32 Meals To Make When You Need To Feed A Crowd On A Budget

In this day and age, cooking in general can be expensive — and cooking for more than a couple of people can really do a number on your wallet. You don't want to cheap out on friends and family that you invited to an elaborate dinner party, nor do you want to come to your next tailgate with a bucket of cookies from the discount rack at the grocery store, but what are you supposed to do when even Aldi is becoming expensive?

Well, we have the answer: Consult this list of affordable, easily scalable recipes that don't sacrifice flavor for value. When we were assembling it, we wanted to only include recipes that were easy to put together, meaning you can focus your effort on other tasks while your meal is passively simmering away on the stove, in the oven, or in a slow cooker. We also limited the number of expensive ingredients, or suggested ways that you can swap out more premium ones for affordable options. So it's prime time to dig out those casserole dishes, fire up the Crock Pot, and get to work on these budget- and crowd-friendly recipes that will please your taste buds as much as your wallet. 

Just because you are cooking for a crowd doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor, and this cabbage soup recipe is proof of that. Cabbage is arguably one of the cheapest veggies, and with a little help from mustard seeds, leeks, potatoes, and canned beans, you can have a delicious and homey lunch or dinner in your bowl in no time. Just don't forget to buy some crusty bread for dipping, and serve it as a starter at your next dinner party.

Recipe: Vegan Nordic-Style Creamy Cabbage Soup

Fall is the perfect time to experiment with seasonal flavors, and this hearty pasta recipe is made possible with one of them: pumpkin. It's a meat-free recipe that is made extra savory with Parmesan, canned pumpkin puree, miso paste, and vegetable broth, and the pasta itself is cheap and easy to scale depending on how many people you're serving. For an even more elegant garnish, consider candying sage leaves for the top.

Recipe: Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

Beef prices may be high, but one easy way to stretch them (and feed a crowd) is to stuff them or pair them with cheaper items, like potatoes. You can easily customize these twice-baked potatoes with whatever toppings you like, and, if you need to, swap the ground beef out for a cheaper option like turkey, lentils, or black beans. It's a great way to cook for a crowd but still make every plate feel personal.

Recipe: Taco Night Twice-Baked Potatoes

A slow cooker is your secret weapon for cooking for a crowd. Not only does it allow you to cook in bulk, but it also lets you transform cheap cuts, like pork butt, into a succulent sandwich filling. Our recipe gets its unique flavor from beer and a homemade barbecue sauce, and you can easily add more spice, sweetness, or seasoning of your choice if you prefer.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Texas Pulled Pork Sandwich

Split pea soup is savory, hearty, and worth making for a crowd on a cold winter day. You don't need many pork neck bones, and the rest of the ingredient list is short (and cheap) and includes a mirepoix and split peas. Most of the cook time here is hands-off, making it ideal for folks who don't have a ton of time but still want something that feels more elevated than canned soup.

Recipe: Chunky Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

One of the most time-consuming parts of making sandwiches is having to layer all of the components on every sandwich. This recipe expedites the process by calling for the meats, cheese, and veggies to be chopped and tossed with dressing before adding them to the rolls. Stop by Costco and get a bulk bag of potato chips to serve with these tasty sandwiches, which would be excellent at a beach cookout. 

Recipe: Chopped Italian Sub Sandwich

"Mole" might sound complicated, but our recipe breaks all of the instructions down as simply and as approachably as possible. The mole is assembled in a blender, making it easy to scale, and as long as you have a big slow cooker at your disposal, you can get this flavorful meal on the table with little effort. Serve it with seasoned cilantro rice and a glass of syrah, and you have the perfect dish to feed a crowd. 

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Mole

We just found you the perfect recipe for your next tailgate. It swaps more expensive ground beef for turkey and builds the flavor with plenty of inexpensive ingredients like canned beans, sweet potato, canned green chiles, and beef stock. It is admittedly spicy, though you can always dial back the seasonings to your liking. Cook it low and slow for several hours, and serve it in a bowl or over a baked potato.

Recipe: Easy Slow Cooker Spicy Turkey Chili

Assembling single tacos for a crowd is not how you should be spending your time. These deconstructed tacos give you all of the flavor of taco night with significantly less work. The ground beef is cut with canned beans and veggies, limiting the cost even more, and it's easy to scale up and bake several trays at one time.

Recipe: Loaded Beef Taco Casserole

Who needs Olive Garden when you have this homestyle, affordable, and scalable chicken gnocchi soup recipe? The most expensive ingredient on your shopping list will be pancetta (which you can swap for bacon in a pinch), and it cuts down the cooking time by calling for packaged gnocchi and shredded rotisserie chicken. This soup, which can be served for lunch or dinner, would go best with a hunk of crusty bread and good company.

Recipe: The Best Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Pasta sauce is one of the easiest recipes to scale — provided you have a big enough stock pot. This one will walk you through all of the steps needed to prepare a savory bolognese, which is primed for spooning over lasagna sheets or noodles. Most of the ingredients are canned or boxed, such as the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and beef stock, though you can also make homemade versions of them if you want to make Nonna proud. 

Recipe: Simple Weeknight Bolognese

It doesn't get any cheaper than pasta with cheese, butter, and pepper. But that simplicity is exactly what makes cacio e pepe so delicious. Use a larger pan to toss the pasta with the seasonings, and don't forget to save some of the pasta water so that every fleck of cheese and peppercorn sticks to the noodles.

Recipe: Simple, Classic Bucatini Cacio e Pepe

We couldn't leave breakfast lovers hanging. This stick-to-your-ribs oatmeal recipe calls for steel-cut oats (which are not the same as instant or rolled), along with fresh apples and spices. Since it's prepared in a slow cooker, it's a set-it-and-forget-it dish that you can make the night before and serve in the morning. Don't forget to stock up on cream, brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon for garnishing. 

Recipe: Apple-Cinnamon Slow Cooker Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Time to break out every casserole dish you own to assemble this baked ziti. Although the ingredient list is longer than many others on this list, this is one meal that you can make ahead, eat throughout the week, and even freeze and enjoy it at a later time. 

It has all of the classic ingredients, including ricotta, mozzarella, and Italian sausage, though it swaps homemade marinara for store-bought (which will save you some time). Crusty bread and good wine are a must for serving. 

Recipe: Classic Cheesy Baked Ziti

Consider this your sign to stock up on muffin tins. This recipe couldn't be simpler, as all you need to do is add the filling to the bottom of each cup before topping them with the egg mixture. Their ideal companion, hash browns, are just as easy to batch-cook, and they're a great breakfast bite to prepare for a particularly busy week. 

Recipe: Ham and Feta Egg White Bites

This pasta salad is practically begging to be brought to your next potluck. It's loaded with all of your pasta salad favorites, including tomatoes and a zesty dressing, but it gets a gourmet twist with the help of a homemade bacon mayonnaise. The fact that the bacon is cooked in the oven, rather than the skillet, expedites things even more, and it's bound to be beloved by kids and adults alike.

Recipe: Over-The-Top BLT Pasta Salad

Assembling layers of lasagna can be tiresome, but that's precisely why this one-pot lasagna soup needs to be on your radar. All of the delicious components, including pork sausage, lasagna noodles, spinach, cheese, and tomatoes, are cooked in a Dutch oven, meaning it's easy to scale depending on how many folks you're cooking for. Serve it with a side salad for the perfect light accompaniment. 

Recipe: Super Creamy One-Pot Lasagna Soup

This pasta e fagioli recipe has big Nonna energy. It's about as authentic as authentic gets, though the price is super, super low, thanks to the main components being beans and pasta. There's also a bit of sauteed pancetta for flavor, as well as vegetables for heft and fiber. This is a recipe that arguably tastes better on day two, so be sure to make enough to both feed a crowd and also have some leftovers for yourself. 

Recipe: Classic Pasta e Fagioli (with Chard)

All you need is a single pot and a penchant for vegetables to fall in love with this flavorful curry. It's an excellent, meat-free way to clean out your crisper drawer, and the fact that it doesn't contain any meat (or dairy ... or gluten) makes it a must for serving to a crowd with dietary restrictions. Meat lovers will appreciate the flavor, too, and you can serve it with rice to make it a whole meal. 

Recipe: One-Pot Vegetable Red Curry

Red beans and rice ... does it get any cheaper? This recipe doesn't skimp out on flavor, though, as the central flavoring ingredient is Andouille sausage. 

It's a flavor-packed, Cajun take on an affordable classic, and folks who aren't strangers to spice are bound to love it. The flavors mesh even better on day two, too. Your wallet and taste buds will both love it.

Recipe: One-Pot Red Beans and Rice

With the price of beef these days, we don't blame you for trying to stretch your dollar. This recipe gives you the most bang for your buck, as the meatballs are made with a combination of sweet Italian sausage and ground beef, and because the rest of the ingredients are aplenty and make up the bulk of this dish. It's light, but still hearty, and would be a good one to prepare for a Sunday lunch with family. 

Recipe: Italian Wedding Soup with Mini Meatballs

Chili is such an easy recipe to scale up or down, and this one is just as simple as it gets. Some of the ingredients, including the ground beef, are pre-cooked before they're tossed into a slow cooker and left to simmer. 

All in all, it's a hands-off dish and one best served with a sprinkle of cheese or dollop of sour cream. Grab an extension cord from the garage and take it to your next tailgate.

Recipe: Spicy Slow Cooker Beef Chili

No one is going to spend time shoving egg roll fillings into tiny wrappers, especially for a crowd. This deconstructed pork egg roll dish is a more sensible alternative — and one that doesn't skimp on the flavor. The main components, shredded cabbage and carrots, are cheap to buy, and once you have all of the seasonings on hand, you're set to add this dish to your regular rotation.

Recipe: Easy Pork Egg Roll in a Bowl

Beans are a cheap staple, and this recipe shows the legume at its best. We should say "legumes" here, as it marries kidney beans, butter beans, and pork and beans with ground beef, bacon, and pantry staples like brown sugar and ketchup in none other than a Dutch oven. This one-pot meal deftly balances sweetness and savoriness and is perfect for a chilly winter day, especially when paired with homemade cornbread.

Recipe: Cozy Stovetop Calico Beans

Not all old-school recipes should be relegated to the past. This one gets a poultry upgrade and a facelift, courtesy of mushrooms, cheesy sauce, and al dente pasta. 

The most arduous part of the whole thing is searing the chicken, but you will love that you can assemble all of the components in casserole dishes, top them with cheese and more mushrooms, and bake. It's excellent for a date night recipe or a Sunday supper — provided you serve it with a tasty Italian wine. 

Recipe: Elevated Chicken Tetrazzini

We would be remiss not to include a lasagna recipe on this list, as it's one of the easiest things to assemble for a crowd. This one gets a high-protein boost with the help of the internet's culinary it-girl, cottage cheese, though it still packs in all of the classic homestyle ingredients, including gooey mozzarella, ground beef, and herbs. It freezes well, so be sure to make a little extra for a rainy day. 

Recipe: Cottage Cheese Lasagna

Rice is an easy dish to scale, though this rendition gives it a more flavorful edge. The ingredients are simple but elevate what would otherwise be a lackluster side dish into the main event. 

Mushrooms, peppers, cheese, and tomato sauce come standard, though you could really use anything in your fridge to pizza-ify it. Kids love the taste; adults love the ease of preparation. 

Recipe: One-Pan Veggie Pizza Rice

Frito pie is delicious in classic casserole form, but this version makes it portable. It still has all of the tried-and-true components, including corn chips, beef chili, and cheese, and the chili is always best when it's made ahead so that the flavors have a chance to meld. Once you get the hang of folding these burritos (hint: Seal them with sour cream), you'll be well on your way to a family- and budget-friendly lunch. 

Recipe: Super-Stuffed Frito Pie Burrito

This recipe is both easy and cheesy. This super affordable recipe marries canned white beans with spinach, basil, Parmesan, and a homemade tomato sauce.

It's packed with fiber and nutrients, yet still has an approachable flavor that'll make kids fawn over it. Serve it with a couple slices of crusty bread and a fresh Caesar salad. 

Recipe: Easy, Cheesy Pizza Beans

You may think this soup looks like tomato soup, but it's actually made with red peppers and carrots, which give it color, sweetness, and plenty of nutrients. We have the cannellini beans to thank for the fiber and heartiness in this recipe, and a medley of herbs and fresh lemon for the bright, summery flavor. Serve this one alongside grilled cheese sandwiches (which you can make for a crowd on a sheet pan). 

Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Refried beans, on their own, are nothing to write home about. But when you add extra flavor with a brown butter miso emulsion, charred chiles, pepitas, cotija cheese, and tangy quick-pickled red onions, you have something worth celebrating on hand. Tuck this recipe between tortillas — homemade or store-bought — or serve it with a side of crispy tortilla chips for dipping. 

Recipe: Refried Mayocoba Beans

Tomato soup has a lot more to offer than we give it credit for. Roasting the tomatoes on a sheet pan offers a subtle sweetness, which plays well against the heavy cream in the base and the basil sprinkled on top. 

Our recipe purees the veggies in a blender, but you can always use an immersion wand instead — or work in small batches to ensure that everything reaches your desired consistency. Serve with homemade croutons or crusty bread for dipping. 

Recipe: Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup