How to Cook Spaghetti for a Fundraiser

Control portion sizes as you serve to be sure that you have enough for everyone.

Holding a spaghetti dinner as a fundraiser is an event that is loved by almost everyone. Cooking the spaghetti itself is a quick process. While the ingredients are cheap and easy to prepare, it does take some organizing to get all the meals ready at once. If you are in charge of the cooking, enlist several helpers and scope out the kitchen ahead of time.

Things You'll Need

• Spaghetti
• Sauce ingredients or jarred sauce
• Meatball ingredients
• Oven and stove
• Large pots
• Strainer
• Tongs
• Ladle
• Spoons

Instructions

Initial Preparations

1. Start early. Cooking in large amounts takes longer at almost every step than you might expect.

2. Assemble your ingredients in one central location. You will need approximately 1 pound of spaghetti for every six to eight diners and 1/2 cup of pasta sauce per person.

3. Put on a large pot of water to boil. Add a tablespoon of oil to the water to prevent the spaghetti from sticking together. For best results, use a pot with a separate strainer that fits inside the pot.

Making the Sauce

1. Use a favorite recipe -- adjusting it to fit the size of the expected crowd -- or use jarred sauce. Some groups have members donate a pound of spaghetti and a jar of sauce each.

2. Mix the sauces together in a large pot and bring them to a boil over medium heat.

3. Reduce the heat immediately to low and let the sauce simmer. Stir occasionally.

Making the Meatballs

1. Make the meatballs according to your favorite recipe.

2. Shape the meatballs gently and place them on baking pans. Insert the pans in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven. Bake until done and count them. Divide the number of meatballs by the expected number of servings to determine how many meatballs to put on each plate.

3. Add the cooked meatballs to the simmering sauce.

Cooking the Spaghetti

1. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and stir gently to separate the strands. Spaghetti typically requires eight minutes of cooking time. Make sure that the spaghetti is "al dente" by taking it out of the water two or three minutes before it is completely cooked. Lift the strainer containing the spaghetti out of the water, but leave the water boiling for the next batch.

2. Drain the spaghetti and place it in cold water to hold until ready for service.

3. Make as many batches of spaghetti as needed to feed the expected crowd. Keep the water boiling on the back burner until serving time.

Serving the Spaghetti

1. Dip the spaghetti noodles back into the boiling water briefly to heat them up. Drain them and place them in a hotel-style serving pan.

2. Place a mound of spaghetti on the center of the plate and ladle sauce onto the center of the spaghetti using a 1/2 cup ladle. Add the predetermined number of meatballs.

3. Serve the spaghetti with bread and a side salad if so desired.

References

• Ellen's Kitchen; Lotsa Pasta: Gallons of Spaghetti
• OChef; Cooking Spaghetti and Meatballs for a Crowd