Food and Recipes Recipes Our Most Popular Recipes of 2018 By Patricia S York Patricia S York Assistant Food Editor Pat is an Assistant Editor at Southern Living and has been a part of the team since 2006. She works with the Senior Food Editor to plan monthly print food features and stories that will highlight Southerners making a difference through food, share delicious recipes that utilize seasonal produce, and offer exceptional reader service. Pat also writes digital content on a variety of topics including cooking, gardening, and pets.One of the reasons Pat enjoys living in Birmingham is because it is centrally located between the mountains and the Gulf coast. She spends her free time gardening, hiking with her dogs, and pursuing her goal of becoming a better horsewoman. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 7, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Each year Southern Living publishes hundreds of delicious recipes for our readers to try. Some recipes are quick and easy, designed to help you get a tasty and satisfying supper on the table even on a busy weeknight. Other recipes require you to spend a little more time in the kitchen, allowing you to experiment with a new ingredient, cooking technique, or simply giving you an excuse to show off your culinary talents. Based on reader requests, comments, and notes from our own editors, we present the 2018 Southern Living Top Rated Recipes. 01 of 30 These Recipes Took the Cake in 2018 02 of 30 Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Alison Miksch; Prop styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food styling: Mary-Claire Britton Recipe: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake The South's favorite pantry staple, mayonnaise, is the key to tender, moist cake layers. Chocolate always tastes better with coffee, so we enhanced the flavor of the cake by adding some strong brew to the batter. This cake recipe, ideal for special occasions or quiet meals with the family, is guaranteed to become a family favorite. 03 of 30 Old-Fashioned Chicken And Dumplings Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Old-Fashioned Chicken And Dumplings The not-so-secret ingredient in Grandma's light and airy dumplings (shhh, don't tell her we told) is buttermilk. Be sure and knead the dumplings on a well-floured surface; the extra flour helps to thicken the savory broth. 04 of 30 Braised Lamb Shanks with Parmesan-Chive Grits Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Braised Lamb Shanks with Parmesan-Chive Grits Let your slow cooker do all the work while you get all the credit. To ensure even cooking, purchase lamb shanks that are roughly the same size, and trim any excess fat. The reserved liquid makes a delicious sauce spooned over the hot grits. 05 of 30 Praline-Cream Cheese King Cakes Greg DuPree; Prop styling: Claire Spollen; Food styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Praline-Cream Cheese King Cakes These delectable, cream-filled treats are a Mardi Gras tradition around the Southern Living offices, thanks to the culinary talents of Test Kitchen pro Pam Lolley. This recipe makes two of the beloved New Orleans classic, so keep one for your family and share one with friends or co-workers. 06 of 30 Florida Orange Grove Pie Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly Recipe: Florida Orange Grove Pie Citrus has a way of lifting the winter doldrums, and nothing brightens a cold, gray day like the sweet-tart combination from a citrus dessert. This classic angel pie with a baked meringue crust is a delicious way to bring some sunshine and citrus-infused sweetness to your winter time dessert table. 07 of 30 Slow-Cooker Pot Roast Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Mary-Claire Britton Recipe: Slow-Cooker Pot Roast Don't wait for the weekend to enjoy a savory pot roast. Set your slow-cooker in the morning and come home to a tender and flavorful meal worthy of a Sunday dinner. 08 of 30 Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream Baked in a 13- x 9-inch baking pan, this cake is easy to make and an ideal choice when you need to transport dessert to a party. If your family is divided between carrot cake and coconut cake enthusiasts, this cake will satisfy everyone. 09 of 30 Pasta Primavera with Shrimp Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Pasta Primavera with Shrimp Yes, you can make a satisfying and good-for-you pasta meal in 30 minutes. This recipe is loaded with healthy vegetables, fresh shrimp, and a light sauce. Feel free to swap out the vegetables for whatever you have on hand and toss in fresh herbs from your garden for added taste. 10 of 30 Strawberry-Banana Pudding Icebox Cake Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff Recipe: Strawberry-Banana Pudding Icebox Cake If you are looking for a dessert you can make ahead and store in the refrigerator, look no further. Two springtime party favorites, strawberry cake and banana pudding, come together to create this cool and creamy icebox cake, the ultimate warm weather dessert. 11 of 30 French Onion Soup Casserole Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: French Onion Soup Casserole Nothing says comfort like a bowl of aromatic, homemade French onion soup, but oftentimes cutting up all the onions is more work than fun. With this easy recipe, you can cut and caramelize the onions in advance and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the casserole. 12 of 30 Crab Pie Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Crab Pie This fabulous quiche-like pie is the perfect choice to make for weekend brunches or teas. Round out the meal with a tossed salad and fresh fruit. 13 of 30 Best-Ever Crab Cakes with Green Tomato Slaw Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Best-Ever Crab Cakes with Green Tomato Slaw These crab cakes are bursting with flavorful, juicy crab meat, not breading and fillers. Serve as a main dish or an appetizer, but just be sure and make plenty – your guests will love them. 14 of 30 Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake It's always a good time to make a Bundt cake, but peach time down South is absolutely the best time. Sweet peaches are caramelized in the bottom of the pan as the cake bakes, helping to create a visually appealing and mouth-watering dessert. 15 of 30 Berry Sonker with Dip Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Berry Sonker with Dip You may think this is merely another cobbler, but don't let folks in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains hear you say that. In that part of the South, a sonker is a distinctive dessert baked in a large, deep dish and topped with a creamy vanilla sauce, or dip. 16 of 30 Strawberry Kuchen Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Strawberry Kuchen Kuchen, the German word for cake, is often more bread-like and made with a yeasted dough. This variation has a tender, fluffy crumb topped with fresh strawberries and sliced almonds. 17 of 30 Basic Pimiento Cheese Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Basic Pimiento Cheese The best pimiento cheese recipe is the one you fell in love with as a child, but if you don't already have a favorite, give this one a try. Opinions vary on whether pimiento cheese is best served creamy or chunky, but everyone agrees that you should grate the cheese yourself instead of using pre-shredded. 18 of 30 Fried Delacata Catfish Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick Recipe: Fried Delacata Catfish Good catfish shouldn't smell fishy. Just in case, it is a good idea to soak your catfish fillets in whole milk or buttermilk before frying to help neutralize any fishy odors. 19 of 30 Best-Ever Succotash Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Best-Ever Succotash Enjoy the bounty of your late-summer garden by preparing a batch of succotash. This flavorful mix of corn, beans, and other seasonal vegetables, such as okra, is so substantial it can stand in for the main dish. 20 of 30 No-Bake Peanut Butter-Fudge Ice-Cream Pie Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: No-Bake Peanut Butter-Fudge Ice-Cream Pie This mile-high no-bake creamy treat is just what you need to cool off on a hot summer's evening. To ensure neat slices of pie, dip your cutting knife in a glass of hot water, wipe the blade off, and cut. Repeat for each slice. 21 of 30 Skillet Enchiladas Suizas Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Skillet Enchiladas Suizas You won't need to ring the dinner bell when this enchilada dish is baking in the oven. Ideal for a busy weeknight supper, this recipe uses a deli chicken, cutting your prep time to a short 15 minutes. 22 of 30 Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham Recipe: Warm Spinach-Sweet Onion Dip with Country Ham If you are looking for your guests, they can be found at the appetizer table enjoying this incredible dip. Save time and make it ahead of your party, then simply reheat before serving. 23 of 30 Pumpkin-and-Winter Squash Gratin Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Pumpkin-and-Winter Squash Gratin Celebrate the flavors and aromas of fall with this savory gratin, loaded with pumpkin, winter squash, nutmeg and cloves. This casserole is hearty enough to stand in for a vegetarian main dish. 24 of 30 Blackberry Jam Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Blackberry Jam Cake Chef Demaris Phillips shares the recipe she created, inspired by her Aunt Julie's blackberry jam cake. If you don't have homemade, use your favorite store brand of blackberry jam. 25 of 30 Pumpkin Layer Cake with Caramel-Cream Cheese Frosting Alison Gootee; Styling: Suzonne Stirling Recipe: Pumpkin Layer Cake with Caramel-Cream Cheese Frosting If you love baking during the fall, you will want to try this pumpkin-spice flavored cake recipe, a guaranteed crowd pleaser. The tender cake layers can be baked ahead and, if you are short on time, you can use a bottled caramel sauce instead of making homemade. 26 of 30 Pumpkin Spice Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Magic Cake What is the magic behind this editors' favorite recipe? During the baking process, the cake and flan layers flip, which means, when serving, you have a silky flan on top of a tender, pumpkin-spiced cake layer. Give it a try and experience baking magic for yourself. 27 of 30 Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream 28 of 30 Gingerbread Roulade and Eggnog Cream Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Gingerbread Roulade and Eggnog Cream The scent of gingerbread wafting through the house is a sure sign that it is Christmas time. Your friends and family will be suitably impressed when you place this holiday roulade on the dessert table. Plan ahead, because the cake needs to chill for at least 8 hours. 29 of 30 Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines Be sure you have a good candy thermometer before jumping into candy making. To ensure beautifully shaped pralines, spoon the mixture into paper baking cups and remove them once the candies are set. You can leave the bourbon out if desired. 30 of 30 Best White Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christina Lane; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Best White Cake This cake is beautiful in its simplicity, just like a pristine outdoor winter scene. Simplify your process as well and make the layers in advance, keeping them wrapped securely in the freezer until time to assemble the cake. Create your own winter wonderland scene on top of the cake by using your favorite cookie cutters. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit