Spare Spoons Kitchen
Spare Spoons Kitchen · curated menus

Spare Spoon Spreads

Menus, curated for you — so you don't have to plan the whole thing yourself. Each spread pulls together dishes from around the house for one kind of get-together, with a make-ahead game plan so the night is yours, not the kitchen's.

Watch Party Spread

A no-stress spread of dips, hot bites, one hearty thing, and a little something sweet for a crowd around the TV — most of it make-ahead, so you're on the couch, not stuck in the kitchen. Set out tortilla chips and cold drinks and you're set.

Dips & dunkers

Ro*Tel Cheese Dip
Two ingredients — melty cheese and a can of Ro*Tel. The default party dip.
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Hot Broccoli Dip
A warm, cheesy broccoli dip that keeps in the slow cooker. Drain the broccoli well and melt low and slow.
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Pico de Gallo
Fresh tomato-and-lime pico de gallo — and your fresh salsa, too. Vegan, gluten-free, no-cook.
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Mexican Guacamole
Fresh avocado, tomato, onion, and citrus. No-cook, vegan, and gluten-free — just use ripe fruit.
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Hot bites

Little Smokies
Cocktail sausages in a sweet-tangy three-ingredient glaze — the slow-cooker party staple.
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Sausage Cheese Balls
Three-ingredient sausage-and-cheddar bites — the eternal party app.
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Something hearty

MM*B*B's Frito Pie
Layered chili, Fritos, onion, and cheddar, baked bubbly.
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Something sweet

"Bunker" Brownies
Fudgy vegan brownies from shelf-stable ingredients — coconut oil, egg replacer, cocoa frosting.
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Brown Sugar Pecans
Crisp candied pecans in a glossy brown-sugar meringue. Bake low and slow so the coating dries crunchy.
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Make-ahead game plan: The brownies, brown-sugar pecans, sausage-cheese balls, guacamole, and pico can all be made the day before. The Ro*Tel dip and Little Smokies hold warm in a slow cooker through the game; slide the Frito pie in to bake as your first guests arrive.

The Low-Spoons Spread

For the days when there's nothing left in the tank. This is permission to not really cook — stir-and-serve dips, dump-and-walk-away pots, and dessert from the carton — so a real meal still happens when standing at the stove isn't going to. Lean on the store-bought shortcuts in each recipe; on the lowest days, store-bought everything is a win, not a cheat.

No-cook — just stir and serve

Lipton's Famous California Dip
The 1950s original — onion soup mix stirred into sour cream. Make it ahead.
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Mexican Guacamole
Fresh avocado, tomato, onion, and citrus. No-cook, vegan, and gluten-free — just use ripe fruit.
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Pico de Gallo
Fresh tomato-and-lime pico de gallo — and your fresh salsa, too. Vegan, gluten-free, no-cook.
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VeganVegGF

Dump it and walk away (Instant Pot)

"Blackest of the Black" Black Bean Soup
No-soak dry black beans pressure-cooked with ancho and cumin, then blended. Vegan, GF.
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"Runnin' Like A Chicken" Chicken Chili
Big-batch black bean chili with a vegan “chick’n” backbone. Quick pressure cook, lots of toppings.
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Sweet, no baking

★Cherry Sauce for Ice Cream
A glossy 15-minute sauce, warm over cold ice cream.
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Oreo Ice Cream
No-churn cookies-and-cream — softened vanilla ice cream, Cool Whip, crushed Oreos. Three ingredients.
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Make-ahead game plan: Nothing here needs real cooking. The dips are stir-and-serve (or skip even that — a tub of Wholly Guacamole and store pico), the soup and chili are dump-seal-walk-away in the Instant Pot, and dessert is warm cherry sauce over ice cream straight from the carton. Set out chips and you've fed yourself on a hard day.

Cozy Night In

A small, warm menu for a quiet evening — a soup to wrap your hands around, good bread to tear and dip, and a sweet that asks nothing of you. Most of it reheats or bakes off ahead, so the night stays soft.

A warm bowl

"Cold Open" Tomato Soup
Bright San Marzano tomato soup, blended smooth, finished with lime. Good hot or chilled. Vegan, GF.
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★Red Lentil Soup
Creamy spiced red lentil soup, finished with lemon — vegan, one pot.
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Bread to tear and dip

No-Knead Everyday Bread
Crusty no-knead loaf — stir, rise slow, bake in a hot covered pot. Dough keeps in the fridge.
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Southern Skillet Cornbread
Crackly-crusted buttermilk skillet cornbread — savory, not sweet.
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Something sweet, no fuss

★Cherry Sauce for Ice Cream
A glossy 15-minute sauce, warm over cold ice cream.
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VeganVegGF
"Bunker" Brownies
Fudgy vegan brownies from shelf-stable ingredients — coconut oil, egg replacer, cocoa frosting.
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VeganVegGF

Make-ahead game plan: Bake the bread and the brownies a day ahead (or lean on a good bakery loaf). The soup reheats in minutes — so 'cooking' tonight is really just warming a pot and slicing bread.

Low-Stress Dinner for Four

A put-together dinner you can serve four people without a stressful day in the kitchen — assemble most of it ahead, then just slide the main into the oven. Forgiving, comforting, and no last-minute juggling.

The main

Lasagna
Weeknight lasagna on a jar of sauce — browned beef, two cheeses, layered and baked bubbly.
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A simple salad

Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Lemony orzo with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, chickpeas, and herbs.
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Broccoli Salad
Crisp raw broccoli in a sweet-tangy dressing with bacon and golden raisins — better after a chill.
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Warm bread

Overnight Focaccia
High-hydration no-knead focaccia — crisp oily bottom, airy crumb, an easy overnight rise.
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VeganVeg
No-Knead Everyday Bread
Crusty no-knead loaf — stir, rise slow, bake in a hot covered pot. Dough keeps in the fridge.
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VeganVeg

Dessert

"Bunker" Brownies
Fudgy vegan brownies from shelf-stable ingredients — coconut oil, egg replacer, cocoa frosting.
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VeganVegGF
Cherry Galette
The cherry version of the free-form tart.
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Make-ahead game plan: Assemble the lasagna and the salad the day before; let the focaccia do its overnight rise; bake the brownies (or the galette) ahead. Day-of, you're really just baking the lasagna and tossing the salad — dinner for four with almost nothing left to do.

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