Make-ahead foods for Halloween party
October 15, 2022 10:44 AM Subscribe
I'm having a (small) Halloween party and I want to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible once guests get here. Looking for suggestions on make-ahead dishes that can easily be eaten potluck-style. Difficulty level: one friend is allergic to onions and garlic.
Everything will be served potluck-style so people can fill their plates whenever they want and pick at the food throughout the evening. My preference is for things that can be eaten at room temperature or reheated relatively easily. Not everything needs to be without onions and garlic, but I want her to be able to eat multiple things instead of just "Here's the one item that's safe for you, hope you like it!"
I've thought of several things already that are more appetizer/sides, like candied walnuts, stuffed grape leaves from Trader Joe's, etc. Fall flavors like pumpkin, squash, apple, etc, are a plus! I'll probably do a pasta salad, but all of my favorites have onions and/or garlic as strong flavors in them so I've got to find a new one. I'm eying this roasted carrot tart on puff pastry as one possibility (without the garlic), but am definitely interested in similar dishes. Thanks!
Everything will be served potluck-style so people can fill their plates whenever they want and pick at the food throughout the evening. My preference is for things that can be eaten at room temperature or reheated relatively easily. Not everything needs to be without onions and garlic, but I want her to be able to eat multiple things instead of just "Here's the one item that's safe for you, hope you like it!"
I've thought of several things already that are more appetizer/sides, like candied walnuts, stuffed grape leaves from Trader Joe's, etc. Fall flavors like pumpkin, squash, apple, etc, are a plus! I'll probably do a pasta salad, but all of my favorites have onions and/or garlic as strong flavors in them so I've got to find a new one. I'm eying this roasted carrot tart on puff pastry as one possibility (without the garlic), but am definitely interested in similar dishes. Thanks!
Egg muffins work well as a party food that offer something that feels substantial (and high in protein to balance the more snacky options) while still being finger food. You can make ahead and either serve at room temperature or reheat in the oven before serving. When I did this, I just read a few options and then developed my own variation that met the very specific allergy/food preference needs of my family. Possibilities include chopped spinach or bacon or minced turkey or mild jalapeno peppers (check to make sure they are ok) plus corn. For spices, nutmeg goes well with spinach, italian herbs with turkey, maybe just salt and pepper with bacon. It will taste better if you don't scrimp on the fat - real eggs, full fat mild and cheese.
posted by metahawk at 11:23 AM on October 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by metahawk at 11:23 AM on October 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
Hokkaido pumpkin soup is delicious and very autumny. This is a version without alliums. It improves when it is made ahead and reheated. The cinnamon and nutmeg in the recipe gives it a seasonal flavor, but I prefer ginger and chili flakes.
My favorite pasta salad is very simple: halved cocktail tomatoes and good black olives, and pieces of fresh cheese (mozzarella or goat cheese), simply dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt pepper and perhaps a few chili flakes. lots of basil leaves. The salad can be made hours before, but the basil leaves should be added at most 30 minutes before serving. Don't put it in the fridge. You may think it looks boring but people ask for me to make it when I invite them over.
A tortilla española can be made the day before, and it doesn't have to have onions in it. (You could make one with and one without onions). You can make it using fries or chips. It is delicious food that is perfect for potlucks.
Spanakopita is another dish that works very well without the alliums. And you can use pre-made puff pastry instead of phyllo dough.
posted by mumimor at 11:38 AM on October 15, 2022
My favorite pasta salad is very simple: halved cocktail tomatoes and good black olives, and pieces of fresh cheese (mozzarella or goat cheese), simply dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt pepper and perhaps a few chili flakes. lots of basil leaves. The salad can be made hours before, but the basil leaves should be added at most 30 minutes before serving. Don't put it in the fridge. You may think it looks boring but people ask for me to make it when I invite them over.
A tortilla española can be made the day before, and it doesn't have to have onions in it. (You could make one with and one without onions). You can make it using fries or chips. It is delicious food that is perfect for potlucks.
Spanakopita is another dish that works very well without the alliums. And you can use pre-made puff pastry instead of phyllo dough.
posted by mumimor at 11:38 AM on October 15, 2022
I am a big fan of sheet pan butternut squash with sausage, like this one.
You could make meatballs ahead of time and put them in a crockpot with sauce, or bbq sauce. I make mine without onions or garlic.
posted by lyssabee at 11:39 AM on October 15, 2022
You could make meatballs ahead of time and put them in a crockpot with sauce, or bbq sauce. I make mine without onions or garlic.
posted by lyssabee at 11:39 AM on October 15, 2022
I always make chili for a fall party, and I always make the chili to meet the largest guestlist common denominator, so make a batch of chili that'll suit most of your attendees (if you want veg'n, this is my base recipe) and serve raw onions and green onions on the side for dressing, along with Fritos or tortilla chips, sour cream, cheeses, and hot sauce. You can even put out smallish roasted potatoes to go with, or fries - it's just such a great bit of advance cooking that can be served a million ways.
Second runner up to chili is lasagna - nobody's going to miss onion and garlic if you use good other aromatics and make (easier than procuring enough low-FODMAP jar sauce, and you could do it as soon as this weekend and freeze to get that part done) a delicious sauce, and then be generous with the cheeses. The downside is that you can't as much turn that into a lasagna bowl bar...I mean you CAN, and I HAVE, in the privacy of my own kitchen, but it might be a hard sell to others.
I just made my own version of these ham and cheese party sliders for a camping trip, and you can pre-make and freeze and then thaw and bake on the day. No onion or garlic necessary or missed, and the actual sandwich ingredients are yours to play with and fancify if you wish. I made a vegetarian version once that was brie and cranberry sauce, and it was for a Thanksgiving party but the sauce kinda ran and stained everything pinky-purple and honestly you could call them something like Zombie Graves and turn my somewhat off-putting (they were delicious, though!) mistake into an opportunity.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:51 AM on October 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
Second runner up to chili is lasagna - nobody's going to miss onion and garlic if you use good other aromatics and make (easier than procuring enough low-FODMAP jar sauce, and you could do it as soon as this weekend and freeze to get that part done) a delicious sauce, and then be generous with the cheeses. The downside is that you can't as much turn that into a lasagna bowl bar...I mean you CAN, and I HAVE, in the privacy of my own kitchen, but it might be a hard sell to others.
I just made my own version of these ham and cheese party sliders for a camping trip, and you can pre-make and freeze and then thaw and bake on the day. No onion or garlic necessary or missed, and the actual sandwich ingredients are yours to play with and fancify if you wish. I made a vegetarian version once that was brie and cranberry sauce, and it was for a Thanksgiving party but the sauce kinda ran and stained everything pinky-purple and honestly you could call them something like Zombie Graves and turn my somewhat off-putting (they were delicious, though!) mistake into an opportunity.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:51 AM on October 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
Our new favorite food is a salad with roasted beets, walnuts and goat cheese. Roast the beets in the oven until they are soft and easy to pierce with a knife point. Take them out and let them cool till they are easy to handle. Peel them, and cut into big bites. Make a salad dressing with vegetable oil, dijon mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper, and mix well with the beets. Sprinkle with roughly chopped walnuts and dollops of soft goat cheese.
posted by mumimor at 11:52 AM on October 15, 2022
posted by mumimor at 11:52 AM on October 15, 2022
Cornbread muffins are great for fall (and go really well with chili). Mini muffins would probably be best if you have the pans or you could cut the regular muffins in half (or just leave them big). Any cornbread recipe can be used for muffins.
There's a type of Irish potato pancake called fadge. I used to make mini versions of these for an annual St. Patrick's Day party. I think they work better as finger food than other kinds of potato pancakes. At my party, I also put out smoked salmon and cucumber slices, and we eventually figured out the fadge could be used to make little sandwiches with those. (My recipe is in Irish Country Cooking, so I can't vouch for the one I linked to.)
Hummus, pita, and some cut up vegetables would be great. I've recently gotten into making hummus, and it's very easy and wonderful - just leave out the garlic. I've been to catered parties where the hummus was very popular. (Out of curiosity, I looked for pumpkin hummus recipes and found a bunch. I have no idea if it's good though.)
posted by FencingGal at 12:45 PM on October 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
There's a type of Irish potato pancake called fadge. I used to make mini versions of these for an annual St. Patrick's Day party. I think they work better as finger food than other kinds of potato pancakes. At my party, I also put out smoked salmon and cucumber slices, and we eventually figured out the fadge could be used to make little sandwiches with those. (My recipe is in Irish Country Cooking, so I can't vouch for the one I linked to.)
Hummus, pita, and some cut up vegetables would be great. I've recently gotten into making hummus, and it's very easy and wonderful - just leave out the garlic. I've been to catered parties where the hummus was very popular. (Out of curiosity, I looked for pumpkin hummus recipes and found a bunch. I have no idea if it's good though.)
posted by FencingGal at 12:45 PM on October 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
Meatballs in sauce in the crackpot.
Sausage rolls. Breakfast sausage in puff pastry.
Rollups- tortillas filled with stuff. Cream cheese, turkey, cranberry. Ham and cream cheese mixed with chives. Spread, roll, fridge for an hour or two and cut into bite sized pieces. Best with thin but not shaved deli meat.
Brie with hot pepper jelly
Wings
Veg and fruit trays with dips
Grapes
Nacho dip (make your own taco seasoning)
There's a great tiramisu dip here. Serve with cut up apples (get farm fresh) and Graham crackers, pretzels.
posted by Ftsqg at 4:37 PM on October 15, 2022
Sausage rolls. Breakfast sausage in puff pastry.
Rollups- tortillas filled with stuff. Cream cheese, turkey, cranberry. Ham and cream cheese mixed with chives. Spread, roll, fridge for an hour or two and cut into bite sized pieces. Best with thin but not shaved deli meat.
Brie with hot pepper jelly
Wings
Veg and fruit trays with dips
Grapes
Nacho dip (make your own taco seasoning)
There's a great tiramisu dip here. Serve with cut up apples (get farm fresh) and Graham crackers, pretzels.
posted by Ftsqg at 4:37 PM on October 15, 2022
I'm a fan of making a frittata in muffin tins. You can make a bunch of flavor combinations if you're ambitious. I tend to make some for kids with pizza-like ingredients -- pepperoni and bell pepper is popular; mushrooms or olives might work depending on the kids. I'll even use parmesan in addition to mild melty cheese. For grownups I'll use more complicated flavor combos like asparagus and gruyere, with fresh herbs. The secret of frittata is that you can stir fry any combination of ingredients and flavors, and using the egg/cheese base makes it a frittata. It's finger food that's meant to be eaten at room temp.
I also like making soup or chili in a slow cooker, and setting it out with fancy plastic cups or double-shot glasses for self service, often with a small bread stick sticking out like a straw. Toppings make it easy to customize for specific taste preferences, and people often say it's fun to eat out of a cup.
posted by nadise at 4:49 PM on October 15, 2022
I also like making soup or chili in a slow cooker, and setting it out with fancy plastic cups or double-shot glasses for self service, often with a small bread stick sticking out like a straw. Toppings make it easy to customize for specific taste preferences, and people often say it's fun to eat out of a cup.
posted by nadise at 4:49 PM on October 15, 2022
Crockpot meatballs! Microwave a bag of frozen precooked meatballs (like the ones Ikea sells) to thaw them a bit. Place in the crockpot with one jar Welch's grape jelly, and one jar Heinz Chili Sauce, and heat til hot. They're super easy, delicious (just tastes like sweet barbecue sauce) and are a big hit at all my parties. The sauce contains no whole garlic / onion, just a bit of dehydrated powder, if that works for her. I've seen people make it with a bottle of ketchup too, although I haven't tried that.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 8:23 AM on October 16, 2022
posted by nouvelle-personne at 8:23 AM on October 16, 2022
I don't have a specific recipes but pinwheel rollups are always popular at parties.
I love making things in mini phyllo dough shells (find in the freezer section), they look fancy and have the crunch of phyllo without the work. These mini greek pies are great (you can make the filling ahead but I would fill and bake right before serving). (I can't have garlic either and just leave it out.) IIRC I always end up with extra filling, I'd buy an extra box of shells. You didn't mention desserts but these mini pecan pie tartlets are delish too.
posted by radioamy at 12:45 PM on October 17, 2022
I love making things in mini phyllo dough shells (find in the freezer section), they look fancy and have the crunch of phyllo without the work. These mini greek pies are great (you can make the filling ahead but I would fill and bake right before serving). (I can't have garlic either and just leave it out.) IIRC I always end up with extra filling, I'd buy an extra box of shells. You didn't mention desserts but these mini pecan pie tartlets are delish too.
posted by radioamy at 12:45 PM on October 17, 2022
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posted by HypotheticalWoman at 10:51 AM on October 15, 2022 [2 favorites]