Looking to craft some memorable bites for the big game? News4's Megan McGrath has you covered. Read on for the recipes. Bonus: Most of these can be made a day ahead.
Meatball Sliders
Note: You can make the meatballs a day ahead, but don’t put them on the buns until just before serving.
- 1lb ground beef (chuck is best)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, unseasoned
- 3 tablespoons chopped onion, sautéed
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2-3 tablespoons oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- chopped fresh basil
- 1 large jar of spaghetti sauce
- slider buns
Place ground beef, ricotta and the egg in a medium bowl. Use your hands to mix together. Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs and add the sautéed onions, parmesan and garlic. Next comes the parsley, oregano, baking soda, salt and pepper. Use your hands to combine. Form the mixture into meatballs.
Pour your favorite spaghetti sauce into a pan and heat it up. Add the meatballs to the warm sauce. Use a spoon to cover the meatballs in sauce, and then cover with a lid. Simmer until cooked through — about 10-12 minutes. Remove the lid and top each meatball with mozzarella cheese. Cover and cook until the mozzarella melts.
Place the meatballs on the bottoms of toasted slider buns, top with chopped fresh basil, and add the top bun.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
- 2 8-ounce bars of cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup chunky blue cheese dressing
- 2 12-ounce cans chunk chicken, drained
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- tortilla chips
- celery sticks
Using a mixer, combine the cream cheese, buffalo wing sauce, sour cream and blue cheese dressing.
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By hand, mix in the chicken and 1 cup of shredded cheddar.
Transfer to a heat-proof dish and top with the remaining cheddar. Bake until warmed through and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips and celery sticks.
Guacamole Deviled Eggs
Note: You can boil the eggs a day early, but don’t assemble them in advance or they will turn brown.
- 8 eggs, boiled, peeled and cut in half length-wise
- 1/2 cup guacamole
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- crumbled bacon
- chopped fresh jalapeños
- radishes, cut into thin circles and crosscut into match sticks
- fresh cilantro
- hot sauce (optional)
Boil the eggs. When cool, peel and slice in half lengthwise.
Pop out the yolks and put into a bowl. Add guacamole, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Use a fork, mixer or an immersion blender to combine. The immersion blender will create the smoothest texture.
Put mixture into a zipper plastic bag and cut a small opening at one corner. Pipe the mixture into the eggs, and top with bacon, jalapeños, radishes and cilantro.
For some extra heat, you can drizzle on some hot sauce.
Football Ice Cream Sandwiches
- 36-ounce tub of chocolate chip cookie dough
- 8 ounces chocolate (semi-sweet or dark)
- white cookie icing
- ice cream of your choice
Press cookie dough onto a greased baking sheet, leaving 1-inch borders to allow for expansion. Bake until golden brown.
While still soft, cut cookies into football shapes and cool.
Melt the chocolate and spread onto half the cookies; chill until the chocolate sets.
Pipe on the cookie icing to create football laces. Create ice cream sandwiches by filling with your favorite ice cream.
