Best Potluck Recipes: 31+ Appetizers, Main Courses, Sides, & Desserts! (2024)

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These potluck recipes are my go-to dishes for bringing to work events, church potlucks, or house parties and always impress! From appetizers to desserts, these crowd-pleasing recipes are made for sharing. If you're looking for something to bring to your next potluck, you've come to the right place!

Best Potluck Recipes

Whether it's an office party, church event, or family get-together, you never know when you might have to whip up an impromptu potluck dish! Below are my tried-and-true recipes for feeding a crowd on any occasion.

These recipes are easy to prepare and most can be served right out of the dish you made them in (which is perfect for traveling and cleanup)! From appetizers to desserts, you can find the best potluck recipes right here!

Best Potluck Recipes: 31+ Appetizers, Main Courses, Sides, & Desserts! (1)

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Best Potluck Recipes
🥪 Appetizers
1. Dill Pickle Dip
2. Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs
3. 2-Ingredient BBQ Little Smokies
4. Pinwheel Sandwiches
5. Buffalo Chicken Dip
6. Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
🍝 Main Course
7. Chili Con Carne
8. Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs
9. RoTel Chicken Spaghetti
10. Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie
11. Lasagna
12. Cheese Enchiladas
13. Green Bean Potato Sausage Casserole
14. Mexican Cornbread Casserole
15. Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
16. Instant Pot Pulled Pork
🥗 Side Dishes
17. Egg Salad
18. Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
19. Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
20. Southern Coleslaw
21. Chicken Salad with Grapes
22. German Potato Salad
23. Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
24. Mashed Potato Casserole
25. Jiffy Corn Casserole
26. Onion Rolls
🍰 Desserts
27. Cherry Pie Bars
28. Hello Dolly Bars
29. Mandarin Orange Jello Salad
30. Strawberry Dump Cake
31. Peanut Butter Filled Cupcakes
😋 More Tasty Casseroles
📖 Recipe Card
Best Potluck Recipes: Chili Con Carne (+More Crowd Pleasing Favorites!)
IngredientsUS CustomaryMetric
Instructions
Notes
💬 Reviews

🥪 Appetizers

1. Dill Pickle Dip

All the flavor of dill pickles in a creamy and easy-to-make dip! Serve it with potato chips, crackers, or veggie sticks for an easy potluck appetizer.

Dill Pickle Dip

Dill pickle dip is an incredibly easy, quick, and delicious appetizer to make for your next potluck, party, or game day get-together! Loaded with chopped dill pickles, seasoning, cream cheese, and sour cream, this pickle dip has the best zesty, creamy flavor! With only 10 minutes of prep work and 6 ingredients, you'll love how simple it is to whip up in a flash.

Check out this recipe

2. Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs

These sweet and savory grape jelly meatballs are made for snacking. For easy serving, I like to put them on toothpicks, though you can also serve them straight from the crockpot!

Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs

Crockpot grape jelly meatballs combine homemade or freezer meatballs, grape jelly, ketchup, and seasoning! They're a perfect appetizer for any potluck, dinner party, or game day! These easy, delicious, and tender meatballs will be the hit of any family dinner, too!

Check out this recipe

3. 2-Ingredient BBQ Little Smokies

Nothing beats a recipe with just 2 ingredients. You'll love how easy these BBQ Lil Smokies are to prepare almost as much as how great they taste!

2 Ingredient BBQ Little Smokies

These 2 ingredient BBQ Little Smokies are a quick and easy appetizer perfect for game day or whenever you need to feed a crowd. Your favorite BBQ sauce and a package of co*cktail weenies are all you need for this savory, flavorful snack.

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4. Pinwheel Sandwiches

Pinwheel sandwiches are classic party food! They can easily be customized with your favorite fillings- I feature 3 different varieties to try right here!

Pinwheel Sandwiches

Pinwheel sandwiches are an easy-to-make, delicious choice for lunches, snacks, or appetizers. Perfect for holidays, game days, and everyday meals, these make-ahead sandwiches, rolled in tortillas or bread, are loved by all.

Check out this recipe

5. Buffalo Chicken Dip

All the flavor of buffalo chicken wings in a creamy chip dip. The chicken is cooked already, so all you have to do is combine the ingredients and heat it up!

Slow Cooker Buffalo Ranch Chicken Dip

This slow cooker buffalo ranch chicken dip is a rich and creamy appetizer with all the flavor you expect from your favorite hot wings! This dip is made with chunks of canned chicken, cream cheese, ranch, buffalo sauce (or hot pepper sauce), and lots of cheddar cheese, so this dip is both easy and affordable! It's the perfect thing to bring to your next tailgate, potluck, or holiday party.

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6. Slow Cooker Crack Chicken

They call it crack chicken because it's so addictive! It's made by combining tender shredded chicken with cream cheese, cheddar cheese, ranch seasoning, and bacon!

You can make crack chicken the main course by serving it as a sandwich, or set it up as a dip station with crackers and chips!

Slow Cooker Crack Chicken

This Slow Cooker Crack Chicken is an absolutely creamy and cheesy shredded chicken bacon ranch that's perfect for sandwiches, dips, potlucks, and so much more! Whether you're feeding your family or a crowd, this crockpot chicken is super easy and totally addictive!

Check out this recipe

🍝 Main Course

7. Chili Con Carne

One batch of this hearty chili con carne makes 10 servings, so it's perfect for potlucks. Serve the chili straight from your crockpot with sour cream, cheese, and green onions on the side so everyone can add their favorite toppings!

Chili Con Carne

This chili con carne recipe is an easy way to cook up a hearty family dinner that is practically effortless but completely delicious! Ground beef, kidney beans, onions, and red bell peppers, are simmered low and slow on the stovetop until tender. It's comforting and filling, and the leftovers taste even better the next day!

Check out this recipe

8. Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs

Making spaghetti and meatballs for a crowd has never been easier! You can make the meatballs and sauce from scratch or use store bought sauce and frozen meatballs to cut down on prep time even more.

Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs

Baked spaghetti and meatballs is an easy casserole with layers of spaghetti coated in sauce, cheese, and meatballs! This tasty comfort food dinner can be loaded with cheesy goodness to please your entire family. Plus, it's the perfect use of leftovers from a spaghetti dinner!

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9. RoTel Chicken Spaghetti

Spaghetti noodles, chicken, and juicy Rotel canned tomatoes with green chiles in a super-creamy Velveeta cheese sauce! I like to pair it with some quick garlic bread for a filling and memorable main course.

Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel

Chicken spaghetti with Rotel is an easy, simple, and delicious spaghetti casserole dish for weeknight family dinners! The Velveeta cheese, cream cheese, and heavy cream (or cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup) make this dish extra special! Plus, it is a perfect use for leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken!

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10. Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

This chicken pot pie casserole has all the classic flavor of a homemade pot pie but with half the effort! Instead of pie crust, the creamy and savory chicken pot pie filling is topped off with fluffy biscuits (you can make them from scratch or just grab a tube at the store)!

Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

This biscuit chicken pot pie is an incredibly hearty casserole that makes a fabulous family dinner any day of the week! It combines tender pieces of chicken in classic pot pie filling with homemade cream biscuits! My biscuit-topped version of the well-loved comfort food is an easy dinner that never disappoints!

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11. Lasagna

Lasagna is another classic potluck recipe because it's easy to slice and serve, plus it's so satisfying! My recipe includes 3 types of cheese and a saucy tomato-based meat sauce that will have everyone coming back for seconds.

Lasagna

A homemade lasagna full of tender noodles and a hearty meat sauce covered in melted cheese is one of the best comfort foods you can make. All the time you spend making it will be more than worth it when you see your family lining up for seconds.

Check out this recipe

12. Cheese Enchiladas

Cheese enchiladas are quick and easy to prepare, even when you make your own enchilada sauce from scratch! They are super flavorful from the taco-seasoned beef and tangy, rich tomato sauce.

You could try chicken enchiladas, shrimp enchiladas, or beef enchiladas if you'd like to add some protein!

Cheese Enchiladas

These tasty, quick, and incredibly easy Cheese Enchiladas with red sauce are the weeknight Tex-Mex dinner you’ve been looking for! I make my own enchilada sauce and fill the enchiladas with lots of cheese so they’re the most perfectly flavorful enchiladas you’ll make!

Check out this recipe

13. Green Bean Potato Sausage Casserole

This tasty sausage and potato casserole can be served as a side dish, but it's also hearty enough to be a main course! It's loaded with tender potatoes, perfectly cooked green beans, salty bacon, and smokey sausage, plus a simple blend of herbs and seasonings for maximum flavor.

Green Bean Potato Sausage Casserole

This green bean potato sausage casserole is a hearty, flavorful, filling variation of a classic holiday side dish! It has green beans, potatoes, sausage, bacon, onion, and tasty spices. In fact, it is a complete meal and could even be served as the main course!

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14. Mexican Cornbread Casserole

Everyone will want the recipe for this delicious Mexican casserole featuring seasoned ground beef, chiles, and melted cheddar between two layers of fluffy cornbread. You can even add your favorite Tex-Mex toppings like hot sauce, sour cream, or queso!

Mexican Cornbread Casserole

This easy Mexican Cornbread Casserole is so filling and full of flavor, you’re going to want to make it for dinner every week! Perfectly seasoned ground beef with tomatoes and chiles is topped with gooey melted cheddar and sandwiched between two layers of fluffy cornbread, it’s delicious!

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15. Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

Casseroles are the perfect potluck food because you can just cover them up in the baking dish and bring them on over! This easy chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole is super cheesy and doesn't need any sides to make it a meal.

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole (Super Cheesy Family Favorite Dinner!)

My chicken broccoli rice casserole is an easy dish loaded with creamy chicken sauce, tender chicken, broccoli, rice, and cheese flavors! All of the tasty ingredients are layered into a single casserole dish for an extra simple meal! It's a long-time family favorite casserole that works wonderfully for feeding a hungry crowd any night of the week!

Check out this recipe

16. Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Pulled pork can be used for so many delicious things! You can serve it with rolls to make sliders, bread to make sandwiches, tortillas for tacos, you can even put it on salads.

This recipe is my favorite because the Instant Pot does all the work, you just have to add the ingredients and let it go!

Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Instant Pot pulled pork is the best way to make a mouthwatering, tender pork dinner with minimal effort for you! Using a pressure cooker is much faster than your standard slow cooker. Prepare some side dishes while the pork is cooking and you'll have a full meal in no time!

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🥗 Side Dishes

17. Egg Salad

Not only does egg salad make a tasty side dish, but you can always make it a main course by serving it as a sandwich! This recipe makes about 4 servings, but you can easily double or triple it as needed.

Egg Salad

This egg salad is a classic recipe that features hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, and even some crisp and crunchy bacon! It will quickly become one of your favorite, quick recipes for a simple lunch or picnic. Eat it by itself or use it for the best egg salad sandwich you've ever had!

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18. Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

This three-cheese macaroni is ultra-rich and creamy, and you don't have to boil the pasta! Just toss everything in the crockpot and let it cook. You can take your crockpot straight to the potluck and keep it warm until ready to serve!

Crockpot Mac and Cheese

Crockpot mac and cheese is about to be your new favorite method of making macaroni and cheese. It's so easy, and there are no dishes. There's no boiling your macaroni noodles; just toss them in your slow cooker with the other ingredients and let it do all the cooking.

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19. Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

A big bowl of sweet and tangy macaroni salad is perfect for summer potlucks! It's cool and creamy with a pop of tropical flavor from pineapple juice and a crunch from the celery, carrots, and onion.

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

20. Southern Coleslaw

This classic Southern coleslaw recipe is tasty enough to stand on its own and it also makes a great addition to sandwiches or tacos. Coleslaw is basically a potluck tradition, so don't be surprised when you're asked to bring the coleslaw from here on out!

Southern Coleslaw

Southern coleslaw is a classic quick and easy side dish with crunchy veggies that are tossed with a flavorful, creamy dressing! It's the perfect addition to sandwiches, tacos, fried fish, and so much more. This Southern coleslaw isn’t just for the summertime—it’s great for anytime you want a quick, delicious side!

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21. Chicken Salad with Grapes

The grapes in this creamy chicken salad add little burst of sweetness to every bite. It also features dried cranberries for tartness and walnuts for crunch, all in a creamy mayonnaise sauce.

You could also give my rotisserie chicken salad a try if you aren't a fan of grapes.

Chicken Salad with Grapes

This chicken salad with grapes is a quick and tasty meal that is perfect for lunch at home, picnics, or potlucks! Enjoy it by itself, use it to make a sandwich, or eat it as a lettuce wrap! This dish is easy to make, absolutely delicious, and will become your new favorite chicken salad recipe!

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22. German Potato Salad

German potato salad is a nice alternative to traditional potato salad if you're looking to try something new. Unlike American potato salad, German potato salad is tossed in a combination of vinegar and sugar with onions and bacon for a sweet and tangy flavor that's hard to resist!

German Potato Salad

German potato salad is an amazingly delicious side dish that is perfect for potlucks, picnics, barbecues, or banquets! It is loaded with potatoes, onion, bacon, and a combination of vinegar and spices for a unique and authentic flavor. Whenever you serve this to your friends and family, everyone will be begging to know what the recipe is!

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23. Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is perfect for holiday potlucks, but there's no reason you can't enjoy it year-round! The melted marshmallow topping with crunchy pecans is a treat on any occasion.

Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows & Pecans

Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and pecans is a classic holiday side dish that tastes more like dessert than potatoes. Warm fall spices, brown sugar, pecans, and mini marshmallows highlight the natural flavor of the sweet potatoes in this beloved old-school recipe. Your loved ones will scramble to get to the table with this casserole as part of your Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner spread!

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24. Mashed Potato Casserole

To save time, I like to make the mashed potatoes and refrigerate them until I'm ready to bake my casserole! It's like an elevated version of mashed potatoes with extra butter, sour cream, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and breadcrumbs, yum!

Make Ahead Mashed Potato Casserole

This mashed potato casserole features creamy mashed potatoes, cheese, flavorful seasoning, and a crunchy breadcrumb topping! These potatoes are a great way to mix up your standard mashed potato recipes. Plus, it's the perfect recipe for using up leftover potatoes or you can make it from scratch!

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25. Jiffy Corn Casserole

Corn casserole is essentially fluffy cornbread with sweet corn, creamed corn, and sour cream mixture. The texture is like super-moist cornbread (or corn pudding) and the flavor is a perfect balance between sweet and savory!

Jiffy Corn Casserole

This Jiffy corn casserole is a sweet and savory side dish with creamy corn mixed into every bite of your cornbread! Best of all, you only need 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep time to put it together. Whether you call it corn casserole, corn pudding, or spoon bread, it's a side that goes with practically anything!

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26. Onion Rolls

These soft no-knead yeast rolls are a great choice for any main course! They are subtly sweet while also having caramelized bits of yellow onion mixed into the dough and sprinkled on top.

Onion Rolls

Onion rolls are some of my favorite no-knead yeast rolls. They are ever-so-slightly sweet and always turn out fluffy. Not only that, but they can be made fast (in less than 2 hours) so you can have rolls ready for dinner. Try these pull-apart onion rolls for yourself and see how simple they are.

Check out this recipe

🍰 Desserts

27. Cherry Pie Bars

These delicious cherry pie bars only take 45 minutes to make, and there are 18 servings which is plenty to share! You can use canned or homemade cherry pie filling, the results are incredible either way!

Cherry Pie Bars

Cherry pie bars are a delicious fruit dessert that is perfect for serving a crowd at any get-together! The sweet vanilla glaze requires only 3 ingredients and is perfect for topping off the golden buttery crust stuffed with cherry pie filling. Bring these cherry pie squares to a party, gathering, or potluck and everyone will want to know the recipe!

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28. Hello Dolly Bars

These unforgettably delicious Hello Dolly bars are made by layering 7 simple ingredients: graham cracker crumbs, butter, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, shredded coconut, pecans, and sweetened condensed milk. The combination of flavors is hard to resist, plus one pan makes 24 servings!

Hello Dolly Bars

Hello Dolly Bars are an all-around favorite for everyone. Layers of tasty ingredients that magically turn into fabulous cookie bars! Also known as 7-layer bars, miracle bars, magic cookie bars, coconut dream bars, or magic bars. Whatever you may call them, they are fantastic and incredibly easy, with no special equipment needed!

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29. Mandarin Orange Jello Salad

Jello salad can be served as a sweet side dish or a simple dessert! This cool and creamy treat is so easy to make, anyone can do it. Just combine canned mandarin oranges, orange Jello, canned pineapples, Cool Whip, and mini marshmallows and pop it in the fridge to chill!

Mandarin Orange Jello Salad

Mandarin orange jello salad is a sweet treat made with mandarin oranges, pineapple, jello gelatin, Cool Whip, and plenty of mini marshmallows! It has a creamy, mousse-like consistency and a flavor that is reminiscent of an orange Dreamsicle. If you're looking for an easy after-dinner dessert, this chilled mandarin orange jello salad is just what you need!

Check out this recipe

30. Strawberry Dump Cake

You don't have to be a baker to pull off a wonderfully tasty strawberry dump cake. It only requires 3 ingredients- boxed cake mix, strawberry pie filling, and butter! You don't even have to mix them, and there's no frosting necessary!

Strawberry Dump Cake

This strawberry dump cake recipe is a winning combination of delightfully flavorful and nearly effortless to make. Grab a baking dish, pie filling (plus fresh berries if desired), and a box of cake mix to whip up a family favorite dessert in no time.

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31. Peanut Butter Filled Cupcakes

Everyone loves homemade cupcakes, especially these rich chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream filling! With the irresistible flavor of chocolate and peanut butter in every bite, you may want to make an extra batch.

Peanut Butter Filled Cupcakes

Peanut butter filled cupcakes are a wonderfully moist treat to bake up for any occasion, or just because you are craving some peanut butter! The soft chocolate cake base and rich peanut butter buttercream frosting are sure to please all the chocolate and peanut butter lovers in your life! With the delightful surprise of creamy peanut butter in every bite, these cupcakes always come highly requested!

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I hope you find some new favorite potluck recipes on this list! Let me know what your go-to potluck dishes are in the comment section below!

>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<

😋 More Tasty Casseroles

Cinnamon Roll Casserole - Chunks of cinnamon rolls baked in a creamy egg mixture makes for a memorable breakfast or brunch!
Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole - This savory breakfast casserole is perfect for morning gatherings!
Pepperoni Pizza Casserole - An easy pasta bake made with tender egg noodles, sliced pepperoni, and plenty of cheese!
Zucchini Squash Casserole - A super cheesy casserole made with zucchini and yellow squash featuring a savory breadcrumb topping!
Tuna Noodle Casserole - This casserole is a family favorite made with egg noodles, peas, tuna, a creamy sauce, and lots of melted cheese!
Doritos Casserole - A tasty ground beef casserole with layers of nacho cheese Doritos, corn, tomatoes, and cheese!

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5 from 11 reviews

Best Potluck Recipes: Chili Con Carne (+More Crowd Pleasing Favorites!)

Author | Angela

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 347kcal

Prep 20 minutes minutes

Cooking 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

▢ 2 lbs ground beef
▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
▢ 2 medium yellow onions (or white onions, chopped)
▢ 2 teaspoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
▢ 1 medium red bell pepper (or green, chopped)
▢ 1 ½ teaspoon salt
▢ 2 tablespoon chili powder
▢ 3 tsps beef bouillon granules (or 3 bouillon cubes)
▢ ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
▢ 29 oz canned diced tomatoes (undrained, *see note)
▢ 1 cup water
▢ 16 oz kidney beans (undrained)

Help Us Out!If you love a recipe, be sure to come back and share your ratings. This helps future users, and allows me to continue sharing free recipes! Angela

Instructions

Place a Dutch oven on the stove top over medium heat. Brown the ground beef for 5-7 minutes or until no pink remains and use a wooden spoon or spatula to crumble the beef as it cooks. Drain and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the same pot then add the onions and saute until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Stir in the bell pepper, chili powder, bouillon granules, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, and salt. Stir to combine and let cook for 2 minutes longer.
Return the browned beef to the pot along with the canned diced tomatoes. Stir in the water and bring the chili to a boil. Reduce the temperature, cover, and let simmer for 1 hour.
Stir in the kidney beans (without draining them) and allow to cook until heated through. Remove from heat and serve with desired toppings.

Notes

If you don't have bouillon granules, you can substitute them for 1 cup of beef broth or stock.
29 ounces of canned diced tomatoes are the equivalent of 2 14.5-ounce cans and 16 ounces of kidney beans is 1 can. If you find cans that are close in size, they'll work just fine. 🙂
Like stew, chili tastes even better the next day! This is a great make-ahead recipe for serving a crowd.
To store: Place cooled leftover chili con carne in a shallow airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 4 days.
To reheat: Reheat individual portions in the microwave or large portions on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through.

Nutrition

Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can’t wait to see your results! Mention @bake_it_with_love or tag #bake_it_with_love!

best dishes to bring to a potluck, Chili Con Carne, church potluck, potluck recipes, recipes to feed a crowd, work potluck

Course Beef Dishes, Dinner Recipes, Soup Recipes

Cuisine American

Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com

Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!

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Best Potluck Recipes: 31+ Appetizers, Main Courses, Sides, & Desserts! (2024)