With 6 kids in our family, we have to stick to a very tight budget. So, when my oldest daughter was graduating from our homeschool, we knew that we would have to be very creative in our choices for the venue, food, and decorations.
While it's very common for people in our part of Nebraska to grab frozen finger foods from Sam's Club, or a meat and cheese tray from the grocery store, we had only about $125 to spend total and many out of town relatives coming for the entire day. We had to feed them a full meal if we expected them to make the drive.
(Note that this budget was created and met by shopping in bulk with my Sam's Club membership. Prices will vary, but I was able to get many items on sale or when they had their Instant Savings events. I planned ahead for a month or so to get the best deals!)
The first thing that crossed my mind was pasta. It's what we eat when there is more month than money in our own home. It's filling, and you can customize it with a variety of sauces. It's also one of the few dishes that you can make the day before and it actually tastes better over night in the fridge and rewarmed in the oven!
Here's how we put together our menu:
1. We planned for our number of guests. We had 150 invitations go out. Many were not coming because they lived so far away (but we wanted to be considerate.) Many others would be bringing their entire families. We prepared for 100 people to come eat with us.
2. We did the math on the pasta. I read that it takes 3 ounces of dried pasta to feed one person. That's with sides, like the fruit, bread, and green beans we would make. Since there are 16 ounces in a pound, I figured 1 pound of pasta would feed 5 people. We prepared 20 total pounds of pasta, expecting to feed around 100 people. This was a very generous estimate, based on the type of pasta dishes we chose.
3. We chose our recipes. We decided on a red pasta and a white. While we were on a budget, we knew that we needed to cut some corners with prepared ingredients, as well as fresh. I picked an easy baked Cavatini recipe and a chicken alfredo.
Here is the shopping list for each recipe:
Chicken Alfredo (feeds 40 - 50 )
Begin by cooking the pasta according to directions, but stop cooking 2 minutes before it is done. The pasta should very firm but not hard or chewy in the middle. Immediately remove from heat, drain, and set aside. (You can add some olive oil to it to keep it from sticking while you do next steps, if you like.)
Remove chicken from the bones of the rotisserie chickens. You can also remove skin, if you like, but I like to leave a little on around the chicken breasts for flavor and color. (You should get rid of any thick or jelly-like skin, though.) Cut the chicken into small cubes and set aside.
Now, spread 1/4th of the the pasta out into a large aluminum baking tray. (I get them in an 18-pack from Sam's and use them for batch cooking.) Sprinkle the chicken (1/2 cup dried spinach flakes, if using) over the top of the pasta, being sure that you only use 1/4th of the chicken. Mix 2 jars of sauce and 1 cup of milk together in a bowl, then pour over the pasta. Mix well.
If you really want to make the sauce go further, you can pour out the sauce, then add the 1/2 cup milk to the empty jar, replace the lid, and shake it. You'll get the rest of the sauce out of the jar that way. Pour them milk into the bowl and mix as directed.
Cover the dish with foil and set into the fridge until serving.
Ground the beef, drain, and set aside.
Now, spread 1/4th of the the pasta out into a large aluminum baking tray. Sprinkle 1/4th of the ground beef, and about 16 pepperoni on top. Pour 1/2 of each 4-lb jar of sauce on top. Mix well.
Finally, sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese on the top, then put 8-10 pepperoni on top nicely. It should look polka-dotted! Cover with foil and set into the fridge until serving.
To serve, preheat the oven to 350, and place the trays inside with the foil still on top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until heated all the way through. You can remove the foil during the last 5 minutes to make the tops browned, if you wish.
Our food was a hit! We didn't get the number of guests we had expected, but that meant lots of yummy leftovers that went into the freezer when we got home. The pasta dishes froze well and could be taken out to thaw, then cook as directed for a large family meal or entertaining.
We served the pasta with 15 pounds of frozen mixed fruit that we thawed out the morning of the event. We also served garlic bread, and bacon green beans. Cupcakes were provided by our favorite chocolate shop and bakery in town, as a graduation present to my daughter (who works there.)
My daughter and her friends helped decorate, using plastic bowls and utensils, chalk markers, and cardboard, to make everyone look fancy! A friend of mine lent me her sun tea jars with spouts to put lemonade in. I used my Ninja Coffe Bar to keep hot coffee made all day and stored in a carafe I had.
It was an amazing event, and I can't believe we pulled it off on a budget!
While this is a great idea for graduations, you could use it for any party. Retirement, weddings, birthdays, or any time you want to entertain a lot of guests!
(Note: We had our event at the beautiful day-use cabin at Lewis and Clark Park in Onawa, NE. It was a bit out of the way, but near a beautiful lake full of fish and room to run. Our guests were amazed at how breathtaking it was. The best part? It was just $75 to rent for the entire day and evening!)
What ideas do you have for affordable graduation parties food and drinks?
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While it's very common for people in our part of Nebraska to grab frozen finger foods from Sam's Club, or a meat and cheese tray from the grocery store, we had only about $125 to spend total and many out of town relatives coming for the entire day. We had to feed them a full meal if we expected them to make the drive.
(Note that this budget was created and met by shopping in bulk with my Sam's Club membership. Prices will vary, but I was able to get many items on sale or when they had their Instant Savings events. I planned ahead for a month or so to get the best deals!)
The first thing that crossed my mind was pasta. It's what we eat when there is more month than money in our own home. It's filling, and you can customize it with a variety of sauces. It's also one of the few dishes that you can make the day before and it actually tastes better over night in the fridge and rewarmed in the oven!
Here's how we put together our menu:
1. We planned for our number of guests. We had 150 invitations go out. Many were not coming because they lived so far away (but we wanted to be considerate.) Many others would be bringing their entire families. We prepared for 100 people to come eat with us.
2. We did the math on the pasta. I read that it takes 3 ounces of dried pasta to feed one person. That's with sides, like the fruit, bread, and green beans we would make. Since there are 16 ounces in a pound, I figured 1 pound of pasta would feed 5 people. We prepared 20 total pounds of pasta, expecting to feed around 100 people. This was a very generous estimate, based on the type of pasta dishes we chose.
3. We chose our recipes. We decided on a red pasta and a white. While we were on a budget, we knew that we needed to cut some corners with prepared ingredients, as well as fresh. I picked an easy baked Cavatini recipe and a chicken alfredo.
Here is the shopping list for each recipe:
Chicken Alfredo (feeds 40 - 50 )
- (2) 2-lb large rotisserie chickens from Sam's Club
- (3) 3-packs of prepared alfredo sauce from Sam's Club
- (10) pounds of dried penne pasta
- (5) cups whole milk
- Optional: 2 cups dried spinach flakes (I use these)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Begin by cooking the pasta according to directions, but stop cooking 2 minutes before it is done. The pasta should very firm but not hard or chewy in the middle. Immediately remove from heat, drain, and set aside. (You can add some olive oil to it to keep it from sticking while you do next steps, if you like.)
Remove chicken from the bones of the rotisserie chickens. You can also remove skin, if you like, but I like to leave a little on around the chicken breasts for flavor and color. (You should get rid of any thick or jelly-like skin, though.) Cut the chicken into small cubes and set aside.
Now, spread 1/4th of the the pasta out into a large aluminum baking tray. (I get them in an 18-pack from Sam's and use them for batch cooking.) Sprinkle the chicken (1/2 cup dried spinach flakes, if using) over the top of the pasta, being sure that you only use 1/4th of the chicken. Mix 2 jars of sauce and 1 cup of milk together in a bowl, then pour over the pasta. Mix well.
If you really want to make the sauce go further, you can pour out the sauce, then add the 1/2 cup milk to the empty jar, replace the lid, and shake it. You'll get the rest of the sauce out of the jar that way. Pour them milk into the bowl and mix as directed.
Cover the dish with foil and set into the fridge until serving.
Baked Cavatini
- (1) 1-lb bag of round, sliced pepperoni
- (4) pounds ground beef
- (2) 4-lb jars of sauce (I use Prego)
- (10) pounds of dried penne pasta
- (8) cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Optional: 2 cups dried green or red peppers (I use these)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Ground the beef, drain, and set aside.
Now, spread 1/4th of the the pasta out into a large aluminum baking tray. Sprinkle 1/4th of the ground beef, and about 16 pepperoni on top. Pour 1/2 of each 4-lb jar of sauce on top. Mix well.
Finally, sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese on the top, then put 8-10 pepperoni on top nicely. It should look polka-dotted! Cover with foil and set into the fridge until serving.
To serve, preheat the oven to 350, and place the trays inside with the foil still on top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until heated all the way through. You can remove the foil during the last 5 minutes to make the tops browned, if you wish.
Our food was a hit! We didn't get the number of guests we had expected, but that meant lots of yummy leftovers that went into the freezer when we got home. The pasta dishes froze well and could be taken out to thaw, then cook as directed for a large family meal or entertaining.
We served the pasta with 15 pounds of frozen mixed fruit that we thawed out the morning of the event. We also served garlic bread, and bacon green beans. Cupcakes were provided by our favorite chocolate shop and bakery in town, as a graduation present to my daughter (who works there.)
My daughter and her friends helped decorate, using plastic bowls and utensils, chalk markers, and cardboard, to make everyone look fancy! A friend of mine lent me her sun tea jars with spouts to put lemonade in. I used my Ninja Coffe Bar to keep hot coffee made all day and stored in a carafe I had.
It was an amazing event, and I can't believe we pulled it off on a budget!
While this is a great idea for graduations, you could use it for any party. Retirement, weddings, birthdays, or any time you want to entertain a lot of guests!
(Note: We had our event at the beautiful day-use cabin at Lewis and Clark Park in Onawa, NE. It was a bit out of the way, but near a beautiful lake full of fish and room to run. Our guests were amazed at how breathtaking it was. The best part? It was just $75 to rent for the entire day and evening!)
What ideas do you have for affordable graduation parties food and drinks?
Like this? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get more of the goodness, plus exclusive giveaway offers! SHARE HERE!
