11 Super Easy Vegetarian Big Game Recipes

Are you ready for the Big Game? What are your plans for the biggest American football event of the year? Most people will hold or be invited to a Big Game party. Most of the best game meals are vegetarian. While you can still eat wings and burgers, this article will focus on vegetarian game recipes, like dips and salsas. The advantage is that you will have taken care of everyone. Even the meat lovers will enjoy these vegetarian Big Game recipes.

Ready for the ferocious Big Game? Try these recipes!

1. Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes

Hearty • Spiced • Set-and-Forget
Serves: 6 | Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 6–7 hrs (low)
Dehydrated beans and sweet potato go into the slow cooker raw — the long, steady heat handles the soaking, simmering, and cooking all in one unattended step, which is exactly where dried ingredients earn their keep over fresh.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Dehydrated Black Beans
• 1 cup Dehydrated Kidney Beans
• 1½ cups Dried Sweet Potatoes
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• ½ cup Dried Onions
• 1 tsp Dried Sliced Garlic, crushed
• ½ cup Dried Tomato Flakes (or one 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes)
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• Sliced radish, tortilla chips, and sour cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Combine: Add the black beans, kidney beans, sweet potato, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and tomato flakes to the slow cooker, then pour in the broth.
2. Season: Stir in the chili powder, cumin, black pepper, and cinnamon.
3. Cook: Cover and cook on low for 6–7 hours (or high for 3–4 hours), until the beans and sweet potato are fully tender.
4. Check midway: Around the halfway point, stir and check the liquid level — dried ingredients keep pulling in moisture as they rehydrate, so add a splash more broth if the pot looks dry.
5. Serve: Ladle into bowls and top with sliced radish, tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream.

Tips

• Refrigerate up to three days or freeze up to three months — this chili actually tastes better on day two.
• Out of green pepper? Dried Mixed Bell Peppers rehydrated in a little warm water work in a pinch.

2. Big Game Beer Cheese

Sharp • Spicy • Make-Ahead
Serves: 8 as a dip | Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: none
This one's a food processor job start to finish, which makes it the easiest thing on the table to have ready two days out.

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp mustard powder
• ¼ cup flat brown ale (or your favorite beer)
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• A few dashes hot sauce, to taste
• Dried Carrots and Dried Celery, rehydrated (or fresh, sliced), for serving
• Assorted crackers, for serving

Instructions

1. Process: Combine the cheddar, Worcestershire, mustard powder, ale, cayenne, and hot sauce in a food processor.
2. Blend: Process until smooth and spreadable, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. Chill: Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving to let the flavors settle.
4. Serve: Serve with rehydrated (or fresh) carrots, celery, and crackers for dipping.

Tips

• Make it up to two days ahead — the flavor only improves as it chills.
• Rehydrating dried carrots and celery for the garnish is a fast way to have crudité ready without a produce run; give them about 10 minutes in warm water, then pat dry so they don't water down the dip.

3. Kale Salad with Sweet Potato and Apple

Bright • Nutty • Nutrient-Dense
Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 10 min (plus rehydrating) | Cook Time: 20 min
Roasting the sweet potato after rehydrating gives it caramelized edges a straight simmer wouldn't, while the freeze-dried apple needs nothing more than a quick soak to snap back to fresh texture.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups Dried Sweet Potatoes
• ½ cup Freeze Dried Apples, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for roasting
• 1 bunch kale, stemmed and torn
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2–3 tbsp mustard vinaigrette
• Shaved pecorino, for serving

Instructions

1. Rehydrate the sweet potato: Simmer the dried sweet potato in enough water to cover, 15–20 minutes, until tender, then drain well.
2. Roast: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the sweet potato with a drizzle of olive oil, spread on a baking sheet, and roast 15–20 minutes, until the edges caramelize.
3. Rehydrate the apple: While the sweet potato roasts, cover the freeze-dried apple with warm water and let sit 5 minutes — freeze-dried fruit rehydrates this fast because drying under vacuum preserves the cell structure instead of collapsing it, so it plumps back up almost as fast as it dried. Drain and pat dry.
4. Massage the kale: In a large bowl, combine the kale, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture into the kale with your hands for 1–2 minutes, until it softens and darkens slightly.
5. Assemble: Add the roasted sweet potato, rehydrated apple, and almonds to the bowl.
6. Dress: Drizzle with mustard vinaigrette and toss to coat.
7. Serve: Top with shaved pecorino and serve.

Tips

• Massaging the kale isn't optional — it's what breaks down the tough fibers so the salad doesn't eat like raw leaves.
• The rehydrated apple also works straight into the bowl without roasting if you want a cooler, crisper bite next to the warm sweet potato.

4. Blistered Shishito Peppers

Simple • Smoky • Three-Ingredient
Serves: 4 as a snack | Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 5 min
This one stays fresh-ingredient-only on purpose — blistering depends on the peppers' raw skin and moisture content, which a dried product can't replicate.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz shishito peppers
• Sea salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
2. Blister: Add the peppers and cook, tossing occasionally, about 4 minutes, until the skins blister and blacken in spots and the flesh softens.
3. Season: Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Serve: Serve immediately, while they're still hot and blistered.

Tips

• About 1 in 10 shishitos runs spicy — it's part of the fun, so warn your guests rather than trying to sort them.
• Pair the plate with a bowl of Freeze Dried Corn eaten straight from the bag as a sweet, crunchy contrast snack alongside.

5. Fried Green Beans with Shallot Dip

Crispy • Addictive • Leftover-Friendly
Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min
Freeze-dried green beans only need a short soak, not a full simmer, since freeze-drying keeps the bean's cell walls intact — over-soaking here actually works against you, leaving them too waterlogged to crisp in the fryer.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Freeze Dried Green Beans
• ½ cup flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• Oil, for frying
• Garlic salt (or seasoning of choice), for finishing
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp buttermilk
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Rehydrate the green beans: Cover the freeze-dried green beans with warm water and let sit 5–8 minutes, just until pliable. Drain and pat very dry — any surface moisture left on them will make the batter slide off in the fryer.
2. Make the dip: Whisk together the shallot, vinegar, mayonnaise, buttermilk, and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Coat: Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Toss the green beans in the mixture until evenly coated.
4. Fry: Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F. Fry the green beans in batches until golden, about 2–3 minutes per batch.
5. Season: Drain on paper towels and sprinkle immediately with garlic salt while still hot.
6. Serve: Serve hot with the shallot dip alongside.

Tips

• Fry in small batches — crowding the oil drops the temperature and turns crisp coating into soggy coating.
• No shallot on hand? A tablespoon of rehydrated Dried Onions minced fine gets you close.

6. Red Pepper Falafel

Crispy • Herbed • Make-Ahead Friendly
Serves: 4 (about 16 falafel) | Prep Time: 20 min (plus rehydrating) | Cook Time: 10 min
Dehydrated garbanzo beans need a real simmer to soften, not a soak — but that simmer is still faster and far less hands-on than sorting and overnight-soaking dried chickpeas from scratch.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Dehydrated Garbanzo Beans
• ½ cup Dried Red Bell Peppers, rehydrated and chopped
• ¼ cup Dried Onions, rehydrated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp ground clove
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ cup chickpea flour, plus more as needed
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, for frying
• Salad, tahini sauce, and pita, for serving

Instructions

1. Cook the garbanzo beans: Bring 4 cups water to a boil, add the garbanzo beans, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fully tender. Drain well and let cool slightly.
2. Rehydrate the vegetables: While the beans cook, cover the dried red pepper and dried onion with warm water and let sit 10 minutes, then drain.
3. Process: Pulse the garbanzo beans in a food processor until coarsely chopped — not a paste. Add the rehydrated pepper, onion, garlic, clove, coriander, paprika, baking powder, and salt, and pulse until just combined.
4. Bind: Add the chickpea flour and pulse again; the mixture should hold together when pressed. Add a little more flour if it's still wet.
5. Shape: Roll the mixture into 1½-inch balls.
6. Rest (optional): Cover and hold at room temperature up to 5 hours before frying, if getting ahead.
7. Fry: Heat 2 inches of oil to 350°F and fry the falafel in batches until deep golden and crisp, 3–4 minutes.
8. Serve: Serve with salad, tahini sauce, and warm pita.

Tips

• Rinse the food processor bowl between the chickpea-chopping and the mix-in steps if you want a cleaner, less pasty texture.
• Skipping the simmer and using raw dehydrated beans will leave the centers chalky — the 20–25 minutes is doing real work here, not just a formality.

7. Weeknight Guacamole

Creamy • Fresh • Five-Minute
Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: none
Avocado is one of the few ingredients here that has to stay fresh — its texture is the whole point of guacamole, and no dried form replicates that.

Ingredients

• 3 ripe avocados
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion (or 2 tbsp Dried Onions, rehydrated and drained well)
• 1 serrano chili, finely chopped
• ½ tsp granulated garlic (or ¼ tsp Dried Sliced Garlic, ground)
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• Salt, to taste
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
• Pepitas, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Mash: Halve and pit the avocados, then scoop into a bowl and mash coarsely with a fork or masher — leave some texture, don't purée.
2. Mix in: Fold in the onion, serrano, garlic, lime juice, and salt.
3. Rest: Let the guacamole sit for a minute before tasting — avocado takes a moment to absorb the seasoning, and tasting too early leads to over-salting.
4. Adjust: Taste and add more salt, lime, or chili as needed.
5. Finish: Fold in the cilantro.
6. Serve: Top with pepitas and extra cilantro, if using.

Tips

• If you're using rehydrated dried onion instead of fresh, pat it very dry first — extra water thins the guacamole and speeds up browning.
• Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of any leftovers to slow oxidation.

8. Cheesy Cauliflower Wings

Crispy • Baked • Buffalo-Ready
Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 15 min (plus rehydrating) | Cook Time: 25 min
Freeze-dried cauliflower pearls rehydrate close to fresh texture in about 10 minutes, but they need to be thoroughly dried off before breading — any lingering water becomes steam in the oven and keeps the coating from crisping.

Ingredients

• 3 cups Freeze Dried Cauliflower Pearls
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• Cooking spray
• Barbecue sauce or dip of choice, for serving

Instructions

1. Rehydrate: Cover the freeze-dried cauliflower with warm water and let sit 10–12 minutes, until tender. Drain thoroughly and press between paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to remove as much moisture as possible.
2. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
3. Batter: Whisk together the flour, milk, hot sauce, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
4. Coat, round one: Toss the dried cauliflower in the batter until well coated.
5. Coat, round two: Combine the breadcrumbs, cheddar, and red pepper flakes in a separate bowl. Toss the battered cauliflower in the breadcrumb mixture until fully coated.
6. Bake: Arrange on the baking sheet, spray lightly with cooking spray, and bake 22–25 minutes, until golden and crisp.
7. Serve: Serve hot with barbecue sauce or your dip of choice.

Tips

• Don't skip the towel-drying step after rehydrating — it's the single biggest factor in whether these come out crisp or soggy.
• For extra crunch, run the coated pieces under the broiler for the last 1–2 minutes, watching closely so they don't burn.

9. Black Bean and Quinoa Burrito Bowl

Nutritious • Gluten-Free • Fast Weeknight Protein
Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min
The black beans go straight into the pan dry — no separate soak or simmer needed before this step, since they finish cooking alongside the onion and spices in the time it takes the quinoa to cook.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Dehydrated Black Beans
• ½ onion, diced (or ¼ cup Dried Onions)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp black pepper
• Salt, to taste
• 1 avocado, diced
• ½ cup Freeze Dried Corn
• Chopped cilantro, for serving

Instructions

1. Cook the beans: Bring 4 cups water to a boil, add the dehydrated black beans, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20–25 minutes, until tender. Drain.
2. Sauté: While the beans cook, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Combine: Add the cooked quinoa and black beans to the pan along with the chili powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and salt. Stir to combine and warm through.
4. Add the corn: Scatter the freeze-dried corn over the warm mixture and let it sit off heat for 2–3 minutes — the residual steam rehydrates it almost instantly, since freeze-dried corn needs only ambient moisture, not a separate soak.
5. Finish: Fold in the diced avocado and cilantro just before serving, so the avocado doesn't break down from the heat.
6. Serve: Divide among bowls and serve warm.

Tips

• If you'd rather have the corn with more bite, stir it in dry straight from the bag as a garnish instead of letting it steam in the pan.
• This bowl holds up well as meal prep for a few days — just add the avocado fresh at serving time.

10. Strawberry Salsa

Sweet • Tangy • Five-Minute Salsa
Serves: 4 as an appetizer | Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: none
Soaking the freeze-dried strawberries directly in the lime juice does two jobs at once — it rehydrates the fruit and macerates it in the same five minutes, which is faster than working with fresh berries that need hulling and dicing first.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Organic Freeze-Dried Sliced Strawberries
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• ¼ cup finely diced onion
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley (or cilantro or mint)
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Soak: Combine the freeze-dried strawberries with the lime juice in a bowl and let sit 5 minutes — the fruit rehydrates and macerates in the acid at the same time, softening into fresh-strawberry texture.
2. Combine: Add the onion and toss to combine.
3. Rest: Let the mixture sit a few more minutes so the flavors meld.
4. Finish: Stir in the parsley and a pinch of salt.
5. Chill: Chill until ready to serve.
6. Serve: Serve with pita chips or tortillas.

Tips

• Taste before adding extra lime — freeze-dried fruit concentrates sweetness during drying, so the fruit-to-acid balance can skew sweeter than a fresh-strawberry version.
• A finely diced jalapeño stirred in adds the spicy edge the original recipe promises.

11. Caramelized Onion, Apple, and Goat Cheese Pizza

Sweet • Savory • Shareable
Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 10 min (plus rehydrating) | Cook Time: 25 min
Dried onions need to rehydrate before they hit the pan — added straight to butter, they'd scorch on the outside before ever softening through, since there's no internal moisture left to caramelize with.

Ingredients

• 1 pizza crust
• ¾ cup Dried Onions
• ½ cup Freeze Dried Apples
• 3 tbsp butter, divided
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp honey

Instructions

1. Rehydrate the onions: Cover the dried onions with warm water and let sit 10–15 minutes, until pliable, then drain and pat dry.
2. Rehydrate the apples: Cover the freeze-dried apples with warm water and let sit 5 minutes, then drain — freeze-dried fruit needs far less time here than the dehydrated onions, since the drying process leaves it more porous.
3. Caramelize the onions: Melt 1½ tbsp butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, 15–18 minutes, until deeply golden and soft.
4. Cook the apples: In a separate pan, melt the remaining butter and cook the apples 3–4 minutes, until lightly softened and glossy.
5. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 450°F (or according to your crust's instructions).
6. Assemble: Spread the goat cheese over the pizza crust, then layer the apples, followed by the caramelized onions.
7. Bake: Bake about 10 minutes, until the cheese is slightly melted and the crust is golden.
8. Finish: Sprinkle with thyme and drizzle with honey.
9. Serve: Slice and serve warm.

Tips

• Caramelizing from rehydrated onions actually goes a bit faster than starting from raw fresh onion, since some of the moisture that would normally cook off has already been removed and replaced during rehydration.
• Swap the goat cheese for a milder chevre if you want the apple and onion flavors to lead.

Ready for the vegetarian Big Game Day? Give these recipe a try. They are simple and super easy and won’t take too much time. Make sure to check our freeze dried products since they will make your cooking time super fast.

References

1. https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/slow-cooker-vegetarian-chili-with-sweet-potatoes
2. https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/beer-cheese
3. https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/kale-salad-sweet-potato-apple
4. https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/blistered-padron-peppers
5. https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/tempura-green-beans-mushroom-salt-shallot-dip
6. https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/red-pepper-falafel
7. https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/bas-best-guacamole
8. https://jessicainthekitchen.com/cheesy-buffalo-cauliflower-wings-2/
9. https://jessicainthekitchen.com/quinoa-black-bean-burrito-bowl/
10. https://jessicainthekitchen.com/strawberry-salsa/
11. https://jessicainthekitchen.com/caramelised-onions-apples-goat-cheese-pizza/