Well, “relatively” easy, maybe:

- meatball dishes, such as barbecued, Swedish, or other varieties
– pulled pork for sandwiches
– for that matter, a roast of some kind
– chili or other casserole / stew dish

Finally, anything provided by a caterer is “easy”. And having a catered main dish, but no actual “dinner” to present might make the cost bearable.

https://gr.pintecomrest./explore/large-group-meals/

These?

Mac and cheese. Easy to make and there are dozens of variations on the basic recipe.

@ZEPHYRA that was an interesting link – once I managed to correct it.

Here it is again.

I’m going to something on Sunday and I’m bringing stuffed peppers. I think they’ll be okay at room tempterature. I plan on making the “stuffed” part of most of the peppers ground-beef-based, but since I know some people there are vegetarians, I’m going to look up a veggie-based stuffing (perhaps beans or something similar to a veggie patty).

If you want the easiest of the easy, go to the grocery and buy a boneless ham, and have them shave the entire thing. You can either go to the Deli and ask for some nice plastic boxes, or take your own (Dollar Tree covered foil cake pans work great.) Have them divide it into 2–4 containers. Should cost you under $10 (you only need the cheap boneless ham).

If you know others that are looking for easy, you can spread the word so you’re sure to have bread/dollar rolls, a cheese tray, condiments, etc. If not, you can take dollar rolls and condiments from your fridge – there’s bound to be cheese.

Alternately, if you want to cook and put on the dog, just marinate and roast/grill a whole boneless pork loin, let it cool, and slice. Marinate in olive oil, lemon juice and your favorite all-purpose seasoning, as in Cavendar’s Greek. Pork loin is about $1.78 a pound at Sam’s Club.
I have a 2 burner gas grill, and it takes me about 40 minutes to cook a ½ loin. Light and pre-heat one side. Mark the meat on the hot side, then move it to the unlit side and turn every 10 minutes for another 30–40 minutes (total cook time about 40–50m.)

I make a really good pasta salad that is a crowd pleaser.

Boil small shell macaroni

Add

2 large cans of white albacore tuna
½ minced, large red onion
1— 1 -½ cups diced sweet pickles
1— 1–½ cups diced cheddar cheese

Mix with mayo to blend, chill for several hours, serve. great in the summer.

A nice, easy salad too is to buy the pre-shredded cole slaw mix, blend in a can of halved cashew nuts and mix with a prepared cole slaw dressing.

I second @ibstubro‘s plan. Ham slices, with bread and sandwich fixings. Or you could get ham and turkey slices.

If you buy the boneless ham that comes in the lozenge shaped loaf, it’s inexpensive/tasty and shaved will fill the better part of 2 aluminum roasting pans (for comparison). An impressive amount of ham for 5# times the per-pound price (holidays you can get it under $2).

If you want to take the rolls and fixings, too, partner with someone. I’ve done this for office parties where I paired with 2 other people and pissed some others off with our extravagance. Actual cost was about $7 each.

To add to what @ibstubro said, it’ll take some time, but the prep is fairly simple. You could also grill/smoke a brisket of beef using a similar method.

If you want to provide things like lettuce and tomato, you can put them in a dish that sits in another dish of ice. It will help keep them cool and crispy. People might appreciate having the condiments in ice, also.

When I go to a gathering where I’m asked to bring something, I usually think two criteria: What would I like to eat and What is something that there may not be much of or any of at all. I often bring dessert (which goes under my first requirement as I like it), and that way I know there will be a good dessert.

I know you are not looking for a dessert so that brings me to my second criteria, and that’s what is something that there may not be much of or any of at all. I love pasta salad, I love mac and cheese and I love all other stuff like that, but there’s usually a lot of pasta stuff at parties, because let’s face it, it’s relatively inexpensive. It’s a big hit and everyone loves it, but it’s not the best thing for you, so balance it out with my idea below.

My third criteria is if it’s coming from my kitchen, it has to be really, really simple. I will usually bring a vegetable because everyone thinks of it as something healthy, and I feel it balances out all the bad stuff that there will be (pastas, desserts, etc.). I will buy two bags of frozen string beans from Trader Joe’s because they have the long, uncut ones with just tips cut off. I know many people don’t live near a TJs so then just buy some regular frozen string beans. The ones at TJ’s are also not too soggy. I’ll boil them up and put them in an aluminum tray (keep on hand from Costco but you can get them at any dollar store or a Walmart or grocery store). I may put on a pat or two of butter when the string beans are still hot, to enhance the flavor.

Total cost may be about $4 plus the cost of the tray. If you don’t have aluminum tray, you can put it in any large bowl or casserole dish. Room temperature is fine and it’s not something that will go bad if left out all day. People feel like they have a healthy item to balance out the bad stuff.

I included my pasta recipe because it is like a main dish, just to clarify that I did read the Q. haha

@Coloma: I love pasta salad with tuna in it, or hardboiled eggs, or both. It’s the best!

@jca Try that recipe I posted, it is delicious. Actually I meant to say about a ½ CUP of minced red onion, add the onion to taste. I’ll make a big bowl and give some away and then eat it for the next few days. It’s great in summer. :-)

I get the impression it will be outside. I don’t know the clime that @marinelife lives in, but she may want to consider some way of keeping tuna and eggs cool, like over ice somehow. Here, tuna and eggs would spoil in a couple of hours in this heat.

@Dutchess_III: That’s why the veggies are a safe bet, IMHO.

Yep, I guess it depends on the situation. If the even is going to be in a park then tuna and egg dishes might be sketchy fare, but, if it is outdoors at a private home then anything perishable can be kept in the fridge until serving time. I threw a big outdoor bash about 7 years ago in July and made my salad and set it out on a table and everyone enjoyed it without issue on a pretty warm early evening, maybe in the high 80’s or so.

What veggie “easy main dishes” did you have in mind, @jca?

The hurdle here is a main dish that’s palatable to the masses either cold or at room temperature.
A substantial salad – pasta, tuna, chicken, etc. – shouldn’t be a problem if you package the dish properly and keep ½ an eye on it. Instead of one large container, put it in a few, smaller, containers. Chill them well and put them in a cooler with an ice pack/whatever. When one runs out, set out another one. If the event has a ‘start’ time where there’ll be people in line waiting to eat, you’re probably safe putting ½ in one container. Depending on how much you make, how much it cost, and how much you like leftovers, you might put the remainder in ¼ and 2 1/8 containers, approx.
Minimize the risk and the waste while taking plenty to eat.

I don’t think most people would view a salad as a “main dish.”

@ibstubro: I was referring to the string beans I discussed above, and my reasoning for bringing it to parties I discussed, the ease of preparation, the cost and the health factor. Also, there’s likely to be a lot of pasta dishes so a veggie dish such as string beans may be a welcome addition.

@Dutchess_III Well, a pasta salad with fish or meat and cheese is a pretty solid main course all by itself IMO.

I was referring to that fact that the question is, “Can you give me some easy main dishes to feed a crowd?” @jca.

Tuna and chicken salad could easily be main dishes, @Dutchess_III. Bring some flatbread and some fixins and you’re set.

I eat pasta salad as a meal a lot during the summer. No meat. If I happen to have some leftover smoked salmon, that is flipping amazing!
That tears it, @Coloma! I’m bringing pasta salad with a healthy dose of smoked salmon!
Or I could go strictly veggie and dice up some fresh grilled Portabella?

Except that mushrooms are not vegetables, of course.

@CWOTUS Botanically you’re correct. They are fungi. However in the culinary world they are a vegetable. Much like the pumpkin, or cucumber, or tomato. Botanical fruits, but culinary veggies.

@ibstubro: I’m aware what the question was. Not everyone wants to eat meat and not everyone wants to eat pasta. People who are vegetarians might not want to have their choices limited to only starches. Guests may also feel like they want some simple veggies to put on the plate along with the pastas and meat dishes.

I love ham (your idea) but I don’t always want something salty that may make me retain water, especially in the summer. Many people avoid pork products.

I have brought string beans to multiple pot lucks and have yet to be turned away because it’s not adequate.

From the OP details, @jca:
“Going to a block party. Everybody tends to bring sides or desserts so I want to bring a main dish.”
I was referring to the question, not the pot luck. Apparently there are expected to be an excess of side dishes and @marinelife specifically asked about “main dishes to feed a crowd”.
As long as you consider string beans an main dish and not a side, there’s no issue.
When I was a kid we had neighbors that ate green bean sandwiches.

@CWOTUS were you counting pasta as a vegetable? I was using “veggie” as shorthand for “vegetarian”, not “vegetable”.

@ibstubro: I do.

Maybe bacon wrapped string beans baked in a croissant dough. Beans in a blanket? lol

For me, a salad, even a green salad, could easily be a main course. Hell, a couple slices of toasted garlic and mozzarella cheese could be a main course, the entirety of my dinner. I’m just saying that, in general, people seem to view one particular food all by itself as a main course: Fried Chicken, roast, meatballs, ribs, etc, not tuna salad.

BTW…is the food going to be outside or in someone’s house?

@Dutchess_III: I agree. Especially coming from @ibstubro who describes himself as a pescatarian, no rules state main courses need meat (and I know @Coloma was just kidding!).

I know…and there have been several questions asked here about what constitutes a “main course,” and how do we accommodate vegetarians so they don’t feel slighted if they’re left with only “sides” to choose from.

So, @Dutchess_III.
You consider green beans a main dish?

I’m a pescatarian that prefers to cater to the crowd if I take something for a communal gathering. And I prefer to center on main dish items, much like @marinelife in the OP. So when I worked, I often took 5# of shaved ham.

When I cook, a variety of side dishes are my main meal.
Not to say that I cook a big pot of green beans and call that the main course.

I go to a lot of potlucks. I am almost always the only vegetarian there, but I also like to make stuff that most people can appreciate. In this case, I would probably make a big Layered Salad which for me, is definitely a main dish. You can make just the one (of your choice) and either keep it vegetarian, or you could make two and add cold cooked chicken, or you could have a separate bowl of cold cooked chicken next to it, for people to add in.

What I often do is put my big covered bowl in my collapsible cooler, but instead of having ice in the cooler, I have one of those square plastic freezer paks that you fill with water, or one that is already filled with gel, in the cooler as well, and then I set that freezer pak on the table, maybe on a bigger plastic platter, or on a dish towel, and then put the bowl on top of that, so the food stays cool during the run of the party.

Right now, I’m actually craving Greek Salad. This one is more of a layered Greek salad dip, that you could serve with pita chips, or actual pieces of pita bread, pre-cut into wedges.

@ibstubro Anything in the world can be a main dish. My point is, I think there is a certain concept of what a “main dish” consists of. Yes, I could consider green beans a main dish, but most people wouldn’t. I just don’t know that anyone would consider a tuna salad as a main dish, and not view it as another side.

@marinelife Is the food going to be inside or outside?

Oh, no?
@Dutchess_III How can you argue in one breath that green beans can be a main dish and tuna salad cannot??

You cannot have your tuna salad and eat it too!

You cannot have your tuna salad and eat it too!

Just watch me!

As long as you don’t spoil your appetite before the Green Beans are served, @Yetanotheruser.

Maybe a tuna green bean casserole? retch

Give me a plate of boiled string beans, some good bread and butter and dessert and I’m happy.

@jca I just had a plum, some crackers and an Otter Pop. I guess the plum was the main course. haha

@Coloma: Haha! Yes! :)

You are confusing my statements @ibstubro. This is not about me. For ME green beans, or tuna casserole (bletch) could easily be a main dish, as could a bowl of cereal or a banana or a plum, or anything else. However, I don’t think most OTHER PEOPLE would view them as a main dish. Especially not men, who seem to demand meat, of some kind, as a main course. And that is the audience @marinelife is targeting. A bunch of Other People.

@marinelife Is the food going to be inside or outside?

While this isn’t intended as a main dish, I can’t tell you (rather, I won’t tell you) how often I’ve had it for dinner. And now I can do it even more healthfully:

Buffalo Chicken Cream Cheese Dip with Kohlrabi “Chips”

This recipe will literally take longer to write about than it would take to prepare. The recipe for a small gathering is:
1 – 8 oz. cream cheese (don’t do the low-fat; splurge)
½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
½ cup bleu cheese or ranch salad dressing (your choice)
½ cup of Frank’s (or equivalent – not too hot!) hot sauce
1 can of chunk white chicken meat, drained (I’m not sure, but this might be a 10-oz. can.)

In a good-sized casserole dish, microwave the cream cheese for a minute to soften. Then mix in the other ingredients and whisk or fork-stir until relatively well distributed. Heat in the microwave for five minutes, in two-minute intervals, stirring between heats. It will get good and bubbly hot, but there is no “cooking” required, just heating to aid the mixing process. And because I like it best served hot-to-warm.

While that’s heating you can peel and thinly slice the kohlrabi.

After a final stir, and making sure that the microwaved mix is not too hot, use the kohlrabi chips instead of nacho chips (which most people will prefer) for dipping, and try to avoid eating the whole thing in one setting. I dare you.

It’s also quite good while cool. (With variations that include the addition of sour cream and crumbled bleu cheese, it can also perform well as a cold dip from the refrigerator, but the recipe I listed is a little too hardened, when cold, and breaks a lot of chips.)

Yum. Anything with creme cheese I’m up for!

I made teriyaki honey sriacha meatballs and middle Eastern koftas with yogurt sauce.

There you go! Bet it’s yummy, too. Where is the block party?!

It was across the street from our house in Maryland on Saturday.

How did it go?

Almost no leftovers so I guess they were good.