How Much for How Many

Not sure how much to make?  Here's a quick and easy guide to help you decide!

Rice - a good rule of thumb is 1/2 cup of dry rice per person.  I usually throw in an extra cup to my total - especially if the rice is part of the main dish.

Pasta - most packages will say that 2 ounces of dry pasta is one serving.  It depends if you're cooking for kids or adults, but I find that most adults will eat more than that if it's for the main course.  If you plan on 3-4 ounces per adult and 2 ounces per child, you should have plenty of pasta without too much leftover.  For pasta salads, one pound of pasta usually makes enough to feed about 12 people by the time you add the other mix-ins.

Meat - This all depends on how you're serving it.  For sandwiches (like if I'm cooking meat in the crockpot for shredded pork or chicken sandwiches) I usually plan on 6 good-sized sandwiches per pound of meat.  The same ratio usually works for taco meat.  If the meat is being served alone, and not in a sandwich, it's likely that people will eat a little more.  In that case, it's a good idea to plan on one pound for every 4 adults.  Make sure you take into account if there is bone in the measurement.  If you're cooking a bone-in roast, it's a good idea to plan on 3 people per pound.

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