I have three potlucks in the next two weeks

[spinbaby]

And I’m not coming up with anything I feel like making. Two of the potlucks are over an hour away, so I need to make something sturdy. Any good ideas?

[redwitch]

1. I make roasted red potato wedges with garlic aoli.

Easy Peasy and delicious even when lukewarm. Glorified French fries really. Cut red potatoes into bite size wedges, toss in olive oil and sea salt. Roast on cookie sheet at 400 degrees until nicely browned, I toss them every 10 minutes or so for even browning. Huge hit every time!
Garlic aoli is mayo, lemon juice, garlic and smoked paprika. Lots of recipes for it online.

[mr_lebowski]

2. Scalloped Potatoes (or Au Gratin) travel very well esp. in a heat-retaining box of some kind

They're not very hard to make and everybody loves 'em.

Pasta Salad with various veggies and cheese cubes, maybe some bits of ham or salami ... also pretty simple and travels well.

[in2herbs]

7. Put some brats or vege brats on top of the potatoes while cooking, but first split the

brats and fill with Dijon mustard and cook all at the same time with the brats split. Note: if you use vege brats brown them in a skillet first.

[FM123]

3. If it's a casual event I like crock pot chili.

And you can bring the whole thing to plug in when you get there to reheat if you need to.

[AJT]

4. Something very midwestern:

Hashbrown Casserole

1 large package frozen shredded potatoes
2 cups sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small onion finely chopped

Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Reserve one cup of cheese. Mix remaining ingredients. Spread evenly in prepared dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Add remaining cheese and bake for 10 additional minutes.

[stonecutter357]

5. Tater Tot Casserole

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/178993/tater-tot-casserole/

[Ohiogal]

6. Brownies

.....cookies .... garlic bread or pepperoni rolls ....

all travel well and don't have to be kept warm.

A tub of homemade hummus and crudites might work, too

[spinbaby]

9. Pepperoni rolls is an idea

One of the potlucks is near Fairmont, West Virginia, which claims to be the home of the pepperoni roll.

[FoxNewsSucks]

8. Broccoli & Wild Rice casserole

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/broccoli-wild-rice-casserole-2651204

I've made it several times, it's really good.

If you make it sometime at home, the leftovers freeze well for future lunches.

[Phoenix61]

10. Tortellini is my go to

Hot with marinara in a crock pot or as a salad.
Tortellini Salad
Tortellini, diced sweet pepper, thawed, drained frozen broccoli, diced green squash, fresh mushrooms sometimes feta or parm. Use a zesty Italian dressing.

[Arkansas Granny]

11. Hot Hominy Casserole. Everyone who has ever eaten this has raved about it, even those

who swear they don't like hominy. I'm sure you could make it in a crock pot and put the grated cheese on just before serving.

The original recipe was found on a Cheez Whiz label and we've tweaked it over the years to come up with this.

HOT HOMINY CASSEROLE

1 lb. sausage
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
4 cans hominy, drained
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes, drained
1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
Sliced jalapeno peppers to taste, chopped
Grated cheddar cheese

Brown the sausage, onion and bell pepper. Add soup, tomatoes and Velveeta; heat until cheese is melted. Add hominy and jalapenos and place in 9 X 13 baking dish. Bake at 350F until hot and bubbly (20-30 minutes), top with grated cheese and return to oven to melt.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

12. Corn bread casserole, courtesy of the Jiffy people.

JIFFY CORN CASSEROLE

1 can whole kernel yellow corn, drained
1 can cream style yellow corn
1 (8 oz.) carton sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 stick butter, melted
Mix all together and pour into large, lightly oiled casserole dish. Bake at
350°F for 55 to 60 minutes.

It will bake up as sort of a spoon bread. I made it once for a potluck with a group of people that did them once a month, and I was told I always had to bring that dish. Which I did, for the year or two I hung out with them and went to the potlucks.

[Runningdawg]

13. Homemade bread. It's always appreciated, even at room temp.

[TlalocW]

15. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Recipes

Spaghetti Salad

Ingredients
2 cucumbers
2-3 tomatoes
1 red onion
1 green pepper
10 ounce bottle of Italian salad dressing
Half bottle of Salad Supreme spice
10-12 oz box of spaghetti

Instructions
Cook spaghetti.
Dice veggies
Combine all ingredients in large bowl, refrigerate

Mom's Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients
1 box (1 lb) Dark Brown Sugar
1 ¼ tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 ¼ cup hot water
1 ½ cup cooking oil
4 tsp Vanilla
4 eggs well beaten
4 cups Quick Quaker Oats
4 cups flour
Walnuts as desired

Instructions
Small spoonfuls on baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 8 minutes.

The Spaghetti Salad is easy to double/triple, etc. and the oatmeal cookies make quite a bit, and both only take an hour depending if you've got several cookie trays you can put in the oven at once.

TlalocW

[flotsam]

16. Unstuffed Cabbage

I've been making this for years without a recipe because it is so simple, but there are dozens of recipes online. The thing is it's delicious, filling, and a very fast project-maybe a half hour to get started and 30-45 minutes to boil that cabbage down. Here's a fancy version with white wine and brown sugar to add a sweet and sour touch:

https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/unstuffed-cabbage-rolls-recipe/

[MissMillie]

17. meatballs

either in brown gravy or red sauce. They travel pretty well, and reheat easily in a crock pot.

[yellowdogintexas]

18. world's best broccoli salad

Coincidentally I first encountered this salad at a covered dish meal served after my mom's funeral. One of her best friends made it, so it is Annette's Broccoli Salad

I usually make this for a crowd, this is the original recipe I received; I have tinkered with it from time to time. I used to be part of a group that did Christmas dinner for young women in transition from foster care & lived at the YWCA. When we were putting the meal together, I was not given a choice on what to bring; it was assumed I would bring this salad.

1 large head broccoli chopped ( I buy broccoli crowns to avoid those heavy stems) so go with what feels right to you according to the size dish you want to take)
1 cup grapes sliced in half (I like to use red grapes, it looks prettier)
bunch of green onions chopped
1 cup slivered almonds
1/2 pound crisp bacon chopped ( I do not think I have ever used more than 3 or 4 slices of bacon & it's still wonderful)

Combine everything and toss with the poppyseed dressing. When I take it to pot lucks, I do not put the dressing on it until it is time to put out the food. I also do NOT use all the dressing unless I have a huge amount of salad. It is a good dressing. OR you can use your favorite fat free or low fat commercial poppyseed dressing.

Poppyseed Dressing
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt (you can use less, which I recommend)
1/3 cup vinegar
1 cup salad oil (whatever is your favorite)
1 1/2 Tbsps poppyseeds
beat the first four ingredients throughly with whisk. Slowly add oil, whisk until thick ; add poppyseeds

or you can throw everything in the blender

This dressing will keep one week in refrigerator

When you get to the pot luck, add the dressing.

You will probably be sentenced to the assumption you will bring it forever, like I was.

[spinbaby]

19. Some good ideas in this thread

What I finally wound up making:

A cheesecake, frozen ahead of time, so it would be at eating temperature when it got there.

Spanakopita, good at room temperature.

That beet salad posted here a few weeks ago.