Super Bowl parties are kind of like dinner parties with a side of football. Sure, the NFL championship is a big deal, but so is the food. Snacks are great, but the big game does cross over dinner time. Fortunately, there are a lot of great Super Bowl meal ideas for a football-focused dinner party. From marvelous main courses to side dishes that score and desserts galore, there are plenty of winning selections.
Printable Menu for Your Super Bowl Dinner Party
No matter what you decide to serve, impress your guests with your own customized dinner menu. Just download the printable menu below and edit it with the items you'll be serving.
Superb Super Bowl Dinner Casseroles
Casseroles are a great main dish idea for Super Bowl Sunday. It's easy to prep casseroles ahead of time and keep them in the fridge or freezer until the big day arrives.
Touchdown Taco Casserole
For a comfort food meets football fare kind of vibe, touchdown taco casserole is a perfect choice. This cheesy, meaty casserole is made with the same yummy ingredients you'd use to make two Super Bowl staples - cheese dip and chili - along with rice. Make it look extra special by sprinkling some crushed tortilla chips and green onions on top.
Make your touchdown taco casserole game ready by adding football shaped dollops of sour cream and/or guacamole to the top.
Tater Tot Sloppy Joe Bake
If you'd rather serve a meat and potatoes casserole for dinner on Super Bowl Sunday, this sloppy Joe tater tot casserole recipe is a tasty option. Start by browning ground beef and onion together, then stir in tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ground mustard, and a few other ingredients to make the sauce before adding tater tots to the top and baking. Garnish with cheese and chives. Yum!
Love the idea of a tater tot casserole but already have plenty of other meat dishes on the menu? Replace the ground beef with 2 cups of corn or cooked kidney beans for a tasty side.
Chicken Tetrazzini
Main dish casseroles don't have to have a beef base. Chicken tetrazzini is an easy-to-make tasty option that combines cooked spaghetti or linguini with chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, cheese, and a few other pantry staple ingredients. It's a rich and hearty main course that your guests are sure to love, especially if you serve it alongside a loaf of crusty bread. Jazz it up with football shaped pasta.
Did you put leftover turkey in the freezer after the recent holiday season? Turkey tetrazzini is just as tasty as the chicken version, so why not use up what you already have?
Stovetop Main Courses for Super Bowl Sunday
Stovetop meals are also a great option for Super Bowl Sunday. There are plenty of great options, from pasta dishes to soups and more.
Creole Jambalaya
Spice up your Super Bowl party with a batch of jambalaya. The easy-to-make rice dish usually includes a few different types of meat - this Creole jambalaya recipe calls for andouille sausage, chicken, and shrimp, but you don't necessarily have to use all three meat options. This dish gets its Creole flavor (and kick!) from simmering rice and meat in a specially seasoned tomato base.
In case someone has a shellfish allergy, make at least one batch of jambalaya that doesn't include shrimp. Cook the shellfish-free pot first, then the other - or use different pots for each.
Sausage and Pepper Skillet
For a super-easy stovetop main course, cut up some smoked sausage and slice some fresh onions and sweet peppers into strips. Heat up a bit of oil in a skillet and saute the peppers and veggies until they're cooked through. Place some sub rolls and mustard nearby, so guests can eat it as is (your low-carb/keto guests will be thrilled) or use it to make sausage sandwiches.
To accommodate guests who may like sausage but not onions and peppers (or vice versa), make one batch with everything combined, plus separate batches of sausage only and peppers/onions only.
Cheeseburger Macaroni
It's hard to beat cheeseburger macaroni for winter comfort food, which is what makes this dish such a great main course idea for Super Bowl Sunday. This homemade cheeseburger macaroni recipe is very simple to make and can be cooked from start to finish in just one pan. Stir in some diced tomatoes (fresh or canned) just before serving for a special touch. Feeding a crowd? This recipe can easily be multiplied to feed any size group.
Boost the flavor of your homemade cheeseburger mac by stirring in chopped spinach, diced tomatoes, or cooked bacon crumbles. Add these items at the same time you stir in the pasta.
Super Bowl Slow Cooker Main Dishes
Want to have a warm main course available throughout the big game so people can serve themselves whenever they get hungry? A slow cooker - or the slow cook setting on your instant pot - is your secret weapon.
Slow Cooker Lasagna
Lasagna may seem a bit labor-intensive for a Super Bowl party, but it's actually very easy to make in a slow cooker. You don't even have to pre-cook the noodles. This slow cooker lasagna recipe includes all the standard lasagna ingredients, which you'll just need to assemble four to six hours before the game. Then, turn your slow cooker on low and let the appliance work its magic.
Want to add a special flair that will lead guests to ask for your lasagna recipe? Substitute crumbled Italian sausage for half of the ground beef. Yum!
Super Bowl Sloppy Joes
Sloppy Joes are a great slow-cooker meal for Super Bowl Sunday. Brown some ground beef and put it in your slow cooker, along with store-bought or homemade sloppy Joe sauce. Let it heat on low for at least four hours before your guests arrive. Place hamburger buns nearby for guests who want to make sandwiches, as well as tortilla chips and cheese for guests who prefer to assemble sloppy Joe nachos.
Does the price of ground beef make you want to throw a penalty flag? Make your sloppy Joes a bit more budget friendly by substituting ground turkey for half the beef.
Tackle-Worthy Taco Soup
Taco soup is incredibly easy to make. Just cook and drain two pounds of ground beef and put it in your slow cooker. Add several kinds of canned beans (drained) - use any combination of black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, navy beans, pinto beans, great northern beans, or white beans. Add a packet of taco seasoning mix, a can of tomatoes and green chilies, and enough water to cover everything. Cook on low for six to eight hours.
This tasty soup serves double-duty as a uniquely yummy nacho topping. Put a bowl of tortilla chips next to it, along with shredded cheese, sour cream, guac, and salsa.
Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Sides
You don't have to limit your slow cooker to entrees. Some of the best Super Bowl sides are ones you can mix up and basically forget, yet count on to be warm and ready when it's time to eat.
Creamy Slow Cooker Corn
Homemade creamed corn goes with just about everything, so it's a great side to serve with nearly any main dish(es) you decide to prepare. This recipe for slow cooker creamed corn uses only a few ingredients that you probably already have - frozen corn, cream cheese, milk, butter, and sugar - plus salt and pepper to taste. Cook on high for as little as two hours, or let it simmer on low for up to six.
Want your creamed corn less sweet? Leave the sugar out. Want it to be super-spicy? Add ½ teaspoon (or more, if you dare) of cayenne pepper and one or two chopped fresh chilis.
Slow Cooker Veggie Medley
Vegetable medley is a great dinner party side, even on Super Bowl Sunday. It's easy to cook just about any mixture of fresh or frozen vegetables in a slow cooker. Put a cup of water or vegetable stock in your slow cooker, then add your choice of fresh veggies cut into one-inch chunks. Carrots, zucchini, and sweet pepper make a great combination. Add two tablespoons of butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cook on low for six to eight hours.
Sync your veggies with your main dish(es) by adapting the seasoning. For example, add Italian seasoning if making you're having lasagna or tetrazzini, or Creole seasoning if you're making jambalaya or another spicy dish.
Slow Cooker German Potato Salad
The bacony, vinegary goodness of German potato salad goes great with a lot of things, including the sausage and veggie skillet listed above, as well as anything that you might decide to cook on the grill. This recipe for slow-cooker German potato salad makes it easy to get the work out of the way ahead of time so you can relax and enjoy the game, secure in the knowledge that this tasty side will be hot and delicious whenever your guests are ready to eat.
Instant Pot Ideas for Super Bowl Sides
Your instant pot can fill in as an extra slow cooker if needed, but you can also use it to create flavorful pressure-cooked side dishes for your Super Bowl meal. Remember to turn the valve to seal when you put on the lid.
Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
Corn on the cob is also a great side dish for most entrees. When you use an instant pot to make corn on the cob, you don't have to worry about boiling a big pot of water. Instead, you just need to put two cups of water in the inner pot, stand up fresh or frozen corn in the trivet, and cook on high pressure for four minutes. After the timer goes off, turn the valve from sealing to venting and let the pressure completely release before opening.
Instant Pot Baked Beans
With an instant pot, it's incredibly easy and surprisingly quick to make homemade baked beans that start from dried beans. You won't even have to soak the beans before cooking when you use this no-soak instant pot baked beans recipe. You'll need to pressure cook the beans first, then use the saute function to prep the sauce. Next, you'll return the beans and pressure cook everything together for a few minutes.
Convert this baked bean recipe to a vegetarian side by leaving out the bacon. If you think some guests will miss the smoky taste that bacon adds, stir in a few drops of liquid smoke before cooking.
Instant Pot Steamed Veggies
Steamed vegetables are a tasty side dish that will pair well with any main course. If you have an instant pot and a steamer basket, you can quickly and easily prep steamed vegetables for your guests to enjoy. When you follow this simple recipe for instant pot steamed vegetables, you'll be able to quickly prep and cook a tasty mixture of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and bell pepper chunks.
Delightful Super Bowl Desserts
No Super Bowl spread is complete without a selection of desserts. Make at least one - maybe all! - of these delicious sweet treats. Don't be surprised if your guests dig into dessert even before dinner is served.
Game Day Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Dress up a batch of chocolate-covered strawberries for Super Bowl Sunday by drizzling on white chocolate in lines to resemble the laces on a football. It's easy to make your own chocolate-covered strawberries - just melt chocolate chips in a double boiler and dip fresh strawberries in the melted chocolate. See this recipe for chocolate-covered strawberries for complete instructions, including how to drizzle on white chocolate.
If some of your guests are watching their sugar intake, you'll be their MVP if you make a special no-sugar-added batch for them. Just use Lily's stevia-sweetened baking chips instead of ordinary ones.
Super Bowl Snickerdoodles
Mix up a batch of snickerdoodle cookie dough, but don't roll it into balls to dip into cinnamon sugar. Instead, after refrigerating the dough for about half an hour, use a rolling pin to roll it out flat on a lightly floured surface. Then, use a football cookie cutter to shape your snickerdoodles into the perfect game-day treat. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the cookies before baking.
Football Brownie Cupcakes
Prepare your favorite brownie recipe, but don't spread it into a baking pan. Instead, spoon the brownie batter into cupcake liners and bake. In other words, make cupcakes, but use brownie batter instead of cake batter. Once your brownie cupcakes have cooled, pipe on white frosting to look like the laces on a football.
Delicious Dining for Super Bowl Sunday
You can't go wrong when you decide to include any of these delicious dishes on your Super Bowl Sunday dinner menu. Whether you're watching the game and eating with a few friends or if you're hosting a large group for a championship dinner, your guests are sure to be impressed by the game-day-winning meal you put together for Super Bowl Sunday.
