Potluck dish? teen HS boys

[cjcouple]

Basketball team is having a potluck for the players and parents. I'm guessing 40 ppl?

I need ideas on what to bring? I'm drawing a blank. Something fairly easy, I have to work but I do work from home so have a little leeway.

[calamity]

Buffalo chicken dip in a crock pot? Provide some of those scoops tortilla chips

Or you could do a pasta salad

[meowmaps]

I don’t know why chili popped into my head. Maybe a sloppy Joe mix with some buns.

[eddy]

Always pasta

They will leave nothing behind if you bring any sort of pasta dish.

[maudefindlay]

Mac and cheese. They will eat it all.

[heygrey]

carlsbadcravings.com/orzo-pasta-salad/

This has been my go to pot luck dish for a while now. It always gets rave reviews and there is rarely any left. I use frozen corn, cooked first (unless it’s summer and I have leftover corn on the cob). I never add almonds because nut allergies at a potluck - no thank you.

H likes to grill chicken and make it a meal for his work lunches in the summer.

[livinitup]

Sandwiches. Big or small. On a tray or wrapped individually.

What is the set-up for eating? Is it casual and walking around? Or will people make a plate and sit down at a table?

I like bring something hearty to these things. Oddly, finding a tray for transport is usually the biggest hurdle. Saving sandwich trays from the deli helps solve this a bit.

Sandwiches that are easy to make and do the trick for a crowd :

Chicken salad on Hawaiian rolls
Egg salad on wheat bread cut with on diagonal
Mixed meat and cheese with roasted red peppers on hollow ciabatta bread sliced
Meatballs on Italian bread wrapped in foil

[erbear]

Does everyone have to bring a main dish? I'd make a platter of brownies and call it a day.

[marvine]

Meatballs! Dump frozen meatballs and a jar of sauce in a crockpot. Take rolls and a bag of shredded mozzarella to make meatball sandwiches. I do this a lot when I have to donate a hot dish to our concession stand.

[rooster222]

Baked Ziti is easy to throw together and usually universally liked.

[macmars45]

cjcouple if you want to go the meatball route.

This is my go to meatball recipe. I just double it for a larger group.

lovetobeinthekitchen.com/2017/05/17/slow-cooker-honey-garlic-meatballs/

[luckystar2]

Cookies, brownies, cupcakes, Rice Krispie treats. What about a couple chip snack bag variety boxes. Dip (just like a store bought one) and chips. Something to drink.

You don’t have to make anything if you want easy. We have done a few of these. Some people make stuff, some people buy stuff.

[cjcouple]

thanks all!

[eb777888]

Feb 19, 2024 9:23:08 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

Mac and cheese. They will eat it all.

Yep! This was my first thought. 

[gardengal]

If you need truly easy, I’ve seen buckets/boxes of chicken (KFC, Popeyes, Pollo Campero) or nuggets for this. Or delivery pizza.

[DotAndBuzz]

Feb 19, 2024 9:23:08 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

Mac and cheese. They will eat it all.

From a box even.

My mom always made a double or triple batch of Kraft Mac and cheese for church pot lucks, and it was always completely gone. Not a single noodle left. Even home made can be a crapshoot somewhere like a potluck. Could be amazing, could be a train wreck, but Kraft? That's a known entity, lol. Kids will clean that up.

[eddy]

Feb 19, 2024 11:36:43 GMT -5 DotAndBuzz said:

Feb 19, 2024 9:23:08 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

Mac and cheese. They will eat it all.

From a box even.

My mom always made a double or triple batch of Kraft Mac and cheese for church pot lucks, and it was always completely gone. Not a single noodle left. Even home made can be a crapshoot somewhere like a potluck. Could be amazing, could be a train wreck, but Kraft? That's a known entity, lol. Kids will clean that up.

At a team potluck I was at recently the crockpot of buttered noodles was the first to go. 

[definitelyO]

Feb 19, 2024 11:36:43 GMT -5 DotAndBuzz said:

Feb 19, 2024 9:23:08 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

Mac and cheese. They will eat it all.

From a box even.

My mom always made a double or triple batch of Kraft Mac and cheese for church pot lucks, and it was always completely gone. Not a single noodle left. Even home made can be a crapshoot somewhere like a potluck. Could be amazing, could be a train wreck, but Kraft? That's a known entity, lol. Kids will clean that up.

Last time I bought 2 of the Costco sized Mac and Cheese and then put it in the crock pot to keep warm - like everyone else said - it was gone in a hot minute.

[mcppalmbeach]

I’ve come to hate stuff like this as I am not confident in my hosting /cooking skills. Is there a sign up genius where you can see what others are bringing so you can complement that? Is there an option to bring drinks and ice? Otherwise tray of pasta, Mac n cheese, Publix popcorn chicken, a tray of cookies and brownies, a couple big boxes of chips, pasta or tossed salad (I feel like parents always appreciate this amidst heavy offerings), or an appetizer.

[DotAndBuzz]

Feb 19, 2024 11:43:42 GMT -5 eddy said:

Feb 19, 2024 11:36:43 GMT -5 DotAndBuzz said:

From a box even.

My mom always made a double or triple batch of Kraft Mac and cheese for church pot lucks, and it was always completely gone. Not a single noodle left. Even home made can be a crapshoot somewhere like a potluck. Could be amazing, could be a train wreck, but Kraft? That's a known entity, lol. Kids will clean that up.

At a team potluck I was at recently the crockpot of buttered noodles was the first to go. 

Potlucks are so interesting to me. Growing up, I remember looking at these huge spreads of food, thinking I'm definitely going home hungry, because I'm not eating any of it, and my mom's Mac and cheese is already gone. It was like the grown ups brought their "fancy" dishes (in the 80's and 90's, mind you, so lots of jello creations, weird dips, and mystery casseroles), but the kids were all like oh hellllll no.

So I guess nothing has changed. Adults make today's version of actual food, and the kids still want buttered noodles and Mac and cheese. WON'T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN?! lol

[eb777888]

I also think it's fine to send a couple pizzas. For David's all day robotics meets, parents take turns providing lunch for the team and many parents made things like curry or chili, but we sent six large pizzas and two bags of Oreos. And I SAH so have no excuse, lol. Don't care.

[silvercrayon]

Mac & Cheese is a great idea! Another easy thing would be to go by your local grocery's deli, and grab a box of fried chicken. Our Publix has great fried chicken!

[outnumbered]

Mac and Cheese or Meatballs in Sauce (in a crockpot or a tray)  Nothing fancy.

[shinyhappy]

My first thought was a few loaves of homemade garlic bread. Assuming you don’t need to make the main dish.

[momin2013]

Lots of good ideas already mentioned, but I find it kind of odd that there’s no sign-up sheet at all? - I mean, what if they end up with a dozen buckets of chicken? Is there any way to suggest something like a google doc?

[186momx]

DD's gymnastics gym does this with no sign up. It always works out. We always bring a giant bowl of fruit salad (whatever is cheap all chopped up and mixed together) and a big ass green salad. The girls always go through first and things get picked over so the adults get what's left.

Big hits: sushi, sliders, pizza, lasagna, queso and chips, BBQ chicken, pulled pork with Hawaiian rolls, pasta salads, veggies trays, fruit trays, casseroles...pretty much they eat anything.

My biggest advice to new families is to bring something your own family enjoys. We are asked to bring a main or side plus a dessert that feeds 10 people.

[googled]

Feb 19, 2024 9:48:53 GMT -5 marvine said:

Meatballs! Dump frozen meatballs and a jar of sauce in a crockpot. Take rolls and a bag of shredded mozzarella to make meatball sandwiches. I do this a lot when I have to donate a hot dish to our concession stand.

This is what I do. So easy.

[cjcouple]

Ok, so no sign up per se BUT I found out there is a parent coordinator. I sent an email and she replied with what others were bringing. We came up with sweet and sour meatballs.

[Roc A Bee]

I’d go to Costco or Sam’s and get a cookie tray if I wanted truly easy.

[cjcouple]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I'm glad to have this as a reference moving forward. Theres lots more upcoming for my freshman.