7 Recipes Every Fan Must Have in Hand for Super Bowl Parties

For fans of the New England Patriots and New York Giants, the Super Bowl is about the game.

For everybody else, it's about the party (and maybe a few prop bets). The Super Bowl isn't just a football game, it's an excuse to dive in to some of the most delicious grub you'll taste all year.

Whether you're hosting at your house or just bringing a dish, here are seven essential ingredients for any successful Super Bowl spread.

Buffalo Wings

As turkey is to Thanksgiving, so are Buffalo-style chicken wings to the Super Bowl. They are the signature food of America's signature sporting event.

You're more than welcome to go off to your local watering hole or wing dispensary to pick theses up, but if you choose to make your own, here's a recipe from the inventors of the Buffalo wing.

Pizza

Plenty of Super Bowl parties will take the easy way out and just order a few pies.

That's fine for an ordinary Sunday, but for the Super Bowl, we can do better.

If you're going to invite your buddies over the watch the game, the least you can do is give them something better than Domino's.

This recipe isn't exactly traditional pizza, but it's a fantastic spin on a classic.

Chili

Wings may be the signature food of the NFL's big game, but no food provides better fuel for a Super Bowl party than chili. It's low-maintenance, simple to prepare, easy to serve and delivers a warm, meaty goodness that will delight all of your guests.

This version uses buffalo meat instead of beef, a slight change-up that works beautifully in a spicy stew.

This is not required, but baking up a few bread bowls would be a great finishing touch.

Pretzels

Though your couch will be miles away from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, there are things you can do to bring the feel of the stadium to your guests.

Selling eight dollar beers in plastic bottles is probably a poor choice. Instead, bake up some of these delicious soft pretzels.

Bacon-Wrapped Dates

These dates will class up the joint a bit, and class always tastes better when it's stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon.

These aren't in the common lineup for Super Bowl parties, but your guests will love this tasty collision of salty and sweet.

Also, did I mention that they were wrapped in bacon?

Chile Con Queso

While a big plate of nachos is certainly enticing, for a Super Bowl party, queso dip takes the cake. There's nothing wrong with going the Velveeta/Rotel route, but if you're up for a little bit more effort, here's another approach.

While you're waiting for the queso to come together, take a shot at frying up some of your own tortilla chips. Just slice some fresh corn tortillas into quarters and fry up the pieces in a little bit of vegetable oil. Cool them on a paper towel (after salting liberally), and you've got a chip far superior to anything you'll find in the grocery store.

Totchos

I love queso, but after that last slide, I can't stop thinking about nachos.

If a cheesy dip has consumed your entire stock of (hopefully homemade) tortilla chips, do not despair, there is an alternative.

Build your nachos the same way you normally would (shredded cheese, onions, ground beef, jalapenos, salsa, etc.), but instead of using chips, build your cheesy compilation on top of tater tots.

You're welcome.