Even though it doesn’t feel like it right now, it’s finally football season. The sweltering temperatures are about to make way for chilly weekends with friends and family, cheering on your favorite teams. Whether that’s your alma mater or little Johnny’s flag football game, you may soon find yourself in a parking lot with a bunch of hungry people.
I have been to my fair share of tailgates and have learned some tricks of the trade when it comes to making appetizers that are tasty, easy to transport in your car, and don’t take half the day to prepare.
Easy Tailgating Snacks For Morning Kickoffs
Sausage Balls (makes about six dozen)
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds sausage of your choice
- 1.5 cups Bisquick
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Finely chop the onion and celery
- Form into one-inch balls
- Bake 15 minutes on un-greased cookie sheet until golden brown
Sausage Breakfast Casserole (makes 8 medium servings)
Ingredients:
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 1 pound breakfast sausage
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 package crescent rolls
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13″ baking pan
- Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat
- Roll out the crescent rolls onto the bottom of pan, pressing the seams together
- Drain cooked sausage and layer over crescent roll crust
- Pour beaten eggs over sausage (swirl around to cover everything)
- Top with shredded cheese
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes
- Cut into smaller pieces if you prefer them to be a “grab-and-go” option, a.k.a., no fork needed
Easy Tailgating Dip
Baked Potato Dip
Ingredients:
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 8-12 slices bacon (fully cooked or raw, up to you!)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup finely chopped chives
- Potato chips
Directions:
- If cooking the bacon, slice it into ¼-inch thick pieces, then fry
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl
- Keep refrigerated until about ready to eat
- Let sit out for a bit to soften (so your chips don’t break)
- Serve with potato chips of choice
- Go ahead and double this if feeding a large group
Easy Tailgating Snacks: Protein-Forward Recipes
Crockpot Meatballs
Ingredients:
- 1 bottle BBQ sauce of choice
- 1 medium jar grape jelly
- 1 large bag of frozen cocktail meatballs
- Toothpicks
Directions:
- Dump all meatballs into the crockpot
- Pour in BBQ sauce and grape jelly
- Stir to combine sauces all over the meatballs
- Cook on high for 3 hours
- You can take the whole crockpot with you to your party if there is electricity. If not, these are easy enough to tote with you in a large tupperware or lidded storage container. Don’t forget the toothpicks for easy serving!
Cheeseburger Kabobs
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef (or bag of frozen meatballs)
- 1 container cherry tomatoes
- Your favorite lettuce (I like butter lettuce or little gems lettuce for this recipe)
- Sliced cheddar cheese
- Jar of sliced pickles
- 1 package fully cooked bacon slices
- Skewers
Directions:
- Roll the ground beef into about 20 meatballs (or however many skewers you want to make)
- Cook in a skillet until all sides are browned/no more pink showing
- If using frozen meatballs, follow directions on the bag to thaw/cook however many you want
- Chop lettuce into small squares
- Slice each piece of cheese into four pieces
- Zap the fully cooked bacon and break into large chunks
- Once beef is cooked and drained, start making skewers
- Place one meatball, one slice of cheese, one piece of lettuce, one cherry tomato, one pickle slice, one chunk of bacon onto each wooden skewer
These five easy tailgating snacks will be a big hit at your next tailgate or get-together! Depending on the time of day, number and ages of people attending, and appetites, you can be the real MVP by bringing one or two of these crowd-pleasing, easy tailgating snacks.
Also: I suggest investing in this casserole dish carrier for super easy transport! It comes with a casserole dish and a lid, plus a hot/cold pack that you can either freeze or zap in the microwave, depending on your food needs. Even if you don’t use the casserole dish to cook your appetizer, packing it for transport to the tailgate cannot get any easier with this carrier. Trust me.
