sour cream, etc. Almost anything you would put on a baked potato!
This is not a great idea for a family reunion but for future holiday parties, it’s kind a fun and doable. My husband said it was the best soup I had ever made. Ho ho. Love your ideas and I’ll need to try your Mexican Hay Stacks! I am enamored with what people bring in as dinner for others.
This is a fabulous idea, Karen – and so yummy! I actually think it might be doable for a family reunion?? If the weather isn’t too warm. I love it! Thanks for sharing!
One of our favorite build your own and feed a large group is cafe rio style pork burritos! Everyone in both our families love them! We are lucky enough to only have to deal with diabetes so will usually grill some chicken for that family member instead since our sweet pork recipe has brown sugar in it. I have even made this meal to take on camping trips, it’s all made in the crock pot or my rice cooker so I start them while we are packing for the rice or the night before for the meat if needed. I usually make the tomatillo dressing the day before as well. When it’s time to go I package everything up in either glass jars or gallon size baggies and I put all the warm toppings ie rice, meat, enchilada sauce and tortillas, in a small cooler lined with dish towels. It will stay warm for hours like that! So we can drive to our camping spot, set up camp, visit with friends for a bit and still have a warm hassle free meal when we are ready!
Love this, Misty! Thank you for sharing your tips for this particular recipe. It sounds delicious and would be so yummy, plus I love how much of it is make-aheadable. You are awesome!
I have a son who is diabetic and has celiac disease. We are having a family reunion this summer and I’m in charge of feeding him and 30 others for 3 meals Do u have recipes that would feed this crowd of all ages and my son?
Hey Kathleen – many of the recipes I linked to in the post are gluten-free or easily gluten-free adaptable, so that may be helpful to look at those! For breakfasts, Tami below mentioned doing these overnight steel cut oats (and having a variety of toppings available to add to the oats). https://www.melskitchencafe.com/overnight-steel-cut-oats-favorite-way-to-eat-oatmeal/
Awesome! I always trust your recipes for get-togethers/potlucks and appreciate all your tips for make-ahead options. Keeping this in my backpocket for all future occasions! (It doesn’t hurt that we already LOVE so many of these recipes already – your pulled pork & cuban pork, and yum yum bowls are to DELICIOUS.) Your Big Fat Greek Tacos have also been really popular when we’ve served them for birthdays!
Thanks so much, Kathleen! Those Greek tacos are probably one of my favorite meals of all time. SO yummy!
Hi Mel,
I make gluten free gravy by placing a bed of onions, celery , apple, spices and garlic under the roast while roasting. When finished remove the roast and puree the veggies with liquid from the roast. If there’s not enough liquid just add cooked veggie water or a little organic apple cider. No flour or dairy, freezes well too.
If you are making the sandwiches ahead , a little trick I use is lightly toast two pieces of bread in the same slot in the toaster. Butter the toasted side which become the inside of the sandwich and the outsides are now super soft like baked bread fresh out of the oven. This also works on day old bread
Enjoy
Charles
Love these tips, thank you so much, Charles! Man, you guys leave the BEST comments and I learn so much from you!
We do build-your-own all the time and I have made and love every single one of these recipes! We’ve also done pasta bars with a couple different sauce/meat options and zoodles or gf pasta for our gf people. When our group is on the smaller side we have done build-your-own grilled pizza. Thanks for this great post! It’s sure to come in handy over and over again when I need ideas.
Such great ideas, Kelsey – especially the build-your-own grilled pizzas!
Love these ideas! Last night I brought in a meal to a friend and made a double recipe of your Quick and Easy Cheesy Black Bean Bake. 1 tray got cubed chicken and cheese added in, and the other was left without cheese/chicken (vegan). I added some corn for color, and some garbanzo beans for variety to the meatless tray. So yummy, and easily customizeable. I had lettuce, avocado, olives, etc. for add-your-own toppings, and served with chips and street corn tortillas. I also love build-your-own meals.
One specific vegan tip, if you want to have a vegan version of that delish cilantro dressing, or mayo for another other use: there are multiple vegan mayos out there. The best (imo) is Best Foods Vegan, which comes in a full-size 24 oz. jar (unlike most others) and tastes identical to regular mayo. Target has the best price for it ($3.99 by me). That dressing is a winner! Good luck with your reunion planning – it sounds like a blast.
I should add that I’ve made that dressing and subbed all vegan mayo for the sour cream and mayo, and then done homemade “buttermilk” with almond milk/vinegar. Totally works. 🙂
So, so helpful. Thank you, Alicia!!
Love all these ideas. I have been trying to think of meals to freeze before my sister and her family comes up to visit and this post helps a lot.
Thanks, Rose!
This was meant to be for me today! My husband and I are in charge of his family reunion this year as well, and even with just his parents, siblings and their children it’s more than 50 people, Monday-Friday. I have most meals planned but needed just a couple more ideas. And it is all that has been on my mind! This will save my sanity!! I love the plans you have shared for yours, how will your family Olympic play out?
I hear you, Chantel! I’m planning Brian’s reunion and there’s 46 of us which is no small feat! Brian is planning our Family Olympics. We are doing it one of the mornings we are there…we are separating into five teams (I have colored lanyards for each team) and there will be probably 8-9 olympic games. Each game the team will choose someone from their team to compete (some of the games require more than one person). The games are pretty simple – shoe toss off a swing, covering chest or face with shaving cream and having team member throw cheeto cheese balls and see how may stick, water balloon toss and a few others. Hopefully it will be low competition and lots of fun.
I agree with everything you’re saying. When I did Girl’s Camp food, I did most of the meals this way and the girls loved it. Another breakfast meal that I did that actually surprised me with how well it went over was your overnight steel cut oats. I had a ton of toppings for them like bananas, blueberries, brown sugar, craisins, honey, almonds, and chocolate chips. They requested it every year I did camp. It’s also inexpensive if you are on a budget. I did the Mexican haystacks in frito bags (you can order 2 oz size on Amazon) and this was fun for camping. I also did a baked potato bar because #IdahoGirl and I was surprised that the girls just wanted to put cheese, sour cream and butter. The idea of the gravy was foreign to them and not many tried it. The adults loved it! That’s the great thing about build your own meals. Everyone was happy. Thanks for this great post!
You are a wealth of info, Tami! I think the overnight steel cut oats is a fantastic idea! I’ve been sitting here wondering what to serve for the last breakfast I’m in charge of and you just helped me out a ton! Maybe the gravy on baked potato thing is a Walker tradition??
When there are food allergies, I usually insist those folks go through the buffet line first, and also place major cross contamination culprits, like shredded cheese, on a different table. Thank you for sharing this line up! I’m working on planning reunion food and an totally going to use some of these.
That’s a GREAT idea, Allison! I think I’ll do that at our reunion!
Love this post! Not feeding a crowd here but with college kids back home and differing summer work schedules, “build-your-own” seems like a good idea for us as well. (And a big THANKS for mentioning separate serving utensils…I’m always uncomfortable complaining when my host works so hard to keep nut-foods far away yet uses the same serving spoon.)
Yes, Sandra, you are so right! Build your own meals are great just for a family!