Best mass feeding I went to did italian baked ziti. She just did up pan after pan of it, and baked it in her and her neighbor's ovens. She made up one big pan of home-made mac-n-cheese, too, to please the kids in the group.

She did up some italian antipasta plates, too, but I'm not Italian, so I don't have any idea how to prepare it. But I sure did enjoy eating it!

Lots of french bread loaves from the local bakery, etc.

I have served that number and more a number of times. Things i have served have included a roast turkey and a ham, with a huge casserole of potatoes of some sort and a big bowl of slaw....crudites and a cheese tray and bar cookies for dessert.
Another time I cooked chicken pieces, rolled in seasoned crumbs and baked in the oven, with baked potatoes ( I have 2 ovens!) and a huge marinated veggie salad.
Another time I boned out 3 small turkeys and made a hot turkey salad with a sweet and sour dressing and a pesto, pasta and peas salad ( frozen not canned !LOL!).
Another time I made huge dishes of chicken tetrazinni. If you have help, chicken breasts on the grill can be done easily and served in buns.
Linda C

Just had a crowd of 20+ folks in the 30-40's age range and served the attached menu of hors d'oeurves that were mostly prepared ahead and reheated at serving time with no change in taste. There was such a variety and volume of hors d'oeurves that we only made a token 'main dish and sides' after we were finished serving the hors.

For more variety, you can add some grilled baby lamb chops and perhaps Buffalo wings which may go over well with a young crowd.

If you're looking for something more substantial as a finale try one or more of these which can all be made ahead.

If you need recipes, let me know.

Love to hear how it turns out.

-Eggplant rollatini
-Chicken scaperalli
-Sausage and peppers and onion with crusty Italian bread
-Hot pasta tossed with a quick tomato sauce with fresh basil and fresh mozzarella chunks
-Pasta with various sauces that each person can ladle onto cooked pasta
-Bechamel lasagna with a bolagnese sauce
-Lemon chicken
-Stuffed chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) baked in white wine and chicken broth. Cut small, these are easy to make and eat.

Mix it up with some gourmet sandwiches - my favorite: grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts with grilled zucchini, fresh mozzarella, and pesto on Italian bread.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Menu

This is an easy and stretchable party dish: Cook 2 whole pork tenderloins - they roast very quickly - and when cool, slice with electric knife very thinly. Get the deli/bakery to make some mini-buns for you. Tell them to do 'quarter-cut' of their kaiser rolls.

Once the roast is sliced very thinly, marinate it in a good Italian salad dressing, overnight if possible. Lay out on a large platter. Have the plates of mini-buns nearby.

It's not necessary to have any condiments, as the marinated meat is very moist and juicy.

Another meat: Slice ham very thinly, and have the same mini-buns, but also condiments such as mayo and spicy brown mustard.

With these, you could have a large pasta salad, potato salad, and perhaps stuffed eggs, or just an antipasta platter.

If you opt for desserts as well, I would do mini-cream cheese (or regular) brownies and mini-lemon bars.

These things are relatively simple and quick to do, and you won't spend all your time knocking yourself out. Relax and enjoy your party!