Author: Hosting a large gathering for the holidays can be a huge burden on your stress levels, but also on your budget. And it doesn’t have to be that way!
Find out how to host a fabulous holiday meal with all the trimmings for just $8 per person, with all organic ingredients!
Thinking of having 20 people at my house for the holidays is always a mixed bag of emotions. At first I’m thrilled at the idea! I love being the one to host the holidays, make all the food, and create a welcoming environment for the family to form lasting memories…
Then the reality of having to plan, cook, clean, and pay for everything really starts to set in. That’s when my anxiety starts to go up a bit.
Fortunately, I’ve been doing this so long that I have a few tricks up my sleeve!
How to Host an All Organic Holiday Meal for 20 People for $8 per Person
Right off the bat, the easiest way to cut costs is to be realistic about the amount of food you actually need.
If you are trying to host without spending an arm and a leg, then you need to plan for the meal only. Don’t plan for any leftovers at all.
So what do you need…
How Much Food You Need for a 20 Person Holiday Meal
Here’s is a breakdown of how much food you need to feed 20 people without having a ton of leftovers.
Meat
Plan on buying 1 lb of turkey or ham per person. You won’t end up with that much meat, because almost half of the purchased weight is bones!
This will give a fabulous portion for each person, without a ton left over.
So for 20 people, either buy a 20 lb ham, a 20 lb turkey, or 10 lbs of each!
Sides
I usually go for the Rule of 2. Simply put, just make two large pans of each side (keep it to a minimum of 3-4 sides total, 2 pans each), with the exception of cranberry sauce. You can just make a medium sized bowl of cranberry sauce, because most people don’t eat that in large quantities.
Rolls
I air to the side of caution on this one and make about 2-3 rolls per person. It’s a lot to make from scratch, but it’s worth it! Those homemade crescent rolls are perfection!
Dessert
Dessert is tricky, you want to have enough without going crazy! 7 pies seems to be the sweet spot, no pun intended ;-)
So pick 2 or 3 desserts that your family enjoys and make 2 each! This will give everyone a few options without having to bake 20 different items.
Drinks
Offer water, and home brewed sweet and unsweet tea to keep costs down. Soda and alcohol will sky rocket your costs, so I’m not including them.
How to Make All This Food for $8 per Person
Here’s an actual breakdown of the different options that I chose from when I’m deciding what to make each year for the holidays and the costs for each, so you can see that this really is do-able!
Meat
1 lb per person is the general rule for meat at a holiday meal.
10 lb Organic Turkey – $40
10 lb Organic Ham – $40
Sides
Pick 3-4 to make, portion sizes listed are for 20 people if you pick 3-4 dishes.
6 lb Organic Mashed Potatoes – $9
6 lb Einkorn Stuffing, from scratch – $6
3 lbs Organic Roasted Brussels Sprouts – $9
6 lbs Organic, Einkorn Green Bean Casserole – $8
6 lbs Organic Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows – $9
2 Dozen Pastured Deviled Eggs – $13
6 cups Organic Homemade Cranberry Sauce – $8
12 cups Organic Salad, with Homemade Ranch Dressing – $10
40 Homemade Einkorn Crescent Rolls – $10
Desserts
1-2 slices per person is the general rule at a holiday meal.
2 Einkorn Pecan Pies – $12
2 Organic Pumpkin Pies – $12
2 Organic Apple Pies – $18
2 Raw Milk Cheesecakes – $17
48 Einkorn Gingerbread Cookies – $11
Don’t Make It All
Making every single one of the dishes above will definitely put you over the cost mark we are going for. So follow the food requirement suggestions above, pick and choose the dishes you want to make based on how much you want to spend!
Need the Recipes?
If you’re looking for the exact recipes I use to make these dishes, then grab a copy of my From Scratch Holiday Cookbook now!
It’s filled with 23 holiday favorites and each recipe is crafted with the finest ingredients! Get your copy and invite homemade to the holidays this year!
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