Whether you’re rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or you’re like me and had to be reminded that the big game is Sunday, you’ll want to be sure there is tasty game-day food on hand before kickoff at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time.
You’ll have to scale down the size of your watch party this year due to the pandemic, but you can still make mouthwatering food. Here are a few tips for hosting a smaller, safer gathering.
- Limit your party to people you live with, or if you’re able, project the game onto a wall in an outdoor area where everyone can practice appropriate social distancing.
- If game-day classics are your thing, consider conducting a food swap. Make a designated spot for friends to drop off and pick up portions of certain dishes, so that everyone gets a variety without having to cook all day.
- Or, if you’ve caught the cooking bug and want to experiment, this smaller gathering can serve as a focus group as you try out new recipes.
- Made too much food? That’s okay. Remember, plenty of game-watching fare can be repurposed for future meals; you can freeze leftover chili for later, and turn those extra ribs into tacos or enchiladas.
- Select recipes, like snack mixes and mini pizzas, that are easy to scale down. Most of The Post’s recipes feature a scaling button to help you do just that. Keep in mind, however, that when scaling a recipe, cooking times and temperatures, pan sizes and seasonings may be affected, so adjust accordingly. (Also, amounts listed in the directions will not reflect the changes made to ingredient amounts.)
Swapping food for Thanksgiving is the safe, smart way to have more but cook less
Here is a batch of Super Bowl eats that can easily be scaled down for Super Bowl LV. You’ll want to bookmark them now, too, for next year when we can — we hope — watch the game with a crowd.
Air Fryer Korean-Style Chicken Wings. If you’ve gotten into air-frying over the pandemic, you’ll love these spicy, sticky wings.
Chicken Wings With Shish*to Peppers. If you aren’t into gadgets, try these. Make fewer wings for a smaller group or refrigerate them and reheat them for a snack on Monday.
Greek-ish Potato Nachos. Potatoes become the base for these flavorful, easy to scale nachos.
Pork and Green Bean Empanadas. Handheld is helpful in a pandemic, which is why these will be a hit at an outdoor, socially distanced event.
Bean and Barley Chili. Scale down this hearty chili, or make a big batch and drop off some to a friend’s house. Chili freezes well, too.
Baked Black Bean and Corn Taquitos with Mango Salsa. Simple to make with a tangy dipping sauce! Make the filling and just bake off as many as you need for your party. Then, make more later in the week.
Maple-Bacon Spiced Nuts. Crispy, crunchy, glossy — a true snack winner.
Curried Pumpkin Seeds. If you’re more into seeds, these savory, flavorful ones will hit the mark.
Harissa-Roasted Carrot and Bean Dip. We love hummus, but sometimes you need a slightly different dip on the menu. Spicy roasted carrots blended up with beans is the answer.
Traditional or not, these hummus recipes will get the party started
Savory Cereal Snack Mix. You can make a big batch to portion, package and drop off, or make a smaller batch for just your household.
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Patti LaBelle’s Macaroni and Cheese. This decadent macaroni and cheese will be a hit with any size crowd. It easily scales down to feed three or four.
Muffin Tin Deep Dish Pizza. Your muffin tin is a handy way to make small portions easy. These kid-friendly deep dish pizzas will win the evening. Gather the ingredients and then make as many or as few as you need.
Lasagna cups, mini meatloaves and other clever ways to use your muffin pan
Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip. The most classic, salty-tangy-spicy game-day item; you can of course leave out the chicken to make it vegetarian. It easily scales down to four servings.
Vegan Artichoke Tofu Ricotta. This flavorful dip is used for a vegan pizza or flatbreads, but it’ll be delicious for your favorite crudité or crackers, too.
Cocoa Yogurt Snacking Cake. A dessert is always welcome, especially this simple, one-layer snacking cake. For something a little different, check out this Simple Sesame Cake. Both are one-bowl cakes that come together in minutes and require no stand mixer or fancy pans.
More from Voraciously:
Eat your vegetables for breakfast with these 7 recipes
Scallops with sweet-tart citrus sauce can brighten your day in half an hour
This herb-packed Persian fish stew is good to the last tangy, spicy spoonful
