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Recipes

5 Easy Potluck Dishes on a Budget

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Stevens chapter.

Do you cringe when you hear “potluck”? It’s hard to come up with the perfect, easy potluck dish. It’s money, time, and worst of all, figuring out what to bring that everyone will like. Nothing’s more disappointing than bringing that dish that no one eats. 

Don’t fear, the Stevens Spoon team is here with five cheap and easy potluck ideas we tried ourselves at our own potluck party!

1. Curry and Rice

Curry is super easy to put together, and it tastes great! The recipe usually on the box; you just need some chicken, onions, potatoes, and carrots. If you have some extra time, experiment by substituting chicken with beef for a different flavor! 

easy potluck
Tracy Wong

2. Falafel

Falafel is really cheap and quick! One of our members picked up 30 pieces for $5. 

easy potluck
Tracy Wong

3. Chips/Pita and Hummus

A great match with the falafel. You can pick up some quality hummus at Mamoun’s in Hoboken, or even Shoprite for a decent price. Who doesn’t love this healthy bean dip?

easy potluck
Tracy Wong

4. Vegetarian Chili

Looking for some vegetarian options for your potluck? Try this chili recipe. I cooked it the way I would if I was including meat (using garlic, onion, red and black beans, corn, canned tomatoes, chili powder, and tomato paste) but substituted the ground meat for some tofu and soy bits. Still tastes great! 

easy potluck
Tracy Wong

5. Chips and Three Layer Dip

You can never go wrong with more dip. How about three full layers of it? The layers include re-fried beans (with garlic and cumin and ginger for extra fanciness), sour cream, and cheese, topped with some chives and jalapeno peppers for pizzazz.

easy potluck
Tracy Wong

Wasn’t too hard right? Your dish doesn’t have to be a complex recipe. You can even buy it already made without sacrificing your wallet! We can’t always spend a lot of time or money on a dish, but there are some great alternatives.

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Kangan Kansal

Tracy Wong

Stevens '20

Hi! I'm Tracy Wong, I am a 2/4 (sophomore) Business and Technology Major attending Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. I'm really excited to start the Stevens chapter of Spoon University because we have SO many unique and yummy locations for food around town that might be missed. We may not be as big as our neighbor, NYC, but that doesn't mean we're any less tasty!This summer I started a food Instagram and that was what really led me to become interested in Spoon University and the Marketing Director position. I hope to utilize what I have learned from being a business major as well as my new Instagram (brokefoodiesclub) in my new position. But I also hope to learn a lot from Spoon and make a bunch more foodie friends!