Catering lasagna Recipe
#7
  Re: (...)
Hi all. My hubby is in charge of the Childrens Services Holiday Party that is put on every year by his Reserve Squadron.

They usually do Spaghetti, sauce, bread and dessert. I don't know if they do a vegi or salad. They do Spaghetti because they do not have cooking facilities and they can do it on propane burners (I think). But, Steve wants to do Lasagna - prep ahead - bake and serve. He is exploring ideas on getting the chow hall to cook it - or having us cook it at home and transport 45 min - to the base for the dinner. He thougth it could proabably be put in coolers and kept warm - instead of cool. Other than health issues he is not under any health agence scrutiny.

Do you any of you with experiance with this have any thoughts?

He things there will probably be around 100 people - maybe less - hopefully he is getting a better number today - but that includes helpers and kids. How much lasagna would you prepare? I don't think he will be doing a real deep lasagna - but a good one with at least a couple of layers.

We were thinking of having a prep party the week before - freezing them and thawing in the refer the day before.

Do any of you have any good catering lasagna recipes? We would like a nice one but can't be too extravagant.

PJ - Didn't you once post a site for catering quantities and menus?

Hope I haven't rambled on too much.
Erin
Mom to three wonderful 7th graders!
The time is flying by.
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#8
  Re: Catering lasagna Recipe by esgunn (Hi all. My hubby i...)
First off Erin, check with a catering outfit in your area and see who has a cambro(s) you could rent - you can get 4-5 1/2 sheet pans in each one to hold the pans of lasagna. You put a pot of boiling water in the cambro 2-3 hours ahead of time and that will bring the inside temperature to over 140F. to keep everything safe. They are not expensive to rent. Much better than trying to fit lasagna pans into coolers - (one of those "been there, done that" things ). Plus, I don't think you can put boiling hot pans in a regular cooler (I may be wrong on that, but...)

Secondly, there is a recipe in 'our' "The Big Book Of Casseroles" on page 210 for a baked pasta with chicken and puttanesca sauce that would be real easy to masquerade as lasagna and a heck of a lot easier than making it for such a crowd.

For 100 folks (mostly kids) I would figure at least 12 lbs. of pasta and ~10 qts. of sauce. You could wing this dish very easily working from those figures. This would make about 5 9"X13" pans or 70 cups.

There are no ovens but is there refrigeration? Or will the dishes be left in the coolers the 45 minutes, plus set up, plus the waiting that always happens at catered events. Safety wise you'd be much better off renting professional cambros - they will keep everything hot ( above 140F) for a good 3 hours.

Hope this helps.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#9
  Re: Re: Catering lasagna Recipe by cjs (First off Erin, chec...)
Thanks Jean. Will look into the cambros and the recipe in the book!

If he can get the chow hall to cook it - it will only sit for the travel time (I think), maybe 15 minutes. It is pretty regulated and a smooth running timeline, but I know it never goes quite as expected.

I also suggested for him for dessert to have frosted cupcakes with a table set up with sprinkles, candy bits and such. Then you can combine dessert and a fun kid activity into one! Maybe a little ice cream to top it off! and you are good to go.
Erin
Mom to three wonderful 7th graders!
The time is flying by.
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#10
  Re: Catering lasagna Recipe by esgunn (Hi all. My hubby i...)
Just walked in the door, here's that site, Erin, good for future reference.

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t...-guide.asp

Least I think it is,if not, I'll correct it laterSmile

Good Luck!

PJ

I know it says apps but I think somewhere on there, entrees are included. Not much help, am I? Got to be out the door in 15 min, so I'll check again later.
PJ
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#11
  Re: Re: Catering lasagna Recipe by pjcooks (Just walked in the d...)
Erin - consider doing a baked mostaccioli - that way you can make it meatless and with a meat sauce. We always make it meatless, then serve sausage and meatballs on the side. Meat on the side might be harder with all the transportation issues you're going to have. It serves easier than the lasagna to a crowd. I served it recently for a shower for my assistant and it went over well with the staff - kids like it too. I just use our basic marinara (red gravy) and mix it with precooked penne or mostaccioli pasta. Put cheese on top and bake until heated through. To make it easier to travel to work, I made the pasta and put it in plastic bags and brought the sauce separately in a large container. Assembled and baked it in our building's kitchen.
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#12
  Re: Re: Catering lasagna Recipe by HomeCulinarian (Erin - consider doin...)
They don't have an oven, tho. That seems to be the biggest hurdle.

Erin, good idea about the meat - or you could mix the meat into the sauce and go from there.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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