5 Allergy-friendly Potluck Themes for Your Next Get-together // Simple Hospitality

These 5 Allergy-friendly Potluck Themes are sure to be a hit the next time you have friends over for a meal!

Welcome to the first post in a new series I’m doing called Simple Hospitality! In a Pinterest-filled world it’s easy to think you have to go overboard and become Martha Stewart in order to have people over to spend time with you in your home. That is definitely not the case! I plan to share 1-2 practical ideas here each month for encouraging “Martha in Minutes” style hospitality – simple ideas for making your guests feel special and loved on without needing to slave for hours over the cooking or purchasing a ton of fancy decor. Hospitality is supposed to be all about opening your home to family, friends, or strangers, and giving them a friendly and generous reception. It’s supposed to be about the guests, not about showing off. We practice Biblical hospitality in our home as a practical way of showing the love of Christ to others. If someone leaves feeling more loved, relaxed, and well-fed than when they arrived, we will consider that a successful evening and not worry about how our relaxed evening with friends compared to the 4 course wedding they attended a few weeks ago. As a culture, I think we could definitely stand to let our unrealistic expectations of perfection go away.

One of our favorite things to do each week is host a potluck Walking Dead watch party. The show is on mid-season break until Valentine’s Day, but when it’s on, we meet up with friends every Sunday for a dinner spent chatting about the show and then settle into the couch to watch the Walking Dead and Talking Dead afterwards. It’s super low-key – one night was even called: “breakfast for diner – wear your pjs” – and really, it’s some of the best times we’ve had with friends in our home. We typically provide a “main” course each week and then ask our friends to bring the other pieces of the puzzle. That keeps costs low for all of us, and also makes it more about the gathering and being together rather than me putting on a one woman dinner party show each week like I tried to do at first.

We have a number of friends with various food allergies and restrictions – gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian diets are the main contenders – so potlucks for “build your own” things work best where everyone can assemble the ingredients that fit their preferences and needs. They also require the least prep-work, and are some of the most delicious, so we all win!

5 Allergy-friendly Potluck Themes

1. Baked Potato Bar

Everyone loves to build their own potato. We bake white and sweet potatoes in the slow cooker and then everyone can bring their favorite toppings.

Topping ideas:
-Cheese
-Sour Cream
-Chicken
-Pulled Pork
-Steamed Veggies
-Bacon
-Butter
-Cinnamon & Brown Sugar (for sweet potatoes)
-Chili
etc.

2. Ultimate Salad Bar

Salads don’t have to be boring. We provide a couple different tubs of pre-washed greens (or greens from our garden) and make some homemade dressings. Then everyone else brings toppings!

Topping ideas:
-Crutons
-Bacon
-Cheese
-Grilled Chicken
-Dried or fresh fruit
-Nuts and Seeds
-Salmon or Tuna
-Taco meat for taco salad
-Quinoa
etc.

3. Build Your Own Pizza

I typically make the dough from scratch, buy refrigerated pizza dough, or buy pre-made gluten-free pizza rounds depending on who is coming for dinner. (Bagel pizzas are fun too if you don’t want to worry about dough!) I pre-bake the crusts either into larger pizzas or minis and everyone brings their favorite toppings, cheese and sauces. We love getting really creative with our toppings!

Topping ideas:
-Meats (bacon, pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, ham, prosciutto, etc.)
-Veggies (olives, mushrooms, peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, arugula, etc.)
-Fruits (pineapple, apples, figs, bananas, etc.)
-Sauces (pizza sauce, alfredo, fig butter, apple butter, pesto, BBQ sauce, etc.)
-Cheeses (mozzarella, cheddar, goat cheese, feta, dairy-free cheese, Parmesan, neufchatel, etc.)
-Side Salad

4. Breakfast For Dinner

This is one of our favorites! We usually turn it into a pj party too. Everyone loves a great breakfast party, and sometimes we even make Mimosas as well. We typically make baked eggs or cornbread waffles and then everyone else brings the toppings and sides.

Topping/side ideas:
-syrup
-butter
-whipped cream
-fruit
-bacon
-juice
-toast
-muffins

5. Soup/Chili Bar

Soups are souper flexible for allergies and food preferences. Depending on who is coming, we will make 1-2 kinds of soup in the slow cooker and then recommend the toppings and sides accordingly.

Some favorite soups:
–Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken Chili (gf, df)
–Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup (gf, df)
–Slow Cooker Chicken and Vegetable Tortellini Soup (df, veg. option)
–Spanish Lentil Stew (Lentejas) (df)
–Slow Cooker Corn Chowder with Parmesan Rind and Panchetta (gf option)
–Slow Cooker Turkey Chili (gf, df)

Soup Pairings/Toppings
-Grilled Cheese
-1/2 Sandwiches
-Caesar Salad
-Cheese
-Crutons/Chips
-Onions/peppers
-Bacon
-Sour Cream
-Fruit
etc.