Vacation Meal Ideas To Feed A Crowd On A Budget
Looking to keep things stress-free on your trip? These easy vacation meals and easy vacation dinners are perfect for whipping up delicious summer meals for a crowd, ensuring your family vacation food ideas are a hit without the hassle!
Going on vacation is SO much fun, but let’s be real, it can also be SO expensive!
Between the travel costs, accommodations, and activities, the last thing you want to do is blow your budget on eating out every single day.
That’s why I prefer to make as many meals as I can. Sure, it might seem a bit aggravating, but trust me, these vacation meals are a breeze to make, won’t eat up your time, and are perfect for feeding a crowd on a budget.
Plus, think of all the extra fun you can have with the money you save!
So, here’s the game plan: these easy vacation dinners are going to be your best friends. They include fabulous options like:
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- Sheet pan quesadillas: because who doesn’t love melty cheese and crispy tortillas?
- Oven baked chili cheese dogs: a crowd-pleaser with minimal effort.
- Effortless crockpot meals: set it, forget it, and enjoy it!
- One pot pasta recipes: less cleanup, more flavor.
- Foil pack dinners: perfect for those outdoor vibes.
- Slider recipes: bite-sized fun for everyone.
Imagine this: you’re on vacation with a large group or your whole family. Kids are running around, adults are lounging, and the last thing you want to do is be tethered to the stove.
With these dinner ideas, you’ll be able to feed everyone easily and stress-free, all while enjoying the vacation yourself.
Trust me, the last thing you want to do on vacation is stand over the stove the entire time. Instead, let these easy vacation meals handle the heavy lifting, so you can focus on making memories, not meals.
Keep in mind that not all the places you stay will have a crock pot, so check and see before you buy all of the ingredients. Or if you are crazy like me – you will just bring your own crockpot!
Being able to prep dinner while the kids eat breakfast and come back from our outing or the beach and dinner is DONE!
You can’t beat it!
Also see: 35 Boat Snacks For Your Summer Lake Days
This delicious taco pizza is a crowd-pleaser with my kids every single time I make it. It’s a hit with adults too—and how could it not be? This dinner recipe us the best of both worlds: Italian and Mexican food! This Taco Pizza is a super easy meal for vacation rental cooking! Kielbasa and Vegetable Foil Packets are an all-in-one easy vacation meal with little clean-up. Can be cooked on the grill, over a campfire, or in the oven. Great recipe for camping. You can even ditch the foil and roast all the individual portions together in a large baking dish! This One Pot BBQ Chicken Pasta is full of smoky and savory flavors, with tender chicken breast, crispy bacon, and your favorite BBQ sauce – it’s an easy one-pan meal vacation dinner recipe the whole family will love! This quick and easy beef enchilada recipe only calls for 5 ingredients. It’s the perfect main course for a busy weeknight or a road trip meal for your family! This baked BBQ sausage recipe is an easy, flavorful, fuss-free dinner. You only need 4 simple ingredients; just mix and pop them in the oven. A hearty dinner the whole family will enjoy on vacation! This pulled pork crock pot recipe is a breeze to whip up for parties or as a go-to for effortless vacation dinner for family. Pulled pork in the slow cooker is super versatile—toss it into sandwiches, tacos, salads, or sliders for an easy hit with the crowd. This Slow Cooker Queso Chicken Tacos recipe can easily be prepared in 10 minutes and then cooks itself in the crockpot until you’re ready to enjoy your Mexican meal. Tender shredded chicken is simply combined with flavorful seasonings, diced tomatoes and green chiles, smothered in salsa con queso, and served in tortillas. Easy stress-free vacation meal for your family! Chicken Caesar Wrap- If you like classic Caesar Salad, you will love these Chicken Caesar Wraps. All of the traditional Caesar salad ingredients, plus chicken, get wrapped up in a tortilla to create a simple and fresh wrap that is perfect for lunch or dinner for your summer vacation! Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta is a hearty slow cooker dish full of tender chicken in a creamy sauce. It's perfect when you need a meal on the dinner table that the whole family can enjoy. This is the original version is made with Buffalo Wild Wings Sauce that inspired the TikTok viral craze! Effortless vacation dinner recipe! These cheeseburger pinwheels are an easy vacation meal that your kids will love! They are easy to make and so delicious! Ham and cheese sliders are an easy way to feed a crowd on a budget! These are a cheap and fast vacation dinner or lunch recipe that everyone will enjoy. Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese is stuffed with mozzarella, pepperoni sandwiched between two pieces of buttery garlic toast. It’s a fun twist on a classic. Your family will love this for a quick meal on vacation! Garlic Parmesan Chicken Kebabs are juicy pieces of chicken marinated in garlic, Parmesan cheese and other delicious herbs. These kebabs are a fantastic fusion of flavor! These easy homemade smash burgers are better than restaurant burgers! Save a little bit of money while on vacation with these yummy burgers! Portable and perfect as a snack, appetizer or party dish, Walking Tacos are all the rage and totally delicious! Just pile taco toppings on top of your favorite bag of chips! If you want a light and fresh meal on your vacation - this Greek veggie pizza is the perfect option! These Italian Grinder Sliders are a flavor-packed mini version of the classic grinder sandwich that you can whip up in just 30 minutes! It starts with sweet Hawaiian rolls filled with layers of deli meats and melty cheese topped with a savory glaze that adds an irresistible touch. Then, take it up a notch with a homemade grinder salad topping featuring a tangy dressing that pairs perfectly with the sweet roll. This oven baked meatball sandwich recipe is a perfect easy dinner idea for busy days. Also great for large groups, vacation dinners, game day, or as an on-the-go meal. This crockpot pizza casserole is a quick and easy meal to make on vacation and perfect for feeding a crowd! Chicken Parmesan Pasta Skillet is a simple and delicious meal that combines the flavors of a classic dish with the ease of a weeknight dinner. Featuring tender pasta, juicy chicken, and melty cheese, this easy recipe is the perfect choice for busy nights when you want a comforting meal without much fuss. This easy Stromboli recipe is a 30 minute meal that the family will go crazy for! Just a few simple ingredients, prep ahead and freezer friendly! Perfect vacation meal idea! Oven-Baked Sheet Pan Nachos have layers of tortilla chips, cheese, and ground beef and are loaded with your favorite nacho toppings! Whether for an easy weeknight dinner, simple vacation dinner or your Super Bowl party, this easy appetizer is sure to feed a crowd! This Cheesy Taco Pasta is SO simple to make and SO delicious! With just 5 ingredients this recipe is made in less than 30 minutes and one that your entire family will love. This is an easy vacation dinner you can make super fast! Sheet Pan Quesadilla with chicken baked in the oven, enough to feed a crowd! This giant Quesadilla is stuffed with Mexican seasoned chicken, black beans, corn, bell peppers, and lots of gooey cheese. An incredibly delicious weeknight dinner the whole family will enjoy. If you are wanting to feed a lot of people on a budget this vacation dinner is the best! This recipe for baked chili cheese dogs is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser! When you bake chili dogs in the oven, magic happens—they taste warm, fresh, and extra delicious. Your family will love customizing their chili cheese dogs with their own favorite toppings, and you’ll love how easy it was to put together this kid-friendly dinner. This sheet pan chicken and potatoes recipe is made with boneless chicken breasts and baby Yukon potatoes with a delicious honey glaze. A super delicious and simple chicken recipe using only one pan and it is a quick and easy dinner recipe that the whole family is going to love. If you want a simple vacation dinner for two this is perfect or double it to feed the whole family! Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos is a quick and easy vacation meal. Cooked Shredded Chicken is coated with ranch and then topped with bacon and wrapped in a warm tortilla. Cracked Out Chicken Tater Tot Casserole – You must make this ASAP! It is crazy good. Chicken, cheddar, bacon, ranch, and tater tots. You can make it ahead of time and refrigerate it or even freeze it for later. I usually bake half and freeze half in a foil pan for later. Everyone gobbled this up! Even the super picky eaters. These cheesy taco sticks are a simple kid-friendly vacation meal that only takes a few ingredients! Need a vacation meal for a crowd? These cheeseburger sliders are easy to make, filling and taste just like cheeseburgers but without all of the fuss! If you want an easy comfort food meal in the slow cooker, this cheesy kielbasa meal is for you! You can also make it into an actual soup by adding more milk at the beginning if you prefer. Cheap and effortless vacation dinner idea!
