Vintage Foods You Should Be Making For Football Sunday

Everyone knows that no football Sunday is complete without good food. Whether you're watching the game on your own or inviting all of your friends round, keeping the hunger at bay while you wait for that nail-biting result is essential — and there are plenty of foods that are perfect for football season, which you can whip up in no time. However, so many of those old favorites, like buffalo wings, nachos, and hot dogs, are a little predictable, right? They may be tasty, but we also wouldn't blame you if you wanted to do something a little different.

Throwing it back with some vintage staples is the perfect way to do it. By embracing a retro theme at your next football Sunday, you can feed your buddies just like they did in the old days, and make game day just that bit more interesting. Foods like spinach and artichoke dip, seven-layer salad, and cheese balls are made for sharing, and they're the work of mere moments to make. Grab the remote, turn the TV on, crack open a beer, and let's get vintage.

Few foods are as retro as pigs in a blanket, and although this shareworthy food is something that's normally seen during the holidays, we think it's something that can be enjoyed year-round. Recipes for pigs in a blanket first appeared in print in the 1950s, with the first version in "Betty Crocker's Cook Book for Boys and Girls" in 1957. It's clear that this dish didn't just come out of nowhere, though, and some folks point towards kolaches — Czech pastries often filled with meat that were brought to the United States (and specifically to Texas) — as a forefather.

Nonetheless, pigs in a blanket became a mid-century staple, partly because of the ease with which home cooks could make them. All they needed was biscuit dough and some chopped-up hot dogs, and in around 15 minutes, they could have a hot, flaky snack ready to go. Although pigs in a blanket have slightly lost their edge as a party appetizer, we think they're perfect for game day: It's the kind of thing you can munch on with one hand while holding your drink in the other, with your eyes trained on the TV. Plus, if you squint, they also kinda look like little footballs, with their irregular cylindrical shape and mid-brown coloring.

If you want to throw it back, it's time to bust out the French onion dip. Also known as California dip, this retro classic is seen way less often nowadays, perhaps due to the culinary shift toward fresh ingredients instead of prepackaged ones. Nonetheless, it's hard to deny how much bang you get for your buck here: To make French onion dip, all you need is a sachet of onion-flavored soup mix (Lipton's is by far the preferred brand) and some sour cream. The soup mix does all the work, giving the dip a sharp, rich, salty flavor that works perfectly with any chip you care to name.

The history of how French onion dip came into being is unclear, but it's alleged that it was invented in California, hence its alternative name. The story goes that an enterprising home cook had the idea of mixing Lipton's soup mix with sour cream, and the rest is history. Since then, French onion dip has been made in countless different ways, with people sprucing it up with caramelized onions, hot sauce, and Roquefort cheese. In our opinion, though, it's hard to beat the classic.

Few dips stand the test of time like spinach and artichoke, and although it feels decidedly vintage these days, it still makes a strong play for being a game day snack. Like many classic dips, spinach and artichoke first took off in the 1950s and '60s, at a time when home cooks and professional chefs alike were considering how to incorporate the ever-increasing selection of canned and industrially made foods into recipes. Spinach and artichoke dip was the ultimate combo of fresh and processed: Combining canned or frozen artichoke hearts, mayo, cream cheese, and chopped spinach, it took just about enough work to feel homemade, without taking forever to throw together. You can top it with cheese and bake it until it's bubbling, or just serve it straight from the fridge.

Like all the best dips, spinach and artichoke dip is pretty adaptable. Adding Worcestershire sauce (a surprisingly mysterious ingredient) can give it a little extra depth, while chili flakes or paprika can provide it with some additional spice and flavor. You can even turn it into a full meal by slathering it onto toast. Real aficionados, though, know that it's best in its classic form, ideally accompanied by your favorite chips.

Like your game day meals with a little bit of drama? Then you're gonna love a seven-layer salad. This dish is especially popular in the South and the Midwest, and although it's still found in kitchens today, its real heyday was during the mid-20th century, when it was often brought to potlucks and picnics. Its retro charms haven't worn off, though, and whipping it out in a clear dish is guaranteed to have your guests marveling at its construction.

The beauty of a seven-layer salad is how it manages to remain hearty (which is essential for game day) while also feeling somehow light. This is thanks to its combination of traditional ingredients: The cheese, bacon, and mayo dressing give it a sense of body, while the iceberg lettuce, red onion, and frozen peas give it that all-important vegetable element. Seven-layer salad is also infinitely adaptable, and you can sub in pretty much anything you like. Like ground beef? Throw it in. Fancy using some cauliflower, corn, or sundried tomatoes? Go for it.

In our opinion, grape jelly meatballs are the ultimate finger food, and they should still be as popular as they once were. Grape jelly meatballs were a cocktail party staple back in the 1960s, when they used to be known as chafing dish meatballs. Hosts across the country would present platters to their friends, and the recipe remained largely untouched until the 2000s, when home cooks started to update it by incorporating ingredients like hoisin sauce and Dijon mustard.

There's nothing wrong with adding in flavors that you like, of course — but in our opinion, a huge part of the appeal of grape jelly meatballs is sticking to the original ingredients. If you have grape jelly, chili sauce, meatballs, and a stove, you can whip them up in no time at all, and their sweet-savory-salty flavor dynamic is incredibly punchy while still being accessible. Plus, this is an appetizer that can easily be made vegetarian or vegan. You just need to grab your favorite plant-based meatballs, and you're good to go.

It's easy to forget about sweet dishes on game days, and it's also easy to forget that these sweet dishes can be handheld. You don't have to spend hours whipping up a dessert that everyone then has to eat from bowls balanced on their knees, folks: You can just make some Rice Krispies treats instead. These snacks are still popular today, but there's something irresistibly retro and incredibly comforting about them. The base recipe has remained largely unchanged since they were first printed on the side of Rice Krispies boxes in 1940, after being invented several years before by Kellogg's employee Mildred Day.

Having said this, Rice Krispies treats are delightfully adaptable, and you should feel at liberty to put your own spin on them. If you want to make them a little more mature and boozy, try brown butter Rice Krispies treats, made with a generous splash of bourbon and a large pinch of salt. For something more fall-focused, pumpkin spice Rice Krispies treats are the way to go, and can be made by adding some pumpkin purée and homemade pumpkin spice mix. Or you can just go wild and throw in some of your favorite ingredients, like chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or chopped walnuts.

If you live in the South, Rotel dip may already be on your game day rotation. If you don't, you need to start making it right now. Rotel dip originally evolved from chile con queso, and it was originally pretty laborious to make, thanks to the amount of grating and roasting required. The development of canned chiles and processed cheese like Velveeta, however, allowed people to begin making the dip way more quickly, and it eventually transformed from a restaurant dish into a homemade one.

Nowadays, Rotel dip remains a football Sunday standard for many folks, but there's no denying that it has a vintage feel. We'd argue that this is largely thanks to Velveeta, which now also feels pretty retro, especially given the amount of other cheeses available out there. However, Velveeta is essential to the success of this dip, giving it the velvety nature it requires. Oh, and just like all the best dips, this can be spruced up in loads of different ways: Try throwing on some caramelized onions or dusting in some taco seasoning.

We can't tell you how much we love cheese balls, people. We know that they're far from the most elegant dish out there; they may have been at one time, but in 2025, they're undeniably kitschy. All the same, whipping out a cheese ball at a party still feels like a showstopping moment, and beyond their sheer visual appeal, they're easy to make and even easier to eat.

The modern cheese ball began taking shape in the 1940s, when folks had to find a way to make their parties feel fancy during wartime, when food was slightly more scarce. They then became a centerpiece on appetizer tables at dinner and cocktail parties, and subsequently turned into a symbol of mid-century Americana. The glory of cheese balls is how fancy they can feel while using relatively few ingredients: In their most basic form, they're a simple mixture of cream cheese and Cheddar, rolled into a ball and studded with chopped nuts. If you have a little more budget for your appetizers, you can incorporate fancier cheeses, add in additional aromatic ingredients, or use a mixture of dried ingredients to stud the ball with. However, if you're on a budget, you can stick to the basics, and it'll still be delicious.

If you want a dip that feels both light and robust, then crab dip is the one for you. This hot dip is a Maryland staple, although versions of it have been made around the country. In the South, for example, pimento cheese crab dip is a classic spin that incorporates the tart, bright flavors of pimento and gives the dish a touch of extra spice. However, despite both this version and regular crab dip containing copious amounts of cheese, mayo, and spices, the crab flavor still manages to shine through, giving the dish a freshness that you need on a game day buffet table.

Plus, while it needs a little time in the oven, the process of putting hot crab dip together takes barely any time at all. You simply mix all of your ingredients together in a bowl, then pile the mixture into a baking dish. You can make things even quicker by using pre-chopped onions instead of slicing scallions, although doing this can give a slightly more briny flavor. The dip is best served with a neutral-tasting accompaniment like plain crackers to allow its flavors to remain center stage, and it's also great with sliced vegetables, which can stop it from feeling too cloying.