Here's How Much Food Per Person Ina Garten Serves Her Dinner Guests

There are many things to consider when planning a dinner party: the guest list, table settings, an impressive menu. Perhaps one of the most stressful parts, however, is trying to figure out how much food you need to prepare. No one wants to be known as the host who ran out of potatoes, but you also don't want to spend good money on ingredients that might end up in the trash. Luckily for us, kitchen guru Ina Garten has the answer. 

The Barefoot Contessa always has a plan in place to ensure she's setting up a stress-free dinner party, an act she's perfected over her long career. Her rule of thumb is to prepare about a half pound per person of the main course and a quarter pound per person of each side dish when cooking for a crowd. "That usually worked out pretty well," she explained on Instagram. So if you're serving 10 people, the aim would be roughly 5 pounds of meat or fish and 2.5 pounds of vegetables, potatoes, or any other side you plan to serve. 

Garten came up with the formula during her early career as a caterer, when she cooked for groups ranging from 20 to 200 people. This was back in the days of her specialty food and catering store, Barefoot Contessa, which she bought in 1978. She successfully ran the Hamptons-based business for 18 years, serving the rich and elite all over the exclusive area. Even with all of her experience, however, Garten said she still feared she wouldn't have enough food to serve at events.

When entertaining large groups, the Food Network star also likes to keep things simple by making something like a rack of lamb and roasted vegetables. She also suggests following a recipe exactly the first time you make it so you can pinpoint any issues before making it for a larger crowd. Whatever you decide to cook, just remember to breathe and get out your calculator to ensure you have enough to feed your group without overdoing it on the leftovers.