The Super Bowl is the biggest day of the year for football fans but it’s also one of the best excuses to get together. Whether you’re a diehard fan, just here for the commercials, or somewhere in between, everyone looks forward to the feast on gameday. Bud Light, pizza, and wings are a great combo but with so many people ordering, it’s not uncommon for orders to get mixed up or missed altogether. Also, if you’re feeding a lot of people, it can get quite expensive ordering in. But what else is as easy to feed a group of hungry people for the game? I was thinking it over one day and it turns out, I was staring at the answer the entire time – super bowls for the Super Bowl.

When it gets cold, something I love to call “stew weather”, I bring out the slow cooker and I put that thing to work. A slow cooker meal is great for feeding multiple people, something you don’t have to babysit, and easy to make ahead of time and serve. To go with the Easy to Gameday motto of Bud Light, I wanted to share a couple of ideas that I will be using that are easy to make and easy to enjoy this Super Bowl. And as always, all these dishes are perfect for pairing with Bud Light.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

If you love chicken wings, this is a great way to satiate your cravings. Served with tortilla chips, pita bread, or celery & carrots, this is a crowd favorite that is easy to make. This one may be the easiest to make on this list so this can be a great choice for those of you who don’t cook very often. Using store bought shredded chicken or even pulling apart fully cooked chicken yourself means there’s nothing raw you need to worry about. Combine that chicken with some hot sauce, ranch dressing, and cream cheese in a slow cooker to make a delicious dip in about an hour. 

Pulled Pork

Pork shoulder is a delicious protein that’s also easier on the wallet – something that really matters when feeding a lot of guests. With a little seasoning and broth, pork shoulder turns into an easy pulled pork that melts in your mouth. Stir in your favorite BBQ sauce after shredding and it can be an easy sandwich filling or do as I did and top off some fries to create a bowl of loaded fries. I like to call this one a pulled pork “poutine” because I like alliteration but I’m sure there will be some Canadians that would not agree with the naming. Regardless, it’s tasty, easy, and relatively cheap to feed the masses from kick-off to game’s end.

Beef Stew

This is my favorite dish to make in the colder months and the reason why I call it “stew weather” instead of soup weather. This dish is so packed full of meat, veggies, and flavor, that to call it a soup would be a disservice. This is definitely a make the day before kind of dish so make sure you get this going by Saturday night. Take a large cut of stew beef, making sure that it’s one large piece. It can be from different cuts as well so look for chuck, pot roast, bottom round, and even brisket. You’re looking for something with heft and don’t be afraid of all the connective tissue. On a bed of potatoes, carrots, and celery, add a few cubes or spoonfuls of beef bouillon, mashed up garlic cloves, and a splash of soy sauce. Lay your big beautiful piece of beef on top so it’s resting on the bed you just made and pour a little beef stock over the meat. Cover it up and cook on high for 8 hours for a stew so delicious and simple, people will be begging for the recipe. Simply shred up or chop up the beef, stir it back in, and serve in a bowl.

Baked Pasta Bowls

If you have a lot of people coming over and your slow cooker is already taken up by one of the dishes above, we’ll have to recruit our oven for this next dish. In a casserole dish, simply putting a jar of sauce and uncooked pasta with a little bit of water can make you a very filling dish with unlimited potential to be improved upon. I like to make my own sauce because I really enjoy making a “Sunday Gravy” like an old Italian grandma since I never really grew up with that tradition. It fills the house with such a pleasing aroma of garlic, basil, and spices. A bonus is that it really warms up the kitchen and adjoining den – very nice when you live in an older drafty house. Top it off with cheese and let people scoop out as much as they want into their bowl and you’ve got yourself another great dish for the game.

Bonus Dessert – Pie à la Mode

I love baked goods but I usually find fruit pies to be a little too dry for me. That’s why I like to get it ala mode when possible but even then, on a dish, it’s less than ideal to get the perfect ratio on every bite. At home, I like to take a slice of pie and place it in a nice mug to heat up in the microwave. I then top it off with ice cream for an easy dessert for one that gives me the perfect bite every time. My wife thinks I’m weird for eating pies in this way but she always thinks I’m weird – so for this year’s Super Bowl, I thought I would scale it up for our guests to get their opinions. I’m not a baker and by the time the slice of pie gets in the mug, it’s just a jumble of pie filling and crust. To make this dessert bowl for a large group, I decided to make a simple pie filling, get store bought pie crusts, and just bake it in a cast iron. Guests will just scoop out their pie (that sounds odd) into a bowl and top it off with some caramel English toffee ice cream. Hopefully it will be a big hit and maybe I will get less side-eye from my wife in the future when I make a mug of ice cream and pie.

Whoever you’re cheering on this year, Bud Light is a great choice to enjoy the Super Bowl and these super bowls with. Also, if you’re attending a party, don’t show up empty handed! A case of Bud Light or any of these dishes would surely be a welcome sight for the host. Have a great Super Bowl Sunday everybody!