7 Healthy Super Bowl Dishes That Don’t Sacrifice On Taste
Most of us are watching the Super Bowl at home this year, which means we have full control of the Super Bowl menu. Here we’ll share our favorite traditional Super Bowl food ideas that are way better than the heavy, greasy snacks you’d find at the local sports bar!
The Super Bowl is always an exciting time for football lovers, but this year more than ever, many Americans are eagerly awaiting the annual tradition. After seeing most cultural events grind to a halt in 2020, we’re ready to gather up our excitement, cheer for our team, and — of course! — eat some of those delicious Super Bowl snacks.
… And if we’re being super honest? Some of us are more excited about the snacks than the game.
If that’s you, listen up! Why settle for grabbing handfuls of chips when you could make a complete, satisfying, football-friendly meal to go along with an evening in front of the TV? This year we scoured our Cook Smarts meal plan service archives for the best, most decadent, most delicious, healthy Super Bowl meals!
Here are our favorites:
1. “Almost” Texas Chili with Cornbread Muffins
This nearly traditional chili uses a blend of spices similar to what’s used in Texas chili, but does not contain tomatoes in the base. In traditional Texas fashion, it contains no beans, but still has a flavor as big as the Lone Star State (sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves!). It’s a great football meal because it can be eaten from a bowl rather than requiring you to balance a plate on your lap. It even contains some beer (though you can sub stock if you prefer), so clearly it pairs well with football’s favorite beverage! Double the jalapeño-honey cornbread muffins for an extra snack during the game.
2. Chili Nachos with Pico de Gallo
If chili sounds good but it’s not your preferred game day food, make the chili earlier in the week and use leftovers to top nachos. These nachos come together quickly and easily — so you have plenty of time to enjoy the pregame show instead of spending that time in the kitchen. You could even throw them together during halftime! A simple side salad rounds out the meal, including spicy, bright, fresh-made pico de gallo, which will double as a nacho topper.
3. Kung Pao Chicken Wings with Fried Rice
If watching football makes you want chicken wings, this is the recipe for you. These crispy, spicy, savory chicken wings are baked in the oven for a lighter meal, but don’t worry — they still get golden and delicious! You’ll toss them with the Kung Pao sauce just before serving to keep them from getting soggy. This craveable sauce contains fresh ginger, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and brown sugar, so it balances spicy, sweet, salty, and tangy. You’ll get extra mileage from it by also using it as a stir-fry sauce for a simple fried rice.
4. Chipotle Guacamole Burger with Smoky Paprika Sweet Potato Fries
Burgers and football are a natural pairing, and nobody can resist guacamole on game day! If it’s nice weather where you are, you can even cook these patties on the grill. This is a traditional recipe with a smoky chipotle pepper twist for added heat and depth, which comes from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce. Frozen sweet potato fries make for an easy side, and when sprinkled with paprika, you get a slightly more interesting, home-cooked flavor. Double the guacamole if you’d like extra for dipping chips!
5. Crunchy Tex-Mex Salad with Honey-Adobo Dressing
The great thing about this meal is that you can set out all the ingredients and let everyone assemble their own salads. That way, it’s easy for people to eat when they’re ready, avoiding the inevitable frustration of trying to serve dinner during a big play. This is a filling and fun vegetarian salad containing avocado, tomatoes, olives, tortilla chips, and cheese (among other flavors), along with smoky spiced pinto beans and corn. It’s also easy to customize this meal by adding or subtracting ingredients to please your household.
6. BBQ Rotisserie Chicken Pizza
This nontraditional pizza gets rave reviews from our community. You’ll start with raw pizza dough and a store-bought rotisserie chicken, and make your pizza using barbecue sauce instead of marinara. It has all the traditional game-day elements, but combined in an unexpected way. In addition to the chicken and barbecue sauce, there’s cheese, red onion, green onion, and jalapeños. It makes for a flavorful, colorful meal that’s easy to eat while watching the game.
7. Twice-Baked Potatoes with Broccoli and Cheese
The traditional football side of potato skins gets turned into a complete meal with these twice-baked potatoes and their Brussels sprouts side. Broccoli and cheese, along with a few other flavorful ingredients, get mixed into the potato mixture before going back in the skins for their second bake, and cooking the balsamic vinegar–tossed Brussels at the same time keeps things simple. It’s a surprisingly healthy meal that tastes decadent and game day–ready!
Want more dinner ideas for game day and beyond? Our meal plan service offers 4 meals per week with the choice of original, gluten-free, paleo, and vegetarian versions, as well as an extensive archive of past recipes. All of the recipes and techniques mentioned above are a part of the service. For more info and to get a taste test with a free 14-day trial, sign up here.
