No Stress Group Trip Dinners
Taking a break from my bucket list to share some inspiration for simple, prep-ahead dinners.
Is there anything worse than cooking in a rental kitchen, only to realize mid-prep that there’s no salt in the house, the knives are too dull to cut even a banana, and the closest thing to a measuring cup is a stained coffee mug?
For the last five years, we’ve taken a trip with our dear friends to the Outer Banks each summer and a trip to Deep Creek Lake in the winter. With three couples, the default plan has always been that each family owns dinner for one night each.
I’ve had my share of fails, like the time I fried off french fries in a light bottomed pot and four quarts of 350° oil exploded across the kitchen. How none of us ended up with oil burns and the kitchen got away unscathed is beyond me, but the embarrassment of this has stuck with me since 2020.
Since then, I’ve stuck to a new playbook: meals that I can make fully at home before our road trip that require minimal work on the day of serving. I am a sucker for a beach day that ends at 7pm, and I don’t want to worry about rushing home to have dinner on the table while everyone sips beers with the sunset.
I also want my trips, no matter how local, to feel like true respites and being able to prep ahead helps me lean into the vacation of it all. When I’ve been skiing on the mountain all day (she says, as a girl who has skied a total of five times in her life and typically is in the lodge by 1pm…), I want to head back and throw something together that requires zero work on my end.
Last summer at the beach, I made my mom’s meatballs and sauce before we left. I froze them, threw them on the stove to reheat, and put together a quick board for folks to snack on while we waited. Zero pressure!
For last year’s ski trip, I did a pasta bake where everything was made ahead, but just had to throw everything in the oven when the day came.
This year, an extra hurdle was added due to a minor kitchen renovation of new cabinets, meaning I had access to a stove, but the cabinets were bare and everything had to be made ahead, I opted to stick with the pasta bake and also add a chicken chili for snacking during lunch or another dinner.
I asked you all for some inspiration for group dinners that could be prepared ahead of time, and you totally delivered. Below is a list of ideas for your consideration for your next group trip:
Pasta bake, stuffed shells, or lasagna
Chili, beef or chicken
Meatballs for sliders/subs or with spaghetti
Any sort of soup or stew, and many recommended chicken pot pie (prepping the filling ahead of time and topping with biscuits the night of)
Enchiladas
Gumbo
Slow cooker curry
Kebabs
Shephard’s pie
Pasta salad
Raclette and/or fondue (such a fun idea for a ski trip!
Stromboli or cast iron pizzas
Dip platters / samplers
Brisket mac & cheese
Casseroles, especially anything Midwestern, specifically a poppyseed chicken
Crockpot carnitas
Pulled pork sandwiches
And for breakfasts, quiche and muffins
I hope this list gives you some inspiration for how to make your next travel dinner as stress-free as possible. An elaborate dinner can be impressive, but nothing stuns quite like not having to rush the group from happy hour so you can get home for dinner prep. Your future self & travel companions will thank you.