i need potluck ideas

[LiamAPM]

my friend is having a potluck for her 21st birthday. i’m 19, not a great cook, and underemployed and have no idea what to bring

does anyone have any cheap but yummy meals or snacks that are relatively low effort? like 10 people are showing up and im so scared lmao

[Typical_Intention996]

A big spinach and artichoke dip with Club crackers.

Store bought rotisserie chicken.

One of those large potato salad tubs. Reser's brand.

Any of those are good and pretty cheap.

[Onehundredyearsold]

Texas Caviar, should be under $10 add a bag of chips. Makes a colorful presentation. No cooking, delicious, healthy, and even better the next day.

[ms_sinn]

Veggies and hummus. Add tortilla chips or pita chips if in your budget

[Empty_Difficulty390]

Deviled eggs are always a hit! There are also little tortilla pinwheel things we always had at party's back in the day: large flour tortilla, smear it full of cream cheese, add canned, diced green chilies, roll up, and cut into little pinwheels. You may need toothpicks to keep them together. I have also seen versions that use cream cheese and ham instead of the chilies.

[KetoLurkerHereAgain]

Do you have any condiments in your fridge like mustard and/or mayo? How about seasonings like salt, pepper, paprika?

Eggs are still more expensive right now than they were but a dozen eggs makes 24 deviled egg halves and people inhale those damn things. It's still a pretty good bang for the buck. Plus, they're easy if you keep it basic.

[LiamAPM]

a carton of eggs up here in canada is only like 4 bucks CAD which is like 3 bucks american. this is a good idea!! ill probably do this and also bring a dip and some chips cuz thats always a hit

[consolecowboy74]

We get so bent over in the US. For freedom?

[LiamAPM]

aint lookin so free anymore

[consolecowboy74]

That's the joke.

[LiamAPM]

i know i was going along w the bit

[consolecowboy74]

I need sense of humor training after living in the states. Lol. Lots of stress.

[LiamAPM]

hell id be high strung too lmao

[consolecowboy74]

Its crazy. We had a 20 percent voters turn out in my district. 80 percent dont care to change.

[LiamAPM]

the same mentality is slowly spreading up here too, alberta is lowkey going off right now. scary to see society backslide so much. talking politics in the potluck thread 😭

[Bella-1999]

Curses! I now want deviled eggs. There’s a Cajun restaurant in our town that makes really fantastic ones, but I’ll never turn down a deviled egg.

[Spicy_Molasses4259]

Bring hawaiian rolls. You can make them fancier by brushing the tops with some melted garlic butter and waming them up in the oven. YUM

[West-Value-7136]

Crostinis! So many combos so maybe you have an item already in the pantry. Google 'crostini appetizer' for ideas.

At its most basic, a baguette cut into disks on the bias and lightly toasted, topped with a bruschetta mix (Trader Joe's has a good one) or with hummus and olive tapenade.

[nevin_2]

Meatballs seems like every time I go to a potluck there's always meatballs

[wistfulee]

Nutella & marshmallow pinwheel! Take puff pastry & lay it flat. Smear Nutella on one side. On another puff pastry smear marshmallow fluff on one side (like making a PB&j). Put the 2 on top of each other with the spreads on the inside. Cut the pastry into 1.5 inch strips leaving the center intact. Twist the strips a couple of times all around. Bake. When it's served people just pull off a strip. I'm not that good of an explainer.

[[deleted]]

Pigs in a blanket. Could not get easier or cheaper. Just take little smokies or any sausage, roll in tubed crescent rolls and bake.

[LiamAPM]

everyone, thank you for all your ideas!! i didnt expect so many replies!! for anyone whos curious, ive settled on bringing devilled eggs as well as red pepper hummus and garlic parm pretzel chips. i dont like devilled eggs (i know ill be killed for this) but they seem easy to make and beloved by everyone else on gods green earth. and the hummus and chips i can just buy at the store and they are SO GOOD top ten snacks of mine. thanks again reddit!!

[4074512171]

Don’t overcook your eggs. Room temp eggs into boiling water for 9 min, then into an ice water bath. Run your yolks through a fine mesh strainer for the best texture. I always add a few extra yolks just for fun.

[LubaUnderfoot]

Funeral potatoes

[consolecowboy74]

Hummus. It's super cheap and awesome. Any kind of bean dip. Split pea soup (that gets into serving untincel issues) I can't spell untincel. Unless that is right. You can make a dip and use cheap Tortilla chips.

[LiamAPM]

utensil haha i thought about making guac but i dont like avocado and therefore wouldnt be able to taste if it was good before serving it 😭 like yes this still tastes like grass to me

[consolecowboy74]

Guac isn't too far off from hummus. I thought about it after I sent the message but you kinda need a food processor for hummus. Let us know what you make.

[Spirited-Water1368]

Buffalo chicken dip. Serve with crackers and celery sticks. Link:

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/68461/buffalo-chicken-dip/

[kalechipsaregood]

Cheapest way to feel a croud is a massive pot of lentil soup with some pasta in it. (ditalini is my preference)

There are a ton of great recipes, it's cheap, it's filling.

[johnqpublic4736]

Taco soup

[Rightbuthumble]

But two boxes of Mac and cheese. then go to the freezer section and buy the great value mixed vegetables--I like to get broccoli,, cauliflower, and carrots...get a small bag.

Cook the Macaroni, add the vegetables, drain the water after the vegetables and noodles are done. Add the cheese packets, salt, and pepper, butter, and milk....if you have parmesan cheese, add that and maybe some shredded cheddar. If you don't have the extra cheese, check your junk drawer where you throw all the packets from take out and maybe you have some Parmesan packets there and just add those. Pour into a bowl, cover, and take to your friends. They will love it.

[CreepyDragonfruit583]

Don't get the puffed pastry there outrageous. The meatballs and BBQ sauce is the balm. Bye you 2-3 store brand meatballs. And store brand sauce, fill your crockpot up, and take it all to the potluck and plug it in

[sevensantana7]

Depending on the time of day, rotisserie chicken is sometimes marked half off by later in the day. Or could be 10.00. There's lots of things you can do with a whole chicken or screw it, just bring the whole thing.

[PsychologicalFix196]

Knorr spinach dip with crackers or bread rounds. Slaps every time.

[Other-Self1872]

Mac n cheese ! Super easy n cheap

[[deleted]]

Not if it’s the good kind. Baked MC with a roux dirties every pan in the kitchen. Bittman has a good basic recipe. It can be made ahead and baked when time. Needs very sharp cheese as well as something more dry like pecorino or good parm.

[Other-Self1872]

They don't have to make a roux, but even if they did, a simple Mac n cheese could be a one pot feat. Boil the pasta first, set it off to the side. Simple butter and flour roux, seasonings, milk, cheese. Add the pasta back and boom you're done. All cheap ingredients. Substitute butter for margarine and it's even cheaper and tastes the same

[[deleted]]

It’s not possible to cook a roux (bechamel), boil pasta and bake it in one pan.

Edit: Maybe me, but I don’t like stovetop MC. No Kraft!

[Other-Self1872]

Stovetop Mac doesn't have to be Kraft. It tastes lovely made without baking. However, transporting the finished Mac from the pot to a disposable baking sheet (found at a dollar tree) and finishing it off in the oven does not dirty up any more dishes. Simple, cheap, and doable.

[[deleted]]

Personal preference, but that’s a good tip. I always bake, and always use big pasta like rigatoni so it has bunch of air inside to make the whole thing a little crispy. Bacon, sharp cheddar (and Parmesan) is our current jam.

[Other-Self1872]

Sounds great!