How many times have I been invited to a potluck and had the greatest idea, but then by the time we get there my food is cold, or I have to ask to borrow the oven to heat my dish? So here are some great ideas.
1) Baked Pasta
This stays warm for a while, which makes it a great potluck dish to bring and transport in the car. You can use any shape of pasta you like, and you could put some meat in there if you’d like, plus some marinara sauce and some globs of cheese on top, like some ricotta would be super good on it. Let that heat in the oven, then cover it and transport. Super good.
2) Lasagna Roll-Ups
Super good. You may be familiar with the lasagna noodles you have to buy specifically for this. You can add whatever mixture you like inside, I would probably do some ricotta cheese, and you could add some veggies, spinach would go really well in there too, then roll those up.
The pasta has to be cooked in order for it to roll, so cook the pasta first, then it will roll up with any of your ingredients inside. Put that in a casserole dish, pour some pasta sauce on top, and let it bake, then cover and transport. Super yummy.
3) Sheet Pan Chicken
Chicken thighs are a great idea to use on this cookie sheet, because they stay moist and won’t overcook. You can cook them with some lemon, some onions, and some other veggies if you’d like. Then cover them up in a casserole dish, or any sort of dish you want to transport them in, and bring them along.
4) Pulled Pork
You can make pulled pork in your crock pot or slow cooker, and then I would just bring it with me. I’d probably bring the crock pot itself and say, hey, here it is, and plug it in at your house, keeping it on the warm setting. Or you don’t even have to have it on at all, it helps to just stay in there because the crock pot is still warm.
Such a great idea. You can serve your pulled pork with some coleslaw on little Hawaiian sweet rolls if you’d like, making little sandwiches, plus some veggies. Super good.
5) BBQ Drumsticks
Such a food of my childhood, we always ate barbecue drumsticks, so good. It’s great because you don’t need to bring any forks or spoons, you just grab it and eat it, making it perfect for adults and kids alike. Everyone likes them, and they stay nice and juicy, they don’t dry out. There are so many different flavors you can add here.
You can barbecue these either at the party or before the party and then bring them over, just covering them up and transporting them. Super great. Just make sure, when you’re transporting any warm foods, that you keep it out of the danger zone, which is between 40 and 140 degrees. You want to limit the amount of time it stays in there, so you don’t want these drumsticks sitting around for more than two, three, or four hours.
6) Meatballs In Tomato Sauce
For me, I’d probably put this in the crock pot, I think that’s the easiest way. Grab some frozen meatballs of your liking, they come in beef, chicken, pork, turkey, whatever you like, and then add some sauce of your choice. We like the Rao’s marinara, put that in there, let it cook, and then transport it. I’d bring a ladle with that.
If you’re going for more of a grape jelly and brown sugar sort of seasoning that goes on meatballs, that’s really good too, and you could do that with toothpicks if you like people to grab their meatballs that way.
7) Swedish Meatballs
We’re on a meatball kick, super good. I would probably put these in the crock pot as well. That seasoning on the Swedish meatballs, that creamy gravy, oh my gosh, it’s so good. You could use whatever meatballs you like with this one, beef, pork, or turkey. I would probably serve this over egg noodles.
You could bring them separately and add everything at the last second, or you can mix it all and bring it together already, that would be a great idea too. Just try to keep it warm and covered on the way there. Or you can bring it all in your crock pot so it all stays warm, I’d probably prefer that.
8) Chicken Tinga
This is delicious, and I would make it in the crock pot. It usually takes hours, so the crock pot is a perfect way to cook this with all the delicious flavors. You could serve it with tacos, in rice bowls, or on nachos.
You can bring a number of different toppings separately, and then everyone can add their own. And again, I would just bring my crock pot with me, setting it on the floor of the back seat so it doesn’t topple over.
9) Vegetarian Chili
There are so many veggies you can put in vegetarian chili. I would probably do this in a crock pot as well, but you can put it on the stove, it doesn’t take too long. My favorite veggies to put in there are mushrooms and carrots, and you can put some bell peppers in there, lots of different veggies. Bring all the toppings on the side, and then everyone can customize how they want their chili to taste.
10) White Chicken Chili
So similar. You can make this over the stove, in the oven, or in the crock pot. I’m picturing some white beans and some chicken cooked all together. Bring a ladle, because you want to supply everything you’re going to be using for your meal, so a ladle, maybe even some paper bowls and spoons, and then all of your toppings so everyone can customize it.
11) Sausage And Peppers
You can leave your sausage whole. You could do chicken apple sausage, pork sausage, Italian sausage, whatever sausage you like. Cook those on a cookie sheet along with some bell peppers and onions, all chopped up. Bring all of that together with some buns. Delicious. I’d probably bring some mustard as well, like a good Dijon mustard.
12) Stuffed Shells
These are like pasta shells, like manicotti shells. Cook them a little first to soften them up, then stuff them with some ricotta cheese, some meat, or some spinach. Put those in a casserole dish, pour some marinara sauce on top, bake it, then cover it and bring it along.
13) Enchilada Casserole
I love enchilada casserole. For this one, you chop up some corn tortillas into little one inch squares. It’s so nice because you don’t have to roll the enchiladas, or try to figure out where one begins and the other ends when you’re serving, I feel like I always cut them in half. This makes it so much easier.
So you put those squares of corn tortillas right in there. I like to use some black beans, some cooked turkey, and of course some enchilada sauce, then bake it. And then I’ll bring some sour cream, tomatoes, and guacamole to add on the side when I get there.
14) Baked Mac And Cheese
You could use elbow macaroni, or any pasta you like, baking it all together with some cheese. I would probably do a yummy, buttery, milky, cheesy sauce to go on top of it. Then you could top it with some breadcrumbs if you want a little crunch, and bake it all together. Super good.
15) Orzo Salad
Super nice, you don’t have to worry about keeping it hot. You could use orzo pasta, it’s like a little tiny pasta, kind of bigger than rice. You can add plenty of ingredients to this, like cucumbers, pepperoni or salami, some lemon, some dill, some parsley, some feta cheese, and some olives. Super good.
16) Classic Potato Salad
I feel like potato salad is a staple at get-togethers. Cook lots of potatoes and add your favorite toppings, mayo, mustard, or both, and you could put some pickles in there if you like. There you go, you’ve got some potato salad.
17) Vinegar Slaw
When you think about backyard get-togethers or potlucks, or your food sitting out, a lot of people get nervous about the mayonnaise. So with this one, you’re adding vinegar instead, so you’re not worried about getting everyone at the party insanely ill. What a great idea.
I’m using some coleslaw mix, and we like to use apple cider vinegar, but you could use any vinegar you like. You can add a bunch of different ingredients to this, some sunflower seeds and some green onions are some of my favorites, but you do you and have fun with it.
18) Broccoli Salad
Use some fresh, crunchy broccoli and that creamy dressing that goes on top. You could add some sunflower seeds and some dried cranberries in here. This is for sure a favorite, served cold.
19) Three Bean Salad
For this one, you have some chickpeas, kidney beans, and green beans all together, then you get some vinaigrette in there, and they all get super flavorful sitting in there together. You can make this earlier in the day or the day before, and having it cool for many hours before the party makes it even better.
20) Tortellini Salad
Tortellini are so good, they’re little pasta knots with some cheese inside, super good and a favorite in our house. Cook those and then cool them, adding some Italian dressing, olives of your choice, black olives or Kalamata, and some cherry tomatoes. I probably halve the tomatoes just so there are no explosions. Put that all together, super good, super simple, classic, yummy.
21) Deviled Eggs
This is a great high protein, low carb, gluten free option, so I feel like it appeals to everyone. Make sure to boil those eggs perfectly without getting the green ring inside. You may have your own method. Mine is putting the eggs in cold water, then bringing the pot to a boil. As soon as it boils, turn off the stove, cover it, and let it sit for eight minutes. Test it out and see if that method works for you, maybe try one egg first, but if you have a method that works, awesome. Then serve these cold, and don’t let them sit out for more than two hours, please.
22) Caprese Skewers
Always a favorite for us. All you need is some fresh basil and mozzarella. You can get the fancy big mozzarella log that’s already pre-sliced at the grocery store, and then get a big, fat, deliciously fresh tomato and cut that into slices. If you want it more bite-sized, you could easily use mozzarella string cheese, cut those up, use little cherry tomatoes, and stab it with a little toothpick. Then you could put some olive oil or some balsamic glaze on top if you’d like.
23) Hummus Platter
I love hummus. My favorite is the Mediterranean hummus from Trader Joe’s. There are so many different kinds out there, white bean, basil, garlic. You can actually make your own hummus, it’s not difficult at all, using some chickpeas and olive oil, and that’s it.
Bring the hummus and then bring whatever you’d like to dunk into it, some cucumber spears, some carrot sticks, some jicama, whatever you want to serve with it. You could put out some little naan bread coins, the little circle ones, those would be really good to dip in there as well.
24) Spinach Artichoke Dip
You could buy this in the grocery store if you’re in a pinch, or make it at home, super good. I feel like this can be served warm or cold, I’ve had it both ways and it’s good no matter what. I love the chunks of artichoke hearts in there, and of course the spinach, it’s so nice and creamy. It’s delicious with some sliced up French bread or some Ritz crackers on the side.
25) Buffalo Chicken Dip
Hear me out, even if you don’t like buffalo chicken like me, this dip is somehow super good and different. You can use shredded chicken, and for a cheat, I’d probably use canned chicken, then add your buffalo seasoning. It’s going to have some cream cheese in there, super good. Serve it with some chips, some celery, and some carrot sticks, super delicious. Try it before you hate it.
26) Queso Dip
I love queso dip. It takes me back to high school days when I used to go to Chili’s and eat their queso dip, oh my gosh, so good. It’s a delicious cheesy dip. You could put a little meat in there, but you don’t have to. Super good, you can bring some chips along, and it would be such a fun and delicious dip for any potluck.
27) Cornbread
Cornbread is great hot, great cold, it doesn’t matter. When I make cornbread, I like to make them into little cupcakes, so I use my cupcake tin, make them right there in the oven, and then just transport them. Super good. I like my cornbread to have some actual corn inside, and you can serve it with some honey butter on the side.
28) Focaccia
I’ve never made focaccia, but I’ve heard it’s super simple to make. It sure does taste delicious, and I will eat it every single time. If you bring it to a potluck, I’m definitely having that. You could make it at home, or buy it and bring it, slice it up, and it’s sure to be eaten by everyone around. You could bring some olive oil to dip it in and really feel like you’re in a fancy Italian restaurant.
29) Garlic Knots
Super yummy, buttery and garlicky, these are so good. They’re super portable, you just bake them at home and then bring them, covered of course, such a great thing to have. I’d probably have some pizza sauce or marinara to dip them into.
30) Rice Pilaf
You can cook this in a pot on the stove at home, then add some almonds or some lemon, and bring it along. It really could be served hot or cold, either way is fine.
31) Peanut Noodle Salad
Think of spaghetti type noodles with some delicious peanut sauce on top. I’d probably serve it with some shredded carrots, cucumbers, maybe some whole peanuts in there, and maybe some edamame if you’d like. If there are no peanut allergies, this would of course be the hit for any potluck.
32) Roasted Vegetable Platter
Definitely roast up any veggies you have at home, like some bell peppers and zucchini, any veggies you have. You could even do some broccoli, which would be super good, and some cauliflower. Then I would serve it with some tahini sauce, if you haven’t had tahini sauce it’s super good, or any type of sauce you like, hummus would go with it as well. Super great, there’s just something about roasted vegetables, we had roasted zucchini the other night, so good.
33) Stuffed Peppers
Why not? You can make this in the oven in a casserole dish, or in the crock pot. Take your bell peppers, cut the top off, get all the insides out, all the seeds and everything, and then stuff them. You can stuff them with meat, vegetables, and maybe a little sauce, plus maybe some breadcrumbs too.
Ooh, some beans would be a good idea too if you’re leaning toward more fiber and less meat. You could put some rice in there. Super delicious. Then just keep them covered and bring them along.
34) Quiche
I’m telling you, I will eat quiche any time of day. It doesn’t matter if it’s a brunch potluck, a lunch, or a dinner, I’ll eat the quiche, quiche is so good. You can buy it at the store or make it at home, really being able to control your ingredients and what flavors you’re going after.
I love a broccoli cheddar quiche, super good with a delicious crust on the bottom. And then whatever ingredients you like, you can put spinach in your quiche, that’s really good, and feta, super yummy. This could be warm or cold, but you don’t want it in that danger zone for too long, between 40 and 140 degrees.
35) Brownies
Someone’s got to bring the dessert to this potluck, and brownies are easy. You can make them right there in your tin in the oven, or make them in a mini muffin tin if you want them little and bite size, super good. And if you want to be a little fancy and healthy, you could have some fruit in there as well, and bring it all over on a cute little dish. Delicious.
