How much food do you need to serve? We’ll tell you

  • By Kara Elder The Washington Post
  • Friday, November 20, 2015 5:09pm
  • Life

Perhaps you’ve browsed the recipes and know just what to make for The Big Day, or maybe you’re waiting until the last minute and improvising. Whatever your method, you need to know how much food to make.

Obviously, it depends on the number of people attending your feast and on their eating habits (a few vegetarians mingling with the carnivores, a few abstaining from gluten or a table full of gluttons, for example).

It also depends on how you feel about leftovers. On one hand, they can be overwhelming, especially after playing a Tetris game in your refrigerator all week. On the other hand, leftovers can provide a jumping-off point for countless meals to come. Keeping that in mind, the portions below are the amounts you’ll need to feed every guest one serving, with the exception of turkey, which we find quite useful to have left over.

We determined our ratios largely by experience and the ever-useful “Chef’s Book of Formulas, Yields &Sizes,” by Arno Schmidt. While the amounts might seem awkward (who makes only 1/2 cup of gravy?), they are meant to help you determine how much — or how little — food you really need.

When deciding how many extra side dishes you need, consider how much variety and how many leftovers you want. For salad greens, we assume you’re adding other ingredients to the salad and not just dropping two ounces of leaves on a plate. For potatoes, we give you the number of pounds needed to make approximately 1/2-cup servings of mashed potatoes.

Small gathering (2 to 4 people): Turkey, one 6-pound turkey breast, 4 to 8 turkey legs or one 8-pound turkey; Stuffing, 1 to 2 cups; Gravy, 1/2 to 1 cup; Soup, 2 to 4 cups; Salad greens, 4 to 8 ounces; Potatoes, 1 pound; Cranberry sauce, 1/2 to 1 cup; Rolls, 4 to 8; Side dishes, 2 or 3; Pies, 1 or 2; Wine/cider, 2 or 3 bottles.

Medium crowd (5 to 10 people): Turkey, one 8-to-15-pound turkey; Stuffing, 21/2 to 5 cups; Gravy, 11/4 to 21/2 cups; Soup, 5 to 10 cups; Salad greens, 10 to 20 ounces; Potatoes, 11/2 to 21/2 pounds; Cranberry sauce, 11/4 to 21/2 cups; Rolls, 10 to 20; Side dishes, 4 or 5; Pies, 2 or 3; Wine/cider, 3 to 6 bottles.

Large party (11 to 16 people): Turkey, one 17-to-22-pound turkey or two 12-to-14-pound turkeys; Stuffing, 51/2 to 8 cups; Gravy, 23/4 to 4 cups; Soup, 11 to 16 cups; Salad greens, 22 to 32 ounces; Potatoes, 23/4 to 4 pounds; Cranberry sauce, 23/4 to 4 cups; Rolls, 22 to 32; Side dishes, 5 to 8; Pies, 3 or 4; Wine/cider, 7 to 10 bottles.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.