Cooking for a Crowd

The trick to cooking for a large group of people is to have a recipe that’s as quick and easy to make as it is crowd-pleasing. Lasagna. Chili. Macaroni and cheese. A spiraled ham. These are often the go-to dishes, and for good reason.

Funny, every time I even consider a ham I think of my dad. We lived in an area where the power would go out if the wind blew a little. So, he would always pose the question when a storm was in the forecast, “Should I get a ham?!?” He could cook it up and leave it in the pot for a few days because it was still good. Who needs refrigeration when you’ve got a ham?

Recently, I was tasked with cooking for our local soup kitchen. About 50 to 75 people stop by for meals on Tuesdays, so I needed something not only filling but on the healthy side. Fruit and salad are always good side dishes, but you can count on leftovers. 

For the entrée, I always like to make pasta with a hearty meat sauce. The pasta should be elbows, shells, or fun shapes like rotini or cavatelli. Anything that can trap the sauce is a good bet. And for this crowd, I boiled up about three pounds. The sauce is a sturdy Bolognese. Start with a mirepoix adding garlic, salt and pepper, and herbs. Sweat the veg and add the ground beef to cook through. When that’s ready, add a half cup of wine. The wine and the beef juice make a sort of gravy of its own, but make sure you reduce the liquid by half. Otherwise, it’s too soupy. Crushed tomatoes round it out. Now, simmer down. 

Here’s the recipe for the Bolognese:

1 large onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 c. carrots, diced

1 c. celery, diced

3 lbs. ground beef

1 TB olive oil

1/2 c red wine

2-28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes

2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

1 TB oregano

1 TB herbes de Provence

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the onion with the salt and pepper and sweat until fragrant. Put in the garlic for about a minute of heat and then add the carrots and celery. Cook until veg is tender. Add the beef and herbs and cook through, stirring occasionally. Now add the wine and stir. Cook the liquid down to about half and then add the crushed tomatoes. Let the mixture simmer until thickened, about 20-25 minutes. Serve with your pasta!