8 Quick & Easy Party Dishes for the Basketball Tournament (2024)

8 quick & easy party dishes for the big tournament! We have easy recipes, decorations and even downloaded invites for your next party!This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EasyBracketParty #CollectiveBias.

When my family gets together for a party, you can usually find the men huddled around the tv watching the game and the women lingering in the kitchen talking and tasting all the good food. My husband andI both have pretty big families that like to get together so I am used to cooking for large parties. I’ve learned over the years how to make quick and easy dishes that are sure to please but won’t stress me out. So when the college basketball games start in March this is what I do to entertain my family and friends.

Ritz Banana Cream &Oreo Reese’s Cheesecake Parfaits

For this party I did all my shopping at Giant EaglewhereI bought all the drinks, food and a few decorations.Lately I’ve been in the mood for a pudding parfait. (Do you remember in the movie Shrek when Donkey says “Everybody likes a parfait. Parfaits are delicious!” Well I agree.) I thought this would be a good treat for the party and yes I was just in the mood for them. I decided to keep the calories down by using sugar free pudding and whipped topping so I could then add some tasty goodies like OREO Cookies, Ritz crackers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Minis.

Tip: When I made the pudding for my parfaits, I used less milk than the directions called for which madeit thick like a custard. I found somecute disposable cups and tiny spoons in the paper goods aislewhich I thought would be a perfect way to eat them while watching the game.

8 Quick & Easy Party Dishes

Now for the other quick &easy party dishes. For a party like this I usually just make apps and desserts so people can eat while sitting around the television or standing and talking to others. I made 4 desserts and 4 appetizers.

1) Ritz Banana Cream & OREO Cookie Reese’s Cheesecake Parfaits: See recipeabove . Tip: Make these a day ahead of time or set out all the fixings and have people make their own. Kids will love it!

2) Ritz & Reese’s Pieces Ice Cream Sandwiches: I learned about these from my friend Lisa. Take your ice cream from the freezer and let it soften for a few minutes. Using a melon baller place two small scoops on a Ritz cracker and then topped with another cracker. Roll sideways in chopped Reese’s Pieces or any other chopped candy that you like. Keep in a container in the freezer.Tip: Make these a few days ahead of time if you like and put out right as guests start coming.

3) MeatPlate with Marinated Olives: Giant Eagle has a great olive and antipasto bar as well as a variety of pre-sliced meats like capricola and peppered Genoa salami slices. These are perfect for a party. Just put the meat slices on a plate or platter along with a bowl of marinated olives or some other goodies (marinated artichokes, roasted peppers, marinated mushrooms, etc.). My family loves to snack on these.

4) Buffalo Chicken Dip: This is a family favorite too and you can also use the dip to make wontons. You can find the recipe here. Tip: This is one you can definitely make a day or two ahead of time. So prepare it in the same bowl you are going to serve it in if you can. You can also make the wontons ahead of time and bake them just before the party.

5) Spinach & Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms: These are so easy and so tasty. I bought a containerof spinach and artichoke dip and stuffed white mushrooms caps. Then I topped them with grated parmesan cheese. Baked the mushrooms in a 350 degree oven for 10-20 minutes until the cheese bubbles. Tip: You can easily make these ahead of time and just cook as guests are arriving.

6) OREO Cookie Truffles: I’m sure you have had these before because everyone loves them. All you need is an 8oz. package of cream cheese, a crushed package of original OREO Cookies (use a food processor or put in a baggie and crush with a rolling pin) and some chocolate chips. Mix the cream cheese and the Oreo crumbs until it becomes a dough. Roll dough into balls and freeze for an hour. Next melt white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted, stirring occasionally. Dip the balls in the chocolate and freeze or refrigerate until the party. Tip: This iseasy to do ahead of time and you can decorate them to look like basketballs (that is if you are not me haha). Experiment with different flavors of OREO Cookies for more truffle goodness ( lemon, berry, mint, peanut butter, birthday cake) the possibilities are endless.

7) Cheese Plate: This is another easy party dish because most grocery stores have a lot of unusual cheeses to pick from and everyone loves cheese and crackers. I picked up a Buttermilk Blue Cheese, Jarlsberg and Extra Sharp New York Cheddar. Add a bowl for Ritz crackers and you are set to go! Tip: I like to pick a strong cheese (Manchego, Asiago, Gorgonzola) , a mild cheese (Gouda, Halvarti) and an unusual cheese (cheeses with herbs, horseradish or habaneros) when I make a cheese plate. You also want to have at least 1cheese everyone will like, such as swiss or cheddar.

8) Paleo Nachos: You can find my original recipe in this post. But when you want to make them quickly, buy a bag of sweet potato chips and put them on a big plate. Brown your ground meat and add a ½ packet of taco seasoning and a cup of salsa. Cook down and then top your chips. Add chopped tomatoes, green onions and avocado. Tip: You can chop your toppings and make the meat ahead of time. Just heat the meat up before the party and assemble your nachos.

Basketball Tournament Decorations

I kept the decorations pretty simple and I found lots of things at Giant Eagle and The Dollar store. The cutecenter piece was made with the tall, glass vase filled with toy basketballs (or you could use little round cheese puffs) and then topped with orange flowers. I made some place cards decorated with basketballs that you can see in the bottom right hand corner. Cheese flavored popcorn filled bags add to the party atmosphere along with the little tin cups full of Reese’s Pieces. They are great for people to just grab and munch on while watching the games. And lastly I created a printable invitation that you can download below.

Here is my invite. The image on the left is in a JPG format that you can click on and download. Fill in the details with a photo editing software such as PicMonkey or Photoshop. You can then email it to all your guests for the quickest & easiest solution.Or you can click on the image to the rightdownload this printable which is in a PDF format and has 4 cards to a page. Just write in your info and mail them to your guests.

Well that my friends is how I throw a quick and easy party for the basketball tournaments. I hope you will try and enjoy some of my ideas (especially the Ritz BananaCream& OREO Cookie Reese’s Cheesecake Parfaits) for your next party. Remember: Parfaits are delicious!

Oh 1 more thing before you go!

Max’s just loves slushies and when we saw this video we decide to try it for the party. Take one of the ½ liter bottles of co*ke and shake it up really good. Set it on it’s side in the freezer for roughly 3 hours and 15 minutes. Take it out and quickly release some pressure from the cap but then tighten again. Turn upside down and it will turn into a slushie! Check out the video for more ways to make the slushies and learn the science behind it. It’s pretty interesting if I say so myself.

So that was a long post. That’s how I plan a big family party as easily as possible. Do you have any quick and easy recipes I can add to my list? Let me know in the comments.