Recipes That Raised a Generation: 23 Lost But Not Forgotten Church Favorites

Some of the most comforting meals came straight from the fellowship hall—potlucks packed with casseroles, pies, and dishes everyone just knew how to make. These were the recipes passed from one apron-wearing generation to the next, full of love and maybe a little mayonnaise. A few might’ve slipped out of regular rotation over the years, but they’re far from gone. These are the lost but not forgotten church favorites that still deserve a seat at the table.

Creamy Green Bean Casserole Without Canned Soup

A serving spoon in a green bean casserole made from scratch, — Creamy Green Bean Casserole Without Canned Soup. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Follow these steps at home to make this creamy casserole with fresh green beans. No canned mushroom soup here! A homemade cream sauce is used.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Green Bean Casserole Without Canned Soup

Creamy Macaroni Salad With Cheese

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A Southern-style macaroni salad made with a creamy mayo, sour cream and dijon mustard dressing. Mix with cheddar cheese to finish, and served chilled.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Macaroni Salad With Cheese

Crispy Potatoes Au Gratin With Gruyere

Potatoes au gratin in a baking dish with a serving spoon. — Crispy Potatoes Au Gratin With Gruyere. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Crispy Au Gratin Potatoes are thinly sliced potatoes stacked on their side for the creamiest potatoes with crispy edges in every bite.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Potatoes Au Gratin With Gruyere

Broccoli Salad With Cranberries And A Honey Yogurt Dressing

A bowl of broccoli salad on a serving tray. — Broccoli Salad With Cranberries And A Honey Yogurt Dressing. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

You’re going to love this healthy broccoli salad served with a yogurt dressing that’s sweetened with honey. An old fashioned salad you’ll love.
Get the Recipe: Broccoli Salad With Cranberries And A Honey Yogurt Dressing

Old-Fashioned Carrot Salad With Raisins

Carrot salad in a bowl. — Old-Fashioned Carrot Salad With Raisins. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Fresh carrot raisin salad is EASY and so flavorful! All you need is a bowl and a grater to make this slightly sweet classic salad.
Get the Recipe: Old-Fashioned Carrot Salad With Raisins

Creamy Red Cabbage Coleslaw With Buttermilk

A bowl of creamy coleslaw with shredded purple cabbage, carrots, and herbs sits on a gray cloth napkin next to vintage silver utensils—perfect as one of your favorite dinner side dishes. — Creamy Red Cabbage Coleslaw With Buttermilk. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Looking for a mouthwatering red cabbage coleslaw recipe? Try our quick and easy Southern dish that is perfect for busy cooks. Enjoy the creamy goodness!
Get the Recipe: Creamy Red Cabbage Coleslaw With Buttermilk

Cheesy Corn Casserole With Cream Cheese And Ham

A serving spoon in a corn casserole. — Cheesy Corn Casserole With Cream Cheese And Ham. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This ultra cheesy corn casserole with cream cheese and ham will be your new favorite side dish! Creamy, cheesy, and so much flavor!
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Corn Casserole With Cream Cheese And Ham

Deviled Egg Potato Salad

Deviled Eggs and Potato Salad are combined into this ultimate Deviled Egg Potato Salad recipe! Perfect as a spring or summer side dish.
Get the Recipe: Deviled Egg Potato Salad

Creamy Baked Corn Casserole Recipe

A baked cheesy casserole in a white dish, perfect for christmas casseroles, is topped with chopped green herbs and sits on a white surface beside a wooden spoon and a small bowl of herbs. — Creamy Baked Corn Casserole Recipe. Photo credit: Intentional Hospitality.

Baked corn casserole has a creamy texture, sweet corn, and golden cheesy topped side dish that only requires 15 minutes of prep time.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Baked Corn Casserole Recipe

Waldorf Salad

A bowl of apple salad with a serving spoon. — Old Fashioned Apple Waldorf Salad. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This classic Waldorf Salad is one of those old school recipes that never goes out of style. Crispy apples, celery, walnuts, and sweet raisins are coated in a light mayonnaise dressing.
Get the Recipe: Old Fashioned Apple Waldorf Salad

Watergate Cake

A slice of green cake, baked from a classic 9x13 cake pan, is topped with pale green frosting and chopped pecans on a white plate next to a fork and floral napkin. The background features a rustic wooden surface. — Watergate Cake (Family Favorite Recipe). Photo credit: Southern Plate.

Watergate Cake is easy to make with a cake mix. Each cake slice is moist, the perfect sweetness, and topped with a light and fluffy frosting.
Get the Recipe: Watergate Cake (Family Favorite Recipe)

Jello Salads

A white baking dish filled with bright red cranberry salad topped with chopped walnuts and orange zest, placed on a wooden surface. — Cranberry Salad With Raspberry Jello. Photo credit: Peel with Zeal.

A festive holiday side dish, cranberry jello salad uses raspberry jello for a mix of sweet and tart. Fresh fruit and walnuts add crunch.
Get the Recipe: Cranberry Salad With Raspberry Jello

Broccoli Casserole With Homemade Cheese Sauce

A spoon full of cheesy broccoli casserole in a baking dish. — Broccoli Casserole With Homemade Cheese Sauce. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This baked, bubbling broccoli and cheddar cheese sauce casserole is a quick and simple side dish made with fresh broccoli — and without soup or rice!
Get the Recipe: Broccoli Casserole With Homemade Cheese Sauce

Ambrosia Fruit Salad With Marshmallows

A glass bowl filled with creamy fruit salad, inspired by vintage recipes, is topped with a red maraschino cherry; the salad contains marshmallows, fruit pieces, and whipped cream. Silver spoons rest beside the bowl on a gray surface. — Ambrosia Fruit Salad With Marshmallows. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

A nostalgic Ambrosia salad with mandarin oranges, pineapple, marshmallows, and coconut, topped with creamy whipped cream and a touch of sour cream.
Get the Recipe: Ambrosia Fruit Salad With Marshmallows

Southern 7 Layer Salad With Peas And Mayo

A bowl of seven layer salad next to individual servings. — Southern 7 Layer Salad With Peas And Mayo. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This seven-layer salad gets even more delicious after sitting overnight! It’s stacked with layers of peas, bacon, mayo, romaine lettuce, and cheddar cheese.
Get the Recipe: Southern 7 Layer Salad With Peas And Mayo

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes Casserole With Gruyere

A close-up of homemade scalloped potatoes with a golden, bubbly cheese and cream topping, sprinkled with black pepper. A serving spoon rests in the dish, and a small bowl of grated cheese is visible in the background. — Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes Casserole With Gruyere. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This side dish casserole for cheesy scalloped potatoes is made with thinly sliced Yukon gold potatoes and fresh garlic, milk and cream, plus gruyere cheese.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes Casserole With Gruyere

Tomato Soup Spice Cake

A close-up of a slice of two-layer carrot cake with creamy white frosting between the layers and on top, served on a white plate. — Tomato Soup Spice Cake. Photo credit: Spicy Southern Kitchen.

Tomato Soup Spice Cake is a deliciously flavored spice cake covered in cream cheese frosting. No one will ever guess there’s a can of tomato soup in this cake.
Get the Recipe: Tomato Soup Spice Cake

Ham Salad Sandwiches

A soft, split dinner roll topped with creamy ham salad—complete with visible chopped pickles—is served on a white plate next to a small spoon, capturing the charm of old school recipes. — Best Old Fashioned Ham Salad Recipe. Photo credit: Talking Meals.

This is the best Old Fashioned Ham Salad recipe is a cool, creamy, salty, and slightly sweet topping for a sandwich, crackers, or on greens.
Get the Recipe: Best Old Fashioned Ham Salad Recipe

Pear Salad

Glass platter with pear halves topped with dollops of mayonnaise and shredded cheddar cheese, garnished with lettuce leaves underneath—an unexpected yet classic addition to your Easter dishes. — Pear Salad With Cheese. Photo credit: Southern Food and Fun.

Pear Salad made with grated cheese and mayonnaise is an old-fashioned Southern favorite.
Get the Recipe: Pear Salad With Cheese

Fluff Salads

A close-up of a creamy salad topped with whole cranberries, mini marshmallows, and chopped pecans. The salad appears pink and fluffy, served in a white dish. — Cranberry Fluff Salad. Photo credit: Semi Homemade Kitchen.

Light and creamy cranberry fluff salad made with canned cranberries, pineapple, and Cool Whip. No-bake holiday favorite that’s easy to make!
Get the Recipe: Cranberry Fluff Salad

Cherry Dump Cake

A plate with cherry cobbler topped with two scoops of vanilla ice cream sits next to a baking dish of more cherry cobbler, perfect alongside your favorite Thanksgiving cakes, with a fork and a red-and-white striped towel nearby. — Effortless Cherry Dump Cake. Photo credit: Intentional Hospitality.

As delicious as it is easy to make, this Cherry Dump Cake is made with cherry pie filling, cream cheese, and a box of yellow cake mix.
Get the Recipe: Effortless Cherry Dump Cake

Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe

A serving of strawberry pretzel salad with topped with whipped cream — Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Start with a pretzel crust, add a cream cheese layer and top it with a concentrated strawberry jello, a throw back to the 70’s. Great for holiday gatherings or potlucks.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe

Creamy Broccoli Rice Casserole Without Canned Soup

A broccoli rice casserole in a skillet. — Creamy Broccoli Rice Casserole Without Canned Soup. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This broccoli rice casserole without canned soup features steamed broccoli florets, fluffy rice, and a creamy, cheesy sauce.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Broccoli Rice Casserole Without Canned Soup

Church Potluck Desserts

A collage of desserts you can’t call it Southern without: a frosted layered cake with walnuts, a pink frosted cake with strawberries, pink strawberry bars, nut-topped bars, and coconut-topped bars on various serving plates. — Church Potluck Desserts. Photo credit: Easy Southern Desserts.

No matter how good the main dishes are, it’s always the dessert table that gets the most attention. That’s why every church potluck needs these crowd pleasing desserts.
Get the Recipe: Church Potluck Desserts

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