Feed the Team, Bring the Fun: Crowd-Favorite Recipes and Games for Your Next Team Dinner

This week  we had the joy in hosting a volleyball team dinner and there’s something so special about gathering around the table, sharing a meal, and spending time together outside of practice and games. When we host, we try to build a meal that’s balanced and includes plenty of protein, good carbs, and fiber to keep everyone feeling satisfied and fueled for the upcoming game.  J and I made a few of our favorite dishes and used Banza pasta to add an extra boost of protein and fiber to the meal, and the compliments were in abundance with these dishes making us feel pretty dang good.

If you love lasagna but don’t always love the time it takes to layer, bake, and clean up afterward, you’re going to want to try this lasagna soup. It has all those cozy, classic lasagna flavors in an easy, hearty bowl of soup. I started with The Kitchen Girl’s easy lasagna soup recipe and made a few changes to make it my own. 

Lasagna Soup: ( I doubled the recipe for the team dinner)

• 1-2 tablespoons of preferred oil
• 1.5 pounds of ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15-ounce can) diced tomatoes, don’t drain
• 1 (15-ounce can) tomato Sauce
• ⅓ cup tomato paste, about half of a 6-ounce can
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1-2 cups Water, to adjust consistency
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt, or more as needed to adjust flavor
• Black bepper, to taste
• 8 ounces Banza Cavatappi Pasta (uncooked)

Ricotta Topping

• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• 5 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1. Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add oil and heat until shimmering.
2. Add ground beef, onions, and garlic. Sauté until the beef is cooked through, stirring as needed. Drain excess fat, if needed.
   
3. Stir in tomatoes (with their juice), tomato sauce, tomato paste, broth, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
4. Increase the heat to HIGH and bring the soup to a boil.
5. In a mixing bowl, using a fork, stir together mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta.
6. Add Banza pasta approximately 10 minutes before serving.
   
7. At this point you can add water or more broth in small amounts to adjust the soup consistency to your liking.
8. Ladle soup into bowls, dollop with a large scoop of the cheese mixture and sprinkle with chopped basil (cheese will melt well once stirred into soup).

And Banza pasta isn’t just for one recipe! Here are a few more of my favorite ways to use it for easy, delicious meals.

The Protein Caprese Salad was the perfect vegetarian option for our dinner; fresh, flavorful, and still packed with protein. I used the same Banza Cavatappi pasta we used in the lasagna soup, which made it easy to add extra protein and fiber while keeping the dish hearty and satisfying.

Since the school year started, I have been meal prepping on Sundays to get ahead for the week and below are a few other recipes I’ve made in the past that work well with Banza Pasta.

High Protein Creamy Ground Beef Pasta

Ingredients:

• 12oz Banza protein pasta
• 2 pounds ground beef (I used 93/7)
• 1/2 cup cream cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta al dente
2. Brown ground beef, season with garlic powder and salt.
3. Stir in cream cheese, then mix with pasta.
4. Salt, garlic powder to taste

Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 3 cups Banza pasta
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Avocado oil for cooking

1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, sautéing until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the ground turkey, seasoning with salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until browned and cooked through.
3. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring to combine and cook for an additional minute.
4. Whisk in the chicken broth and milk slowly, ensuring no lumps remain.
5. Stir in the carrots and bring to a simmer. Add pasta and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally.
6. Fold in the frozen peas and simmer for another 5-7 minutes.
7. Taste and adjust seasonings.

I also love using these recipes for easy school lunches. I’ll make a few ahead of time, portion them into containers, and have lunches ready to grab throughout the week. Here’s one batch divided into four containers, easy, convenient, and one less thing to think about on busy mornings. FIND RECIPES HERE.

 

The Lasagna Soup paired amazingly with J’s Homemade Rolls!

• 1 uncooked French bread loaf from the bakery
• 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water
• Salt

Instructions:

1. Ask your local bakery for a French bread loaf that is still uncooked.

2. Slice the dough into roll-size pieces and place them in a greased 9×13 pan, leaving a bit of space between each piece.

3. Cover the pan and set in the oven on the “proof” setting for about 1 hour or until the rolls look puffy.

4. Remove the cover. Brush each roll with egg wash. Sprinkle the tops lightly with salt.

Note, if your oven doesn’t have a proof setting, just set in a warm, dry area 

DESSERT

For dessert we had the two-Ingredient fruit dip with strawberries, apples, and peaches, as well as my friend’s famous avalanche bars which will have you dreaming about them. They’re a mix of white chocolate and peanut butter fudge with a Rice Krispie treat and are SO easy to make. A real crowd pleaser. You can find the original recipe HERE.

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups white chocolate chopped (about 24 ounces)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 cups rice Krispie’s cereal
• 3 cups mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with a parchment paper sling or lightly grease with butter or baking spray.
2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate in a microwave on 50% heat in 30 second bursts, stirring between each burst, until melted.
3. Stir the peanut butter into the melted white chocolate until combined. Add the rice krispies and marshmallows. Gently stir to coat.
4. Transfer the mixture to a 9×13-inch pan and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips while still wet and lightly press them into the bars.
5. Let the bars set at room temperature until firm, or refrigerate for 15-30 minutes to speed up the process. Remove the bars from the pan with the parchment paper sling, then carefully cut into squares with a large, sharp knife.

GAMES

After dinner we moved onto games and these two were huge hits! Others we’ve played while hosting that were well received: TOP 7 PARTY GAMES,     8 GAMES TO PLAY DURING THE HOLIDAYS, GAMES FOR TEAMS.

Dolphin Training Game: 

Objective:
Get one player to complete a secret task secretly chosen by the group using only sounds—no talking, gestures, or physical guidance.

How to Play

1. Choose one player to be “it.”
2. They leave the room so they cannot hear or see the task being chosen.
3. The remaining players secretly choose a random task for the person to complete.
4. No one may speak or give verbal instructions. The group can only use sounds/noises to guide the person.
5. They must figure out what to do based entirely on the group’s reactions and noises.
6. The task is complete when the person who is it successfully finishes it.
7. Switch players and play again with a new secret task.

To see it being played, click HERE.

Example Task

Her task was to turn the lamp off.

The group can make encouraging sounds when the player is moving in the right direction and different sounds when they move away from the objective—but no words or gestures!

Bottle Line Battle

For the second game, the players were divided into two teams. The goal was to move the water bottle as far away from the black line as possible without crossing the line. The team that got their water bottle the farthest won.

If you fell or crossed the line, you had to start over. The only thing allowed to touch the floor on the other side of the line was the water bottle.

Each team had 5 minutes to see how far they could move their bottoms from the black line.

 

It was such a fun night of good food, lots of laughter, and plenty of team bonding! It was so sweet watching the girls relax, have fun, and enjoy time together away from the volleyball court. These are the moments that make a season so special, not just the games and practices, but the friendships and memories made along the way. We’re so thankful we got to host these girls and make a few more memories together both on and off the court!

As always, thank you for stopping by!

<3 Shannon