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
Equipment
- 20-30 small skewers or toothpicks
Ingredients
- ½ pound cheese tortellini
- ½ cup pesto (store bought or homemade)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 8 ounces mozzarella balls
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add tortellini. Cook according to package directions until al dente, about 5 minutes, and drain. Rinse with cool water and set aside to dry before using.
- On a small bamboo skewer, add one each cooled tortellini, cherry tomato, and mozzarella ball. Set on serving tray and spoon pesto on the tortellini. Serve with extra pesto on the side if desired.
Notes
- Tortellini: cheese tortellini works best for this recipe. Be sure you are using the fresh tortellini from the dairy section, rather than the smaller dried tortellini.
- Cheese: small fresh mozzarella cheese balls work great here, but you can always substitute other cubed cheese such as provolone.
- Variations: this is a great appetizer to add other ingredients to such as salami, olives, or fresh basil leaves.
- Pesto: use your favorite store-bought or homemade pesto here. Have extra on the side for dipping.
- Make ahead: you can make these skewers a couple hours ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
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 Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
- 1 pre-made graham cracker crust
- 1 13.4 ounce can dulce de leche
- 3 bananas
- 1 ½ cups whipped cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Unwrap your pre-made graham cracker crust. Spread about two-thirds of the can of dulce de leche on the bottom of the crust. Use a spatula to gently spread on the bottom, being careful not to break the crust. Next, cut one of the bananas into round slices and place on top of the layer of caramel on the bottom.
- In a large bowl, combine the whipped cream and powdered sugar. Use an electric mixture to whip the ingredients together until they the cream forms stiff peaks. Mash the remaining two bananas in a separate bowl. Then, add the mashed bananas to the whipped cream and mix until just combined and soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream mixture on top of the pie crust and smooth the top.
- Pour the remaining dulce de leche into a microwave bowl and heat until slightly pourable. Drizzle the caramel mixture over the top of the whipped cream.
- Place the pie in the freezer and let chill, uncovered, for at least 4-5 hours. After the pie has frozen, you can cover with plastic wrap for later use. Let the banoffee pie sit a room temperature for five minutes before cutting into slices and serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two weeks.
Notes
- Crust: you can make your own buttery graham cracker crust by combining 8 ounces crushed graham crackers with 6 tablespoons melted butter. Press into a pie plate and let chill until set.
- Dulce de leche: if you can’t find dulce de leche in your grocery store, you can make your own using this recipe to make dulce de leche. You can also substitute with your favorite caramel sauce.
- Ice cream: if you wanted to use homemade ice cream or store bought for the whipped cream layer, you could do so using vanilla ice cream.
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!
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!