Potlucks and BBQs tend to conjure up images of hot dogs, hamburgers and perfectly cooked grilled chicken in my mind. But we all know it's your relative's famous salad recipe that gets everyone coming back for second helpings. Salads are great dish to bring to get-togethers: you can prepare them the night before and cut down on prep time by buying precut vegetables. Here are 5 of EatingWell's best potluck recipes to try:
Three-Bean Salad
Most three-bean salads contain large amounts of sugar, whereas ours uses a minimal amount--only 1 tablespoon! With just one serving you'll get almost a quarter of your daily fiber requirement, making this dish not only tasty but also healthy.
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 15-ounce can black-eyed peas or chickpeas, rinsed
1 10-ounce package frozen baby lima beans or shelled edamame
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Fill a large bowl half full with ice water and place next to the stove. Meanwhile, whisk cider vinegar, rice vinegar, sugar, mustard, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl until blended. Add onion and black-eyed peas (or chickpeas); toss to coat. Cook lima beans (or edamame) in the boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and refresh in the ice water. Pat dry and add to the bowl. Cook green beans in the boiling water until just tender, 3 to 6 minutes. Drain and refresh in the ice water. Pat dry and add to the salad along with parsley; toss well.
Per serving: 109 calories; 2 g fat (0 g sat, 1 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 6 g fiber; 322 mg sodium; 381 mg potassium.
Tip: Prepare through Step 2. Cook lima beans and green beans (see Steps 3-4 for timing) and refrigerate separately. Toss the salad components with the dressing just before serving.
Your meat-loving friends will love the bacon crumbles and your health-conscious pals will appreciate the creamy texture that is actually low on fat.
With a wide array of vegetables and whole-wheat pasta, this salad packs a nutritional punch without sacrificing flavor.
Guests will love digging into this colorful salad to see what else is underneath. Make it the night before for even better flavor the following afternoon.
This scaled-down potato salad doesn't go in for the creaminess of its mayo-slathered cousin, but the lemon vinaigrette gives it a new twist. Your dairy-free guests will be especially grateful.
What's your favorite salad to take to a summer potluck?
By Wendy Ruopp
Wendy Ruopp has been the managing editor of EatingWell for most of her adult life. Although she writes about food for the Weeknights column of EatingWell Magazine, her husband does the cooking at home.
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