Hosting a Pasta Party for the FHS Cross-Country Team
Sept 2014
Pasta Parties are lots of work, but so much fun to host! You can expect about 40 to 60 attendees for any given party. There’s no RSVP process, so attendance may vary. And of course, you can invite parents, coaches and team friends at any time.
The best advice we have is to get things prepared early. Below is a list a food you’ll need for a typical pasta party:
8 boxes of thin spaghetti, ziti, or other pasta
If you’re pressed for time on party day (as many of us are), consider making the spaghetti or other pasta a few days beforehand and keep it in the fridge in plastic containers. About an hour before the party, you can heat each container in the microwave for ~5 min. and then put it in a roaster or other food warmer to keep it warm. You will want to keep it at a low temperature to just keep it warm, not burn or dry out the pasta.
Meat sauce
Brown 3 or 4lbs of ground beef and then add several jars of marinara sauce (e.g., Ragu Traditional, Prego Traditional, 45 oz size---note this is the larger size) to make a meat sauce. A typical amount of sauce is 1.5 to 2 cups of sauce per pound of pasta (1 largish jar of sauce is ~6 cups, so you may need ~3 jars). If you prefer, you can prepare meatballs instead of or in addition to the meat sauce (plan on something like 2 per person). If needed, you can prepare the sauce the weekend before the party and freeze it. You can then let it defrost and then warm it in a crock pot or on the stove before the party.
No-meat sauce
You will need to serve some plain marinara sauce for those who don’t eat meat.
Lasagna or baked pasta
You’ll likely also need to serve two baked pasta dishes (e.g., lasagna, baked ziti). These can be homemade or frozen.Consider making one with meat and one without. You could also serve a meatless baked dish, with meatballs or meat sauce on the side. Family-sized Safeway Frozen 5-cheese lasagna is popular, as is Stouffer’s Meat Lasagna.
Miscellaneous things that are good to have:
Parmesan cheese
Extra bowls and trays to serve what the kids bring
Knife and cutting board for bread
Cooler with ice for drinks brought by kids
Cups (~12 oz) for jug drinks brought by kids
Good, strong paper plates for the pasta
Plastic or stainless steel forks
Salad dressing
One or two big trash cans with trash bags
Per your request by class, the team members will bring things like bread, salad and/or veggies, beverages and dessert. A week or so before the event you’ll need to send Trina an invitation with your address and directions to your house so she can post it and/or send it out by email to the kids. The invitation should say something like “What to bring: Seniors, Bread; Juniors, Salad or Veggies; Sophomores, Drinks; Freshmen, Desserts.” (Keep in mind that some class groups are much bigger than others, so you may get lots more desserts than bread!)
The afternoon of the party you’ll likely need toget things set upin your house and/or yard. You may need to borrow chairs and picnic tables from neighbors or other parents (for the latter, be sure to put out the word early!). Set the food up inside and be ready to eat inside or outside (depending on the weather). Make sure the trash can(s) are handy. If you’re eating outside, you may want citronella candles to keep bugs away. Some families have had fire pits going. Footballs, basketballs, frisbies are all welcome.
And that’s it! Have a great time!