18 Church Potluck Recipes That Nobody Makes Anymore

According to church customs, everyone contributes some food for the after-church meal; and each time the customs are repeated, new food is made; each time new food is made, some old social traditions are carried out, such as the swapping of recipes, making new friends, etc. You might even say each potluck featured a chef’s special dish. The church potluck served as a wonderful social event for all of the churches, so let’s get a bit nostalgic before we remember some of the old recipes that have sadly faded away.

1. Watergate Salad

In the 1970s, this was at every church gathering. Almost every one of the 1970s church gatherings featured a dessert made with Cool Whip, crushed pineapple, marshmallows, and pistachio pudding mix. The dessert was just the right amount of sweetness. And as for the name, people loved the enigma of why it was called “Watergate.” Some church members said it was named after the government Watergate scandal, other members of the church decided it was because the recipe was “leaked.”

2. Seven Layer Salad

Every church gathering featured a dish served in a clear glass bowl, because recipes were fancy and layered. People loved to toss a layered dish, because in this case, the layers of mayo, lettuce, cheese, bacon, and so on were all made into a layered mixture, and some forgot to serve them because they were so fresh.

3. Ham Salad Sandwiches

Using leftover Easter ham, ground ham, mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, and mustard is a great way to mingle those ingredients. All it takes is grinding the ham and placing it between pieces of white bread, cut into triangles, and they are ready to go. The buffet will not be the same as these will be the first to go. Just don’t grind it too fine or too chunky.

4. Tomato Aspic

In the 1960s, this savory jelled dish was all the rage because of its sophistication. Made of tomato juice and vegetables that are suspended in the jello, it is served on a bed of lettuce, topped with mayonnaise. Modern diners would most likely cringe at the thought, but it was a sign of culinary prowess back in the day.

5. Tuna Noodle Casserole

With a price to make, and a crowd to feed, this casserole made from tuna from a can, egg noodles, cream of mushroom soup, peas, and topped with crushed potato chips, is a great crowd pleaser. Most church cookbooks had at least 3 variations. The potato chip top was a rule.

6. Ambrosia Salad

Named after the food of the gods of Greece, the combination of mini marshmallows, whipped cream, coconut, and mandarin oranges, called ambrosia is truly divine. Every potluck needed at least one of this dish. It was a big debate whether to put in maraschino cherries or not. The main thing is to drain the oranges because nobody likes a runny ambrosia.

7. Lime Jello with Shredded Carrots

This unusual combination was completely normal in the 1960s. Lime Jello was the base for shredded carrots and, occasionally, crushed pineapple, thus creating a “salad” that counted as a vegetable serving. The bright green color with orange pieces made it a festive addition to any potluck table, especially during Easter.

8. Chicken à la King

This dish with chicken and cream sauce served over split biscuits was a fancy meal. It was made with diced chicken, mushrooms, and pimentos in a rich cream sauce. Everyone loved it. The biscuits had to be made from scratch. No canned biscuits were allowed at Church!

9. Porcupine Meatballs

These unique meatballs look like porcupines because of the rice that poked out while cooking. Ground beef and tomato sauce made these meatballs fun to eat and very cheap to make. Honestly, the funny name is why kids loved them so much.

10. Hot German Potato Salad

A warm potato salad was different and very appreciated. It was hot or at room temperature, so no worries for outside ribs. There was bacon in it that absolutely had to be very crunchy.

11. Friendship Bread

A sweet bread with cinnamon was so good and the starter was so loved in the church. Everyone fed the starter with strict rules about how. If the top is sugar crusted, you are not doing it right.

12. Cherry Dump Cake

The church cookbook featured a lot of winning recipes, but one of the best was an easy bake dessert using pie filling, melted butter, and cake mix through a pan. Simplicity aside, this dessert vanished almost instantly. White cake mix versus yellow was a heated debate at the ladies’ church meetings

13. Cornflake Chicken

Before people used Panko for chicken, they used crushed cornflakes. You would mix cornflake crumbs with garlic powder and paprika and create a coating for chicken that would stay crunchy, even after the chicken cooled. Even at room temperature, it would be a great addition to a potluck.

14. Spam Casserole

The casserole featured Spam, which was a great source of protein in the past, along with macaroni, a cheese sauce, and a can of cream of celery soup. If it was topped with bubbly breadcrumbs, it was a casserole of pure bliss. If it had pineapple, some creative cooks would call it “Hawaiian Casserole,” how fancy!

15. Lima Bean Casserole

This creamy casserole with frozen lima beans and a cream sauce topped with crackers and cheese turned the lima beans into something people liked to eat. Kids would eat this and the secret was to withhold information about the lima beans until after a bite was taken. It was the vegetable dish that even kids liked.

16. Ribbon Sandwiches

These dainty layered sandwiches were a staple at ladies’ luncheons and bridal showers. They were made with a mix of white and wheat bread, with various fillings such as pimento cheese and cucumber, and then cut into quarters to display the layers. The crusts were removed – this was not a casual backyard picnic!

17. Coca-Cola Ham

In this Southern classic, Coca-Cola was used for both the glaze and tenderizer for a whole ham. During baking, the soda’s sugars caramelized and created a sweet and sticky glaze that people would fight over. Some chefs would even try to get away with putting in a little Dr Pepper, but that was considered pretty crazy in most circles.

18. Miracle Whip Chocolate Cake

Miracle Whip in a chocolate cake? Yes, you read that correctly. This recipe from the Depression-era resulted in one of the moistest chocolate cakes you’ll ever eat. The secret was never letting anyone know about the Miracle Whip until after they had said how good it was. Some recipes are just better left secret!