Easy to eat supper for 8-10

[fatsatsuma]

Please inspire me! Am hosting a committee meeting over supper. Will be eating off our laps so forks only. Am thinking some kind of meat dish plus rice/pasta/couscous. Could go for chilli or beef casserole, but they seem a bit boring...

Added slight complication is that it needs to feed a child too so not spicy - otherwise curry would do. Considered stroganoff, but steak for that number would be expensive.

Have trawled Good Food website but still stuck. Please give me your simple but elegant ideas

[witchwithallthetrimmings]

could wraps/fajitas work? put different dishes on the table (chilli, avocado, salsa, grated cheese, sour cream leaves etc and let people help themselves). Eating a wrap is probaly easier than a fork off your lap

[saladfingers]

This would be easy to seve and eat on laps
sloppy Joe chilli I usually make a huge shallow one as my kids love the garlic bread on the top and it means I dont need to cook rice/potatoes with it.Sometimes i do salad too.
(I add a a large dollop of bbq sauce to this which adds sweetness)

[pleasenap]

Chilli would be an easy option - you could always jazz it up with some sort of avocado/tom/coriander salsa to sprinkle on the top?

Or -

• lasagna and garlic bread
  
• some other pasta bake with small sized pasta or gnocchi or whatever
  
• I've got Good housekeeping recipes for a creamy chicken gratin (cooked chicken, bacon, leeks in basically a gruyere based thin cheese sauce, with garlic bread slices over the top and sprinkle with more gruyere) - very yummy and all in one.
  
• Or another for chicken pesto crumble (again GH recipe) - chicken, new pots in a mozzarella and tomato based sauce with parmesan and breadcrumbs on top - again all in one

[saladfingers]

p.s I add kidney beans too

[celebmum]

Spaghetti & meatballs? Easy to make, ingredients everyone already likes, but cheaper as can be bulked up with the (cheap!) pasta!

Can add extras like garlic bread too if required

[celebmum]

I don't mean as in cheap pasta i meant as in cheaper than meat/steak!

Although there's nothing wrong with cheap pasta, I use Asda's own!!!

[mummyplonk]

I was going to suggest stroganoff Do you have a large slow cooker, if so I did it recently with Beef Skirt, far far cheaper and still tasted delicious.

[pleasenap]

Ooh or how about pasticcio - greek lamb mince pasta bake - my MIL made this recently and it was really lovely and my DC gobbled it up.

pasticcio

[pleasenap]

eerrrr...just to say, my MIL didn't use feta or aubergines in it I think (prob as a nod to my DC's palates!

[fatsatsuma]

Wow, some great ideas here, thanks everyone
Am working at mo but will have a closer look later and reply properly.
Keep them coming!

[spiderslegs]

How about a chorizo & butterbean stew, really tasty & a departure from the ubiquitous chilli - plenty of recipes if you google. Cheap too.

PS Saladfingers - are you Saladfingers as in the David Firth/Aphex Twin animation? Really freaks me out.

[saladfingers]

I do love rusty spoons spiderslegs

I gave DP a t-shirt for his birthday some years back with mr saladfingers saying 'I like it when the red water comes out!' It really freaked people out.

[piebald]

Lamb Tagine, there is a AWT recipe i got through here and is lovely and all prepare ahead

[fruitshootsandheaves]

KfC for the simple bit
sprigs of parsley for the elegant bit

[fatsatsuma]

fruitshootsandheaves

Some great ideas, I want to make all of them!

mummyplonk I do have a slow cooker. Could I have your recipe for beef stroganoff using beef skirt please? - that sounds good.

pleasenap pasticcio sounds yummy - will definitely make that at some point.

[couldtryharder]

Can do stroganoff-esq dish with chicken (boneless thighs best for flavour) or pork to keep cost down.

[fatsatsuma]

couldtryharder do you have a specific recipe?