These 4 Super Bowl recipes are ridiculously easy, delicious, and awesome (2024)

January 31, 2014 4:05 pm ET

Too busy to spend weeks planning and preparing your Super Bowl menu? Don’t worry; most of us are. But instead of fretting over finding ingredients you’ll never use again for complicated hors d’oeuvres no one wants at a Super Bowl party anyway, opt for one quick sweep through the supermarket and straightforward deliciousness.

We’ve compiled four of our favorite recipes for football-watching snacks that are sure to be hits:

Pre-made wing sauces are available everywhere now, but you’re better off without ’em. And Buffalo wings are best when they’re freshest; resorting to delivery will cost you some crispiness. One important key is to use Frank’s Red Hot sauce. This is not a paid endorsem*nt or anything, it’s just by far the best hot sauce to use for making Buffalo wings.

We heartily recommend frying the wings: It’s the Super Bowl, not the Still Pretty Tasty But Definitely Not As Good Bowl. Baked or broiled wings will still be pretty tasty with the same sauce, but definitely not as good. —TB

Ingredients

12 whole chicken wings, cleaned and cut into flats and drums
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
Celery salt (optional)
Oil for frying
Blue cheese or ranch dressing

1. In a deep-fryer, dutch oven or large pot, heat the oil to about 375 degrees or medium-high heat.
2. Fry wings in oil until golden brown and cooked through, about 12-15 minutes depending on size.
3. While the wings are frying, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add hot sauce and stir. Add celery salt or lemon pepper to taste, if desired. For spicier wings, up the ratio of hot sauce to butter. For milder wings, do the opposite.
4. When the wings are done, transfer them to a plate covered with paper towels to drain off excess oil. Then toss them in the wing sauce and serve with blue cheese or ranch.

Serves 4-6. If you have more people coming, do math.

Guacamole recipes can vary greatly, but one thing is practically always true: Fresh, homemade guac is better than anything you can get at the supermarket. What follows here is only a suggestion. Some people might prefer more onions, more cilantro or more jalapeno, some might like to add tomatoes for some sweetness. —TB

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados
1/2 lime
1/4 cup diced onion
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno
Salt and pepper
Tortilla chips for dipping

1. Peel and pit avocados, then mash them in a medium bowl or mortar.
2. Add onion, cilantro and juice from the lime.
2. Wear rubber gloves to handle the jalapeno, especially — trust me — if you wear contact lenses and will need to remove them later. Otherwise you’re in for a world of pain.
4. Dice jalapeno and add to desired spice level. Depending on preference, you may only want 1/2 the pepper and no seeds. Some may want the whole thing, and all the seeds. Go slow.
5. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Serve with tortilla chips. Baby carrots work, too, if you’re feeling guilty about frying the wings.
Serves 4-6.

Let’s face it: Spinach and artichoke dip is played out. The ubiquitous combo of cream cheese and veggies had its heyday at the Olive Garden a few years ago, and now it’s time to crown a successor.

In my opinion, this jalapeño popper dip improves on basically every aspect of spinach artichoke dip. It has the same bubbly, cream cheesy consistency but with added heat from the peppers and a satisfying crunch from the topping. Since my tolerance for spicy food is roughly ten times that of a normal human’s, I like to add in seeds from one of the jalapeños, plus some red pepper flakes. Up to you! —RE

Ingredients

Adapted from Rachael Ray
8 jalapeños, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 8-ounce blocks cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
¼ teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup Panko (or your favorite breadcrumbs)

Preheat a broiler or grill to medium-high.

Toss the jalapeño halves with the olive oil and roast under the broiler or char on the grill until softened and blackened, about 3 minutes per side.

Turn the oven to 400ºF. Let the peppers cool enough to handle them, then chop them up.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, half of the cheddar, the chopped roasted peppers, and all spices. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese and Panko.

Bake the dip until golden brown and bubbly, 15-18 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or cut vegetables…or both! Serves 6-8.

There’s nothing wrong with ordering enough Papa John’s to feed all of Delaware on game day (mmmmm, doughy crust dipped in garlic sauce). But if you want to take your pizza to the next level, a homemade pie won’t take any longer than any other traditional Super Bowl app.

My friend Brett hosts an amazing home-cooked pizza party a few times a year, and this pie is always a crowd favorite. It also evokes a certain breakfast-for-dinner feel that would be perfect after halftime, with your favorite hot sauce on top for good measure. —RE

Ingredients

Recipe via Brett Mickelson
1 Premade pizza dough (from your local grocery store, or – pro tip – your favorite local pizza joint)
Generous portion mashed potatoes
Mozzarella and/or cheddar cheeses
4 strips bacon, cooked until crispy and torn into bite-size chunks
2-3 eggs

Assembly: Well, it’s a pizza. Without getting overly scientific, you’ll want to toss the dough and then put down a bed of mozzarella (and some cheddar if you want). Then, add the potatoes and bacon. You can either dollop and gently spread or pipe the potatoes, as shown below.

Cook the pizza halfway, until the cheese is melting but the crust isn’t quite done yet. Then, remove from the oven and crack your eggs on top of the pizza. Return to oven and cook until pizza reaches desired done-ness. (The cooking of the eggs is the trickiest part. If you like them runnier, add them closer to the end of cooking time).

Note: You can make mashed potatoes however you like them (this could include instant), but add more butter/sour cream than you normally would so they don’t dry out in the oven.