Tailgating Food That Doesn't Require Refrigeration

For some people, tailgating means transporting your kitchen to a parking lot. For others, it's closer to camping. But that doesn't mean you have to settle for stadium hot dogs and bags of chips. These recipes travel well, feed a crowd, and can be served at room temperature, even if your tailgate lasts most of the day.

Serve this tasty mix of black-eyed peas, bell peppers, pickled jalapenos, and corn (above) as a side dish or with tortilla chips for dipping.

Looking for something a little different? Try our satisfying and summer Tortelloni-and-Grilled Vegetable Salad made with refrigerated cheese-and-spinach tortelloni and grilled zucchini and bell peppers.

This one-bowl side dish comes together in minutes and is best made the night before so it can chill in the refrigerator to allow the tangy dressing to soak into the beans.

Everyone will gobble up this Caramel-Peanut Popcorn Snack Mix mixed with peanuts and candy-coated peanut butter candies. Make the mix with candy in your team's colors for a fun touch.

WATCH: 10 Southern Tailgating Foods to Master

No one wants to eat a creamy potato salad when it's warm—and it's not safe, anyway. Mayonnaise-based dishes should be refrigerated after two hours (or one hour if it's 90˚ or hotter outside), but you can serve salads with vinaigrette dressings at room temperature. Try our Lemony Potato Salad, which is made with a simple olive oil, lemon juice, and dry mustard dressing.

Make these wings in the slow cooker and bring them to your tailgate in a covered container so they stay warm. The wings will still taste great at room temperature as they cool—but they likely won't last that long.

Sturdy bar cookies like brownies are perfect for tailgating, and you can't go wrong with one of our test kitchen's favorite recipes—even if you're not a fan of Ole Miss. You'll love the irresistible combination of marshmallows and pecans in this dense, fudgey brownies.