A game day spread that is built on beef should not take all day. Here is a spread of five items using products from our lineup, with a timeline that gets everything to the table with minimal overlap of your active cooking time and the game itself.
The Spread
1. Jalapeño Poppers (from our Appetizers collection) — these go in the oven at 375°F for 18 to 20 minutes. Start these 25 minutes before you want them on the table. They are the anchor — if the only thing you make from this list is the poppers, that alone carries the table through the first quarter.
2. Ground Beef Queso — Brown half a pound of ground beef with cumin and garlic in a cast iron. Drain most of the fat. Add a pound of Velveeta cut into chunks and a can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes. Low heat, stir until melted and combined. Keep warm in the cast iron. Serve with tortilla chips. Active time: 15 minutes.
3. Smash Sliders — Form 2 oz loose balls from ground beef. On a flat griddle or cast iron over high heat, smash and cook 90 seconds per side. Top with American cheese. Serve on small potato rolls. Make these to order in batches of four or five so they arrive hot. Active time per batch: 5 minutes.
4. Beef and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms — Mix browned ground beef with cream cheese, garlic, and shredded cheddar. Stuff into cleaned whole mushrooms. Bake at 400°F for 18 minutes. Can be prepped the day before and baked game day. Active time: 20 minutes of prep.
5. Simple Chili Dip — Make chili with our chili meat in advance, serve warm in a dish with shredded cheese on top alongside chips. This is the hands-off item — make it Saturday, reheat Sunday.
Timing
Chili: Saturday. Stuffed mushrooms: prep Saturday, bake 30 minutes before kickoff. Queso: 20 minutes before kickoff. Poppers: in the oven 25 minutes before kickoff. Sliders: first commercial break.
All beef products are available across our Appetizers, Ground Beef, and Individual Cuts collections.