While we might show up and get together for the game (kind of), we stay for the Super Bowl food and appetizers. No matter how bad the game might be or your favorite NFL team and/or bet is losing, the right Super Bowl food and appetizers can save the night.
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You need a game plan if hosting a Super Bowl party
That Thanksgiving dinner you hosted was just a primer for the big day. In fact, the Super Bowl is the number two-ranked day of the year for food consumption in America. Well, at least under normal circumstances that is the case.
Whether you have two people or 20, the need to knock out the Super Bowl food and appetizers remains the same. You are going to need a game plan just like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas Chiefs will on the field.
However, it doesn’t mean you need to be making a dish for Gordon Ramsay to judge and hope not to be called an “Idiot Sandwich.” It just means you can’t let the day sneak up on you either. The stores will be a madhouse, and no one has time to deal with that in peak shopping time. Get a plan together, and get out a few days early so you can beat the last-minute shoppers.
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Think of your guests. Are there any preferences? Is someone allergic to a particular food?
We aren’t just going to fill up a bowl of chips on the table and pass around a 12-pack, right? If you want to please the crowd come Super Bowl Sunday, we need to look at what foods and appetizers will make everyone happy.
Best Super Bowl snack and appetizer ideas
Most foods consumed for the Super Bowl would be considered an appetizer any other day of the week. Today, they get to be the star of the show. Everything from dips to dogs and everything in between is fair game. But not everything is created equal.
Guacamole reigns supreme amongst appetizers
I am not saying it is my favorite on this list. To me, the whole avocado craze has gotten a bit out of hand. Sure, it is good and has its uses, but let’s not put it on a pedestal. However, I am in the minority, as the numbers say otherwise.
It’s estimated that just in a single day, Super Bowl viewers consume close to 48,000 million tons of avocados in guacamole form. Likewise, 13.2 million pounds of avocado will be consumed in the US during the Super Bowl. The highest total of any single day of the year.
Play it safe, and have some guacamole ready for your guests. Don’t buy it premade. Have some respect for everyone who will be there, and make it fresh. It’s like eight ingredients, and you probably already have 90% of them lying around already. As far as Super Bowl appetizers go, this is a no brainer.
Find some way to cover chicken in buffalo sauce
I am a wing guy. More specifically, I am a flats guy. If you like drums, we can hang out and not have to worry about who takes the last one. I even have my own different recipes for wings if I don’t want traditional buffalo. I just got a new honey habanero worked out that is pretty amazing, but enough about me.
The problem with wings is the mess. Trying to pick up a beer or cocktail with sauce covered fingers without making a mess is a nightmare. And attempting to change the channel when you hear the first note of a Sarah McLachlan commercial come on is a death sentence for the remote. I don’t even want to get in the potential hazards of going to the restroom.
If you want them, have at it. I will fully support the presence of chicken wings as a Super Bowl appetizer and do my part to make sure they are not in vain. However, you can save the mess and cost of a Brinks truck worth of paper towels and make a buffalo chicken dip. Less mess, more efficient form of delivery, and less potential hazard when nature calls. A win-win for Super Bowl foods.
Best Super Bowl food ideas
You can’t have a Super Bowl watch party and just live off the little hot dogs that have been sitting on hold since the buses left the hotel. We need real sustenance. The people need it, and that’s what they are going to get.
Get creative with the hundreds of slider recipes
What’s better than a big sandwich? How about several mini-sandwiches that allow you to try a bunch of different things before needing to unbutton your jeans due to the pressure?
Get creative with these. How about Asian pork sliders with spicy ginger pork and a crisp Asian tangy slaw on top? The classic pulled pork or brisket sliders with crispy fried onions on top. Maybe go on the spicy side of life with Nashville Hot Chicken sliders with homemade blue cheese on the side.
Get creative, as these are an easy way to cramp a bunch of flavor into little bites. Heck, use that bread making experience you picked up in quarantine and make your own buns too. Super Bowl food is all about creativity.
A taco bar could be a great low-stress option
Tacos should be their own food group. You can “taco” about anything. Everything from breakfast to dessert and virtually all cuisines could be put in a shell, flour or corn.
Chipotle-lime fish tacos are fantastic, or even a Surf n’ Turf variant with steak and grilled lobster tail with a cilantro chili crema. Carne asada and pastor will always be a crowd-pleaser, just like chorizo. Use some of that bacon fat you have been storing and make your own tortillas. You could even spend some time making Birria tacos with Consommé for one of the most incredible things you have ever eaten.
Guests can make their Super Bowl food as they want them, which eases the stress on you to sit back and drink, which brings me to my last point.
Best fat-free vegan Super Bowl recipes
Alright, I know that vegan food is not usually synonymous with the Super Bowl. However, with the rising popularity of vegan diets, ensuring your more health-conscious guests – socially distanced, of course – have at least a couple of options could be the difference between a successful party and a gathering that leaves a small group of people feeling marginalized.
A casserole is always a winner
Pleasing non-vegans with a recipe that doesn’t include dairy or meat is not easy. Luckily, you would be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn’t enjoy a casserole. There are a number of delicious fat-free vegan casserole recipes that you can find online. A little tip to make the recipes easier, use frozen hashbrowns as the base of the casserole. They are vegan, delicious, and take a lot less time to prepare than scalloped potatoes.
Make sure to use as much nutritional yeast as possible when creating this dish. When combined with a little bit of lemon, the combination will give your casserole that cheesy taste that it needs.
Fat-free vegan Super Bowl salad options
Yes, a vegan bringing a salad to a Super Bowl party might seem a bit stereotypical. However, there are a number of options that could blow your guests or hosts away. Don’t just bring a boring, old salad. There are a number of fat-free vegan salad options available, just make sure to watch out for the dressing! Throw in some black beans, pico de gallo, chives, and make a delicious Mexican salad. Trust me, a delicious, fresh salad will be a nice change from the heavy, regular Super Bowl dishes usually provided.
Buffalo cauliflower bites
Earlier on this list, we broke down the importance of having some buffalo chicken wings at your Super Bowl party. One of the best fat-free vegan Super Bowl recipes that you can find a modification of those chicken wings. Instead of chicken, you can use cauliflower as a replacement. Take the cauliflower, dip it in an eggless batter (simply combine water and chia seeds), then them it in a breading mixture.
To ensure that we keep this as fat-free as possible, you are better off using an air fryer over a typical fryer. They can also be cooked in an oven as well.
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Tommy Garrett is a writer for Pro Football Network covering the NFL and fantasy football. You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.