My husband suggested I write a post compiling recipes that would be “good” to serve at a Super Bowl party. I hesitated because I felt like this has already been done… by practically everyone. But then he said I need to remember that all these “healthy” Super Bowl recipes are thought of, made by, and served by women (for the most part). In his words, “I’ve been at Super Bowl parties where a very well-intentioned wife or girlfriend serves a bunch of pretty appetizers and no one really eats them. It’s a given that you’ll have pizza and wings at a dude party. But if you can get a bunch of dudes to eat anything else besides that and the potato chips and dip and cookies, then you know you’ve got a good recipe.”
I think he’s right. Pizza and wings, potato chips and dip… those are expected and men will eat those.
Fancy low carb grain free broccoli infused tater tots won’t win against that stuff. But that doesn’t mean you have to serve appetizers that came from a box and were heated in the microwave!
We’ve spent the last few weeks discussing and testing recipes on our friends to determine which ones are really Dude Approved—which recipes will actually be eaten in the presence of pizza and wings (and potato chips and dip and cookies)…
The Top 5 winners:
Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip
Yes, this is a variation on both wings and on chips and dip. But it’s different. It’s amazing. And I wish I videotaped the party I brought this to so you could’ve seen the men standing around the crockpot scavenging for more chips to scrape the last bits of this off the bottom of the crock…
Guys like spicy stuff. Or maybe they don’t. Maybe they just think they’re supposed to, so when they’re all together, they eat spicy stuff just to fit in. Either way, when you mix spicy with chili, they are happy. This is a spin on regular old jalapeno poppers with breading–some guys will miss the breading (send them back over to the pizza table), but most guys will love these because of the flavor combo and the dudes-love-spicy factor. The guac on top is optional, but Dave recommends you include it!
Guys love sliders because they have big mouths. Just kidding. No, I mean, they do love sliders—but I think it’s really because they’re lazy and like to shove entire items of food in their mouths instead of taking small bites. These sliders win hands down in the burger department, and you can use the flatbreads to serve or just put them on buns. They’re small, flavorful, with a great texture (due to the sweet onion sausage used for the burgers). Dudes may like the basics, but jazzing up the basics a bit was a big winner in this case!
Chicken Fingers are quintessential bar food. They’re pretty yummy too, but the quality of the meat and the fried aspect are certainly questionable. With the chicken tenders we made for our dude friends, we made sure to retain the necessary aspects—crunchiness, flavor, and awesome dipping sauce! The guys couldn’t figure out what we made them with… well, you probably wouldn’t guess either, but click to find out!
We had to include at least one dessert in the mix! Although we tested several desserts on our dude friends, the brownies won. They truly are amazing, and I think one reason for their top rank in the dessert category at a party (besides just that they’re made of chocolate!) has something to do with how easy they are to eat. No silverware or dishes needed for these!
There you have it! Our Dude Approved Real Food Super Bowl Recipes. Yes, there is a lot of meat involved and not a ton of veggies. We tested veggie dishes on our dude friends too, and although the guys said they liked them, they still ate the meaty dishes first (along with their pizza, wings, potato chips, dip, and chocolate chip cookies).
What are your most popular Super Bowl (or party) foods?!
P.S. If you’re stuck making all this food for the dudes… whip up a batch of one of these for yourself!
Oooh I want those chili pepper poppers! and very appropriate, with the red hot chili peppers doing the halftime show… 🙂