Easy get-together: Potluck dinner ideas and recipes
![Easy Get Together- Potluck Dinner Ideas and Recipes](https://ideas.hallmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/potluck-dinner-ideas-and-recipes.jpg)
Every time we’re with our favorite people around the dinner table, we think the same thing: “Why don’t we should do this more often?” We don’t, because…dining out is costly? Dinner parties are so much work?
This is exactly why the potluck supper exists: To make it simple, enjoyable—and inexpensive—to get together. These days, who doesn’t want to spend more time connecting with friends and family? A potluck dinner is a great way to minimize lots of the roadblocks that prevent us from sitting around a table together.
The potluck dinner is one of the best examples of the old saying, “Many hands make light work.” Everyone brings something and nobody feels overwhelmed. With the teensiest bit of planning, you can avoid duplicate dishes (Nothing but desserts! Five bags of chips!) and maximize the fun. Here are four tips and four family-style recipes you can use to have a successful potluck dinner.
Inspired? Create and share by tagging @HallmarkStores.
Give your potluck meal a theme
Whether you’re going with something simple or complex, it’s good to have a theme for the menu to prevent a clash of cuisines. Some popular themes our cooks recommend:
- Seasonal favorites
- Street food
- Favorite recipes
- Throwback recipes from a chosen era
- Childhood favorites
- Comfort foods
- Movie-themed foods
- Breakfast for dinner
- Food of your home town
- Taco bar
- Hot dog bar
- Burger bar
Start a signup
As the host, it’s best if you announce the theme and create a space where everyone can keep track of details. There’s no need to dictate exact recipes—if everyone can choose a category, you’ll be good to go, and the cooks will be able to make any final recipe decisions closer to the date of the party.
For easy online sharing, you can use Google Sheets to personalize your own sign up. Or you can turn it over to a site like SignUpGenius.com to automate the whole process, from invitation to reminder.
Pro tip: Ask habitual early birds to bring ice, drinks and appetizers.
Common Categories:
- Appetizers
- Salads
- Main dishes
- Sides
- Desserts
Be sure to include something for non-cooks (or super-busy folks) to bring:
- Takeout
- Drinks and Ice
- Bread or rolls from the bakery
- Paper items
- Flowers
At large potlucks, there is usually something for everyone, but for a smaller gathering, this is a good time to flag any dietary restrictions so cooks can plan accordingly.
Get ready for guests
Set up your serving area to make everything flow smoothly:
- Designate a separate area for drinks and apps to prevent congestion.
- Get out serving utensils, baskets and any extra dishes people might need.
- Warm up the oven to keep hot foods hot during happy hour, and get out the trivets or potholders.
- Set out a stack of small cards so each cook can write down the name of their dish any other information that might be helpful.
Get the conversation rolling
- Want to have some easy potluck fun during dinner? Here are some questions that get a fun group conversation rolling:
- What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?
- How do you prefer to communicate: call, text or email?
- Who is your celebrity doppelganger?
- What do you think is the best age to be and why?
- Tell us about any celebrity encounters you’ve had.
- What did you want to be when you were little?
- What were you like as a kid?
- What product could you not live without that is not connected to the Internet?
- Do you remember a book from childhood being important to you?
- Do you remember your favorite outfit that you thought was cool?
- What is something that made you laugh recently?
Pimento cheese dip
Sweet and spicy sriracha pecans add some fabulous crunch to this pimento cheese dip. This crowd-pleasing, Southern staple is having a renaissance these days and after one bite you will understand why. This dip can be made ahead will be ready and waiting when hungry (and soon to be happy!) guests arrive.
Warm kale salad
Kale is a superfood and people love bacon. It's a match made in heaven. This warm kale salad with bacon dressing is the perfect dish for a fall family gathering. Pumpkin seeds provide a little fall crunch on top of hearty kale leaves, along with some creamy goat cheese crumbles.
Easy enchiladas
Beef, bean, and baby spinach enchiladas are crowd-pleasing favorites—easy to make, easy to freeze and easy to eat. If you’re putting together a dinner to deliver to somebody else, these easy enchiladas are perfect. Complete the meal with some additional goodies like chips, guacamole and a six-pack of Mexican beer.
Comforting Mac & Cheese
This simple mac and cheese with vegetables gives everyone’s favorite comfort food a delicious update with mushrooms, peas, and a crispy panko topping.
Grown Up S’mores Bars
Grown-up S’mores Bars are the excuse you’ve been waiting for to revel in the gooey, chocolate-y goodness of your childhood. They’re indoor s’mores, which means no waiting for a camp-out. And our version adds a caramel drizzle to dark chocolate, a decadent graham cracker crust, and toasted marshmallows to make an elegant dessert the kids, quite frankly, are not ready for.
Shop 'Served Family Style'
See allYou may also like
See more-
Christmas Sweet dreams, Santa!
Catch Santa napping on the job with this Snoring Santa Keepsake Ornament featuring sound and motion. With every snore...
-
Kwanzaa What is Kwanzaa?
What is Kwanzaa? A festival of lights rich in African symbolism, it takes place each year from December 26th through ...
-
Christmas Advent calendar activities for adventurous families
It’s time to start the countdown. Maybe it’s about being mindful…or counting your blessings…or preempting your kids a...
-
Summer Ways to celebrate Juneteenth
While Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, this pivotal moment in history has been cele...
-
Christmas Christmas and Kwanzaa: Keeping family holiday traditions and finding your own
Whether you’re single or starting a family, religious or agnostic, someone who celebrates Christmas and Kwanzaa or ju...
-
Halloween Make ghosts and goblins feel right at home this Halloween
Light up your home with haunting Halloween seasonal decor. 🎃👻 Shop now at Hallmark Gold Crown stores or at Hallmark.com.
-
Halloween No scaredy cats around here!
When this black cat crosses your path, you know fun can't be far behind. 😻 🧙♀️ Shop the Zip-A-Long Cat in Hallmark G...
-
Halloween While you’re waiting for The Great Pumpkin this Halloween…
Fly around the pumpkin patch with Zip-a-long Snoopy! 🎃 Shop more frightening finds in Hallmark Gold Crown stores and ...
-
Halloween Light up the night with frightful fun!
Could it be? Could it be!? Yes it is! It’s the Peanuts® Snoopy and Woodstock Halloween figurine! 🎃 🐶 Find it and more...
-
Halloween Where cozy meets mischief and magic
Make some magic this Halloween with this Hocus Pocus hooded blanket. 🧙♀️👻Find more Halloween essentials in Hallmark ...
-
Gifting Relive a favorite from your childhood!
Fill your home with a few small joys inspired by Disney’s “It’s a Small World” 🩵🎎 Shop the collection at Hallmark Gol...
-
Halloween Which house will you be sorted into?
The Harry Potter™ Sorting Hat™ Mug plays sound whenever you lift the lid. Find this chatty mug in Hallmark Gold Crown...
-
Encouragement How to support caregivers
It’s often hard to know how to support a caregiver. Most caregiving checklists out there hit the major topics like me...
-
Love 50 different ways to say I love you
You don’t need to wait for a special occasion to remind that certain someone how much he or she is loved. Spice up yo...
-
Graduation 15 graduation quotes
Celebrate your favorite grad’s milestone with the wit and wisdom of Hallmark writers, fans and others. We’ve rounded ...
-
Congratulations How to congratulate someone
Congratulating others is easy and fun, right? Like when your friend worked really hard and got that awesome job makin...
-
Care & Concern Be more caring with a kindness journal
It's obvious the world could use more kindness. So this year, why not make "be more caring" your number one resolutio...
-
Fall Día de Muertos: A celebration of life and love
Día de Muertos, Day of the Dead, is a holiday originally celebrated in the southern and central parts of Mexico and i...
-
Card Ideas Card messages for kids: What to write in a kid’s holiday card and more
My 3-year-old was having a hard time at preschool drop-off. Dragging his feet. Asking to stay home. This went on a fe...
-
Christmas 6 Creative Christmas Card Display Ideas
Holiday card season is here: Our mailboxes are about to fill up with festive envelopes with pretty stamps and familia...