Football is back, and if you’re like me, you miss that classic game day experience more than anything. Sitting in the stands watching your favorite team win is a magical experience, made better only by some of the greatest foods in American history— stadium food. Cheeseburgers, nachos, chicken fingers, soft pretzels… you name it, and it’s a staple somewhere. If only there was a way to have these football stadium foods from the comfort of your couch.
These 10 recipes are just that: home versions of classic football stadium foods that you can easily make at home to enhance your game day from the couch. So if you’re watching the big game next Sunday and have a craving for game day food, keep these recipes for football stadium foods in mind. They may be just what you need.
1. Nachos
This recipe for Loaded Veggie Nachos is perfect. Complete with homemade tortilla chips that are decorated with black beans, corn and chili salsa, and a mountain of cheddar jack cheese, these nachos are absolutely delicious. They easily surpass stadium nachos in terms of taste and price and only take 15 minutes to make. What’s not to love?
2. Chicken Tenders
What more could you ask for than chicken tenders that are—wait for it—breaded with potato chips? Awesome, right? This Food Network recipe for Potato Chip Chicken Tenders is a great spin on a game day staple. With only a few ingredients, these chicken tenders are fun and easy to make. Needless to say, they’re an absolute must-have. Plus, they’re a quick way to fill a sudden desire for chicken and take only 20 minutes to make from start to finish.
3. Some More Chicken Tenders
Why stop with just one recipe for crispy baked chicken-strip deliciousness when you can have two? This recipe for Copycat Chick-Fil-A Tenders from Spoon’s Hannah Cooper is guaranteed to leave you wishing that you doubled the recipe and stashed some in the fridge. This recipe, however, requires marinading your chicken in the refrigerator for 24 hours, so remember to plan ahead for Sunday’s game. After all, Chick-Fil-A isn’t open on Sundays to provide your sideline snacks.
4. Mac n’ Cheese
Keep your eyes peeled and your appetite open, because this crazy good Bacon Mac and Cheese recipe is here to take game day to the next level. Yes, I know you must miss eating your stadium mac n’ cheese, but the added bacon, mouthwatering cheese sauce, and crispy breadcrumbs in this recipe more than make up for not being able to eat out of a miniature helmet-shaped bowl. The recipe is well worth the 45 minutes spent in the kitchen making this oven-baked spin on a Sunday football must-have recipe.
5. Pizza
A quality slice of ‘za is an essential football food. Look no further than this Margherita Pizza With a Twist to make your day. Forget the stadium’s over-the-top greasy pizza and devour this homemade pizza pie. Complete with fresh mozzarella cheese and tomatoes as well as a creamy white garlic sauce, this home football food recipe is the perfect recreation of Italy’s finest export to enjoy when Sunday rolls around.
6. Mac n’ Cheese Pizza
This may not be your stadium’s feature dish, but that doesn’t mean that this recipe for 15-Minute Mac n’ Cheese Pizza can’t be the highlight of game day from the couch. It’s hard not to love pizza, and there are no downsides to a classic mac n’ cheese noodle cup, so why not combine the two? It’s the best of both worlds in this quick recipe that you probably already have all of the ingredients for.
7. Soft Pretzels
For being a food so common as football stadium foods, it’s a little strange that soft pretzels aren’t a more common sight in the everyday kitchen. This recipe for Homemade Soft Pretzels should change that, though, because they’re exponentially better than anything that can be found at the typical stadium food counter. If eating soft pretzels from the couch isn’t fun enough, try making your own dough and twisting it into the characteristic pretzel shape—trust me, you’ll enjoy it. Sprinkled with salt and brushed with butter, these pretzels will be all but eaten before you know it.
8. Cheeseburger Bombs
Now I know this isn’t the traditional stadium cheeseburger recipe, but honestly, who needs another set of instructions to make America’s most renowned sandwich? This recipe for Bacon Wrapped Loaded Cheeseburger Bombs is undoubtedly a much more explosive rendition of the classic cheeseburger. Packed with a core of molten cheese that is surrounded by hamburger meat and a shell of onion, and finally elegantly wrapped with a slice of bacon, this recipe is irresistible. And it looks impossible to only eat just one. I could eat at least 4… dozen.
9. Cheesy Chili-Lime Corn Hotdog
Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with the details on how to make a simple hotdog for game day. Instead, enhance your experience with this Food Network recipe for hotdogs with a charred, cheesy, chili-lime corn topping. This photo has my mouth watering already for this relatively easy to make gourmet version of the classic hotdog.
10. Chicken Wings
As my final recipe recommendation for next Sunday’s game, I’ll leave you with a great twist on a classic football food: wings. Now I know they may not be the traditional barbeque or hot wings, but it’s time that we branch out and explore some new tastes. If these Mango Curry Hot Wings taste even half as good as they look, you’re in for a real treat when you make them. With only 5 minutes of actual time spent preparing ingredients and a cook time of 45 minutes, these perfect chicken wings will be ready for you to devour within the hour.
These are only a few of the many football stadium food recipes that you can make at home on game day. We may not be able to watch football in stadiums right now, but we can still eat like it. Hopefully, you’ll have fun watching football and making these versions of classic stadium foods. I know that I definitly will. For more of my favorite foods that unfortunately didn’t make the cut, check out these recipes for Funnel Cake Fries, Doritos-Crusted Mozzarella Sticks, and this Sriracha Bacon Burger.