A crowded table usually needs a mix of dishes that can feed several people without every pan looking the same. These 23 Southern dishes move through fried chicken, tomato pie, Hoppin’ John, pimento cheese, casseroles, ribs, chicken bog, succotash, pickled shrimp, pork chops, and big-batch desserts. Several recipes are firmly rooted in Southern cooking, while a few broader American church-supper and vintage favorites add the kind of casseroles and desserts that also suit a large gathering. The lineup gives the table mains, sides, sandwiches, appetizers, and sweets with enough variety to build a full shared meal.
Southern Tomato Pie
Ripe tomatoes sit beneath three cheeses in Southern Tomato Pie, a six-serving bake with a 1-hour-10-minute total. A pie shell is blind baked first, then salted tomato slices, red onion, basil, black pepper, mayonnaise, Cheddar, mozzarella, and optional hot sauce fill the crust. The finished pie rests for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve it warm or at room temperature beside grilled chicken, corn, salad, or other gathering dishes.
Get the Recipe: Southern Tomato Pie
Fried Chicken Thighs with Milk Gravy
Cornstarch helps Fried Chicken Thighs with Milk Gravy develop a crisp coating around boneless chicken thighs. Four servings take 50 minutes, with milk and egg for dipping, seasoned flour for dredging, and a separate gravy made from butter, flour, milk, heavy cream, salt, and plenty of black pepper. The breaded chicken rests in the refrigerator before frying at 325°F. Put mashed potatoes, biscuits, corn, or roasted vegetables beside it for a full shared supper.
Get the Recipe: Fried Chicken Thighs with Milk Gravy
Church Potluck Hot Dish with Chow Mein Noodles
Crunchy noodles run through Church Potluck Hot Dish with Chow Mein Noodles, an eight-serving casserole with a 1-hour-10-minute total. Ground beef, thinly sliced potatoes, celery, carrots, green pepper, onion, cream of mushroom soup, Cheddar, and chow mein noodles fill a 9×13-inch dish. Half the noodles form the base, while the rest go on top for the final 10 minutes of baking. Bring it when the table needs a scoopable, church-supper-style main.
Get the Recipe: Church Potluck Hot Dish with Chow Mein Noodles
Southern Ham Salad
Leftover ham becomes Southern Ham Salad with cream cheese, green onions, parsley, and grainy mustard. Six servings need only 10 minutes of prep, with a food processor handling most of the chopping and mixing. Chilling it for at least an hour before serving gives the flavors more time to settle together. Spread it on crackers or bread, tuck it into finger sandwiches, or spoon it onto cucumber slices when the gathering needs a cold, make-ahead option.
Get the Recipe: Southern Ham Salad
Raspberry Cobbler With Fresh, Juicy Berries and Buttery Biscuit Topping
Fresh or frozen berries make Raspberry Cobbler With Fresh, Juicy Berries and Buttery Biscuit Topping a six-serving dessert in 50 minutes. Raspberries cook with sugar, lemon juice, salt, and a cornstarch slurry beneath a tender biscuit-style topping. Frozen berries can go in without thawing first, which keeps the filling from releasing too much liquid. Serve warm portions after dinner, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on the side if the table needs something extra.
Get the Recipe: Raspberry Cobbler With Fresh, Juicy Berries and Buttery Biscuit Topping
Hoppin’ John
Black-eyed peas and rice anchor Hoppin’ John, a six-serving Southern dish with a 1-hour total. Thick-cut bacon, onion, green bell pepper, celery, garlic, thyme, cayenne, chicken broth, a smoked ham hock, vinegar, and long-grain rice build the pot around the peas. The combination works as either a main or a side. Set it near cornbread, greens, fried chicken, or pork when the table needs a hearty dish that already brings beans and rice together.
Get the Recipe: Hoppin’ John
Old Fashioned Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake
Oatmeal gives Old Fashioned Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake a soft, slightly chewy base built from familiar pantry ingredients. A coconut topping is broiled until golden, adding a caramel-like finish across the top instead of a separate frosting layer. The cake’s square-cut format makes it easy to divide for a larger table without decorating individual portions. Serve it after a casserole supper or alongside coffee when the gathering needs an old-fashioned dessert that can be sliced and passed around.
Get the Recipe: Old Fashioned Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake
Homemade Pimento Cheese
Hand-shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack give Homemade Pimento Cheese its base, joined by cream cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos, green onion, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Eight servings take 45 minutes, including a 30-minute chill. The spread can hold in the refrigerator for days and develops further by the second day. Set it out with crackers, celery, bread, or biscuits, or keep some ready for sandwiches and burgers when the gathering stretches beyond one meal.
Get the Recipe: Homemade Pimento Cheese
Easy Chicken Tetrazzini
Rotisserie chicken turns Easy Chicken Tetrazzini into eight servings from one 9×13-inch casserole. The 1-hour-5-minute recipe combines fettuccine with cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, garlic, sour cream, broth, Italian seasoning, mozzarella, and Cheddar before a 35-minute bake. The casserole can be assembled a day ahead, and leftover cooked chicken or turkey also works. Bring it to a larger supper with salad, roasted vegetables, or garlic bread when a baked pasta main makes sense.
Get the Recipe: Easy Chicken Tetrazzini
Pecan Slab Pie – On A Baking Sheet
A rimmed baking sheet turns Pecan Slab Pie – On A Baking Sheet into 24 servings that cut cleanly into squares. Three refrigerated pie crusts cover a 12×17-inch pan beneath pecan halves and a filling of butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, corn syrup, cornstarch, and optional bourbon. The displayed total is 1 hour 2 minutes, followed by complete cooling before slicing. Use the slab format when dessert needs to cover a long table without baking several separate pies.
Get the Recipe: Pecan Slab Pie – On A Baking Sheet
Oven Baked Ribs
Two racks of baby back ribs make Oven Baked Ribs six servings with only 10 minutes of prep. Onion, sliced garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt, and pepper season the meat before a slow two-hour bake at 300°F. The covered oven method handles the tenderizing without a smoker or grill. Serve the ribs with baked beans, corn, macaroni and cheese, slaw, or greens when the table needs a substantial meat dish that can cook indoors.
Get the Recipe: Oven Baked Ribs
Southern Ground Beef & Baked Bean Casserole
Ground beef and baked beans fill Southern Ground Beef & Baked Bean Casserole with tomatoes, onions, brown sugar, Dijon, and bacon. Six servings take 1 hour 10 minutes, beginning with softened onions and browned beef before the mixture moves into a two-quart casserole dish. Bacon cooks across the top as everything bakes together. Bring it to a casual supper with cornbread, slaw, green beans, or salad when one dish needs to cover both meat and beans.
Get the Recipe: Southern Ground Beef & Baked Bean Casserole
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Buttermilk tenderizes Buttermilk Fried Chicken before six drumsticks get a seasoned flour coating and head into hot oil. The displayed total is 45 minutes, including marinating time, with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper seasoning the crust. The chicken can remain in the buttermilk for up to eight hours before frying. Serve it with biscuits, mashed potatoes, slaw, greens, or corn when a shared meal needs a familiar Southern-style centerpiece.
Get the Recipe: Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Carrot Cake Bars That Taste Like Classic Carrot Cake
Twenty-four portions make Carrot Cake Bars That Taste Like Classic Carrot Cake useful for a large dessert table. The 2-hour-10-minute total includes baking and chilling, with grated carrots, cinnamon, oil, sugar, eggs, flour, and baking powder forming the cake. Cream cheese frosting and toasted pecans finish the pan after cooling. Cut the bars into neat squares for passing around after dinner, or make them ahead so the frosting has time to set before everyone arrives.
Get the Recipe: Carrot Cake Bars That Taste Like Classic Carrot Cake
Southern Succotash
Corn, lima beans, green beans, bell pepper, and tomatoes make Southern Succotash a six-serving side in 18 minutes. Red onion and garlic cook first in olive oil, followed by the vegetables, butter, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and fresh parsley. Everything stays in one sauté pan and is served warm. Put it beside fried chicken, pork chops, ribs, or roast when the table needs a vegetable dish with enough beans and corn to feel more substantial than a simple salad.
Get the Recipe: Southern Succotash
Funeral Potatoes With Cream Cheese
Frozen hash browns keep Funeral Potatoes With Cream Cheese easy to scale into 10 servings from a 9×13-inch dish. Cream cheese, sour cream, butter, sharp Cheddar, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper coat the potatoes, while crushed cornflakes and more butter create the crisp topping. The casserole takes one hour from prep through baking. Bring it to a gathering when the table needs a cheesy potato side that can sit beside ham, chicken, roast, or vegetables.
Get the Recipe: Funeral Potatoes With Cream Cheese
Chicken Bog
Chicken and rice share one pot in Chicken Bog, a six-serving dish ready in 30 minutes. Onion, carrots, garlic, long-grain rice, chicken broth, cooked shredded chicken, parsley, lemon juice, and optional Parmesan cook in stages, with the rice toasted briefly before the broth goes in. Rotisserie chicken can shorten the prep further. Serve it with cornbread, greens, or roasted vegetables when the table needs a South Carolina-rooted dish that already combines the main protein and starch.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Bog
Pimento Cheese Sandwich Recipe
Soft white bread holds Pimento Cheese Sandwich Recipe together with sharp Cheddar, Monterey Jack, cream cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos, garlic powder, and onion powder. Four sandwiches take 10 minutes, with no cooking required for the traditional cold version, although they can also be griddled in butter. Cut each sandwich into halves or smaller triangles for a gathering platter. Serve them beside pickled shrimp, soup, chips, or fresh vegetables when the table needs an easy Southern sandwich option.
Get the Recipe: Pimento Cheese Sandwich Recipe
Skillet Stroganoff Pie
Mashed potatoes cover Skillet Stroganoff Pie, a six-serving beef dinner with a displayed 25-minute total once the potatoes are ready. Ground beef, onion, garlic, mushrooms, Dijon, Worcestershire, frozen peas, sour cream, and seasonings form the filling in an oven-safe skillet. The potatoes are spread over the beef, then broiled until the top is browned. Use it as a hearty gathering main with green beans, salad, or roasted vegetables when a one-skillet casserole-style dinner fits the table.
Get the Recipe: Skillet Stroganoff Pie
Easiest Slow Cooker Rump Roast
Baby potatoes and carrots cook beside Easiest Slow Cooker Rump Roast for six servings with beef broth, onion, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. The displayed total is 6 hours 10 minutes, giving the roast plenty of hands-off cooking before it is sliced or shredded. Everything comes from the same cooker at serving time. Set it on the table with bread, green beans, or a salad when the gathering needs a roast dinner without juggling several hot pans.
Get the Recipe: Easiest Slow Cooker Rump Roast
Old-Fashioned Mac and Cheese
Diced ham adds extra substance to Old-Fashioned Mac and Cheese, an eight-serving casserole with a 40-minute total. Macaroni is combined with a homemade cheese sauce built from milk, butter, flour, cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, and ground mustard, then topped with buttery saltines before baking. Cooking the pasta slightly underdone helps it finish properly in the casserole. Bring the dish hot beside chicken, ribs, vegetables, or ham when the table needs a creamy baked pasta side.
Get the Recipe: Old-Fashioned Mac and Cheese
Southern Style Pickled Shrimp
Cold marinating gives Southern Style Pickled Shrimp four servings with lemon, sweet onion, vinegar, garlic, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, dill, and peppercorns. The shrimp cook for only 2 to 3 minutes before cooling and going into a jar with the pickling mixture. Refrigeration lasts at least four hours, and overnight gives the flavors more time to develop. Serve the shrimp chilled with pimento cheese, bread, cucumber salad, or other cold gathering foods.
Get the Recipe: Southern Style Pickled Shrimp
Smothered Pork Chops with Onions & Mushrooms
Onion-and-mushroom gravy covers Smothered Pork Chops with Onions & Mushrooms, a six-serving main ready in 45 minutes. Bone-in chops are seasoned with thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt, lightly floured, then seared before finishing with onions, mushrooms, broth, butter, and cream. The pork rests before the sauce goes over it. Serve it with mashed potatoes, rice, green beans, or biscuits when the table needs a Southern-style skillet main with plenty of gravy.
Get the Recipe: Smothered Pork Chops with Onions & Mushrooms