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30 Unforgettable Soul Food Recipes That We Are Loving Now

30 Unforgettable Soul Food Recipes That We Are Loving Now

If you are looking for fantastic soul food recipes, you have come to the right place. We have rounded up 30 soul food recipes that you will love.  

In the Southern United States, there is a whole cultural, regional area with its unique dialect, foods, and traditions, some of which date back to the pre-civil war era.

Soul food refers to this ethnic cuisine commonly made by African Americans from this area.  

It tends to be steeped in deep-fried meats, all kinds of stewed greens, decadent sides, cornbread, and plenty of spices. 

All soul food is Southern, but not all Southern food is soul food. 

Soul food dishes tend to be full of meat, fats, and sugar, making them delicious but possibly not the healthiest. 

Then there are the Sunday Dinners which are quite the affair and perfect for a Southern Corn Casserole and Easy
Southern Salmon Croquettes

Folks will often attend a church service, and afterward, there would be a potluck dinner where each family would bring
a dish to share! 

Sometimes they would be outdoor barbecues in the same style. 

Here I have collected 30 such dishes you might find at one of these gatherings in the deep Southern areas of the United States. 

Some I have included you may be very familiar with, like #30, but read carefully as the preparation may be somewhat
different.  

And with that introduction, we are ready to go!  

From the South, Sunday dinner soul food is a weekly tradition. 

Collard greens are required fare, braised properly in perfectly spiced pot liquor. 

The investment of three hours is a gift to all who enjoy this southern dish. 

Cornbread is a staple when gathering together soul food Sunday dinner ideas! 

Savory is the ONLY way to go for authentic soul food! 

Cornmeal, salt, buttermilk, and butter—I do suggest the egg, though, to hold it all together better.

Southern dinner ideas most definitely include delicious dark baked beans. 

This recipe uses navy beans, bacon, onion, molasses, dark brown sugar, and ketchup.

Can’t you just taste that delectable sweetness already?

This following recipe as a soul food dinner idea tends to appear at Easter time, but you can enjoy them any time of year. 

I am talking about deviled eggs. 

Sweet or dill relish, paprika or not, deviled eggs always get eaten!

Always.

While grits are often served at breakfast, they can equally be a Sunday dinner soul food side. 

They are not easily found outside the Southern United States.   

This recipe shows just how easy grits are to make with five ingredients!

Shepherd’s pie is an excellent suggestion for soul food Sunday dinner ideas.

It is made with lamb and veggies and potatoes and patience. 

Hearty and satisfying!

Hush puppies made of fried cornmeal are common southern dinner ideas.

It seems that following Southern tradition, they are more savory than sweet, but you can make them to your liking.

A chicken pot pie is an outstanding soul food dinner idea!

It is SO savory and satisfying, with two crusts filled with chicken and veggies! 

Southern down-home comfort is associated with this meal perhaps more than any other.

These down-home Sunday dinner soul food biscuits are the real deal! 

There are four ingredients, thirty minutes, and perfection, whether slathering with butter and jam or sausage gravy!

If you bake the biscuits using the recipe above, soul food Sunday dinner ideas could include biscuits and gravy, which is one of the best examples of comfort food on the planet!

Although typically a breakfast food, absolutely no one will complain about enjoying them for dinner! 

Nobody.

Okra is one hundred percent one of the many soul food southern dinner ideas! 

Fried okra is found almost everywhere, but this dish is made with tomatoes, bacon, onion, and garlic and can be a side or an entree with other sides. 

I need biscuits or cornbread!

One consistent soul food dinner idea enjoyed year-round is corn casserole or, as some folks refer to it, corn pudding. 

A sweet bready layer (thanks to saltine crackers) with a luscious creamy corn center means this dish will disappear quickly.

Breaded pork chops at Sunday dinner; soul food spreads! 

Crunchy outside and juicy inside!

Oh yeah, baby! 

Mmmm!

For true Southerners, borderline creole, soul food Sunday dinner ideas, seafood gumbo could not be any more perfect. 

It can be a bit pricey and requires some prep time, so special occasions or traditions are when this dish appears.

In the South, they take their sweet tea very seriously. 

So seriously, that some southern dinner ideas include recipes that use sweet tea as a brine, from four to twenty-four hours, for chicken. 

This one does, and you’re going to need a cast-iron skillet or two as well!

A well-known Soul food dinner idea is the classic red beans and rice!

Here, the beans are cooked with the andouille sausage and served with white rice.

The comment section is glowing and well deserved. 

The irresistible dessert for a soul food dinner might be a peach cobbler! 

A fan favorite all the way around, and you can make them with canned or fresh peaches.

The scoop of vanilla ice cream on the top is not optional. 

We all have tried a version of banana pudding. 

But for it to cut as of Sunday dinner soul food, it will need more than just vanilla wafers, bananas, and pudding. 

It will need a rich vanilla egg custard, which this recipe includes! 

You are SO welcome!

Grandma’s soul food Sunday dinner ideas would include a rich conclusion like peanut butter fudge. 

Four ingredients and steps will turn sugar, milk, vanilla, and creamy peanut butter into this delicious dessert!

Consider this vegan southern soul bowl if you are looking for southern dinner ideas with a bit of a twist.

The collected items are collard greens, cheesy pasta, cornbread, and BBQ tofu, with each recipe included. 

There are lots of veggie options, so gather what you like best!

A soul food dinner idea could include a roast turkey as the main entree. 

Not all the time, but occasionally! 

This recipe may answer some questions from previous bakings, using foil a bit differently.

Many associate black-eyed peas with New Year’s Day, but they are a staple in a Sunday dinner soul food menu!

Nothing out of a can here! 

This dish is a beautiful recipe with turkey wings for seasoning and shredding into the final pot!

Fried catfish is most definitely a challenger for soul food Sunday dinner ideas! 

The light cornmeal batter and the crispness were both standouts in this recipe! 

When the corn is ripe, and the cast iron pan is ready, this fried corn recipe is a welcome inclusion on our list of southern dinner ideas.

If you want to taste spectacularly delicious corn without the fuss, this recipe is the one to work with!

It’s all about the black pepper!

Another soul food dinner idea is jambalaya. 

Yes, similar to gumbo, yet different. 

The rice is cooked right in jambalaya, and here it is all about the spiciness.

An oft-forgotten Sunday dinner soul food is fried green tomatoes. 

This one tends to be a seasonal dish since it uses unripe tomatoes or heirloom green tomatoes only available during harvest times. 

Simple, eggs, panko crumbs, salt, pepper, and you are in business!

Bread is a standard side when planning out soul food Sunday dinner ideas!

This bread recipe is exquisite and loaded with pictures that clearly explain the write-up. 

Whether you use a bread machine or not, this one is worth the time!

Salmon cakes are indeed an entree for southern dinner ideas.  

It compares to making meatloaf but with salmon as the protein. 

Form the patties, cook in a skillet, turning once, and serve with your favorite sauce.

Thirty minutes investment for a soul food dinner idea? 

That sounds great! 

Put that Instant Pot to good use to make these green beans that everyone will be talking about! 

The bottom line

Whether you grew up on soul food or just recently discovered it, I hope you were able to find inspiration from this list! 

May the joy of time together be graced with great food!

🌭🌭24 Ground Sausage Recipes (All Of The Best Inspiration)🌭🌭

30 BEST Ways To Cook Soul Food

30 BEST Ways To Cook Soul Food

Look, we've rounded up 30 soul food recipes meant to amaze everyone.

Ingredients

  • Southern Baked Macaroni & Cheese
  • Southern Collard Greens Recipe
  • Cornbread Recipe Southern-Style
  • The Best Southern Baked Bean Recipe
  • Classic Southern Deviled Eggs
  • Creamy Grits
  • Shepherd's Pie
  • Hush Puppies
  • Easy Chicken Pot Pie
  • Cathead Biscuits
  • Best Sausage Gravy
  • Okra & Tomatoes
  • Southern Corn Casserole
  • Breaded Pork Chops
  • Seafood Gumbo
  • Sweet Tea Fried Chicken
  • Red Beans & Rice
  • Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler
  • Simple Southern Homemade Banana Pudding
  • Easy Peanut Butter Fudge
  • Vegan Southern Soul Bowl
  • Southern Roast Turkey
  • Southern Black Eyed Peas
  • Southern Fried Catfish Recipe
  • Jambalaya Recipe
  • Easy Fried Green Tomatoes
  • Bread Machine Monkey Bread Made From Scratch
  • Easy Southern Salmon Croquettes
  • Instant Pot Southern Style Green Beans

Instructions

  1. Choose one or more options from our list of soul food recipes here!
  2. Create your new favorite dish.
  3. Pat yourself on the back for making food at home for you to enjoy!
  4. Share and comment! Did you make any tweaks, so it’s all your own?

Did you make this recipe?

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