Church Ladies’ Favorite Potluck Recipes (Main Meals)
Part 3 of 4 in the Series
This week I am sharing more of the church ladies’ favorite potluck recipes; main meals being the focus. Here are 6 main meal recipes that have been shared with me recently.
Church Potluck Meals
Many of us have been to a potluck meal in our lifetime, but until you have attended a church potluck, you haven’t really experienced a potluck! There is something about the ladies of the church and cooking skills that go together well. They are some of the best cooks you will find. Maybe it stems from Proverbs 31:
“She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.”
Proverbs 31:14
Church Ladies’ Favorite Potluck Recipes Series
If you haven’t been following along this month, I wanted to showcase some delicious recipes and the church ladies who make them. In the last two posts I shared Potluck Salad Dishes and Potluck Side Dishes.
This post includes some of the main meal recipes from the church ladies, and next week I will share their desserts. Be watching for the desserts – they are amazing!
1 – Succotash Recipe (Myrna Petty)
Until Myrna brought this dish, the only thing I knew about succotash had to do with sufferin’ and Daffy Duck!😂 I was taken by surprise with this dish. It was delicious, and it is also good healthy eating. That is a great combination!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Bring beans to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Cut chicken into small pieces and add seasonings. Melt bacon grease and saute chicken until done. Remove from the pan.
- Add the peppers, chopped onion, and garlic to the pan. Stir fry until tender. Add the corn and lima beans, stirring frequently.
- Add chicken to heat. Stir in the tomatoes and heat until warm.
- You can add 1 Cup fresh okra with other fresh vegetables of your choosing.
- Fry 4 strips of bacon and crumble to add when done for extra flavor.
Optional
2 – “More” (Diane Wheat)
This recipe was a favorite dish of Diane’s family. It was passed down to Diane from her aunt. Diane’s husband shared with us that the reason the name of the dish is “More” was that once you eat it, you always want more.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Brown the meat in a skillet and add the onion to it once it is browned.
- Add the noodles to the meat mixture.
- Add all of the other ingredients to the meat and noodles and mix well.
- Pour into an oven safe dish, and bake at 300 – 325 degrees for 1-1 1/2 hours, pending on your oven.
3 – Meatloaf (Rita Crowell)
I love a good meatloaf, and this is a good one! It has a wonderful flavor! This can be counted as comfort food!
Ingredients
Topping
Instructions
- Mix the first 9 ingredients in a large bowl.
- Place it in a baking pan, form into a loaf, leaving space on the sides.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
- Mix the topping ingredients together, add it to the top of the meatloaf, and bake for 15 more minutes.
Meatloaf Tip
I can’t stand to get my hands so messy “mashing up” the meatloaf. Many years ago I started putting all of the ingredients in a large ziplock baggie and mixing it by mashing on the bag. It is so easy and no mess. The mixture falls right out into the dish or pan, and then I use a spatula to shape it.
4 – Chicken & Dumplings Recipe (Elva Walters)
Chicken and Dumplings is another comfort food for me! In fact, Jay just made his Chicken & Dumplings this week (as soon as it started getting cool).
The great thing about Chicken and Dumplings is that there are so many varieties. I have had dumplings made with Bisquick mix, tortillas, canned biscuits, frozen biscuits, and a homemade dough mixture. They are all different yet delicious.
The dumplings in this recipe are made with tortillas. Elva shared that this was a new recipe for her. She found it on the website Food.com and she said that they enjoyed this dish. Hopefully she will bring it to our next church potluck! Here is the link to the recipe she used.
5 – Crock Pot Potato Soup Recipe (Kristy Howell)
When we get together, my daughter-in-law usually cooks for us. She is a marvelous cook and seems to enjoy it! She made this wonderful dish and shared with us last winter. It makes a large amount, so it feeds a hungry crowd. I am starting to see a common theme with these potluck recipes focusing on main meals – comfort food!
She actually found this recipe a while back on a site called Family Fresh Meals. It is made in a crock pot or slow cooker, so it is one of those easy recipes to put together! Slow cooker dishes are some of the best-loved recipes. Here is the link to this comforting recipe.
6 – Spaghetti Dinner/Macaroni Dish (Patricia Plain)
I went to church with Patricia many years ago, and we have had countless church potlucks together. She and her mother always brought delicious dishes to the potluck dinners.
Patricia said she got this recipe from a sweet lady, Mrs. Nana Callaway, who she went to church with when she was a child. This is one of those old fashioned classic dishes! Patricia still makes this dish on a regular basis.
The original recipe calls for spaghetti, but Patricia uses elbow macaroni instead. Use whatever pasta you like best.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Brown beef in lard. (Remember, this is an old recipe that has been passed down over time.)
- Brown onions and bell peppers.
- Boil pasta in water with a little bit of salt, according to package directions.
- Mix everything together, and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.
You know I love a handwritten recipe! This one appears to be from the lady who gave it to Patricia, and it has a note at the bottom. She shared that this recipe is best if you make it the day before and refrigerate it over night. It states that it makes enough to feed a large group. Many times when they were having company, she doubled the recipe, served a salad and dessert, and it made a full meal!
Potluck Tips & Ideas
- Back in the day, you might have seen a Baptist Church having a summer potluck that they called “Dinner on the Ground.” Instead of having the meal in the fellowship hall, they would have it outdoors, usually after the morning church service. This would be a fun activity to plan for a church homecoming in today’s times.
- Potluck meals are not only for church gatherings and family reunions. You can plan these fellowship dinners for the office, for friends, or for a neighborhood party.
- Plan a potluck where everyone brings copies of the recipe. Pass them around, and you will end up with your own little church cookbook.
- I love the surprise of seeing what everyone brings to the meals. It doesn’t have to be planned out in detail; everyone just brings something. It almost always works out to be a great variety. If you like things planned out a little more, you could set a theme or have a sign up sheet.
- If you make a slow cooker recipe, use a slow cooker/crock pot with a locking lid to transport it to the potluck.
- Put your food on a rubber boot tray in the car to catch any spills when transporting your dishes.
- If you are taking a dish to a large gathering, be sure your name is on your dish and carrier. That is how I use all of those address labels that come in the mail.
I hope you will try some of these church ladies’ favorite potluck recipes for main meals. Whether you are actually going to a church or family potluck, serving friends, or just having a meal with your family, all of these would be great. Add a few easy appetizers, some sides, and don’t forget the dessert table. You will be set!
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Another Church Potluck Resource
Church Ladies Share Favorite Potluck Recipes
Until next week…
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“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6
This series brings back so many special memories of our own dinner on the ground and homecoming events, Susan. I lot of them I’ve completely forgotten about so it’s been fun to rediscover so many family favorites. Thank you for all the extra tips too. We had a potluck Fall Festival event at my aunt’s last weekend and I knew exactly how to pack and labe; everything. Sending you hugs, CoCo
I love hearing about all of these “vintage” recipes. One of the ladies shared a dessert recipe (I will share next week) that I have never heard of! It was delicious! Her mother used to make it for potlucks MANY years ago!
So many awesome as well as some new recipes for me. Growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, we do have lots of favorite church recipes, but I love learning about other areas around the world and what you are enjoying.
Thank you for sharing your links with us at #286 SSPS Linky. See you again next week.
Thank you! I bet you could enlighten us on some recipes we have never heard of.