Super Bowl game-day recipes you’ll love
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Here are some new, improved, and different Super Bowl game-day food ideas and recipes.
Super Bowl and any game-day recipes
I have to admit it; if the Super Bowl doesn’t involve one of a couple of teams that I’m fair-to-moderately interested in, I really watch the Super Bowl for the food. It’s pretty much an eat-a-thon for us, and it usually involves the same game-day food.
This year, I’m mixing it up, trying to introduce some of the same flavors in different forms. I plan to make flavorful turkey meatballs two ways—one with hot habanero mango salsa and one with spicy hot sauce—that can be eaten with toothpicks or loaded into subs.
I’m also making sausage and cream cheese stuffed mini peppers and two kinds of bruschetta that I made for a Christmas get-together that were big hits.
The spice on the wings comes from Thai spices. It’s a different twist that is every bit as good, and since some of the spicy tomato sauce shows up with the spicy turkey meatballs, this is a real game-changer (get it?!).
And what would Super Bowl Game food be without dip and a sweet snack? Guacamole is my all-time favorite dip, so I decided to build it into a 7-layer dip with lots of fresh vegetables to make me feel like some of the food is healthy.
Then, I’m making fried dill pickle slices to dip in…anything I want! I will probably use ranch dressing or dill dip.
And dessert features fruit, so the game day snacks are rounded out with something somewhat healthy.
My mouth is watering already, so let’s dive in!
Flavorful turkey meatball recipe
While I make these meatballs with ground turkey, you certainly can use ground hamburg, pork, or a mixture. I tend to avoid meatloaf mixes because I’m afraid that they contain a lot of carb-based fillers. I prefer to add my own.
NOTE! I’ve made these meatballs several times and have always used a parchment-lined baking sheet, but I now have these handy pans with a raised grid and though they would be great to catch the drippings. BIG MISTAKE.
The meatballs stuck desperately. Lesson learned. Only use a parchment-lined sheet!
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lb ground turkey
- ½ c ketchup
- 2 eggs
- 8 oz breadcrumbs
- 2-3 oz grated parmesan
- 1 ½ packets Lipton dry onion soup mix
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix all of the ingredients together, taking care not to overwork the mix.
- Use a small scoop and your hands to form small balls.
- Place meatballs on the baking sheet and cook for 20-30 minutes until brown on the outside and cooked through.
Notes
Find Your Easy tip:
Do not overwork meatballs, no matter what meat you use. It will make them tough.
To freeze them, place them on a cookie sheet so that the meatballs don’t touch. When frozen, place in a freezer bag. You’ll be able to remove individual meatballs anytime you want!
Hot habanero mango salsa
If you like sweet heat, you’ll love this hot habanero mango salsa!
Hot habanero mango salsa
Ingredients
- 2 mangoes
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 red onion
- 1 habanero
- 1 lime
- ½ tsp cumin
- cilantro
Instructions
- Cut the peel from the mango and cut the mango in slices away from the pit, getting as close to the pit as possible. Dice the mango.
- Dice 1/3 of the red pepper and ½ of the onion, depending on the size and your preference.
- Finely dice the habanero. It is up to you whether you remove the seeds, but it’s best to remove the seeds initially.
- Mix mango, red pepper, and onion. Add the juice of the entire lime and some lime zest if you desire. Add cumin and mix well. Top with chopped cilantro.
Notes
Find Your Easy tip: Wear disposable gloves when handling hot peppers so you don’t inadvertently touch your eyes or other sensitive areas. Otherwise, scrub your hands with soapy water or a paste made of baking soda and a little water.
Spicy tomato sauce
Many of my sauces, dips, and dressings are the products of “dumping” and “mixing” experiments. That makes it difficult to tell others the recipes and reproduce the exact flavors.
On the other hand, I’m a firm believer in putting together the ingredients—and as much of the ingredients—as you want.
With that in mind, here’s my spicy tomato sauce. Modify it as you see fit.
Spicy tomato sauce
Ingredients
- 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
- garlic chili paste (sambal oelek)
- 2 cloves garlic
- mixed Italian herbs (dry)
- salt
Instructions
- Finely mince the garlic.
- Mix the can of diced tomatoes with 2 tsp of garlic chili paste and minced garlic. Add 1T of dry herbs. TASTE THE MIXTURE.
- Add salt to taste. Adjust the other ingredients as needed.
Notes
Thai wings
I love the spice and flavor of Thai food, especially green curry, so this Thai green curry hot wing recipe from Food & Wine caught my eye.
These wings are crunchy, spicy, and loaded with flavor. Try them to switch up your hot wing routine.
Thai wings
Ingredients
- 3 lbs frozen wings, thawed
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp Thai green curry paste
- cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°.
- Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil.
- Mix the flour, salt, and coriander in a bowl.
- Add the chicken and toss to coat.
- Spread the chicken on the baking sheet in a single layer and spray with vegetable oil.
- Roast for 45 minutes, turning once or twice until browned and crispy.
- Whisk the hot sauce, butter, fish sauce, and curry paste together in a bowl.
- Add the chicken wings to the sauce and toss. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
Notes
Find Your Easy Tip: Drumettes or small legs work well because they have more meat than wings but are big enough to remove the skin. Buy frozen drumettes and let them thaw about halfway. That makes it easy to pull the skin off and reduce the fat calories. They’ll be just as good, trust me.
Game Day bruschetta two ways
I used the glut of grape tomatoes I had this year for the tomato confit bruschetta recipe. I had no clue what to do with all those tomatoes then I kept seeing a recipe for tomato confit on Pinterest.
Coincidentally, I had a great crop of fresh thyme…so I took it as a sign. I put the confit into sterile jars, knowing that I would have to use it within six months. I topped pasta with some (but didn’t use all the oil) and made tomato confit bruschetta as a Christmas appetizer.
If you don’t have some pre-made, it’s really easy to roast these at 400 º with a little olive oil and some fresh thyme until they burst.
Tomato confit bruschetta
Ingredients
Make the confit
- grape tomatoes-enough to fill a baking sheet
- olive oil-extra virgin is not necessary
- 8 cloves garlic
- several springs fresh thyme
Make the bruschetta
- baguette
- herbed cheese like Boursin
Instructions
To make confit
- Preheat oven to 275º.
- Wash grapetomatoes and spread dry tomatoes on a baking sheet with shallow sides.
- Tuck thegarlic cloves and thyme springs randomly around the tomatoes.
- Add enougholive oil that it comes 1/3 to half-way up the tomatoes.
- Sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for two hours or until the tomatoes startto burst. Remove the thyme sprigs.
- Pack insterile jars and store refrigerated for up to six months.
To make bruschetta
- Preheat oven to 300º and cover a baking sheetwith parchment paper.
- Thickly slice the baguette. You can toast it or not. I choose not to because I don’twant this to be so crunchy that you can’t get a good bite of everything at once.
- Spread each slice with a thin layer of herb cheese.
- Add aspoonful of confit containing several tomatoes to each slice. There’s no needto grab much of the oil, but a little will add to the flavor.
- Place each slice on the baking sheet and bake 5-10 minutes until warm.
Notes
Prosciutto and asparagus bruschetta
It seems that some people don’t like prosciutto, thinking that it’s raw meat and worrying that it needs to be cooked. I need to set that record straight.
True prosciutto is made from specially raised Italian pigs. It is not cooked but is dry-cured. Dry-curing eliminates water, creating an environment where bacteria won’t grow. Thus, prosciutto and other dry-cured meat is safe to eat. The process is similar to how jerky is made.
I bet you’ve had prosciutto-wrapped melon appetizers. Sweet melon and salty prosciutto pair very nicely together.
I’m thanking Wonky Wonderful for this recipe. The honey dijon drizzle really makes this dish!
Prosciutto and asparagus bruschetta
Ingredients
Bruschetta
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp water
- ½ c shredded Italian blend cheese
- ½ lb asparagus
- prosciutto
Sauce
- 1 tsp whole-grain dijon mustard
- 1 tsp fresh or bottled lemon juice
- 1 tsp honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a baking sheet with oil.
- Lay puff pastry flat on the baking sheet.
- Fold edges 1/2 inch inward and press down gently with a fork. Puncture the inside of each puff pastry square several times with a fork.
- Layer 1/4 C of the shredded cheese over the pastry. Arrange asparagus evenly on top of the cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the asparagus.
- Mix egg and water. Brush edges of puff pastry with the egg wash.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- Top with thinly sliced prosciutto by folding it somewhat.
- Mix all sauce ingredients together. Drizzle honey mustard sauce across the tart.
- Cut into 9 squares.
Notes
Sausage and cream cheese-stuffed mini peppers.
These cream cheese and sausage-stuffed mini peppers from Honest Cooking are a sweeter alternative to jalapeno poppers. Even kids like the sweetness of these kid-sized peppers.
Sausage and cream cheese-stuffed mini peppers
Ingredients
- 1 lb sweet or hot Italian sausage, cooked
- 1 lb mini peppers
- ½ c shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ c grated parmesan cheese
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cook sausage and drain any fat.
- Cut the peppers in half lengthwise. Remove ribs and seeds.
- Combine cream cheese, sausage, cheeses, and salt and pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill the peppers, dividing the mixture between them.
- Place on baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes.
Notes
7-layer dip with guacamole
This is my take on layered taco dip. I just use my favorite nacho toppings, except that there’re no tortilla chips on the bottom.
I love guacamole, so if I’m eating Mexican food, it’s there somewhere. I plan to post my favorite recipe soon, but for now, use your favorite homemade or store-bought version.
Use anything from tortilla chips to fresh cucumber slices or zucchini chips as dippers.
Layer the following in a shallow-sided bowl like a pie plate:
Refried beans
Guacamole
Shredded taco cheese
Shredded lettuce
Finely chopped tomatoes
Chopped red onion
Sliced black olives
The usual recipe calls for a layer of sour cream on top. I happen to LOVE chipotle cream and make my own because it’s so easy.
For this, use chipotle in adobo sauce. Roughly chop one chipotle and add a tablespoon or two of adobo to a cup of sour cream. Add more chipotle pepper, adobo, or sour cream as desired.
Add dollops to the top of the taco dip. Finish with some bright green chopped cilantro.
Notes:
You can add some chopped jalapenos to the chopped onions for some extra heat.
And you can add some powdered taco seasoning to the refried beans to spice them up a little.
My sister adds an extra layer of cottage cheese spiced with taco seasoning and omits the sour cream on top.
Fried dill pickle slices
Dill is one of my favorite herbs (watch for my dilly bean recipe). It’s so versatile—from dip to fish to pickles—there’s bound to be a dill dish everyone can enjoy.
Try these fried dill pickle slices and see what you think. Yes, you can make them with bread and butter pickle chips/slices, but I hope you don’t.
Fried dill pickle slices
Ingredients
- 17 oz dill pickle chips/slices, although bread and butter pickles can be used.
- ½ c flour
- ½ c panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp smoky paprika
Instructions
- Drain and dry pickle chips on a few paper towels. Dry as best as possible.
- Set up three bowls. To one, add the garlic salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika to the flour bowl and mix. To a second bowl, beatthe egg. In a third bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs.
- Dredge the pickles in the flour mixture, then into the bowl with the beaten egg, and last, into the panko breadcrumbs.
- Spray the air fryer shelf with cooking spray. Lay the pickle chips so they don’t overlap. You may need to do several batches, depending on the size of your air fryer and the number of shelves. Lightly spray the pickles with cooking oil.
- Air fry at 385º for 5-7 minutes.
Notes
That’s my new Super Bowl game food for this year. Of course, you can enjoy these recipes anytime, for any reason, including other playoff games : )
On other years we’ve made pulled pork, stuffed potato skins, spicy skewered shrimp, loaded nachos, sliders (endless possibilities here!), muffuletta, buffalo chicken dip, and sausage and cream cheese dip.
So many game day snack recipes, so little time…
For another dipping sauce, try my fire-roasted salsa.
Leave a comment and let me know your favorite game-day food and why. I’ll be sure to let the readers know about it.
