Food Entertaining 27 Tailgating Recipes That Score By Midwest Living editors Midwest Living editors Midwest Living's experienced editors create best-in-class travel, lifestyle, food, home and garden content you won't find anywhere else. We're loudly, proudly Midwestern, and we're passionate about helping our audience explore and create through award-winning storytelling. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 6, 2023 Trending Videos Fall weekends belong to football and the great outdoor eating experience of tailgating. Try these twists on traditional tailgate recipes, including soups, stews, salads, dips and snack mixes. 01 of 27 Blistered Shishitos with Sriracha Mayo Kelsey Hansen For your next tailgate, say goodbye to boring carrots and dip, and hello to these addictive pan-fried peppers. Salted and lime-juiced, they're delicious even without the sriracha mayo. 30 Easy Appetizer Recipes View Recipe 02 of 27 Make-Ahead Mini Cheese Balls Andy Lyons The customization opportunities for these easy mini cheese balls are endless. Plus, they can freeze for up to three months! View Recipe 03 of 27 Mini Italian Beef Sandwiches with Pepperoncini Slaw These little beef sandwiches make a great appetizer for a football party. And you can put them together in just 20 minutes. View Recipe 04 of 27 Sunny Broccoli Salad Carson Downing A Cleveland reader makes this classic potluck salad the day ahead and refrigerates the dressing and vegetables separately. When it's time to serve it, she tosses everything together. Bacon, sunflower kernels and raisins make a crunchy and flavorful side dish. View Recipe 05 of 27 Sweet Chile Snack Mix Kelsey Hansen Salty and sweet, crisp and kicky—loaded with soy, hoisin, wasabi, this flavorful snack mix checks all the boxes. View Recipe 06 of 27 Brownie Bombs These sinful brownies feature a cheesecake layer sandwiched between two ultra-rich chocolate layers. They'll be a hit at any tailgating party! Rich, Moist Brownie Recipes View Recipe 07 of 27 Smoky Beef, Black Bean and Corn Chili Blaine Moats This hands-off, slow-cooker recipe has just a pound of ground beef and a can of stock. All the rest of the heft and taste comes from black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika, chipotle peppers and corn tortillas. Hearty Slow-Cooker Soups, Stews and Chiles View Recipe 08 of 27 Jumbo Chocolate-Cherry-Oat Cookies Brie Passano Sometimes it's fun to have cookies the size of your face—these are 5 inches in diameter! For smaller cookies that are still impressive, use a 1/3-cup measure to portion the dough for 15 or 16 cookies. These sturdy cookies will travel well if you're packing for the game. The Midwest's Best Cookie Recipes View Recipe 09 of 27 Cheesy Rosemary and Pecan Snack Mix Brie Passano On game day, plan to find us parked by this bowl of maybe the best snack mix we've ever published. Easy Nut and Snack Mix Recipes View Recipe 10 of 27 Light and Layered Taco Dip Ground turkey, reduced-sodium and light ingredients, and a confetti of crisp, colorful veggies make this potluck staple more nutritious than a typical layered dip-but every bit as tasty. View Recipe 11 of 27 Ripe Olive Cheese Ball Perfect for parties and tailgating! Make these cheese balls up to three months ahead of time then freeze. Thaw frozen cheese balls overnight in fridge before serving. View Recipe 12 of 27 Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing Carrot and celery sticks add crisp crunch to the platter of Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing. Our wings recipe includes blue cheese, garlic powder, vinegar, and spicy cayenne pepper sauce for kick. Sassy Sauces and Seasonings for Chicken Wings View Recipe 13 of 27 Calico Bean Bake This recipe blurs the line between baked beans and chili. It's great for feeding a crowd. View Recipe 14 of 27 Edamame-Avocado Dip Combine edamame and avocado with basil pesto, lemon juice and chopped tomato for this easy potluck dip. View Recipe 15 of 27 Pepperoni Pizza Pull Just five ingredients go into this incredibly delicious, gooey appetizer or snack. View Recipe 16 of 27 Crimson Slaw Dried cranberries plump up when tossed with vinaigrette in this tangy coleslaw. The recipe was a winner at the Wisconsin State Fair. Fresh Slaw Recipes View Recipe 17 of 27 Pizza Burgers Bring along extra toppers inspired by pizza-parlor classics: thinly sliced sweet peppers and onion, spinach, sautéed mushrooms, jarred banana peppers or sliced olives. Take Your Burger to the Next Level View Recipe 18 of 27 Blue-Ribbon Ranger Cookies Carson Downing Ranger cookies are made with rolled oats and cereal. Judy Kiburz Harrison won best-in-class at the Iowa State Fair for her version, which adds Beer Nuts for a peanutty twist. View Recipe 19 of 27 Beer-Braised Brats Steep your grilled brats in this onion-and-herb beer mixture for an easy way to keep them warm while tailgating. Beer-Braised Brats get a liberal dose of cranberry-pickle relish for extra color and tang. View Recipe 20 of 27 Jack Cheese and Smoky Chipotle Fondue Lots of Monterey Jack cheese goes into this creamy fondue, along with sour cream, chipotle peppers and bacon. Scoop up with bread or tortilla chips. View Recipe 21 of 27 Colossal Chili Long, slow simmering melds flavors in this recipe from the Spice House in Evanston, Illinois. Warm-You-Up Chili Recipes View Recipe 22 of 27 Breakfast Burritos Combine hash browns, sausage, bacon, eggs, cheese and chopped veggies for a hearty breakfast tortilla. Top the colorful mixture with cool sour cream and spicy salsa. View Recipe 23 of 27 Roasted Red Pepper-Chipotle Hummus Hummus is easier than you might think: Just throw the ingredients in the food processor. Find canned smoky chipotle peppers in the Mexican aisle of large supermarkets. View Recipe 24 of 27 Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars Peanut butter and chocolate meet for a sweet treat in this recipe from a Cedarburg, Wisconsin, reader who likes to make these bar cookies for tailgates and other gatherings. Our Best Bar Cookies View Recipe 25 of 27 Meat and Potato Pizza This recipe is sure to be a hit at your next tailgate. The pizza is topped with a totally mouth-watering combo of thin-sliced potatoes, bacon, sausage and a delectable garlic-rosemary butter. The recipe comes from Hidemi Walsh of Plainfield, Indiana. View Recipe 26 of 27 Chili Verde with Corn Bread Croutons Bulgur wheat lends meaty texture, fiber and protein to soups and stews, where it can cook in the broth. In our sweet and savory chili, we match the grain with salsa verde, peppers and edamame. View Recipe 27 of 27 Greens, Eggs and Ham Potato Salad Loaded with protein and fresh greens, this is a simple yet flavorful potato salad. Potato Salad Recipes Your Guests Will Love View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit