Ready-to-Serve Tailgating Recipes

Recipe: Mini Muffulettas

You can easily make these Mini Muffulettas the day before the party. Just assemble, place in zip-top plastic freezer bags, and refrigerate overnight. Store-bought craft paper and simple twine create clever sandwich wrappers.

Watch: Mini Muffulettas

 

Recipe: Graham Nut Clusters

You can never have too much snack mix at a tailgate! Serve Graham Nut Clusters in megaphones plugged with foil. Look for them at party-supply stores.

Recipe: Grilled Salsa

What's a party without salsa? Make yours one to remember.

Recipe: Bacon-Cheese Dip

Keep your game day party easy by making this tasty dip ahead of time.

Recipe: Guacamole

This tasty delight has become one of our most preferred staples in Tex-Mex cuisine. Fresh avocado and lime juice are essential to this delicious guacamole recipe.

Tip: While storing in the cooler, keep your guacamole from changing color by placing a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture.

Recipe: Jalapeño-Mustard Dipping Sauce

Just before the game, stop by a grocer's deli counter or the drive-through of your favorite restaurant for fresh, hot chicken tenders and serve with this homemade dipping sauce. Make them festive with team spirit skewers. Simply cut flags from scrapbook paper in the shape of pennants, and tape them to wooden skewers.

Recipe: Warm Gumbo Dip

Just like any good Louisiana gumbo, this dip is thick and full of flavor.

Recipe: Chicken-and-Vegetable Stew

Perfect for chilly games later in the season, this savory stew keeps warm in thermoses until you are ready to chow down before the game.

Recipe: Spicy-Sweet Deviled Eggs

Mango chutney is the secret ingredient that makes these deviled eggs so irresistible. Snip and arrange chives for a fun garnish.

Recipe: Deviled Eggs

A staple of any Southern tailgate, deviled eggs are easy to make and easy to transport. Better yet, top them with team-inspired ingredients!

Recipe: Confetti Pasta Salad

Feta cheese, grape tomatoes, and red onion give this pasta salad recipe Greek flair, and star ingredient dill adds a punch of flavor to the combination. Even though this salad is delicious immediately after it comes together, we recommend chilling it for a few hours in the refrigerator to enhance all the flavors.

Recipe: Italian-Style Sandwiches

Take your sandwiches a step up from ham and cheese with this out-of-the-ordinary recipe. Before heading to the game, spread goat cheese and pesto on ciabatta rolls and then add slices of pork, peppery arugula, roasted red bell peppers, and sliced red onion.

Recipe: Southern-Style Cuban Sandwiches

Here's a smoky spin on a classic sub. Pick up sliced pork from your favorite barbecue restaurant.

Recipe: Cobb Salad Sandwiches

Start with a 12-oz. French bread loaf cut in half horizontally; scoop out soft bread from center of each half, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell to make filling the sandwich easier.

Recipe: Chicken & Honey Sandwiches

This sandwich falls under the "hearty fare" category. It'll satisfy your hunger to win.

Recipe: Eggs Benedict Sandwiches

This brunch sub is ideal for a late-morning kickoff.

Recipe: Red Pepper Hummus  

Roasted red bell peppers add a kick of color and flavor to traditional hummus. Go ahead and double the recipe; leftovers make a tasty sandwich spread.

Recipe: Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dark brown sugar adds surprising richness to this cookie dough. Bake each batch 8 minutes for soft and gooey cookies, or up to 14 minutes for crisp results.

Recipe: Blue Cheese Ranch Dip

This dip requires only four ingredients and five minutes prep time. Serve it with carrot and celery sticks, sturdy potato chips, and hot wings.

Recipe: Smoky “Pimiento” Cheese Sandwiches

Smoked Cheddar, Gouda, and sun-dried tomatoes provide a terrific twist on traditional pimiento cheese. Spread on sourdough and dark wheat bread and cut into smaller sandwiches for easy pickup. Serve with grapes and apples.

Recipe: Easy Snack Mix

Stack cups in your team's colors next to this simple snack mix so that guests can help themselves.

Recipe: Fipps Family Potato Salad

Round out your meal with this classic mixture of potatoes, eggs, mayo (Duke’s of course!), and spicy mustard. Make the recipe your own by adding sweet pickles, onion, celery, bacon, and fresh herbs.

Recipe: Beer-Cheese Spread

This recipe makes a lot, but it can be frozen for up to a month in four (10-oz.) ramekins. Try it over French fries, hot dogs, and chili.

Recipe: Layered Spicy Black Bean Dip

This flavorful recipe has a short ingredient list. Just layer cream cheese, shredded cheese, onions, olives, and tomatoes onto a store-bought black bean dip.

Recipe: Lemony Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Lemon juice adds fresh zip to this tasty dip. Use team colors for your table decor.

Recipe: Chile-Cheese Spread

Make this zesty starter up to three days ahead. Serve leftovers on sandwiches.

Recipe: Chunky Chocolate Brownies

Chocolate chunks make these brownies fudgy; use the 23-minute baking time to make them extra gooey.

Recipe: Caramelized Onion Dip

Try this cool, creamy dip filled with the warm flavor of just-caramelized onions, and you won’t ever want to go back to store-bought French onion dip again. Serve with potato chips and raw veggies.

Recipe: Whiskey Whoopie Pies

Freeze the assembled whoopie pies in zip-top plastic bags up to 3 weeks before your party. Defrost in the fridge overnight.

Recipe: Italian Skewers

These skewers are the perfect pickup appetizers for a crowd. The best part? They can be made ahead.

Recipe: Turkey-Cheddar Kabobs With Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Save time by making crowd-pleasing Turkey-Cheddar Kabobs the night before. The kabobs are easy to pick up and eat even if you don't have a plate handy.

Recipe: Ham-Stuffed Biscuits With Mustard Butter

Yeast biscuits—also called angel or bride’s biscuits—hold together well, so they’re a good choice to serve at gatherings. The so-Southern combination of ham and biscuits is always a hit!

Recipe: Pecan Pie Bars

These chewy, bite-size bars require just 20 minutes of prep time.