It's a big party: a wedding, an anniversary party, a New Year's Eve bash. After picking out the recipes and sending the invitations, the nagging question starts in the back of your head: how much food is enough?
Catering companies deal with this every day, and have some guidelines cooks at home can adapt for any gathering.
A Party of One
The amount of food necessary can change depending on the time of day, type of food served, or even by the people attending (have you watched teenagers eat?). But as a general rule, consider for individual portions:
- Eight appetizer pieces: appetizers should consist of two to three bites
- Three ounces of dip or salsa (about 1/3 cup per person)
- One cup of soup (less if it’s a thick soup, like chowder)
- Three ounces of salad (about one cup)
- Six ounces of meat or main entrée
- Five ounces of starch (potato, pasta, or rice)
- One and a half pieces of dessert
Though you could easily apply these numbers to whatever size crowd you're cooking for, it is often easier to scale your shopping list into multiples of 10 guests.
Chicken, beef, fish, or pork
Potato or pasta salads
- Three pounds of potatoes
- One pound of dry pasta
Hot dogs or sausage (main dish)
- 20 hot dogs
- Three pounds of sausage such as bratwurst or kielbasa
Shellfish
- Shrimp: two to three pounds, pre-cooked and peeled, or three pounds if raw and unpeeled
- Clams and mussels: two pounds
Soups and stews
- One half gallon if served as an appetizer
- One gallon if served as a main dish
Green salads
- Two to three large heads of lettuce, or two pounds green salad mix
- Three cups of dressing
Of course, how you mix and match what you are serving affects how much you should make. For any two main dishes, such as chicken and fish, four pounds total are necessary, not four pounds of each. But consider adding a pound to the total, as many will want to try both dishes.
Drinks
Punch
- One gallon for every 10 guests
Beer, wine and cocktails
- Two drinks per person, per hour is a good guess
Check out our cocktail party advice:
Suggested Menus
Here are some menu ideas to get you started--something perfect for every season!