Family Reunion Food Ideas: What We’ve Actually Made for 50+ People Over 20 Years

As our family has expanded over the years, we’ve needed to keep reinventing the way we do food at our annual family reunion at Bear Lake. We are now up to feeding 50+ people for five days straight, and that is no small feat.

But after more than two decades of gathering, we’ve figured out a system that actually works. In my opinion it has turned meal time into one of the best parts of the whole reunion. I’m talking about the kind of meals where teenagers voluntarily crowd into a hot kitchen to chop and stir and taste-test, where people are still talking about a particular dish three years later, and where the good old trusty Bosch mixer gets fired up at 11:30 at night because of course, we need another batch of cookies.

Here’s everything I’ve learned about feeding a crowd at a family reunion — the system, the recipes, and the real-life meals that have made it to our permanent rotation.

The Secret: The Assignment System

The single best thing we ever did for reunion food was this: each family gets assigned one dinner or lunch for the whole group. That’s it. That’s their contribution to feeding everyone.
With nine kids in our family, and now spouses and grandkids multiplying that out to 50+. That means we rotate through a full week of dinners without any one family carrying the whole load. But this works just as well for a reunion of 15 as it does for 50. Even three or four families splitting the cooking makes a huge difference.
Breakfast is on your own (cereal, toast, or whipping up whatever your family likes), but lunches and dinners are taken care of.
What I love about this system: when it’s your meal, you plan the menu, organize the shopping, lead the prep. And then you’re DONE. You prep and create your one meal — and everyone is so great about jumping in to help — enjoy everyone else’s, and spend the rest of your time actually being present at the reunion.

Signature Dishes vs. New Experiments

One thing I love about the family reunion food assignment system is that it naturally creates two kinds of meals: the signature dishes and the experiments.

Some families have a meal they’re known for. Everyone knows delectable curry is coming when it’s Eli’s meal. Our family has made the Asian lettuce wraps two years running now and I think it’s becoming our thing. And although Jonah’s burgers have switched through the years from using beef to black bean burgers, they’re a delicious staple.

Then there are the experiments — the families who use their assigned dinner to try something completely new. I know I’m biased, but I honestly have to say I have loved them all! Some of the new recipes, like Kristi’s flatbread, get written up on the blog within weeks and I hope they’re added to the permanent rotation. And others we’ve done before, like my favorite watermelon feta salad, should really make a come-back.

I love that we get both the old and new.

Our Most-Made Reunion Meals

After 20+ years, certain meals have more than earned their spot. These are the ones that get requested before we’ve even assigned dinners for the year.

Eli’s Japanese Curry

Eli served his mission in Japan and came making curry…the kind you can get the sauce mix for at the grocery store. And it is delicious. We used to make that on our rotation for our “international nights” and the kids all love it. But through the years Eli and Jonah have come up with a Japanese curry recipe from scratch. And you guys, it is so good!

This is a good one because it scales beautifully for a crowd, can be prepped ahead, and tastes even better the next day. The roux is what makes it — don’t skip that step. My siblings make extra roux and freeze it so they can whip it up again any time.

Get the full Japanese Curry recipe here →

Lentil Tacos

This one is my sister Charity’s creation and I fell in LOVE at first bite. It’s the perfect reunion lunch: easy to scale, healthy, satisfying without being heavy, and a great option for everyone at the table. One of those recipes where people are genuinely surprised how much they love it. And then ask for the recipe before they’ve even finished eating.

Get the Lentil Tacos recipe here →

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Our family introduced these a couple years ago (compliments from the idea from my cousin) and they’ve already earned permanent status in our book. The secret is buying the sauces from the Cheesecake Factory rather than making them — Sweet Chili and Tamarind Cashew. Everyone assembles their own, which makes serving a big crowd at once easy and fun. Carson and Max are the best at the grilling and everyone pitches in to chop.

Let’s get a better look at how these look all made up from one of the many times I made these suckers at home:

Get the Asian Lettuce Wraps recipe here →

Honey Lime Enchiladas

This is a classic that was in rotation for years, not only at the reunion but at home (Lucy and Carson’s main request). Easy to make ahead, freezer-friendly, and one of those recipes that makes everyone’s eyes light up when you announce it. We usually make several pans at once and they disappear fast. There’s something about that honey and lime combination that is so delicious.

Plus, they’re easy to whip up in advance of your meal.

Get the Honey Lime Enchiladas recipe here →

Kristi’s Flatbread with Hot Honey and Ricotta

The newest member of what I hope will be in the permanent rotation. My sister-in-law Kristi introduced this at the 2025 reunion and I’ve had it on repeat at home ever since. It looks fancy, comes together in minutes, and uses regular French bread from the grocery store. The hot honey drizzle at the end is seriously so incredible.

Get the Flatbread with Hot Honey and Ricotta recipe here →

Jonah’s Burgers

Some things don’t need a recipe post because they live entirely in the hands of the person making them. Jonah’s burgers are that. He makes them every year, people line up, and nobody has ever successfully replicated them at home. There is something about a really good burger eaten outside in the summer with people you love that just can’t be beat, am I right?

Cookies — Every Single Night

Not a dinner, but cookies at our reunion for sure deserve their own section. Because we are what you call a little bit crazy about cookies. The old Bosch mixer gets cranked up at least once a day — sometimes past midnight when the conversations are still going strong and we just need a cookie. Always chocolate chips. Sometimes a competition. One year Eli added a formal cookie competition to the lineup, which led to some very spirited baking.

These are the recipes we reach for the most:

• Ranger cookies – the coconut and rice crispies are the BEST additions
• Modern Honey Levain copycat recipe – a long-time favorite
• The best salted chocolate chip cookies – Grace found this La Grande Orange copycat that we fell in love with
• More Modern Honey favorites with a twist – double chocolate cookies you can add different mix-ins for different special occasions

Yum!

Practical Tips for Feeding a Crowd

After 20 years of this, here’s what we’ve learned:

Cook together, not alone. One of my favorite things about reunion food is that the kitchen becomes its own activity. Teenagers who might normally disappear after dinner are suddenly standing at the counter helping chop vegetables. Cousins are tasting things and offering very strong opinions. Prepping together has become it’s own tradition in our family. If it’s not that way yet in yours, assign prep jobs just like you assign meals and watch how quickly it will become the best gathering tool.

Choose meals that scale naturally. Curries, pastas, taco bars, burger nights, big pots of soup — these all scale up so great for a family reunion.

Breakfast is simple. Having everyone figure out their own breakfast gives a low-key start to the day. Each family keeps cereal, bread, eggs, and fruit stocked and it makes it so easy.

Prep the night before. Almost every great reunion meal starts with someone in the kitchen the evening before — marinating, chopping, mixing. It makes the actual cooking day so much smoother and gives you one more reason to linger in the kitchen talking with people you love. For real. Most prepping in our family happens after midnight. Or while everyone is still discussing the world on the “talking couches” close-by.

Remember things don’t have to be fancy! These kinds of meals work great for our family who loves to cook. But I know some families would just as soon get frozen lasagnas or keep the meals and ingredients more basic. Do what works best for YOUR family. And remember, the real magic is in the sitting down to eat together, no matter what the food is.

One More Thing

The food at a family reunion isn’t just about feeding people. Food creates connection.

There’s something about sitting down to enjoy a meal together that leads to more depth in conversation, more bonding, and more understanding. Having a reason to pause and just be present together is a pretty incredible thing.

And the sitting down together is actually the cherry on top of the working together to create the meal. Sometimes in our society of convenience I think the magic of working together, chopping, seasoning, mixing, is where so many good things happen.

The meals become memories to hold onto.

More Family Reunion Resources

• Family Reunion Ideas — all the best ideas we’ve gathered over 20 years of reunions in one place, plus a list of recaps from all those reunions
• How to Plan the Best Family Reunion — the complete planning guide
• Family Reunion Games — games that work for all ages
• Why Family Reunions Matter — the emotional and social benefits