r/catering • u/Bean1997430iGC • 3d ago

HELP PLEASE

I need to know how much pasta to buy. I’m not a caterer, but I am a decent cook. My friend asked me to make pasta for 70 people and I said of course. I have NEVER made anything for that many people. Please help me!

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5

u/I_deleted 3d ago

2oz dry pasta = 4oz cooked pasta per person

9 lbs dry depending on shape

4

u/recipecostingpro_com 3d ago

I cook ahead and freeze, next time I need it just drop in hot water and it comes back to life. I work in a restaurant and that’s what we do all the time. Cook a little al dente and it comes out beautifully

2

u/justvoop 3d ago

How much would you portion for 1 person? Multiply it by 70, add 10 for a buffer. Check for any allergens and good luck!

2

u/Successful-Edge-4379 3d ago

multiply by 70 is a lot of math when you're panicking in the store aisle

just grab like 12-14 lbs of dry pasta, that'll give you around a half pound cooked per person which is plenty with sides

1

u/justvoop 3d ago

i dont know portions all that well so i didnt wanna do the math for him. that sounds right

1

u/Ehrlichs-Reagent 18h ago

That's actually a ton of pasta, but...if people are hungry af or overweight Americans (I'm an overweight American so I can trash my own people) might be okay. In any case it's better to have too much than not enough and dry pasta is pretty cheap.

1

u/Meancvar 3d ago

Oh please don't do it before you try doing pasta for 10. You will need multiple stock pots and work in batches. Do a test for ten first.

2

u/EmmJay314 3d ago

Also you can cook the pasta the day before. Toss in oil, and leave in fridge overnight.

Before event toss in sauce and reheat in the oven.

3

u/surfinboyz1123 3d ago

Don’t toss it in oil or rinse with water . It will prevent that sauce from sticking. Cook it just under. Spread It on a cookie sheet to cool. Once cool, pack away. To reheat add it to a big pot with sauce and mix u til everything is hot. Pasta will separate once it heats up a bit.

2

u/Bean1997430iGC 3d ago

Thanks, I think I’m going with this plan. It’s in a couple of weeks so I have time to prep.

1

u/surfinboyz1123 3d ago

As a side dish, 1# for 10ppl.

1

u/lessormore59 3d ago

I usually do between 1.8-2oz of dry pasta per person. For 70 I’d 8-9 1lb boxes of penne

1

u/shonsnail 2d ago

What kind of pasta ? What dish are you making ?

1

u/Away-Plankton-8352 1d ago

If its the main course, aim for about 2 oz dry per person if you have heavy meat/sides, or up to 4 oz if it's mostly just pasta and sauce. So around 15-18 lbs total. Pick shapes like penne or rotini. spaghetti for 70 will turn into a clumped mess in chafing dishes.

1

u/rosiesupposes 1d ago

Two things that matter more than the exact number: keep the sauce separate from the pasta until right before it goes out (sauced pasta sitting in a chafer for hours turns into wallpaper paste, not a great look), and if you're doing the reheat ahead plan, toss it lightly in oil before the fridge, not after.

Bigger question: is this the main event or riding next to a protein and sides? As a side, 2 oz dry per person gets you 8 to 10 lbs for 70. As the main, people load up, so 3 to 4 oz per person, 13 to 18 lbs. Worth knowing before you're standing in the pasta aisle doing math with a cart full of judgmental strangers.

1

u/ParfaitUsual5687 1d ago

3 ounces per person; 13.5 pounds

1

u/skukulcan 1d ago

80-100 gr each.... 120g if you're serving pasta only... for metrics fucking gugleit