Sure, football is great, but we’ve all just been waiting for an excuse to chow down on some good food! Here are our five favorites.
Even the biggest fans of their teams who show up in old, torn jerseys they refuse to throw away can’t deny that food is the best part of a football Sunday, and after a long offseason, we’re just so glad it’s back. Good food just makes us feel better, and there’s nothing like a great meal surrounded by your closest friends and family. We do, however, know it can be difficult to know what to pick and what to line your table with if you’re throwing a football party, so we thought we’d offer a little bit of help. Here are the top five football foods that are sure to please your family and your guests this fall!
- Chips and Dip
Chips and dip are the classic snack for football parties, no matter how big your group may be. You can also get creative with this classic appetizer, picking from potato chips, tortilla chips or flavored chips and pairing them with onion dip, salsa, guacamole, hummus or queso. This is one of the best options to get everyone snacking before the main course, and it’s an easy thing to bring if you’re not entirely sure how to contribute to the party. They can also be hot or cold, making this dish a great choice if you’re looking for a last-minute addition that’s sure to please any crowd.
- Burgers or Sliders
Burgers or sliders are yet another staple of a great football party. Nothing says a gathering is going to be a great time like a stack of cheesy sliders or burgers straight off the grill, all paired with your favorite burger topping. You can even throw ketchup, mustard, relish, pickles, onions, barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomatoes or more on the table to give guests the option of what they’d like to add as you transform your standard football get-together to a full-on burger bar. It’s all part of the experience, and bite-sized burgers, or even full-sized burgers, are the perfect handheld treat for a great game!
- Pizza
Pizza is slowly creeping up the list, but it doesn’t seem like it has firmly established itself as the go-to food for a football game quite yet. Still, no party is complete without pizza, and even a slow one can be resurrected when the delivery driver shows up at your front door. Also, no one has ever shown up to a party and been disappointed to see boxes piled high on a table, knowing they’ll have their pick when it comes to toppings and that they won’t have to stop on the way home for food. It also pairs nicely with just about anything, whether that’s drinks or side dishes, meaning that you can still leave plenty of room for creativity in appetizers, sides and desserts.
- Barbecue or Ribs
From Texas to Carolina to Kansas City, some of the most popular football locations have the best barbecue in the nation. We’re thinking there’s a reason for that overlap, and that leads to barbecue being one of the foods popular with any football fan. Still, however, even if you don’t live in a classic barbecue location, it’s a crowd pleaser everywhere, and whether you’re grilling it, roasting it or smoking it yourself or you order out from a local restaurant, you’ll have a living room full of happy guests. If you’re going to make a mess, it might as well be worth it, and barbecue checks all the boxes when it comes to taste and variety.
- Wings
You just can’t top wings when it comes to football food. The two are like peanut butter and jelly, bread and butter, or Sonny and Cher. They just make sense. They also pair well with all of the options above, meaning that you don’t have to sacrifice something you love to bring in some tasty, saucy chicken wings. Coming in all different flavors and spice levels, wings are for just about everyone, bringing both the heat and the sweetness you crave when watching the big game. They also aren’t too difficult to make yourself, and you can top them off with a signature sauce you’ve been working on the whole offseason. Just make sure you have a couple of big bowls of ranch and bleu cheese right next to them on the table.