Potluck meals can be so much fun and quite yummy as well. During this time of year when the temperatures start to drop, people start to seek good hearty meals that will help to warm up their tummies as well as their bodies. In this article, I will provide my top five potluck recipes that hopefully will help to achieve this goal: chicken noodle soup, beef stew, crockpot pinto beans, chicken and dumplings, and buffalo spaghetti.
1. Chicken Noodle Soup – this soup is excellent for potluck meals and even makes a great dinner to take to someone who is or has been sick. My family and I eat a lot of this kind of soup during flu season.
1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken (you can use either the breasts or the tenderloins)
2 32 oz. containers of organic chicken broth
1 cup of carrots, chopped
1 12 oz. box of whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 tsp. of black pepper
Prepare the chicken by either baking it in the oven for 20 minutes or boiling in a pot on top of the stove for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and chop into small, bite-sized pieces.
Place chicken broth, carrots, cooked chicken, uncooked spaghetti, and pepper into a large pot (a dutch oven or a stock pot works nicely), and heat to boiling. Once the mixture is boiling, turn the heat back to medium, and cook for 10-15 minutes until the spaghetti is to the desired consistency and the carrots are tender. Serve immediately in bowls with whole wheat crackers. If you would like to garnish the soup, you can place chopped green onions on top.
2. Beef Stew – this recipe is wonderfully hearty and is great for taking to a potluck meal, enjoying at home with your family, or sharing with friends.
1 lb. of stew beef (you can use 2 lbs. if you prefer more beef, and I recommend using the Laura’s Lean brand)
2 14.5 oz. cans of stewed tomatoes (use organic if available)
1 15oz. can of organic green beans
1 15oz. can of organic corn
1 15oz. can of organic mixed vegetables
1 15oz. can of organic pinto beans
4 cups of filtered water
Place the stew beef into a dutch oven, and brown on both sides. As you are browning the beef, you will notice that a juice is forming on the bottom of the pan. Allow this to remain in the pan, for it helps with seasoning the soup.
Once the meat has browned, add the stewed tomatoes and saute’ the tomatoes and the beef together for about 5 minutes. While the tomatoes and beef are cooking together, open the cans of veggies and drain and rinse the contents.
Place the green beans, corn, mixed vegetables, and pinto beans into the dutch oven with the cooked beef and the stewed tomatoes. Add the filtered water, and heat the stew mixture to boiling. Once the stew is boiling, turn it back to medium heat and allow it to cook for at least 1 hour. You will know the stew is done when the beef is tender and the mixture has thickened to a stew-like consistency. Serve with whole wheat crackers, and if you would like, sprinkle the top of the stew with cheese after placing it in bowls.
3. Crockpot Pinto Beans – these beans go well with cornbread and are an easy dish to make for a potluck or even for lunch or dinner at home.
1 lb. bag of dried pinto beans
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 tsp. of sea salt
1/4 tsp. of black pepper
Enough water to cover the beans (approximately 5-6 cups)
Sort through the pinto beans and remove any bad beans. Place beans in the crockpot. Add garlic, sea salt, and black pepper. Cover the beans with 5-6 cups of water. Turn the crockpot onto high and cook for 2 hours. Check consistency of beans, and cook a little longer if you need to do so. You may continue to warm the beans on low if you would like. Serve the beans in bowls, and if you would like, you can garnish with parmesan or cheddar cheese and onions.
4. Chicken and Dumplings – this is one of my husband’s favorite meals and is definitely appropriate for a potluck meal.
1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken (you can use breasts or tenderloins)
1 large container of pre-made, need-to-be-baked biscuits
6-8 cups of water
2 tsps. of sea salt
Place the chicken into a dutch oven or stew pot and cover with 6-8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and continue boiling for approximately 20 minutes until the chicken is done. As the chicken is cooking, a white substance will rise to the top; this is the chicken fat, and you can remove it with a spoon and discard it.
While the chicken is cooking, remove the biscuits from their container and slice them into quarters. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and cut it into bite size pieces. Place chicken back into the broth, and add the sea salt and the quartered biscuits.
Cook the mixture on medium heat for approximately 15 minutes. The biscuit quarters will become soft, and as a result, the mixture will thicken.
Once the mixture is to the desired thickness, remove it from heat, and serve immediately in bowls.
5. Buffalo Spaghetti – this spaghetti meal is absolutely delicious and is a favorite with my whole family. I have even taken this meal to people when they are not feeling well.
1 lb. of ground buffalo
1 26 oz. jar of Prego Organic Traditional Spaghetti Sauce
1 12 oz. box of whole wheat spaghetti
Prepare spaghetti according to directions on the box. While the spaghetti is cooking, place the buffalo meat into a skillet and cook it until it is brown and completely done. Add Prego sauce to the meat and mix it well. Cook the meat and sauce mixture until it is completely heated throughout. Serve with parmesan cheese.
This spaghetti is even yummy the next day as well, so if you have leftovers after the potluck, you can enjoy them later.
