Italian Potluck ideas
If you’ve started to realise that the temptation to go to the local Italian restaurant is just too strong, then fear not! Here at Froodini, we believe that you can curb your desire to keep eating out, by making amazing food yourself! Italian food is always a favourite, and when you make it well yourself by going to an italian potluck, nothing can beat it. What is so amazing about Italian dishes is just how much your can do with them. Take pasta, for example: it tastes amazing on its own, or you can use it as a base to make something far more fancy. The same is even true of pizza – you can buy a regular margherita from the shop and eat it, or you can add some extra cheese and tomatoes and anything else! There are limitless options to make your pizzas with just a sprinkle of imagination.
Normally, let’s be honest, Italian dishes are also great to make because they don’t take much time. A spaghetti bolognese requires little time and effort, and even making your own caprese salad isn’t too hard. But, and this is crucial – making only quick dishes only gives you half the potential! You might not have considered it much, but taking the time to make your own Italian dishes from scratch can be one of the most rewarding things. Indeed, a home-made pizza obviously takes longer, but the benefits are amazing. You end up with a super healthy and far more interesting pizza! And it will even cost less than a regular one – what more could you ask for?!
Italian Potluck dish and recipe suggestions
For our Italian Potluck food ideas, we’ve split them up into appetisers, mains, and desserts. See what you think!
Italian Potluck Appetizer
Garlic bread with herbal butter
For this dish, simply buy some French bread and then customise it! Buy some herbal butter to melt into the bread, then add some garlic and cloves to the mix as well. Standard butter and a sprinkling of further herbs will always be welcome. Just remember to serve warm!
Italian Potluck Main Course
Classic Lasagna
When of the best things about a lasagne is preparing it in the first place. Who can resist adding that extra layer of cheese?! If you are asked, you can also make this vegetarian, so nobody can complain. Baked until it becomes just crispy is perfect.
Italian Potluck Dessert
Traditional Italian Tiramisu
Of what we have suggested so far, tiramisu is the most challenging. But, it is a delicacy, so shouldn’t it take a while to prepare?! We think it should, especially when it tastes so spectacular! Light and delicious, a home-made tiramisu takes some beating!
Italian Potluck themes and ideas
For any potluck dinner you host, you’re going to need to remember one thing: planning is everything! The more you take care of the small details, the more everyone will enjoy the gathering. To help you out therefore, Froodini has provided the following pointers for themes and ideas.
- Remember to assign everyone roles! Even though it hurts us to say it, you really don’t want to be faced with eating eleven only very slightly different casseroles. Make sure, if you have invited a larger party, to assign people to appetisers, mains, deserts, and drinks.
- Make sure you’ve got space for everything! Pizzas and in particular can take up a lot of space, especially in the oven, so sorting out which foods to cook first is highly important. As long as everyone gets their turn, then everyone’s gonna be happy, so they say.
- Go all out! An Italian-themed Potluck dinner can never be over the top! Grab yourself some red white and green napkins, put on some Verdi, and be as friendly as you know how.
Italian Potluck Appetisers
We’ve already told you about garlic bread with herbal butter, but you can never have enough appetisers, or at least, we can’t! So here are three more of our favourites.
Italian Meatballs
Not only do you get Swedish meatballs, but you get Italian ones too! The difference is that these meatballs come cradled in lovely little doughy buns for you to enjoy. Easy to make and simple to bake, you can make these exactly the size you need.
Grapes wrapped in cheese
For these, presentation is key! Simply take any grapes and your favourite assortment of cheeses, and chop the cheese up fine. Then, using some blue cheese as an adhesive, roll the grapes with the blue cheese covering in the rest of your chopped up cheese, then stand back and admire!
Communal Caprese Salad
Why go to the bother of making lots of separate little appetisers when you can just make one and let people choose their own amounts? By making one large caprese salad to be enjoyed by all the guests, you can achieve this. Make it and then sit back as everyone tucks in.