Stress-Free Potluck-Style Entertaining

Potlucks are the perfect opportunity to fully enjoy the company of loved ones while savouring gourmet dishes prepared by everyone. Discover inspiring recipes for your potlucks and practical tips for easy and stress-free entertaining.

Sharing and Conviviality

Hosting a potluck meal is a great way to reduce the mental load of planning and preparing the meal. Rather than having to cook everything yourself, everyone brings a dish, which helps share responsibility and reduce stress.

It also promotes culinary diversity, since each guest brings their own flavours and specialties, while making the meal more convivial and participatory. By delegating tasks and encouraging collaboration, you can enjoy the meal to its fullest without the pressure of having to prepare everything alone.

Theme and Menu

The theme of the evening or the type of dishes desired (starter, main course, dessert, vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.) should be clearly communicated to the guests. A handy tip is to create a board or shared document to see what each guest is bringing.

Quantities to be Brought

Participants are encouraged to plan reasonable portions to avoid waste. In general, everyone should bring enough to serve 6 to 8 people. Since tables are often full of a variety of dishes, there’s no need to cook for an army!

Main courses can be prepared in slightly smaller portions, while desserts or appetizers are easy to share. The idea is that everyone can taste everything without there being any unnecessary waste.

Allergies and Dietary Restrictions

Take the time to check with guests to find out if they have any allergies, intolerances, restrictions or food preferences. We also suggest that everyone indicate the main ingredients of their recipe on a simple card or label.

Mentioning whether a dish is gluten-free, nut-free or vegetarian allows everyone to help themselves with confidence. This little attention, which takes into account everyone’s diet, is part of the tips for organizing inclusive festivities.

Simple instructions for each dish:

• -V for vegetarian
• -VG for vegan
• -GF for gluten-free
• -LF for lactose-free
• -Main allergens (nuts, eggs, seafood, etc.)

Transport and Maintaining the Right Temperature

To transport dishes without the risk of damage, use airtight containers that are easy to handle. If a dish needs to stay hot, it’s important to provide a way to heat it (stove, griddle, etc.) on site so that it is served at the right temperature. For cold dishes, an insulated bag or ice packs are great to keep them fresh until serving.

Fun Above All

The goal is to share a good time, not to win the competition for the best recipe. Whether homemade or purchased, all dishes are welcome.

Savings to be Made

Planning the menu and coordinating dishes to avoid duplication and waste is key to saving money. Everyone can bring a simple but tasty dish, such as salads, pasta, rice or legumes, which nourish well at a lower cost. Buying certain ingredients in large quantities and sharing them among several participants also helps to reduce the bill.

Inspiring Recipes

• Dip and Spread

  Artichoke is the star of these two easy-to-share vegan recipes. One is a warm and comforting dip to accompany raw vegetables, while the other one is combined with tofu to make a spread to use on crackers or pieces of bread.

  Check out the recipes:

  Creamy Vegan Artichoke-Spinach Dip

  Tofu and Artichoke Spread

• Devilled Eggs

  Easy and quick to make, devilled eggs bring a chic and gourmet touch to an aperitif. The creamy filling, made with the egg yolks, includes mayonnaise and smoked salmon.

  Check out the recipe:

  Devilled eggs with smoked salmon

• Vegan Classics

  Take a vegan twist on traditional holiday dishes with two comforting recipes, including a stew made with barley, oatmeal and mushroom meatballs, and a pot pie with lentil and millet toppings and mushrooms, onions and spices.

  Check out the recipes:

  Vegan meatball stew

  Vegan Lentil and Millet Tourtiere

• Legumes in the Spotlight

  Both of these recipes celebrate pulses in all their forms! Lentils bring a generous dose of plant-based protein and a tender texture to this quinoa salad, while golden, spicy chickpeas mingle with melt-in-your-mouth and slightly sweet root vegetables.

  Check out the recipes:

  Fresh quinoa and lentil salad

  Oven-roasted spicy chickpeas and root vegetables

• Dessert

  This cake is a nice option for people who follow a gluten-free diet. Its base of almonds, sour cream and poached oranges gives it a light and melting texture, while raspberries add a tangy touch.

  Check out the recipe:

  Gluten-free Orange Raspberry Cake