Buffet Dinner Menu for Teenagers

Teens typically enjoy gathering with friends to talk, watch movies, play games -- and eat. When it comes to the eating, most teens can eat a lot. Setting up a dinner buffet for your teen and her friends is an easy way to keep them satisfied while they're having fun. A buffet is also ideal because you can set out the spread and bow out of the room so your teen can enjoy her get-together without having an adult hovering over them.

  1. Finger Foods

    • For teens who want to dance, play video games or run around the backyard with a ball, finger foods are ideal. Your teen and his friends can grab a bite without having to stop their activities to sit down. Pizza, taquitos, quesadillas, small pita pockets stuffed with chicken or tuna salad, fruit skewers, vegetables and dip, potato chips, bread sticks, potato skins and tortilla pinwheels are tasty options that most teens enjoy. You can also skewer small sausages, meatballs and chunks of cheese for quick bites that are easy to eat while having fun.

    Entrees

    • If the teens are going to have more of a sit-down dinner, there are several buffet options to serve a crowd. You could set up a sandwich station and let the teens make their own sandwiches. Just offer a variety of cold cuts, cheese slices and rolls along with mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and pickles. You can include sides of potato salad, cole slaw, macaroni salad or even a heated tray of macaroni and cheese. Either a pot of pasta with sauce and meatballs, or a pan of lasagna, served with salad and garlic bread is a simple meal that teens likely won't refuse either. Hamburgers, burritos, tacos and nachos are other teen-friendly meal ideas that you can set out on a buffet table and let the kids self-serve.

    Dessert

    • Teens usually welcome a sweet treat at the end of a meal. A dessert buffet is a tasty way to complete your teen's get-together. Set out a selection of cookies, brownies and doughnuts and let teens mix and match their favorites. Another fun idea is a cupcake and ice cream bar. Set out a plate of plain cupcakes and bowls of vanilla ice cream. For the cupcakes, include several colors and flavors of frosting. You can offer caramel sauce and chocolate syrup for the ice cream -- and sprinkles, chopped nuts and diced fruit to top both. The teens will love making their own dessert creations.

    Drinks

    • Drinks are a vital addition to any buffet. Offer a selection of sodas, lemonade and/or sparkling water. Put out individual bottles and cans or set up liter bottles or pitchers of beverages with a stack of cups -- and let teens pour their own drinks when they get thirsty. Another fun idea is to set out bowls of fruit, a large container of frozen yogurt, a pitcher of juice and a blender. Then let teens mix and match their favorites to make smoothies.

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