This complete Baby Shower Menu has every recipe you need with no click throughs! Moreover, it’s make-ahead, delicious, and budget-friendly foods that are perfect for your next baby shower.
Throwing a baby shower can seem overwhelming. Because there is so much to plan – games, favors, and of course the food – you don’t need to stress about the menu! With these recipes, you will be able to throw an amazing luncheon baby shower without stressing or spending a lot on food. Here’s the delicious and easy make-ahead menu:
- Asparagus Tart with Ricotta and Lemon
- Tortellini Pesto Skewers
- Rotisserie Chicken Salad with Grapes
- Make-Ahead Turkey Meatballs
- Kale Salad with Quinoa
- Donut and Fruit Kabob Skewers
- Banoffee Buter Pecan Ice-Cream Cake
Baby Shower Menu: Asparagus Tart
This tart is light, crispy, and easy to eat, making it perfect for a brunch menu. Firstly, make the filling and trim the asparagus ahead of time. The day of the baby shower, just unroll the puff pastry, spread on the filling, top with asparagus, and bake. Moreover, this is great served at room temperature.
Roasted Asparagus and Ricotta Tart
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3 ounce package, thawed
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup ricotta cheese (part skim works)
- ½ cup Garlic and Herbs Spreadable Cheese like Boursin or Rondele
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 lemon, zested
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 12 ounces asparagus, trimmed
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees; place oven rack in lower third of oven. Unfold pastry onto piece of parchment paper and rol ½ inch bigger on all sides. Slide parchment and pastry onto baking sheet. In medium bowl, beat egg. Lightly brush ½-inch border of egg around pastry.
- Add ricotta, garlic and herbs cheese, and salt, pepper, and lemon zest into bowl with remaining egg. Mix well then fold in scallions. Spread onto pastry, leaving ½ inch border uncovered.
- Top filling with asparagus using remaining pieces to fill in any empty spaces; drizzle with olive oil. Bake until crust is golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Pesto Tortellini Skewers
Super easy to make appetizer using store-bought pesto sauce. Just boil and toss the tortellini with pesto. The day of the baby shower, thread bamboo skewers with a cube of cheese, cherry tomato, and tortellini. I like to use these cocktail bamboo appetizer skewers.
Pesto Tortellini Skewers
Ingredients
- ½ pound cheese tortellini
- ½ cup store-bought pesto
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 pound cheese cubes like provolone or mozzarella
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add tortellini. Cook according to package directions, about 5 minutes, and drain. Toss with ¼ cup of pesto, set aside.
- On a small bamboo skewer, add cheese cube, tomato, and tortellini. Set on serving tray and spoon a bit more pesto on the tortellini. Serve extra pesto on the side if desired.
Nutrition
Baby Shower Menu: Rotisserie Chicken Salad
Easy and delicious Rotisserie Chicken Salad with Grapes is the perfect addition to a budget-friendly menu. Make the entire dish ahead of time and serve with either crackers or on croissants with grapes on the side.
Rotisserie Chicken Salad with Grapes
Ingredients
Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup greek yogurt (nonfat or 2%)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about ½ a lemon)
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Chicken Salad
- 4 cups rotisserie chicken, chopped (about 2 breasts)
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 cup red grapes, halved
- 1 small apple, peeled and diced
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
- Add the chicken salad ingredients on top and stir together using a rubber spatula until combined.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Turkey Meatballs
When creating any sort of luncheon menu, I like to include one hot item. So these turkey meatballs are always my favorite go to. Moreover, you can make them ahead of time and then just reheat over low heat on the stove or in a slow cooker on the buffet table. Easy and delicious!
Make-Ahead Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1.5 pounds ground turkey meat
- 1 pound mild Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
- ½ cup onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (approximately 1 tablespoon)
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- ¼ cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- ¾ cup Italian-style bread crumbs
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Marinara Sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (approximately 1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
Instructions
Meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl and, using clean hands, mix until combined. Roll into large balls, approximately 1 ½ inch and place on baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.
Marinara Sauce
- For the marinara sauce, heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and salt and cook for an additional minute. Add the remainder of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed. Optional: using an emersion blender, blend the sauce to your desired consistency.
- Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes. If making ahead, cool slightly, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat over medium heat until warmed through. Serve with parmesan and pasta, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Kale Quinoa Salad
Here’s a healthy salad that you can completely make ahead of time. That’s why it’s perfect for a Baby Shower Menu. Because the Kale Quinoa Salad actually tastes better when it has a chance to sit and the kale leaves are strong enough to not wilt like romaine or lettuce, it’s great to make ahead.
Kale Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup quinoa, uncooked
- 1 10 ounce bag kale (or one bunch, chopped)
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
Dressing:
- ½ cup lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
- Roughly chop kale, being careful to remove any hard stems. Add kale, cooled quinoa, parmesan, raisins, and walnuts to a large bowl.
- Make the dressing: whisk together all dressing ingredients.
- Toss together the dressing and salad and refrigerate at least an hour before serving. Salad can be made up to a day in advance.
Notes
- Golden raisins: I love the mild soft flavor of golden raisins in this salad. However, you could substitute regular raisins, dried cranberries, or even dried cherries.
- Parmesan: The parmesan gives the salad a salty bite. You could swap out the cheese for feta, pecorino, or omit it altogether.
- Walnuts: Nuts give salad a delicious crunch. Here you could substitute the walnuts for almond, pecans, pistachios, or omit them.
- Serve with grilled chicken or salmon for a complete meal.
Nutrition
Donut Fruit Skewers
These fun and easy donut skewers are great to accompany dessert on your Baby Shower Menu. Also, they are totally customizable, use whatever flavor donut holes and fruit you want.
Donut and Fruit Kabobs
Ingredients
- 2 dozen donut holes
- 1 cantaloupe, cubed
- 2 dozen strawberries, trimmed
- 12 blackberries
- 12 wooden kabob skewers
Instructions
- Arrange the fruit and donuts on the skewer with the blackberry in the middle. Either wrap each individual skewer in wax paper and secure with ribbon, or serve stacked on a platter.
Notes
Nutrition
Ice-Cream Pie
Lastly, the final deliciousness to this Baby Shower Menu is a totally make-ahead ice-cream cake. Moreover, this is a slightly grownup version from your traditional ice cream cake and include banoffee pie flavors with bananas, caramel, and a graham cracker crust.
Banoffee Butter Pecan Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
Crust Layer
- 10 graham crackers, finely crushed (about 1 ½ cups of crumbs)
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Ice Cream Layer
- 2 bananas, sliced
- ½ cup dulce de leche or caramel sauce
- 1.5 quart butter pecan ice cream, softened
Topping
- ½ cup dulce de leche or caramel sauce
- 1 banana, sliced
- 1 tablespoon pecans, finely chopped
- whipped cream for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and vanilla. Pour into the bottom of either a springform pan or a pie dish. If using a springform, press crumb mixture into bottom of pan. If using pie dish, press into bottom and up the walls of the pie pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- For the ice-cream layer, arrange the sliced bananas on top of the graham crust. Pour on dulce de leche or caramel sauce. Place the softened ice-cream in a large mixing bowl. In a microwave safe bowl, add the butterscotch chips and about ¼ cup of ice-cream. Microwave until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Pour the melted chips and chopped pecans into the ice-cream and stir to combine but do not over mix. Pour into pan and freeze for at least an hour.
- Spread the softened ice cream over the bananas and freeze for about an hour.
- Remove the cake from the freezer and pour the remaining dulce de leche or caramel sauce on top. Arrange the remaining banana slices around the edge of the cake. Sprinkle the pecans in the middle. Return to freezer for another 15 minutes or until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, allow to sit at room temperature before cutting or removing the springform. Serve with whipped cream (optional).
Notes
Nutrition
So if you’re looking for an easy and stress-free Baby Shower Menu that’s budget-friendly, be sure to try out these great options!
Also, check out my Baby Registry Top Picks and get the essentials for baby!
Grace
Thanks for the great ideas! Served most of this menu for a baby shower I hosted and it was so easy and simple. Everyone loved the food and the cake was amazing!