Buy an Ooni and make pizza outdoors. (Lars has an Ooni and I think he has done pizza parties, maybe he can give an opinion here). Salad, watermelon. Maybe some pies.

That would be beyond my limit. Would this be for dinner or luncheon?

I would look to catering...say from a grocery store or restaurant. Maybe some combo so let the restaurant make a big tray of chicken parm or whatever you want, and then do the sides. Or if it's lunch, they can do trays of cold cuts or ready made sandwiches and wraps, slaws and salads...

Keep it simple... hotdogs and hamburgers and brats with pre-made sides. Enjoy yourself and don't overthink it.

Fifty people means disposable plates etc and anything that needs to be cut to eat like lasagna could be problematic to eat. Classic picnic food is soft like salads and such and hand food because you can stand and hold it and bite bits off. I like the idea of Mexican because you can have lots of choices to put in your tortillas. It isnt expensive either which is a plus and can be made ahead. Rice and beans are good fork foods.

Pulled pork.

I will be outdoors with table and chairs. I'm a single a parent, but will ask for help from my sisters in regards to side dishes etc. Main dish will either bought/catered.

Timewise, I'm thinking like 4-8, so it would be a meal.

I've done immediate family type parties for my kids, but this would be my first large real party on my own (even though I'm going to hit a few for help)

Honestly, sandwiches! We did that for a couple of spring graduations, and they are easy to serve and clean up, easy to eat and yes, you can use a knife and fork. For one of our son’s baptism, we had Danish open face sandwiches from a Scandinavian restaurant which are so pretty and festive-looking, they are great with salads, and go with both wine and beer.

I actually think a taco bar could work well, but I would get a restaurant to do it for that many people. Depending on what they provide, you could have your sisters help with side dishes. I’ve done taco bars and they’re well received. However, mine were for far less than 50.

What’s in mind for dessert?

I've done my fair share of crowd cooking so here are the recipes I'd be looking at.

Braised brisket (I use Pioneer Woman's recipe), au jus mac and cheese/cheesy potatoes, salad, and rolls. You could also have chicken/pork spiedies to mix it up. I've tried cooking them not on the skewer and they just aren't the same.

Lasagna wouldn't be too bad for that many people. I'd think 2 hotel pans would cover it. I use Emeri's recipe and he doesn't have you cook the noodles either which is very simple. For the sauce I normally buy 2 cans and 1 lb of cooked ground beef. You'd want 2 recipes per hotel pan.

Sweet pork burritos would be simpler than tacos. Pulled pork with cilantro, lime and black bean rice. Rice can be cooked in the oven in a disposable hotel pan. If you can smoke the meat it's even better.

Stuffed pork loin. I use Cook's Illustrated recipe. Here I can buy a whole pork loin at a membership club for under $20. You'd probably want to do 2. It's takes more prep but it does slice up pretty for the plate.

Navajo/Fry Bread Tacos is a really cheap way if you know someone with a fryer and have someone frying during the party. I did this for our elementary school teachers and it was a huge hit. For the meat I got a super large can of chili from a membership store and then add tomatoes and beans to it. The rest is basically taco toppings. People can also have scone (fry bread) if they want with butter and honey. I've heard this is a Utah thing but it should be everywhere :)

Some main dish ideas that can be brought in or made ahead- a ham, sliced turkey, pulled pork, chicken wings or thighs, salmon, ribs, baked ziti, meatballs, sausage and peppers. Sides- baked beans, mac and cheese, potato salad, macaroni salad, bean salad.

I also have enjoyed main dish salads at parties- taco salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salead. pasta salad with chicken. Keeping mayo based salads fresh can be a bother, though. I look forward to learning what you decide to serve. Congratulations on your daughter's graduation.

Whew 50 is a bunch. We had a party for about 30 people once and I fixed up about 5 gallons of my "famous" chili with enough salad to go around, also had some good hot dogs/brats on the grill.....the vegetarians could settle for the salad ;-) Other close guests asked if they could bring something so we let them bring the desserts and/or their favorite beverage.

aziline suggested brisket. Our son-in-law cooked amazing brisket for Easter yesterday. That’s another nice idea with umpteen side options that would also please any non-meat eaters.

Seems to me the first person to consult would be the graduate to see what she would like to have served at her party for her and her friends.

I like wildchild's idea :-) And once that was determined, I'd cater it out. 50 people is too many to cook for and still enjoy the festivities, not to mention all the many days of prep work before the fact. Mexican, Italian, burgers and dogs, sandwiches.........hire it out!!

Check around to find out if a food truck would be available...we have a slew of them in the area such as pizza trucks, lobster trucks, crepe trucks and more.

That's a great idea, Annie! We did a couple for a big family 4th of July and birthday party combo - burgers, tacos and BBQ for 60+. Just wasn't sure how present food trucks would be in all areas.

If you wanted to do a pasta dish, stuffed shells are much easier to manage than lasagna, both prep and for eating. You can buy them frozen and use jarred sauce. Maybe half of the pans vegetarian, half with meat? Lots of college kids are vegetarians these days; vegans would be difficult to accommodate with this tho. Taco bar could be easier since they could have lots of the ingredients at least. But prepping for 50 would be a lot of work.

Chicken wings are popular and easy to prep ahead and reheat, can be kept warm in crockpots.

I don't know where you live, but if it's going to be warm weather, I might just do a variety of different salads and forego a meat main dish. You could have chicken strips or cold shrimp to add to a green salad and lots of pasta, fruit, grain salads.

If you want to have pizza for 50 people, you should order from some place like Domino's or any pizza place that you like. At work, we had pizzas delivered from Domino's for all the workers on the first Friday of each month, and the pizzas were decent. You would have to decide which toppings you want (ask your daughter), but my favorite was Italian sausage. Their vegetarian ones were good also.

Sometimes instead of pizzas, we would have a taco truck park in the warehouse parking lot, but that was more of an ordeal, although still a viable option.

If you want to be extravagant, you could to a New Orleans Crab Boil, but that might be difficult for 50 people.

My only concern with a large number like that is that there is bound to be a random vegan or someone in there, so it is something else to worry about. A taco bar is not a bad idea. The fillings can all be prepared ahead of time. Same with giant pans of baked ziti with bread and salad. Or a pasta bar. I did one once for a baptism party. I had one short pasta, one long, and marinara, alfredo, pesto, and a meat sauce. Shrimp, chicken, meatballs, roasted veggies and cheese available for toppings. Giant salad and garlic bread on the side. The tricky part of that was holding the pasta without it going sticky. I learned to bring that out dead last and encourage people to eat right then. For an outdoor thing though, I would stick with hamburgers and hotdogs with lots of different types of sides and an ice cream sundae bar for dessert. But for that, you need a pretty big grill and someone wiling to work it. I like the food truck idea. A few different ones to choose from, no work for you.

We just served 40 yesterday. Cooked 2 hams, deep fried a turkey. Sides were done and frozen last week…2 large trays Cheesie potatoes. Costco ceasar salads worked well, as did their dips and crackers, cheese and appetizers, buns buns, comdiments…

Prep, it wasnt that bad, worked out well. Have fun and enjoy, congrats to DD.

I was going to suggest a couple or 3 hams, just need to be heated. Serve sliced with an assortment of nice bakery rolls and an assortment mustards. A vat of coleslaw and another of Caesar Salad. If you don't think that is enough you could do baked beans. I think the key for that many people is not to have too many different dishes. The KISS principle.

Tacos sound yummy to me. I served a taco bar once for a family birthday party for a 2 year old. Probably 25 persons. I suggest ground beef, maybe pulled chicken, 2 kinds of cheese (one orange, one white), lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, guacamole, green peppers, refried beans, rice, sour cream. I don't like spice so there might be other options. Vegetarians wouldn't feel marginalized. And a huge bowl of CHIPS ( my favourite) maybe 2 flavours of chips. Both corn and flour shells. Green and red salsa. Isn't there another sauce for enchiladas? Meats can be cooked and frozen ahead of time. Cheese are sold already grated. Sangria? Non alcoholic punch for the underaged? Beer?

Graduation cake. The end.

We've done family dinners for that many. We've done ham, what we call holiday potatoes and many might say 'church potatoes', big green salad, rolls. For that many we don't bake the rolls but buy them.

If you have a grill and access to a second borrowed grill, burgers are easy. You just about have to assign two people to cook and flip burgers, leave a cooler side of the grill to heat buns.

Simple salad bar of a big bowl of greens that you will replenish, iced bowls holding chopped egg, sliced olives, grape tomatoes, crumbled bacon (cooked fresh not jarred), shredded cheese, red onion and an assortment of dressings. Salad shrimp also over ice bowl if budget allows.

Last time we had a group that size we had big pans of chicken fettuccine, mock caesar salad, rolls. Easy peasy, not too many choices. If you have a dietary requirement, better bring a snack or be satisfied with salad and a roll. The only way I'd serve 50-75 people +1 would be if the '+1' was the guest of honor and had a diagnosed condition.

My issue with our earlier big family dinners was trying to put too many choices on the table. Too much work, too much clean up. We bought - did not make - several same sized cheesecakes. Pre sliced them but left intact otherwise. We don't use paper plates, at this point don't need them. Family must own easily 200 clear glass buffet plates. But they can be rented too.

I'd go with a food truck or catering. I heard Panera does a nice job covering soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts.

Sounds like a great place for a nice prime rib sliced as your guests walk by the table with full plates of the salads.

Prime rib for 50??? They'd have to mortgage their house to host the party!

One thing to consider is your refrigerator space. if you make a lettuce salad, (caesar is easy,) you can put a LOT of prepped lettuce in zip bags with a paper towel each, then squeeze the air out of them to easily stack in the fridge.

Ya think? I don't. A large roast cut thin and they usually are would not be difficult to cut 50 slices from. Ham would work too. Easy. Truth is grad parties for college aren't really done so may as well do it balanced to the accomplishment and maturity of the guests. Pulled pork and taco bars are the diet of high school grad parties.

For 50, I would have most of the food catered. They know what they are doing and can various ideas and combination.

If you have go- to signature sides, or are okay with making a large green salad then you can order less from the caterer.

Will you be having appetizers/nipples for when people arrive? You can probably handle that to keep the cost down.

Although a taco bar seems like a good idea, to me it’s “sloppy” and I would’t serve it for 50 people. However, maybe this is the norm nowadays.

A friend just reminded me about the 6 foot heroes. She catered Easter from Balducci’s. They have nice sides to go with it.

You can do a vegetable one with fried eggplant etc, then the traditional Itailian and Americam meats and cheeses.

Depending on your budget, if you the hero’s, you could also go to a store like Costcoo for mac salad etc.

Bottom line, I would have as much catered as your budget allows, then fill in with the rest.

The less YOU have to prepare, the better time you will have at party.

Then you must not have purchased a prime rib recently! One of the most expensive cuts of meat you can buy, running around $18 per pound for a boneless roast. Figuring a recommended minimum of 3/4 lb per serving you are looking at 35-38 lbs or around $700!! You could cater the entire party for about that price!!

And college grad parties are indeed a thing!! My own family is planning one for my grandniece, graduating from Cal Poly this June. And while her parents could easily afford to do prime rib for 50, that's is NOT what they will be serving. It is not a sit-down formal dinner but a much more casual outdoor gathering offering more casual, outdoor type food. The types of food that college grads, high school grads and even adults and smaller children will enjoy. They will probably be hiring a couple of food trucks for the gathering and serving burgers or tacos or both with assorted sides.

Prime rib for that sort of gathering is nuts!!

Sorry, eld, but your typo really cracked me up!!

"Will you be having appetizers/nipples for when people arrive?"

I want to go to your parties!!

Arcy, college graduation parties are still a thing here. I have a 'save the date' card on my desk right now alerting us to one on June 11. The graduate is flying cross country to be here, now married to a coast guardsman on the opposite coast. She's been accepted to law school that is just 40 minutes from his station and we're celebrating!

I don't know the menu but do know the party is being held in a park so don't expect a rib roast (or, nipples). It's a 1 PM to 6 PM affair ;)

My GF had a college grad party for her daughter too. She had a food truck and had it at their beach association park area.

When I am serving buffet style, I skip the green salad and spinach salad because they take up so much room on the plate. I'd offer potato salad, pasta salad and coleslaw for an outdoor summer party. Fruit salad on the desert table. Each bowl can be nested inside another that has ice in it.

For the vegetarians have a baked potato bar. Keep them hot in a large cooker. Serve with sour cream, green onions, and whatever else floats your boat.

how about Panera catering. 60 sammies and a nice salad bar. we had that for a wedding of 200 today. It was very VERY good.

Sandwiches for a wedding?

A graduation wood be MUCH more important than a wedding.

I hope that's also not a serious comment

Celebrations of any occasion could be casual or formal. Neither has any effect on the importance or outcome. There is no right or wrong. Too many of these things become showing off the graduate or bride or whatever instead of celebrating them. Opulence can be shallow and soon forgotten. Simplicity can have depth and meaning, with lifelong memories. I still don't see anything about what the graduate wants for her celebration. It's her milestone and memory being made after all.

Yes, does your daughter care what the food is? Bounce ideas off your family helpers too. Take every shortcut you can so you can enjoy yourself and pride in your daughter’s accomplishment. You do not want to be fussing with food too much during the event. Let us know what you do and how it goes. It will be fun!

I think it is awesome you can gather that many people for a college graduation!! It is soo well deserved. It's just a truth that every spring the world is full of high school graduation parties, and they seem to be no expense spared occasions more and more. I don't think the occasion equals the celebrations that are hosted. Never have. It's a right of passage for sure but I don't see it as all that much of an accomplishment! I hoped to celebrate when the University graduations/first job occasions came along!!! THAT is an accomplishment and not a right of passage EVERYONE walks. But we found college grad celebrations are more of a challenge. Most of the people my offspring wanted to celebrate with were busy with their own families/packing/moving back or on to their new life. They weren't coming home they were off to new towns so gathering even family couldn't happen. We settled for a quick restaurant meal for as many as we could muster but it wasn't more than five beyond immediate family.

Are they more important than weddings? Gosh I hope not!! That is a sad sad sad commentary on the state of families if so!!!!

My family is all local so it's basically all family for this graduation party. One my side of the family the grandkids are all first generation to graduate from college and on her dads side of the family she is the only grandchild to graduate from college.

Still haven't committed to a menu yet. LOL

Years ago, in another lifetime, I did some catering. One of our go to menu items was Chicken Dijon which was just creamed chicken with a dollop of dijon mustard served in vol au vont pastry to make it fancy. I'm not suggesting it for your party though. I like the idea of all handheld foods so you don't have to bother with cutlery. Sandwiches, chips, veggie tray or pizza etc would be good. Just keep it simple.

Just wanted to update on this post. I had DD's graduation party a couple weeks ago. It turned out perfect. It was outdoors and a little overcast but not too bad. Here is where I ended up with the menu. bbq pulled pork sandwiches. Potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, caesar salad, fruit salad. spinach dip and the lipton onion soup dip and a salsa with chips. vegi tray, shrimp cocktail and a hot artichoke dip. There was plenty of food. Desserts consisted of Nothing Bundt cake cupcakes, tuxedo cake from costco, glazed donuts holes, caramel rice krispy treats and an oreo cookie type layered dessert. Thank you for all the suggestions.

Congrats!

And apparently thank you. I couldn't figure out what to do for Father's day, and taco bar came to mind. Looking back home it has to been you that prompted it. 😁

Wow, nicely done and plenty of good eats, for sure!

Love Nothing Bundt Cakes. Were having one of their cakes tonight for a birthday.

Sounds delish! So glad it worked out.

Always fun to get update on what was decided!