A Super Bowl party doesn't have to be as plain as chips and dip.
There are many tasty snacks that even the most time-starved party planner should be able to prepare or pick up with ease for the Feb. 3 event.
Super Bowl Sunday ranks No. 2 for food consumption in the United States behind Thanksgiving Day, according to the American Institute of Food Distribution, a New Jersey-based trade association. Popular snack food items for fans of the big game include chips, pretzels, pizza, soda and beer.
Besides snack foods, hosts can score extra points with easy-to-fix main dishes such as chili for those recliner quarterbacks, said Sue Holbert, a registered dietitian with the Kansas Beef Council in Topeka. To make the one-pot meal simpler, she suggests using precooked beef crumbles such as those sold by Farmland.
"The chili can be cooking before the guests arrive and stay hot during the game, and then you can pull out the bowls, cheese and crackers and eat it during halftime as a snack or meal," she said.
By using some prepackaged ingredients, hosts can spend less time in the kitchen and more time with their guests.
"You want people to think you slaved for hours, but you didn't, and you don't have to sacrifice taste or flavor," she said.
To add extra flavor, cook the chili with black beans or serve it with different kinds of cheeses such as Monterey Jack.
Looking for a hearty sandwich that doesn't take hours to make? One of Holbert's favorite recipes is the Pesto Beef Sandwich-In-The-Round because it only takes about 20 minutes to prepare. She suggested using focaccia or french bread.
"It's a trendy twist to your old-fashioned sandwich," she said. "Top it off with roasted red peppers, and it's delicious."
Another simple recipe from the beef council that has only six ingredients is Savory Beef And Cheese Roll-Ups. Cooks can save time by using sliced deli roast beef, Holbert said.
"Consumers are pretty starved for time already," she said. "We wanted to help people spend as little time in the kitchen as possible."
Grocery stores offer several options for those who don't want to go through the time and hassle of preparing their own party food.
Shawn Brown, store director at Hy-Vee, 4000 W. Sixth St., said the kitchen staff spends hours making meat, vegetable and cheese trays in anticipation of the Super Bowl. Customers can order trays in advance or pick up something on game day.
"Our forte would be take a lot of work out of their hands," he said. "We do a lot of made-to-order sandwiches, 3- and 6-foot-long sandwiches. You can get any size you want with meats, cheese and all the fixings."
Brown said trays of buffalo chicken wings, steaks and kebabs are popular sellers. The store also sells a lot of the standard chip, pop, beer and utensils to go along with the party.
"Customers tend to buy a lot more for their Super Bowl parties compared to Thanksgiving or Christmas when people have four or five main dishes," he said. "When you go to Super Bowl parties and there's 10, 20 or 30 people, you tend to snack all day long."
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