ERHS Cross Country - Pasta Party Information
A pasta party is held the night before each cross-country meet from 6pm-8pm
The host family should plan for approximately 60 – 75 people and provides the
following:
- Pasta Dinner (can be a pasta casserole of any kind or pasta with sauces) – see
below for tips
- Paper plates (get strong ones, unless you want pasta sauce on your floor)
- Napkins
- Plastic forks
- Cups
- Butter
- Extra bowls to put breads in.
- Parmesan Cheese
- Table/chairs or just have them eat on floor or outside too.
The runners will bring bread, beverage, salad and dessert:
7th/8th/9th
10th
11th
12th
Green Salad or Fruit
Dessert
Drinks- no pop please
Bread
TIPS:
 Plan for about 12-14 pounds of dry pasta (adjust if serving lasagna or casserole)
with a couple of pounds on hand as back up. You can do any kind of pasta you
would like – large chunky pasta seems to work best.
 You can cook it in advance that day or night before!! Add olive oil to the water.
Drain, rinse with cold water and store in large Ziploc bags to refrigerate. Allow
more time than you think to cook this amount and change water. Heat a large
kettle with strainer of water (takes over 30 minutes to boil). Dunk the steamer
with cold noodles into water about 3 minutes. Toss noodles with olive oil or
butter and keep warm in steam trays or crockpots,
 Use crock pots (on warm) to serve the sauce. Have one sauce with meat (or
meatballs on the side) and one without. It is also recommended to have a white
sauce as well. Plan approximately ½ cup sauce per person.
 If making a casserole, you can factor down the above based on the servings
available in the casserole. Some people do both for a variety for the kids.
 If possible, have a large container of ice water available (although kids will bring
beverages). A cooler with half filled with ice is handy to keep jugs of milk cold.
 Have extra jars of sauce and pasta on hand if needed.
 You may want to have one loaf of French bread on hand so that if kids arrive
before others that didn’t bring bread, there is some available.
 Have butter available for bread that is not already buttered or for those that just
want buttered noodles
 Have some parmesan cheese available as well
Estimating numbers:
This season we are starting out with approximately 120 runners. Check with the hostess
of the previous week’s party on their total numbers. Typically not all kids show up given
other activities, school events/tests/etc.
Other Thoughts / Tips:
 Expect most kids to show up early and in big groups and some to straggle in later
on.
 It is nice to have help at the beginning when the kids are coming in and handing
you their food. Sometimes they can just put it on the tables but often you need
to put it in a bowl, add a spoon, or take it out of a wrapper.
 Be prepared to cut up bread
 Set everything up in a buffet style and figure out an efficient path for the food
buffet line.
 Some people have the tables set up outside (if it is nice outside) or in their garage.
The kids will eat just about anywhere!
 Have lots of trash cans and extra sacks available and in sight.
 Feel free to put several salad bags into one large bowl. Have one helper heating
the noodles and watching over the sauces.
 Feel free to have kids leave their shoes at the door upon entry!
 If you have left-over bread, you can bring it to the meet the next day for the kids
to have on the bus-ride home. They LOVE this.
 Don’t be shy about asking kids to clean up after themselves. Again, just have lots
of trashcans / trash bags available and recycling bins.
 If possible, take pictures!
 Thank you and have fun!!
Example of a pasta dinner:
11 lbs of penne noodles plain
Two crockpots of sauce – one white/one red
Two pans of mac & cheese, baked ziti or lasagna