Sports parents...it's Pasta Party time!

[njmom47]

We have to bring a meat dish and I'm tired of meatballs or sausage with red sauce. Any quick/cheap ideas for something different? Maybe Alfredo with chicken? TIA

 

[robinb]

That sounds good to me . What about a pesto with chicken? ETA: Pesto is usually pretty expensive but I bought a big jar at Trader Joes which was reasonably priced.

 

[bgirl29]

Does it have to be a pasta dish? We have done tacos before but we were doing the entire meal with one other family. How about an enchilada casserole? I do like chicken alfredo idea.

 

[jrmasm]

Does it have to be meat? Mac and cheese was always a popular dish at pasta parties my children have attended.

 

[robinb]

Does it have to be meat? Mac and cheese was always a popular dish at pasta parties my children have attended.

That's an idea. The OP can make a beef mac casserole with cheese on top or maybe a tuna mac and cheese.

 

[kofslinky]

We do spaghetti dinners every week during cross country season. The kids love it! There is always a giant pot of spaghetti, one or two sauces, Parmesan cheese, and garlic bread. Every once in a while there might be something different (a casserole or something) but there is always just spaghetti and sauce. The kids never complain about monotony of it, so I say go with whatever is easy for you to make they'll eat up (if they're anything like my cross country kids anyway)!

 

[Poohforyou]

That sounds good to me . What about a pesto with chicken? ETA: Pesto is usually pretty expensive but I bought a big jar at Trader Joes which was reasonably priced.

Pesto is a good choice. My dd14 loves it. I make the knorr mix and stir in a few spoon fills of the trader Joe's jarred pesto. It makes the sauce thinner which in how dd likes it. Throw in some chicken and halved grape tomatoes.

 

[scrapquitler]

Chicken Cacciatore (chicken with tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, peppers, onions, mushrooms and garlic, you can serve it over pasta). Easy to make in the crock pot or oven, and you can use inexpensive cuts of chicken....my preference is boneless thighs.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-chicken-cacciatore/

 

[clh2]

We hosted several pasta parties when DD was in cross country. We had a variety of things, easy to do when you are serving 50+ girls.

For the main entrees- we had homemade spaghetti sauce (with and without store-bought meatballs); 2 trays of baked ziti with Italian sausage, 1 tray of baked ziti without the sausage. And, Alfredo sauce with and without chicken.

We had other stuff too-salad, garlic bread, skittles, bottles of water.

Both years we did this, other moms offered to handle the desserts!

To the OP-Alfredo with chicken is a great idea!

 

[Hannathy]

go with the chicken Alfredo.

When we did Pasta night for the football teams this fall - talking 100 boys and coaches, the chicken Alfredo was the first pasta to run out.

I was amazed how many boys took that, we had plenty of meatballs left after the first time thru the line and lasagna, but the Alfredo was long gone.

 

[RunningGirl]

go with the chicken Alfredo.

When we did Pasta night for the football teams this fall - talking 100 boys and coaches, the chicken Alfredo was the first pasta to run out.

I was amazed how many boys took that, we had plenty of meatballs left after the first time thru the line and lasagna, but the Alfredo was long gone.

This is my experience, too. When I order for a team dinner I have to order at least twice as much chicken alfredo as spaghetti or ziti. It always goes first.

 

[pixiewings71]

Baked Ziti is always a hit for our potlucks.

 

[njmom47]

Each grade level brings something different. Juniors and Seniors bring a meat dish so there is always a ton of meatballs and sausage. So just get some chicken tenders, cook them with butter? bread them and bake or fry them? and throw them in the pan with alfredo sauce?

I made tortellini alfredo when ds was a Sophomore (pasta year) and it was gone in a flash. Of course there was a ton of baked ziti dishes and pasta with sauce.

Thank you for the ideas! I figured you guys would come through.

 

[debster812]

DS's track team does not do pasta fests, as there are over 100 boys on the team, and there is nowhere big enough to host them all.

In the fall, the soccer team usually has one the night before every home game. Generally the captains, and then the rest of the seniors host. Host family provides the pasta, sauce, meatballs, etc. Underclassmen bring salads, bread, drinks and desserts, and it's determined by grade.

 

[huey duey & luey]

Each grade level brings something different. Juniors and Seniors bring a meat dish so there is always a ton of meatballs and sausage. So just get some chicken tenders, cook them with butter? bread them and bake or fry them? and throw them in the pan with alfredo sauce?

I made tortellini alfredo when ds was a Sophomore (pasta year) and it was gone in a flash. Of course there was a ton of baked ziti dishes and pasta with sauce.

Thank you for the ideas! I figured you guys would come through.

I would probably get a few pounds of chicken breast cube them brown then and then throw into the Alfredo sauce

 

[Hannathy]

what we had at our dinner was fettuccine pasta, browned chunks of chicken and alfredo sauce all mixed together in a huge pan and baked.

I would just brown chunks of chicken, breasts or tenders, add them to cooked fettuccine pasta and the sauce stir it all together in a casserole dish , sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over top and bake it.


You could use any pasta with some bulk you wanted, rotini, penne, ziti, etc.

 

[Anastasi]

Cheater's way to do chicken Alfredo

Get one of the cooked roaster chickens from the grocery store or Costco.

Cut up the cooked meat and throw into warmed up Alfredo sauce. Toss in fettuccine.

 

[mamacatnv]

Pasta tossed with butter, have parm cheese available on the side. Not everyone likes red sauce, alfredo with chicken can get spendy depending on how much and a plain pasta is often overlooked by the planners but appreciated by many

Back in my football mom days I would always have at least one person make plain buttered pasta. Sometimes we would have ground beef or chicken on the side.

 

[Hannathy]

Pasta tossed with butter, have parm cheese available on the side. Not everyone likes red sauce, alfredo with chicken can get spendy depending on how much and a plain pasta is often overlooked by the planners but appreciated by many

Back in my football mom days I would always have at least one person make plain buttered pasta. Sometimes we would have ground beef or chicken on the side.

Good idea but she is supposed to bring a meat dish the way it is divided up

 

[mamacatnv]

Good idea but she is supposed to bring a meat dish the way it is divided up

Ooops, I missed the meat part, however, you can add ground beef, sausage or chicken to buttered pasta.

Other meat dishes would be a taco salad with beans and ground beef

Layered enchiladas - this is easy - just layer corn tortillas, ground beef, cheese and canned enchilada sauce - bake until bubbly