How much pasta for 50 people?

For 50 guests, order about 5.6 lb of dry pasta, which serves about 12.5 lb. That is roughly 2 full + 1 half trays.

How much pasta for 100 people?

For 100 guests, order about 11.3 lb of dry pasta, which serves about 25 lb. That is roughly 5 full trays.

Catering portion guide

How much pasta per person?

In short

Plan on 4 oz of cooked pasta per person as a side, or 8 oz as a main. Dry pasta roughly doubles, so buy about 2 oz dry per person for a side: 50 guests needs about 12.5 lb cooked from roughly 6 lb of dry pasta.

Buy less pasta than you serve

Dry pasta roughly doubles in weight when cooked. You buy a little under half the weight you serve, so the purchase figure is lower than the served figure.

Planning factor: 0.45x. For every 1 lb you want to serve, order about 0.45 lb of dry pasta.

How much pasta for 10 to 100 people

Order is what to buy as dry pasta. Serves is what reaches the plate after cooking.

Pasta quantities by guest count, showing purchase weight and served weight
Guests	Order	Serves	Trays
2	0.2 lb	0.5 lb	1 half tray
3	0.3 lb	0.8 lb	1 half tray
4	0.5 lb	1 lb	1 half tray
5	0.6 lb	1.3 lb	1 half tray
6	0.7 lb	1.5 lb	1 half tray
8	0.9 lb	2 lb	1 half tray
10	1.1 lb	2.5 lb	1 half tray
15	1.7 lb	3.8 lb	1 full tray
20	2.3 lb	5 lb	1 full tray
25	2.8 lb	6.3 lb	1 full + 1 half trays
30	3.4 lb	7.5 lb	1 full + 1 half trays
40	4.5 lb	10 lb	2 full trays
50	5.6 lb	12.5 lb	2 full + 1 half trays
60	6.8 lb	15 lb	3 full trays
75	8.4 lb	18.8 lb	3 full + 1 half trays
100	11.3 lb	25 lb	5 full trays

These are standard food-service planning figures, not fixed constants. Real yield moves with cut, trim level, cooking method, and how long the food is held. Weigh your own results once and adjust the factor to your kitchen.

Things that change the number

As the main course with sauce, buy 4 oz of dry pasta per person.
Long shapes look like more on the plate than short shapes at the same weight.
Cook slightly under if it will sit on a buffet, it keeps softening in the pan.

Common questions

How much pasta per person?: Plan on 4 oz of cooked pasta per person as a side, or 8 oz as a main. Dry pasta roughly doubles, so buy about 2 oz dry per person for a side: 50 guests needs about 12.5 lb cooked from roughly 6 lb of dry pasta.
How much pasta for 50 people?: For 50 guests, order about 5.6 lb of dry pasta, which serves about 12.5 lb. That is roughly 2 full + 1 half trays.
How much pasta for 100 people?: For 100 guests, order about 11.3 lb of dry pasta, which serves about 25 lb. That is roughly 5 full trays.

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