How Much Salad for About 50 People?

I think people take far less, especially in a buffet line, than you would think - maybe 1/2 cup per person. There's only a certain amount of space on a paper plate.

How much lettuce you buy depends on what else you are putting in it. I'd make a salad for the family with one Romaine heart, and whatever add-ins you want, and then literally put some on a plate and see how many times you can do that!

You can put the salad in anything for the shower but if you want a fancier bowl, put half the salad in there and the rest in a tupperware container or even a big ziploc bag. If the main bowl gets emptied, refill it.

I'd also dress the salad just before serving, and I'd put in a pair of tongs vs. 2 servers. Nothing slows down a buffet line faster than people having to put their plate down in order to use both hands on the serving pieces.

Have fun!

I think 6 romaine hearts for a greens salad plus the fruit salad is perfect. Not everyone is going to eat the greens and it will just be a small side to the fried chicken.

I've used Ellenskitchen.com with good results for large quantity cooking. According to her you'd need 7-8 heads of romaine.I'd probably put it in a large fail pan just so that I wouldn't have to worry about getting a bowl back plus its easier for the hostess to throw the pan in recycling instead of washing and returning.

Direct link to this is http://www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/plan/quan100.html

I would do 8 romaine and the fruit salad sounds good. I recently did an arugula and mango salad for which people LOVED..
not everyone will eat a lot of salad, although others will make up for it..
Even if you figure, 2 - 3 ppl per head of romaine, assume some ppl will go for the fruit.. esp if it's good with items like strawberries, pineapple, mango, and IF it's hot enough where you live, nectarines/peaches. in any event.. if people are also eating other food, then they don't need tons of salad... although if you make a good dressing............. :) people may cobble it down ! the aluminum tray should be fine....

The last time I did salad for about 50 people I used 8 hearts of romaine. I remember this because I had purchased 2 3-packs for the party and already had 2 in the refrigerator for our personal use and I threw them in on a whim. I'm glad I did! It was just enough.

You probably already have a salad recipe, but my standby is romaine, almonds, dried cranberries, chopped apples or pears, and shredded swiss or parmesan cheese. Top it off with a poppy seed dressing. Yum! Even my kids are crazy for it.

I use O. heart of Romaine for the three of us.
I'd probably buy 6 3-packs of Romaine for 50 people.

I would just google a basic green salad recipe, look at the serving size and do the math.

I think 8 is too much, 6 if probably fine. I think if you add other things besides lettuce, which of course you will, you will be fine. There is a lot of food already and normal plate size won't fit large portions of anything. Plus, I think salad is the thing people skip if there's no room on the plate, just saying.

I think you should use a big bowl. A baby shower is a nice event where people usually dress up. I think it's nicer to serve food at a party out of real dishes.

I don't like Romaine lettuce and would only eat a salad that was mostly iceberg and other items in it.

You can buy the large bags of salad mix at the store and it has the servings on the back.

When I've done salads for 100 or more I go to the local Jr. college and have the department head sell me a restaurant size bag. It's fresh and good and so easy. Carrots and cabbage are in smaller bags in the same box.

My co-worker just had a baby shower and she brought 2 large left over bowls of salad to work. There were a lot of people at the shower. Maybe 6 romaine heads are two much.

I store salad in a large plastic storage bag and then put it in a bowl. You can put a large bowl of salad out and then keep the excess in the refrigerator and add as you need it.

I usually do one head for approximately 10 people and we have left overs. My thoughts are always, people will adjust their servings to the amount of food presented. When it runs out, there's no more of [that]. The only complaints I get and they are small complaints are on the twice baked potatoes. They are everyone's favorites and I only make them twice a year.

I like green salad made with fruit. Poppy seed dressing tastes good with fruit.

You can buy a very large plastic bowl at the Dollar Tree. It will look nicer if the other foods are served on nice utensils. If most everything else is served in aluminum or in cooking utensils, i'd use aluminum so it fit with the rest.

Set-Up a Tossed Salad Bar for a Crowd

This recipe easily divides into two to serve 25 or, divide by 4 to serve about 12

Tossed Salad Bar for 50

Makes about 1 cup of salad greens per serving and about 1/2 cup of vegetables per serving, when using ingredients as directed

6 large bunches/heads lettuce, your choice; washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces
6 cups seasoned croutons
6 cups carrots, grated, about 1 pound
3 cups red onions, diced, about 3 medium
6 cups tomatoes, diced, about 6 large
6 cups mixed sweet peppers, green, red, orange and yellow, about 4-5 large
6 cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise and sliced

Put greens into a large bowl with other items in smaller bowls. Let guests help themselves

Use your favorite bottled dressings. You will need about 32 ounces in all

It is true that most of the 50 people will not eat as much as you think. Picture your plate and spoon a helping..it will be small.

I recall ordering Mexican food for a large group (maybe 20) and I had so much food left over. I was giving away family sized meals to people.

Could you let us know what happens after the shower? I would be interested.

i read ahead on this one and am surprised at how conservative the estimates are! i'm with OPO. i'd use at LEAST 8 and probably a dozen romaine hearts. my husband and i polish off one by ourselves if we're not having anything else with dinner. naturally you can expect smaller servings since the salad is just a side dish, but 50 is a big number.
a separate fruit salad is nice if you like. i tend to bomb my green salads with fruit, but it's true not everyone likes that.
i think a big bowl (or three) are your best bet. my plan of attack would be to chop the salad and bring it in big bags, serve it in a bigass bowl with tongs, and dress it immediately before serving (i've got a vinaigrette to die for) and refill from the bags and dress as needed.
khairete
S.