'Someone made brownies with ground meat': 20+ worst dishes people brought to a potluck

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Oct 19, 2023 4:00 PM EDT

Potlucks are a gamble because, let's be honest, you are subjected to other people's food. Sure, that means it's likely free food, but at what cost? These folks shared the worst dishes that people brought to a potluck via this r/AskReddit thread, and let's just say that now I have zero desire to attend a potluck ever again.

From brownies with ground meat in them to casseroles with a side of roaches, these Redditors were subjected to the absolute lowest of humanity when really, everyone could have just ordered pizza or something. In fact, I'm pretty sure the reason why potluck food is almost always subpar is that subconsciously, no one ever really wants to show up to these kinds of events. It's often awkward, obligatory, and a waste of everyone's afternoon.

Keep scrolling below for the full list! For more content like this, check out this collection of stories from managers about silly reasons why their workers quit on them.

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  • 01
    Food - 6/14 CanUFeelItMrKrabs. 16 hr. ago Casserole with a side of roaches. Not even kidding. They crawled out of the bag she brought her dish in. I stopped participating in potlucks after that. ↑ 6.0k Reply Share
    via Jennifer Burk
  • 02
    Font - r/AskReddit. Posted by u/aquamarinetangerines 18 hours ago What's the grossest thing you've ever seen someone bring to a potluck?
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 03
    Font - Chicken_Scented_Fart. 14 hr. ago We had a potluck today and someone brought some Doritos. People started eating them and complaining that they tasted like dirt. We looked at the bag and it had a promo for Mockingjay part 1. The chips expired in 2014! This was a mixed department pot luck and we haven't found the person that brought the 9 year old chips. 11.8k Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 04
    Font - trguiff 18 hr. ago An office potluck - as everyone is eating, one of the girls says, "I'm sorry if you find ant cat hair in the green bean casserole. My cat kept getting up on the counter to nibble at the edges." Cue everyone looking at each other like ?? 7.3k Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 05
    Font - graeflamingo 15 hr. ago We had a lady who made her special pb fudge. But she wouldn't put it out with all the food. She would walk around with her Tupperware and offer the people she liked a piece. Not more than 1 piece you were allowed to take. If she didn't like you, you didn't get one. This went on for years. The last year she worked there, we all decided to say no thank you when she approached us. Oh and 2 of us brought fudge for everyone at the table spread. She was furious that we f
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 06
    Font - remembering_things 14 hr. ago . My cousin's wife wanted to make pimento cheese sandwiches for a Super Bowl party. Problem is she had no idea what went into pimento cheese and refused to go to the store because it "couldn't be that hard." So she mixed a bag of shredded cheese, an ungodly amount of mayonnaise, and for the little red bits? Maraschino cherry halves Then dumped approximately a half cup of garlic salt in for good measure. I thought they were a dessert because they were pink and
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 07
    Font - GoatEatingTroll. 18 hr. ago Grandma's Jello salad, made with cottage cheese and celery 6.3k Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 08
    Font - CanUFeelItMrKrabs. 16 hr. ago Casserole with a side of roaches. Not even kidding. They crawled out of the bag she brought her dish in. I stopped participating in potlucks after that. ↑ 6.0k ↓ Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 09
    Font - s416a 16 hr. ago I'll fall on that sword. I brought Shepards pie to a Christmas party and thought it festive to colour the mashed potatoes green. 5.5k Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 10
    Font - Unfey 14 hr. ago Someone made brownies with ground meat in them to a church potluck. My vegetarian friend discovered this when she bit into one. She was more confused and horrified about their existence than she was upset about eating meat-- it was the concept of this abomination itself that was disturbing and baffling.
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 11
    Font - I thought she had to be wrong. "You haven't had ground beef in years, you don't know what it tastes like anymore, it's probably something else." I tried them. It was beef. I was disgusted and really, really, really confused.
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 12
    Font - Years later, I found out that apparently this was a thing. Someone came up with this-- putting beef in brownies-- as a substitute for walnuts for people with nut allergies.
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 13
    Font - While this explains it a little, in theory, I'm still confused about why someone would assume that people who can't eat walnuts would prefer to eat ground beef brownies over just. Regular nut-free brownies. 5.4k ↓ Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 14
    Font - ogbubbleberry · 16 hr. ago Some kind of "lasagna" made by someone who had no clue what lasagna is. There were layers of pasta; but the rest was things like chicken, grated cheddar cheese, canned jalapeños, mushroom soup, frozen mixed vegetables, spicy mayo etc. ✩ 5.2k Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 15
    Font - jirohen 14 hr. ago An apple pie, but they didn't have apple pie spices, like clove, cinnamon, or nutmeg, and said they used taco seasoning by accident and expected people to eat it. I, a dumb who likes themselves to tried it, and promptly tossed it into the trash when they looked away. 3.4k Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 16
    Font - cherrybounce 15 hr. ago She opened a can of tiny shrimp and poured it out, liquid and all, on top of a block of cream cheese. That was it. I guess we were supposed to eat it with crackers. 3.3k Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 17
    Font - russomd 15 hr. ago My sister would bring 2 crockpots .... 1 with spaghetti sauce... the other with water and the noodles. The noodles would be cooking in the water all day. 2.5k Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 18
    Font - TinyWifeKiki 15 hr. ago Someone brought Devilled eggs and instead of sprinkling paprika on them they used cinnamon. 2.5k Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 19
    Font - haeziedaze82 - 13 hr. ago I love telling this story. I worked at a patient care clinic with mostly nurses. One nurse brings mashed potatoes inside of a Walmart bag. Not inside of a bowl inside of a Walmart bag. Mashed potatoes. Loose. Inside of a Walmart bag. That could've previously held raw chicken or some other gross thing. A NURSE. I ended up posting about it on Facebook later, after having forgot we were FB friends. Oops. 2.2k Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 20
    Font - Madame_Kitsune98. 15 hr. ago Potato salad...with multiple hairs from his head, I hope. I just know they were human hairs, and they were tight and curly. 2.1k ↓ Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 21
    Font - FanValuable3644 16 hr. ago Had a friend show up with "his wife's specialty". It was deviled ham and cheez wiz scooped onto a ritz. They were also made some time ahead because the crackers were no longer crisp. To make it worse, he walked around with them and his wife telling everyone to try them. That was the night I learned that it will be ok to strategically lie about having food allergies. ↑ 2.0k Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 22
    Rectangle - 00 twatini 15 hr. ago half of a pie. not half of a pie that was sold that way by the bakery. a leftover half eaten pie. 2.0k Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1
  • 23
    Font - stealyerface 16 hr. ago A "salad" that consisted of shredded carrots, miracle whip, and raisins. I'm sorry grandma, but Othat salad. 1.5k Reply Share
    via u/aquamarinetangerines 1

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