Home Recipes Cooking Style Comfort Food
Caroline StankoUpdated: Feb. 07, 2024
We found the best recipes from Kentucky—all submitted by local home cooks. Get a taste of the state that has the Kentucky Derby, whiskey and hot browns with these delicious recipes.
Kentucky Pecan Pie
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This rich, dense Kentucky pecan pie recipe is perfect for your next party. It features a delicious dark chocolate filling topped with plenty of toasted pecans. —Emily Baldwin, Fort Collins, Colorado
Mini Hot Browns
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Here’s my take on the famous Hot Brown sandwich. Guests quickly saddle up for juicy turkey slices and crispy bacon piled on toasted rye bread and then topped with a rich cheese sauce. —Annette Grahl, Midway, Kentucky
Portobello Melts
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We're always looking for satisfying vegetarian meals, and this one tops the list. These melts are especially delicious in the summer when we have tons of homegrown tomatoes. —Amy Smalley, Morehead, Kentucky
Judy's Macaroni Salad
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After finding this vintage macaroni salad recipe years ago, I tweaked the flavor and bumped up the pickles. Tuck this dill pickle pasta salad inside your picnic basket. —Elizabeth Kirchgatter, Maysville, Kentucky
Mamaw Emily's Strawberry Cake
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My husband loved his mamaw's strawberry cake recipe. He thought no one could duplicate it. I made it, and it’s just as scrumptious as he remembers. —Jennifer Bruce, Manitou, Kentucky
Spicy Pork Tenderloin
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A friend shared this recipe for marvelously flavorful pork years ago. It really sparks up a barbecue and has been popular whenever I've served it. I guarantee you'll get many requests for the recipe. —Diana Steger, Prospect, Kentucky
Jeweled Coconut Drops
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Red raspberry preserves add a festive flair to these tender coconut drops. Perfect for potlucks and cookie exchanges, the shaped cookies never last long when I make them for my husband and two sons. —Ellen Marie Byler, Munfordville, Kentucky
Calico Squash Casserole
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I love to try out different recipes for the squash I grow in my garden. It's fun to bring this beautiful casserole to potlucks because I know it'll go fast. Even the little ones like it. —Lucille Terry, Frankfort, Kentucky
Ribs with Plum Sauce
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I found the recipe for this tangy-sweet basting sauce when a surplus of plums sent me searching for new ideas to use all the fruit. In summer, I like to finish the ribs on the grill, brushing on the sauce, after first baking them in the oven. — Marie Hoyer, Hodgenville, Kentucky
Buttermilk Cake with Caramel Icing
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This fabulous cake and caramel frosting are so tender, it melts in your mouth. It's been a family favorite since the '70s and it goes over really well at church potluck meals. —Anna Jean Allen, West Liberty, Kentucky
Golden Mashed Potatoes
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When there's no gravy with the meat, this dish is fabulous to serve in place of regular mashed potatoes. I make it often to take to picnics and church socials. My husband even made it for his family's reunion one year when I couldn't go! —Cindy Stith, Wickliffe, Kentucky
Turkey Pepper Kabobs
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This is a summertime favorite at our house. While the turkey is a nice change of pace and tastes great with the sweet basting sauce and pineapple, the recipe also works well with cubed chicken.—Traci Goodman, Paducah, Kentucky
Creamy Pineapple Fluff Salad
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Guests of all ages will gravitate to this traditional “fluff” salad, chock-full of pineapple, marshmallows and cherry bits. —Janice Hensley, Owingsville, Kentucky
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
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Frequently requested at family get-togethers, this rich and hearty soup is ready in a flash. Cooking for a vegetarian? Swap in vegetable stock for the beef broth. —Danielle Noble, Ft. Thomas, Kentucky
Honey Whole Wheat Pan Rolls
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With their pleasant wheat flavor and a honey of a glaze, these rolls impress my guests. Every time I take them to potluck dinners, I come home with an empty pan. —Nancye Thompson, Paducah, Kentucky
Roasted Herbed Squash with Goat Cheese
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Cooking is a hobby I'm so happy to share with my toddler. She (and all our Christmas Eve party guests) heartily approved of this new potluck favorite. Any type of winter squash works here. —Lindsay Oberhausen, Lexington, Kentucky
Crunchy Candy Clusters
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These cereal and marshmallow clusters are so simple that I make them for the holidays each year, as my family looks forward to them. —Faye O'Bryan, Owensboro, Kentucky
Bacon Cream Cheese Pinwheels
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It's hard to resist a crescent roll, bacon and cream cheese in one bite! Kids, friends, everyone will scarf these cream cheese pinwheels down. Now I bake a double batch whenever we have a get-together. —Krista Munson, Sharpsburg, Kentucky
Morning Maple Muffins
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Maple combines with a subtle touch of cinnamon and nuts to give these muffins the flavor of a hearty pancake breakfast. But you don’t have to sit down to enjoy them. Our 2-year-old comes back for seconds, and even my husband—who doesn’t normally like muffins—likes these. —Elizabeth Talbot, Lexington, Kentucky
Homemade Fish Sticks
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I am a nutritionist and needed a healthy fish fix. Moist inside and crunchy outside, these are amazing with oven fries or roasted veggies and low-fat homemade tartar sauce. —Jennifer Rowland, Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Slow-Cooked Pizza Casserole
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A friend from church gave me the recipe for this satisfying slow-cooked casserole. It's always one of the first dishes emptied at potlucks, and it can easily be adapted to personal tastes. —Julie Sterchi, Campbellsville, Kentucky
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I had never made or eaten this dish before meeting my husband here in Kentucky. Now I make it at least once a week. I serve it with some homemade sweet cornbread. Delicious! —Christine Duffy, Sturgis, Kentucky
Easy Slow-Cooked Pork Tenderloin
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I find that simple dinners are the best comfort foods that my family of seven really desires. Simple, good ingredients are the key to my success in the kitchen. Three ingredients poured over the pork and—voila!—the most mouthwatering pork you have ever tasted! —Grace Neltner, Lakeside Park, Kentucky
Au Gratin Garlic Potatoes
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Cream cheese and a can of cheese soup turn ordinary sliced potatoes into a rich side dish that's perfect accompaniment to almost any meal. —Tonya Vowels, Vine Grove, Kentucky
Originally Published: July 05, 2018
Caroline Stanko
Caroline has been with Taste of Home for the past seven years, working in both print and digital. After starting as an intern for the magazine and special interest publication teams, Caroline was hired as the third-ever digital editor for Taste of Home. Since then, she has researched, written and edited content on just about every topic the site covers, including cooking techniques, buzzy food news, gift guides and many, many recipe collections. Caroline also acts as the editorial lead for video, working with the Test Kitchen, videographers and social media team to produce videos from start to finish.When she’s not tip-tapping on a keyboard, Caroline is probably mixing up a killer co*cktail, reading a dog-eared library book or cooking up a multi-course feast (sometimes all at once). Though she technically lives in Milwaukee, there is a 50/50 chance Caroline is in Chicago or southwest Michigan visiting her close-knit family.