The Perfect Easter Potluck Recipes

Easter is a time when many families and friends gather together to eat and enjoy one another’s company. Some people take the entire burden of cooking a meal upon themselves, but others take the time to plan a potluck where each guest brings their own treat. Perhaps you’re the one planning who brings what, or maybe you’re the one who has to bring something, but you’re not sure what. Here are a few ideas to get you started!

Salad: Broccoli Salad

This is one treat that my family has at nearly every holiday meal--and for good reason, too! This yummy salad is full of broccoli, bacon, peanuts, and so much more.

Ingredients

• 2 Bunches Broccoli, Bite-Sized or Diced
• 10 Pieces of Bacon, Fried, and Crumbled
• ½ Cup Onion, Cut Fine
• ⅔ Cup Raisins
• 3 Tbsp Salted Peanuts
• 1 Cup Mayonnaise
• ⅓ to ½ Cup Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Vinegar

Instructions

1. Take care to cut, dice, and cook each item as listed above.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients.
3. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Main Dish: Taco Crescent Ring

This one is a crowd-pleaser, since, by sight alone, it’s easy to split into small portions for each person to eat a sample. And of course, it’s delicious! Pillsbury really outdid themselves with this delicious main meal.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1 Package (1 oz) Taco Seasoning Mix
• ½ Cup Water
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheese (Cheddar or Mexican Blend)
• 2 Cans (8 oz) Refrigerated Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls (8 count)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium nonstick skillet, cook the beef until it’s no longer pink. Add taco seasoning mix and water. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until it’s slightly thickened.
3. Move the beef to another bowl and mix it with the cheese.
4. Unroll your cans of dough and separate them into 16 triangles. On a large ungreased sheet, arrange the triangles with the short side of each triangle forming an open circle in the middle of the sheet. The dough will overlap and at the end, it will look like a sun with long triangles pointing outward.
5. Spoon your beef mixture onto half of each triangle closest to the center ring.
6. Fold the long end of the triangle over the beef mixture and tuck it into the middle circle’s dough so that it’s enclosed. If some meat shows through, that’s ok!
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough is golden brown. Cool for 5-10 minutes and then enjoy! Add in other taco toppings like tomato, lettuce, and beans if you so choose.

Dessert: Carrot Cake

This has been my go-to carrot cake recipe for years, so I have to give major props to Cookingclassy, who managed to concoct a recipe that is so moist and flavorful! Whether you make this as a cake or cupcake, this is sure to be a winning dessert.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1 Tsp Baking Soda
• ½ Tsp Salt
• 2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
• ¼ Tsp Ground Nutmeg
• ¼ Tsp Ground Ginger
• 4 Eggs
• ¾ Cup Vegetable Oil
• ½ Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
• ¾ Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
• 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3 Cups Finely Grated Carrots
• Cream Cheese Icing Mix

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare your two 9” round cake pans by lining with shortening and then covering with flour. Shake out the excess flour.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
4. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla.
5. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Mix in grated carrots to make sure they’re evenly distributed. Divide the mixture between your 2 cake pans.
6. Bake for 33-38 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack. Ice when it’s cool and enjoy my favorite carrot cake!