Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I'm awful at knowing how much food to make for large groups. Maybe it's the Jewish grandmother in me, but I always make way too much because I feel like it'd be worse if anyone went hungry.

So, tonight I'm making escarole and white bean soup and fettuccini for 7. Not a HUGE group, but pretty big for a random weeknight dinner party.

How much pasta do I need? Since I'm making soup, too, and the sauce is really hearty, I'm thinking a pound of pasta should be ok, but I'm not sure. No one who's coming over eats a ton. I do have some friends who I have to count as 2 people because they eat a lot, but they won't be here.

I think a pound of pasta is supposed to serve four people. I'd make one-and-a-half or two pounds just to be safe.

I normally cook 1/2 lb to feed 3 to 4 as an only course, so I'd say 1 lb would be fine if you're doing soup as well.

Thanks guys, maybe I'll split the difference and do a pound plus a handful. I'll probably grab a whole wheat ciabatta, too, so that should take care of any need for seconds.

I am no help, I always cook WAY too much pasta.

When in doubt, just cook more. better to have too much than not enough!

Please send leftovers to me. I'll take care of them.

So, how much did you make, and was it enough? I usually end up making enough food that if we were snowed in we could survive for about a month.

I ended up making 1 pound, plus a small handful of another box and it was too much, but not by a lot! 1 pound probably would have been fine with the soup. I ended up with the perfect amount for lunch for 2 people the next day. Although I do still have a lot of soup leftover, but that was mostly because I wanted to use up a giant head of escarole.

OMG. Two of us eat a pound of pasta. Now I am ashamed.

Yeah, what mattomic said. But somehow things stretch more the bigger the crowd. I also always make too much for crowds.