The Ultimate Southern Sunday Dinner Ideas Guide

Sunday dinner is a tradition celebrated across the world. A Southern Sunday dinner is sure to please family and friends and leave everyone satisfied. This is my ultimate Southern Sunday dinner ideas guide.

In this guide, I will list various Southern appetizers, entrees, sides, and desserts. You will find links to the recipes I have already written about previously, and more will be added over time. Eventually, every item listed should have its own recipe post, so check back over time for updates.

Disclaimer: the foods and cooking techniques outlined in this guide will be delicious. However, a lot of them will not be healthy. There is going to be a lot of frying, a lot of bacon grease, and a good bit of sugar. Southern Sunday dinners and diets do not get along well.

Appetizers For The Ultimate Southern Sunday Dinner Ideas Guide

Southern cuisine offers a lot of amazing appetizer options. Southern appetizers feature a lot of fried options, but some tasty dips as well. These are two of the categories I have featured, and I’ve thrown in a miscellaneous category as well.

Southern appetizers are more common in a restaurant setting than at a home meal. There is usually so much food at a Southern Sunday dinner that they are just not necessary. However, they make a fun addition to a family meal and are sure to please your guests.

I have tried to start including them in my bigger family gatherings. They ad a sort of fancy, formal ambiance to a Sunday dinner.

Fried

As you probably guessed, fried foods are bountiful on the Southern appetizers list. We even fry vegetables! In fact, that is mostly what you find on this list.

We gotta start with classic fried green tomatoes. Sliced thin and dipped in buttermilk, this Southern delicacy is found all across the region south of the Mason-Dixon line. Paired with a good dipping sauce, fried green tomatoes are an excellent appetizer option.

Fried pickles are a great alternative if tomatoes aren’t your cup of tea. Bonus points if you pickle your own cucumbers and make homemade pickles. Store-bought out of the jar will suffice, and paired with ranch dressing they are sure to be a hit.

Another classic option is fried okra. If you already have a big meal planned and don’t have time for prepping appetizers, these can be found chopped and pre-breaded at the grocery store. All you have to do is fry them. You will obviously get better results if you make your own, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Last but not least we have hush puppies. These bite-sized flavor nuggets are typically served with seafood dishes. But there is no law that says they have to go with seafood! Paired with a good cheese sauce, they are a delicious alternative to the more traditional fare

Dips

We Southerners love our dips, and I’m not talking about chewing tobacco. An array of fine dips line the Southern culinary scene. This variety means there is something for everyone.

After all of the fried appetizers, let’s start with something a bit healthier: cowboy caviar. This collection of black-eyed peas, corn, black beans, and other veggies is lightly pickled in a tangy vinaigrette style dressing and often pair with tortilla chips. You may have also heard it called Texas caviar.

Turning up the calories a bit, we have pimento cheese. A combination of cheddar cheese, mayo, and pimento peppers, this spread is extremely popular across the South. Everyone has their own recipe, so you will find countless variations of this dish.

My favorite dips are the seafood-based variety. While you can make your own, these are often store-bought. Seafood dips are more common the closer you get to the Gulf Coast.

My personal favorite is Cajun crab dip. This combination of cream cheese, mayo, and Cajun seasoning are delightful, especially with some Italian herb crackers. I always buy mine, but if you are looking to make your own, check out this Cajun crab dip recipe from South Your Mouth.

Miscellaneous

There are other apps that didn’t quite fit together in a particular category, so I added a Miscellaneous one for them. This is a random assortment of some of my other favorite appetizers.

We’ve got to start with deviled eggs. Plain ‘ol deviled eggs with mayo, sweet relish, and paprika are quite a treat. But you can get crazy with deviled eggs and add in other ingredients, such as chicken or tuna salad, or even some of the dips mentioned in the previous section. Cajun crab dip mixed with deviled eggs is divine.

Another classic across the South is pepper jelly and cream cheese. Pepper jelly is another one of those dishes that everyone seems to have their own recipe for. If you’ve never made it, check out some recipes online, get some inspiration, and try making your own!

Last but not least we have oysters. While oysters can serve as an entree, you will often find them served as an appetizer as well. In particular, raw oysters shine as an app for seafood dinners. Served right on the shell, with a bit of tabasco, oysters will bring some freshness to your Sunday dinner.

Entrees For The Ultimate Southern Sunday Dinner Ideas Guide

Entrees are the star of any meal. Southern Sunday dinners are no different, though the sides sometimes give them a run for their money.

I’m going to be breaking the entrees down into four categories: chicken, beef, pork, and seafood. When my wife and I make our dinner plans for the way, we always break it down by types of meat, so I figured that would work great for this guide too.

I am going to try and include multiple ways of cooking each dish. It will not be all fried foods, but plenty of deep-fried varieties will be available.

Despite my disclaimer at the top of the guide, I will also try and include some healthy options. Not all Southern food will send you to an early grave!

Chicken

Of course, we’ve gotta start the chicken guide with fried chicken. It’s the most popular and iconic Southern food. If you want more info on fried chicken, check out my Real Deal Southern Fried Chicken Recipe where I go into details on everything fried chicken.

Another iconic chicken dish of the South is chicken and dumplings. You will find this as an option at many Southern dinners. Be warned though, those dumplings will swell up on you!

Roasted chicken is a dish used in many cuisines, and the South is not excluded. We have a penchant for stuffing our roasted chickens. You can’t go wrong with a classic cornbread stuffing. I recently had a roasted chicken stuffed with crawfish jambalaya that was fantastic. You can get really creative with this one.

Beef

I recently found a new favorite Southern beef dish, the Mississippi pot roast. This spin on a classic pot roast adds pepperoncini peppers to give the dish a pickled bite that takes it from a 10 to an 11. That vinegary goodness is also transferred to the potatoes and carrots and makes for an excellently balanced dish.

If you want to add this dish to your Sunday dinner, check out my Mind-Blowing Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe.

Tennessee meatloaf is another dish I only happened upon recently. The combination of onion flavor and ketchup sauce topping match well. These two dishes are great alternatives to the usual fried food.

But if fried food is what you are looking for, there is a beef variety: chicken fried steak. Topped with a good sawmill gravy, chicken fried steak is a welcome addition to any Southern Sunday dinner.

Pork

Pork is extremely popular in Southern cuisine, but this list might not be as long as you would think. Many pork dishes belong to BBQ cooking, and I am not including BBQ in my Ultimate Southern Sunday Dinner Ideas Guide. Stay tuned for my Ultimate BBQ Guide coming soon.

The first pork dish I want to talk about is pork chops. This versatile cut of meat can be cooked in a number of ways. Southern-fried pork chops are a great choice. Pork chops can also be grilled or seared with various sauces and marinades. They are relatively inexpensive, making them an economic addition to a Sunday dinner.

Ham is another good pork selection. A nice honey-roasted ham can be the centerpiece of a family meal, especially during the holidays. Turkey may rule Thanksgiving, but ham is the king of the castle at Christmas at our house.

Seafood

Seafood is big in the South due to the proximity of the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf produces wonderful seafood, such as shrimp, oysters, and a wide variety of fish.

The first selection does not come from the sea though. Fried catfish is a mainstay at Sunday dinners. The tasty fish can also be grilled or blackened, but fried is the most popular way to go. The connoisseurs will tell you that whole catfish is best, producing more flavor than filets.

Shrimp comes from the ocean and often finds itself on the table for Sunday dinner too. Shrimp is most popular cooked in two ways, fried or boiled. Fried shrimp goes great with fried catfish. Boiled shrimp is excellent in a low country boil.

If you are looking to have a low country boil for your Sunday dinner, check out my Low Country Boil Guide.

Sides For The Ultimate Southern Sunday Dinner Ideas Guide

Entrees may be the star of any dinner, but in the South, the sides are just as beloved. Many of our side dishes are just as synonymous with Southern cuisine as the main dishes. When people think of Southern food, they probably think of fried chicken, but a lot of them will think of turnip greens and cornbread too.

I have the sides broken down into 3 main categories: greens, beans, and potatoes. I have a fourth category with more sides listed that didn’t fit into the first three.

If you want to see what I think are the absolute best 5 Southern sides, check out my article on 5 Mouthwatering Sides for your Sunday Dinner.

Greens

When it comes to iconic Southern sides, nothing beats greens. Whether it’s turnips or collards, this is what I want on the side of my fried chicken, fish, or pork chops. They are the perfect compliment to fried food.

I have a fantastic recipe for Southern turnip greens already posted. This recipe will work equally well with collard greens.

The only issue with turnips and collards is that they take a long time to cook. You can cut this time down with a pressure cooker, or you can go with an alternative: cabbage. I recently posted a recipe for Southern fried cabbage that works great for a Sunday dinner.

Potatoes

If you want to inject some starch into your dinner, Southern cuisine has potato recipes to spare. Mashed potatoes obviously go great with any dishes containing gravy. French fries go good with fried dishes like chicken and pork chops.

Potato wedges are a nice replacement for French Fries if you are looking for something different. Dip pre-baked potatoes into buttermilk and then dredge in seasoned flour for the perfect wedge.

For something more uniquely Southern, try my Southern fried potatoes recipe. These spicy potatoes pair well with greens and any number of Southern entrees.

Potato salad is something you usually see paired with BBQ, but it goes with other meals as well. I love it with meatloaf, smothered pork chops, and fish. My easy potato salad recipe is a versatile version that will easily plug into your Sunday dinner.

Beans

Beans are a superfood that can be both healthy and delicious. Southern cuisine has no shortage of recipes for these little nutrient nuggets

Lima beans have long been a staple in my family. I never cared for them as a kid, but I love them now. In true Southern fashion, my family recipes always involved adding sausage or bacon to give them a meaty kick. If you are in the South or ever pass through, try and find some Conecuh sausage to cook with them, it will change your life.

Black-eyed peas fill a similar niche to limas on my menu. I love the earthy taste they bring to dinner. My ideal side combo would be turnip greens and black-eyed peas. It is such a filling combination. My Southern-style black-eyed peas recipe is the way to go.

Green beans offer a different profile to limas and black-eyed peas which are equally delicious. Baked with a little butter, brown sugar, and bacon, they are an incredible addition to your Sunday dinner.

More Sides

I couldn’t talk about Southern sides without mentioning mac and cheese. My Southern mac and cheese recipe utilizes Velveeta and cheddar cheese to create creamy goodness. Mac and cheese is a good replacement for starch dishes like fried potatoes or mashed potatoes. The cheese is also a good counter to fried foods.

Another side we can’t leave out is cornbread. This sweet side goes well with greens and beans. Southerners are known to use cornbread to dip up juice left behind by both.

Desserts For The Ultimate Southern Sunday Dinner Ideas Guide

Southern desserts are just as grand and decadent as the entrees and sides. We cook up an incredible collection of sweet treats for our Southern Sunday dinners.

For the Ultimate Southern Sunday dinner ideas guide, I have desserts broken down into four main categories: cakes, pies, cobblers, and puddings.

After you’ve reviewed the Southern desserts guide, check out my list of the Top 5 Southern Desserts.

Cakes

Without a doubt, my favorite cake is the Hummingbird cake. It has its origins in Jamaica, but it is very popular in the South. This cake is loaded with fruit such as bananas and pineapple and topped with cream cheese frosting. Chopped walnuts are sprinkled on top of this gift from heaven.

German chocolate cake is one that is sure to wow your dinner guests. Despite the name, this cake has no German roots and is actually a product of the South. This cake features coconut and pecan frosting, what’s not to love?

Pies

The two most known Southern pies are pecan pie and sweet potato pie. These two get a lot more attention nationwide around Thanksgiving time. In the South, they are enjoyed year-round.

Pecan pie is my favorite out of the two. The sweet, gooey filling mixed with crunch pecans on top is heavenly. The pecans take a bit of the sweet edge off for a perfect balance.

Sweet potato pie may not be my favorite, but it is delicious nonetheless. I do love the combo of sweet potatoes with turnips and black-eyed peas. The mixture of flavors is phenomenal.

Puddings

The two puddings I am about to go over are a bit different than traditional puddings. They are nothing like the chocolate or vanilla pudding you are probably familiar with.

Bread pudding is an immensely popular dessert in the South. It is easy to make, utilizing leftover bread and a rum topping.

Banana pudding is one of my favorites, especially during the summer. It combines vanilla pudding, whipped cream, bananas, and wafer crackers into a sweet treat that will keep you coming back for more.

Cobblers

Almost any fruit can be turned into a cobbler. Canned fruit will make your life a lot easier, as the juice they come in saves you time when making the cobbler. Of course, there is nothing wrong with going the homemade route, as you will end up with a fresher product.

Some of the more popular types of cobblers include peach, pear, blueberry, and apple. They are simple to make, requiring only a can of fruit, flour, sugar, and baking powder.

Cobblers make for an excellent summertime dessert and pair well with ice cream. I’ll have recipes on videos on various cobblers coming soon!

I hope you found this helpful. You should now be ready to cook a Southern Sunday dinner. Check back for updates, as I will be continuously adding more dishes, more recipes, and more videos.

Related posts:

5 Mouthwatering Sides For Your Southern Sunday Dinner Top 5 Southern Dinner Ideas Southern Fried Potatoes Recipe The Low Country Boil Guide