Simple food, homemade bread, and gathering around the table together

 

 

Today I prepared one of my favorite quick meals for a crowd and served it at my parents’ house for Sunday dinner. There is something special about gathering around the table together after church — simple food, homemade bread, and a house full of people.

 

Menu:

• Ham (Pork Roast would also be a great budget-friendly choice)

• Mashed potatoes & gravy

• Green beans

• Warm Applesauce

• Homemade bread

• Homemade cookie bars

 

Why This Meal Worked Well

I prepped this meal early on Sunday morning, transported it to my parents, and put the finishing touches on it around noon.

 

Morning Prep:

• I quickly mixed the bread recipe together in the Kitchen Aid Mixer, let it rise on the stove for 45 minutes while I continued preparing the meal, and then baked it for 50 minutes. I let it rest and sliced it just before dinner so it would not be too crumbly.
• Next, I used my favorite gluten-free chocolate chip cookie bar recipes that come together quickly, and I was able to use naturally gluten-free ingredients
• I was able to cut up the 12 lb. ham, and put it in the crockpot with some beef broth. I then set it on low setting so it would be ready to serve at lunch time. (I had bought this ham while it was on sale and froze it earlier this spring. However, you could also purchase one or two pork roasts and cook them in the crock pot or Instant Pot as well.)
• I cut up all of the potatoes and put them in water in the Instant Pot and then cooked them for 20 minutes and let them sit on warm until almost time to serve. I then mashed them with the dairy-free butter and dairy-free milk at the last minute. Right before dinner, I made a quick gravy with the broth from the ham, tallow, dairy-free milk, tallow, and a small amount of arrowroot powder and gluten-free flour.
• I used 5 bags of frozen green beans, added a couple of strips of bacon, 2 cups of beef broth, and a couple of TBSPs of tallow with salt and pepper. I put this into an Instant Pot and let it cook down for about 50 minutes.
• I used applesauce I had canned a few months ago and just put it on a warm setting in a small Instant Pot.

 

This is honestly one of my favorite quick meals to make for a crowd because most of it can be prepared in crockpots and Instant Pots. Even the bread was made from scratch, and the entire meal took less than two hours to prepare.

 

Years ago, feeding this many people would have completely overwhelmed me. Over time, I’ve learned that simple meals, a little planning, and using the tools you already have can make hospitality feel much more doable.

 

Large family meals do not have to be fancy to bring people together around the table.

 

 

What is your favorite simple meal to make when feeding a crowd?