The Best Meals to Make on a Large Family Vacation
My dad’s family has always been pretty close. He’s one of 5, and we used to go on family vacations every summer to Florida. At the time, it was probably 15 of us shoved in a condo for a week. We stopped taking them for a few years because all the cousins started getting older, and it was harder to align schedules.
About 12 years ago, some of my cousins and I decided to start them up again. Most of us are grown and married with kids of our own, so the total is up to 25+, depending on who comes. That is a lot of mouths to feed! (And yes, we all shove into one house for an extended weekend, driving each other mad!) We usually plan a menu for the meals a couple of weeks in advance so we can prepare the grocery list and coordinate who is bringing what.
If you have a large family or friend trip (or party coming up), grab a good beach book and take a look at the recipes below to feed your large crowd this summer.
Breakfast
This is probably the most chill of meals because most of us go for coffee and something quick; however, some days we do a big family breakfast with eggs, bacon, pancakes, etc. I’ve included 2 of our go-tos for beach breakfasts.
Biscuit “Beignets”
One of my cousins usually makes this on the last morning as we’re all packing up because they’re easy to grab and go. This recipe will make about 40, so if you expect people to eat more than one or two, you may want to double it.
- 1 can of refrigerated biscuits (10 ct) (the “fluffier” the biscuit, the better)
- Vegetable Oil for Frying
- Powdered Sugar
Start by separating and cutting each biscuit into fourths. In a deep fryer or heavy saucepan, heat 2 inches of oil to 350°F. Fry biscuit quarters, in batches, in hot oil 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels; sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Serve hot. You could also toss them in cinnamon sugar if you wanted a different take on it.
Pancakes
You can’t go wrong with pancakes. While my cousins default to the packaged stuff, I like to make them homemade. It’s not much different, honestly! It’s a few extra steps, and you don’t have to worry about who’s taking the unused box home to sit in the cabinet forever. You can add fresh fruit or chocolate chips to them as well for some yummy varieties.
Lunch
Lunch is definitely at your leisure with our group. Most of the family will spend all day on the beach and rarely come up to eat. We do a lot of deli meat or leftovers from dinner, but we do have some other options too, especially if it’s a rainy day.
Hawaiian Roll Sandwiches
One of my cousins made these once, and my husband was hooked! We have to make them every now and then at home because he likes them so much. Be warned, though: this is not a light meal – it’s literally coated in butter! This recipe serves 12 if everyone eats one, but I will be honest, you will not just eat 1! You will probably want to double or triple the recipe depending on the number of people. I will also swap out the ham for turkey or chicken breast from the deli. You can also adjust the cheese as well, depending on how cheesy you want it.
Chicken Salad and Roast Beef Salad
What I like about these two is that you can make them ahead of time and just pop them in an ice chest on your way to the beach to have on hand. You can make the chicken salad however you prefer; I like mine pretty minimal, though.
- 1 whole chicken (you can use a rotisserie chicken for ease or cook one in a crockpot if you have time)
- Hard-boiled eggs, diced (I usually use 1 per person)
- ¼ c – ½ c mayo
- Yellow mustard, to taste,
- Pepper to taste
Once the chicken is cooled, take the meat off the bone and pulse it in a food processor. Add to a bowl with your egg, mayo, mustard, and pepper. Mix together and serve. I like to add dill relish or cut-up pickles to mine, but don’t do it in the big batch since others don’t like them.
My cousin’s husband turned me on to this, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t had it before! It’s definitely one of my favorites! He makes it ahead of time and brings it with them. It’s also a great way to use up leftover roast beef!
- 2 cups cooked roast beef
- ½ c mayo
- Salt and pepper to taste
Place roast beef in the food processor and pulse. Add to a bowl with mayo, salt, and pepper, and enjoy! You can use the whole roast for bigger crowds; just adjust the mayo as needed.
Dinner
By far, the hardest meal for this many people is dinner. There are only a few things we can all agree on. We usually do a pizza night when we get there since it’s late, and then a night out to eat towards the end of the trip. We typically default the other nights to red beans and rice and our Gran’s Spaghetti (which my cousin’s husband makes beforehand and freezes). These two usually have leftovers, so it’s another option for lunch.
My favorite red bean recipe is Camilla’s, but I substitute half the water with low-sodium chicken broth. And while I can’t give away our Gran’s spaghetti and meatball recipe, I’ve included a few other recipes for big crowds.
Sloppy Joes
I love Sloppy Joes. It’s such a fun nostalgic meal. It’s also super easy to feed a big group with these. This recipe makes about 4-5 Joes, so double or triple the recipe as needed.
- 1 lb ground beef
- ¾ c ketchup
- ¼ c mustard
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Brown the ground beef and drain if necessary. Place meat back in the pan, add the rest of the ingredients, and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes until it thickens up. Serve with hamburger buns and French fries or salad for a quick and easy meal. If you want to keep it lower carb, make a Sloppy Joe Salad! I add my portion to a big bowl of spinach and add some red onion and crispy jalapeno pieces.
Taco Bar
This is another super quick meal with pretty easy prep. We’ve done Taco Nights, and it’s always a hit because it’s super easy to please everyone. Grab some hard and soft shells, and chips in case anyone wants nachos, and lay everything out. Make sure to bring the margarita ingredients for the adults and some Aqua Fresca for the kids!
- Ground beef with taco seasoning
- Shredded chicken with taco seasoning
- Taco toppings (lettuce, tomato, black olives, onions, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, guac)
Sheet Pan Meals
Personally, I’m a huge fan of one-pan meals. My go-to is usually chicken and veggies. Here are a few options that I love. You can serve them over rice, or for a low-carb option, just eat them as is. You can also add cut-up sausage to the pan as well to give a variety of flavors, or substitute the sausage if people are tired of chicken.
Hawaiian Chicken and Veggies
- 2 lbs chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (again, any boneless variety)
- 2-3 sweet potatoes (or white potatoes), cubed
- 1 yellow onion, chopped roughly
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- Seasonings of your choice (You can play around with whatever flavor you want here; Italian, Creole/Cajun, Mexican, etc.)
Preheat oven to 425℉. Place chicken and vegetables in a bowl. Sprinkle with olive oil and seasonings and mix together. Layer on the sheet pan in a single layer and bake for about 20-25 minutes (you may need to stir the pan halfway through). Again, the serving size is about 4, so adjust as needed.
Extras
We also love some good snacks on our trip. Here are a few things we usually have on hand for general snacking or for snacking on the beach.
Corn Crack Dip – Pair this with some Fritos Scoops or Wheat Thins and try not to eat it all in one sitting!
Cold Spinach Dip – Another good one with Wheat Thins or vegetable sticks. We usually omit the water chestnuts.
7 Layer Dip – Goes great with Taco Night or just to have on hand to snack on!
It takes a lot of prep to throw together a vacation for large groups, so hopefully some of these recipes will help save time and the inevitable fights that come from groups this size! Happy Vacationing!
