Memorial Day Potluck Recipes

April 10, 2014

See our best recipes for potluck side dishes, potluck desserts, casseroles, potluck salads, grilled main dishes and more for your Memorial Day potluck.

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BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

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Prep juicy, tender pulled pork in your slow cooker. Low-calorie barbecue sauce and whole wheat buns help make this a healthier potluck option.

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Roasted Tomato Pasta with Mozzarella

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Red and yellow cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls, and plenty of herbs and spices add color and flavor to this bountiful pasta salad. Sprinkle fresh basil on top.

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Ricotta and Parmesan Spread

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Fresh herbs season this ridiculously simple spread from BelGioioso Cheese in Wisconsin. It keeps well in the fridge and is delicious with cherry tomatoes or other vegetable dippers, as well as crackers or baguette slices.R

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Fresh Taco Salad

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Cilantro Ranch Dressing tops a flavorful blend of jicama, multigrain tortilla chips, avocado, black beans, queso fresco and greens. 

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Citrus-Berry Tart

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A crisp shortbread crust holds orange pastry cream in this recipe from Allison Gnade and Thomas Agran of Burrowing Owl Bakery, who have established themselves as a fixture at Iowa City's downtown farmers market. They would scatter the berries casually on top, but we couldn't resist stripes.

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Chicken and Corn Hash Brown Bake

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This comfort food hotdish offers a new twist on the usual hash brown casserole. Try it for everyday meals as well as potlucks!

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Grilled Sirloin Kabobs with Zesty Top City Sauce

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Joann Gough-Stallbaumer of Topeka uses Kansas top sirloin steak and a horseradish-mayo dipping sauce in her prizewinning recipe.

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Berry Trifle

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Mix buttery pound cake, creamy vanilla pudding, soft cream cheese, and fresh berries for a rich comfort-food dessert. To trim calories, try making it with angel food cake, fat-free pudding, and low-fat or fat-free cream cheese.

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Juicy Lucy Burger

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Southside Minneapolis is home to this three-napkin burger famous for its molten cheese center. Both Matt's Bar and the 5-8 Club claim its creation. No matter the lineage, it's burgerlicious.

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Creamy Spinach-Basil Pasta Salad

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Fresh basil in the dressing lends a hint of pesto-inspired sophistication to this mayo-rich pasta salad.

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Mississippi Corn Bread Salad

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Layers of corn bread, bacon and veggies ensure a flavor-packed salad that adds plenty of color to a potluck table.

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Red, White and Blue Parfaits

Pour a syrup of honey, sugar and crystallized ginger over blueberries, watermelon, and strawberries, then top with a swirl of sweetened whipped cream and a fruit star for a pretty-and patriotic-finish. Red, White and Blue Parfaits

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Creamy Potato Casserole

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A little chopped ham, wedges of potatoes and a cream cheese-Gruyère sauce fill this comfort food casserole. Crushed bagel chips make a crunchy topping.

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Ribs made easy

When we say easy, we mean it! With our foolproof technique, you don't need fancy gear or secret spices. See our "Ribs Made Easy" story for step-by-step instructions, and check out our recipes for All-Purpose Rib Rub and Chipotle BBQ Sauce.

Ribs Made Easy

All-Purpose Rib Rub

Chipotle BBQ Sauce

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Bonanza Bean Dip

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Lime- and jalapeño-spiced guacamole adds a kick to layers of refried beans, cheese, tomatoes and onions. Serve seasoned tortilla chips on the side.

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Creamy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

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Sour cream, prepared horseradish and a splash of lemon juice spice up traditional mashed potatoes. 

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Fudge Brownies

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The key to a perfect homemade brownie is not overcooking it. Rather than a toothpick test, trust your eyes and nose to tell you when the brownie is set. The center will stay ever-so-slightly moist.

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Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame Seeds

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We gave this popular veggie a new twist with a hint of ginger, some kick from black pepper and a finish of nutty sesame oil and seeds.

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Chinese Five-Spice Marinated Pork Satay

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Although it sounds like it would be burn-your-mouth-hot, the five-spice powder in this fall comfort food is actually a mild blend that commonly consists of star anise, anise seed, cloves, cinnamon and ginger.

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Grandma's Potato Salad

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This sweet, radish-studded potato salad recipe was handed down from a Cosmos, Minnesota, grandmother to her twin granddaughters.

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Tropical Tomato Salsa

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Try this sweet, colorful salsa-made with tomato, mango and melon-over chips, fish or chicken.

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Cherry-Berry Shortcake Stars

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Tossing the cherries and blueberries with a little sugar draws out the juices. The sweet syrup is a perfect complement to the flaky, sconelike shortcakes. The dough for these shortcakes will be sticky. To easily cut out the star shapes, dip the cutter in flour between each cut.

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Sesame Grilled Chicken

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A lively ginger marinade flavors chicken pieces on their way to the grill. The recipe is a backyard favorite of Linda Taylor of West Des Moines, Iowa.

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Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

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Flax seed meal, wheat germ, dark chocolate and dried cranberries bring a healthy touch to this drop cookie recipe.

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Oriental Coleslaw

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Uncooked ramen noodles, almonds and sunflower kernels add crunch to this salad from a Dubuque, Iowa, reader. It was one of the winners in a Midwest Living® potluck recipe contest. 

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House-Made Burger with Pimiento Cheese

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Top burgers with a spoonful of homemade pimiento cheese, or stuff the burgers with cheese before grilling. The recipe also gives an alternative for grinding your own burgers from hanger steaks.

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Cherry-Berry Rich Shortcakes

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Michigan's fruit belt inspired our Cherry-Berry Rich Shortcakes. We played up the sweet cherries grown in the Great Lakes State, along with blueberries and raspberries. A shortcake biscuit base and sweetened whipped cream complete the dessert.

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Crunchy Asian Noodle Slaw

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Sesame seeds, ramen noodles, soy sauce, ginger and fresh broccoli give Asian flair to cole slaw.

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Firecracker-Red Cupcakes with Coconut Filling

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A red, white and blue dessert stars at any summer potluck. Red velvet cake mix makes our moist and gooey Firecracker-Red Cupcakes extra easy to prepare.

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Hash Brown Casserole

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Here's a somewhat lightened version of a popular potato casserole recipe that's great for brunch, dinner or a potluck.

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Caramel Heavenlies

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Graham crackers form the base for this bar cookie with layers of marshmallows, brown sugar, almonds and coconut. "I've made these cookies since 1984," says Georgine Simmonds of Genesee, Michigan. "They're one of my family's favorites."

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Sunny Broccoli Salad

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A Cleveland reader makes this potluck salad the day ahead and refrigerates the dressing and vegetables separately. When it's time to serve it, she tosses everything together. Bacon, sunflower kernels and raisins make a crunchy and flavorful side dish.

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Sassy Baked Beans

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Mix and match different kinds of beans and meat to suit your preferences. Our smoky-sweet baked beans will beat canned beans every time!

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Jen's White Burger

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This sandwich looks a bit plain, but appearances can be deceiving. It's packed with flavor. Mustard, herbs and lemon zest season the meat, which is topped with wine-poached pears, sharp cheddar and pepper jelly. The recipe comes from Jen Smallwood of Portsmouth, Virginia.

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Salted Caramel, Chocolate and Peanut Cracker-Stack Bars

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These fantastic potluck bars come from Patrice Hurd of Bemidji, Minnesota. She won the grand prize in a Best of the Midwest® Recipe Contest. Patrice says they're a twist on her grandmother's cracker bars. They cut beautifully and brim with salty-sweet-nutty-chocolately flavor.

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