Help! It’s that time of year again and I’m looking for new ideas for tailgating. It’s always the main course that throws me. We have a grill but my husband would rather we reheat or cook something in a pot instead of throwing on some burgers. He doesn’t like the mess! So, after meatballs, hot sausage, chili…I hit a wall and run out of ideas. I should also say that my family generally prefers healthy foods so hot sausage is not in the rotation this year.
Any suggestions? Recipes welcome!
Pulled pork with good BBQ sauce?
fajita/taco bar. You could do proteins ahead of time and keep warm in a crock pot. People can make as bowls/salads if they want to be healthier and you could provide tortillas for those who don’t care about carbs. Add rice, beans, corn salad, etc. and it’s easy to adapt to a variety of diets and preferences.
Likewise, you could do something with an asian slant, like make your own lettuce wraps, korean style tacos, etc.
Curry, e.g.a nice make ahead chicken tikka masala with some homemade naan or a rice dish. No more complicated than a chili. It can be any curry, no meat, any meat, etc etc.
Other make ahead and keep warm ideas, although not necessarily diet friendly:
gumbo
jambalaya
baked potato soup with things to add like green onions, sour cream, diced ham, bacon, shredded cheddar
chicken and wild rice soup
salad bar with interesting toppings
greek style wraps/tacos/salads
That said, I don’t think you necessarily need to always have a main course. One of the things I like best about events like tailgating is grazing on a little of this, a little of that.
My sil made a taco bar and used a sweet potato black bean filling. Here’s an inspiration https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/black-bean-sweet-potato-tacos-5728fe24fd2cb9326a8b4567/
My D uses chorizo as her meat. I think the sweet potato black bean filling is fine at room temperature.
Either pulled pork or brisket if you need to feed a crowd. Chicken salad with a non-mayo dressing if you want to go healthier; I make it with chicken, roasted beets/carrots/bell pepper then toss with olive oil, champagne vinegar, salt and pepper (add curry powder for the more adventerous) - tastes great cold too.
http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a53182/philly-cheesesteak-foil-packs-recipe/ I made these ahead last week and threw them on the grill on Saturday. These would make an easy tail gate main course. They were a hit. I don’t eat steak so I substituted sliced mushrooms in my foil packet.
Breakfast burritos wrapped in foil. Keep them warm with a disposable buffet tray.
If you’re looking for healthier options, in our area, we can get hot sausage made from turkey instead of beef/pork, and it’s pretty terrific, especially when prepared with peppers/onions and a marinara sauce. When cooked in a crock pot, simmered on low heat for a long time (at least 6 hours), they are terrific when served on a sub roll. Leave the onions and peppers in big chunks (at least 1.5 inches) as they will disintegrate too much if cooked too long. SIL cooks the sausages separately overnight in a marinara, then adds the fried onions/peppers just before leaving. I like the no-work approach of throwing everything in the night before.
I am also a fan of cooking Fried Rice, then moving it to the crockpot to keep it hot for tailgating.
One of the best tailgate foods I’ve ever had was venison medallions in a burgundy sauce, cooked in the crockpot. A police officer friend of ours is a hunter who invited us to join his group, and I was astonished at how good it was. After we had all enjoyed it, he confessed that it was roadkill - I will never forget the horrified look on DD’s teenage face.
Brats of course! Foods are regional…