It’s hard to imagine a family reunion without lots of delicious food, including main courses, salads, desserts, and more. It is an important part of enjoying our time together and celebrating various special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries.
However, it may be hard to come up with an interesting and varied menu on your own – it is always a good idea to look for some inspiration before you start planning. Check out our list of family gathering food ideas and choose what you like best for the next meeting with your relatives!
Table of Contents
Deviled Eggs
This is one of the most delicious appetizers often mentioned among recommended family reunion dishes.
In general, the term “deviled” refers to food with some ample spice, zest, or savoriness added. Eggs are the most commonly deviled, but you can do the same with olives, ham, sardines, and more.
To prepare deviled eggs, you need mayonnaise, milk, and lots of spices and herbs, including garlic powder, paprika, parsley, dill weed, ground mustard, or chives. And, of course, hard-boiled eggs!
Potato Salad
Let’s start our list with one of the famous easy side dishes for a family reunion – classic potato salad! As it originates from Germany, you can have it for an Oktoberfest party with your loved ones, but it basically works on any occasion.
If you want to make it the best ever, you should apply some tips aimed at increasing its tastiness.
For example, you should always remember to prepare it a day before it will be consumed. Another hint is to replace the commonly used Russet potatoes with Yukon Golds.
What’s more, use green onions instead of regular onions or celery, and always go for fresh dill, not dried, if possible. To achieve an even richer flavor, mix two kinds of mustard – yellow and dijon.
Spinach and Turkey Pinwheels
If you are looking for some simple yet tasty lunch ideas for a family gathering, these four-ingredient spinach and turkey pinwheels are your way to go.
First, you need to spread cream cheese over tortillas and then add layers of turkey and spinach. Roll up the pinwheels tightly and cut them crosswise into 6 pieces, place them on wooden or plastic serving trays and let your guests enjoy them. Such food ideas for family gatherings are loved by children!
Keep in mind that if you don’t serve the pinwheels immediately, it’s better not to cut them yet but just cover and refrigerate them.
Crispy Fried Chicken
A great suggestion when it comes to family reunion dinner ideas would be crispy fried chicken – very similar to the one you know from the red-and-white boxes but made at home!
A good practice would be to use the whole chicken instead of buying separate pieces because it offers you a complete assortment of dark and white meat. You also need to prepare the batter from eggs, flour, and water and evenly cover the chicken pieces.
Then, dip the meat in flour enriched with your favorite seasonings, such as paprika, garlic, salt, black pepper, or dedicated poultry seasoning. For frying, preferably use neutral oils, such as canola and peanut oils.
Thanks to such family-gathering meal ideas, your loved ones will see that homemade food can be much better than the one in fast food restaurants!
Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Casseroles are among the most popular family reunion recipes, and the chicken spaghetti one is particularly delicious! As it includes hearty chicken, melty cheese, creamy soup, and pasta, it’s a perfect dish to feed the whole family.
The meat, vegetables, and pasta are held together with a creamy sauce, and the cream of mushroom soup makes it even more delicious. What’s more, the melted cheese on top adds to the irresistible taste, and it all bakes together to hot and gooey perfection!
Sweet Potato Chilli
If you want to prepare vegetarian food for a family reunion, you may be interested in this tasty sweet potato chili. In order to prepare it, place peeled sweet potatoes in a large deep casserole pan with olive oil, cumin, chipotle chili paste, and mixed chopped vegetables of your choice.
When the potatoes are tender and the dish is ready, crumble over the feta cheese and tear over some coriander leaves. Certainly one of the best family reunion recipes without meat!
Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake
While planning food for a family gathering, you just have to include some delicious home dessert ideas! We suggest baking a strawberry rhubarb coffee cake – even if you prepare a large pan of it, we are sure it will not last very long on the table during your meeting.
To prepare the filling, you need to mix strawberries, rhubarb, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. After heating, sugar and cornstarch need to be added and stirred into the mix.
For the dough, you need to combine flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Then, you also need to add butter, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
For the topping, prepare melted butter, flour, and sugar to make coarse crumbs for sprinkling over the batter.
The Final Note on Family Reunion Meal Ideas
These are just a few suggested food ideas for a family reunion – we encourage you to get creative and try them all out, applying some of your own modifications if you like.
In this way, you can surprise your loved ones with amazing tastes every time they visit you and show them how much you care about them with delicious family reunion meals.
If you have a catering company preparing food for weddings, funerals, or other huge family gatherings, you will certainly need not only excellent family reunion food ideas but also proper, preferably eco-friendly, tableware. Good luck with all the preparations!
Resources
- https://www.jamieoliver.com/family/veggie-friendly-food/
- https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/family-reunion-food-ideas/
- https://www.southernliving.com/food/dish/casserole/family-reunion-food
