Six Build-Your-Own Meals That Feed Everyone

When one group includes a gluten-free guest, two vegetarians, someone who can’t do dairy, and a crew that wants double meat, cooking a single plated dinner means cooking four. Build-your-own meals solve this by moving the choice to the serving line. The eater, not the cook, decides what goes on the plate.

If you use Wholesum, turn on automatic substitutions first so the quantities for each component come out right for your group.

1. Taco bar

Black beans as the no-meat protein. A plant-based crumble or TVP with taco seasoning as a quick ground-beef stand-in. Corn tortillas for the gluten-sensitive, with flour tortillas alongside. Greens, tomatoes, peppers, salsa, and cheese on the side.

2. Sandwich bar

Go beyond turkey and cheese. Guacamole suits almost everyone. Hummus is a vegan protein that holds up. PB&J is the standby for the picky. Add green peppers, shredded carrots, and sprouts for the vegetarians, and a stack of gluten-free bread for whoever needs it.

3. Build-your-own kebabs

Best over a fire or grill. Put out a mix of meats and grillable vegetables and let each person load their own skewer. Pineapple, tofu, and eggplant round out the options for the non-meat eaters.

4. Hot cereal bar

Oatmeal is naturally gluten-free and suits nearly every diet. Toppings do the work: fruit, raisins, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, a jar of peanut butter.

5. Hearty salad bar

The sandwich bar’s bigger cousin, with more room to be creative. A couple of greens, two grains, three proteins, and a long row of toppings turns one prep session into a dozen different lunches.

6. Foil-packet hobo dinners

Give everyone a few sheets of foil and set out meats, cheeses, vegetables, grains, and seasonings. They build the packet, seal it, and drop it in the coals. Include tofu, beans, or a faux meat so the packet works for almost any restriction.

The only real challenge with any of these is estimating quantities per component rather than per dish. That is exactly what Wholesum’s scaling was built for.