Need Easy Bridal Shower Food Ideas

Updated on July 17, 2009
M.M. asks from Chicago, IL
13 answers

Hello Moms. I am hosting a bridal shower for about 25 people and am looking for some food ideas. I was thinking about making a big salad, having fruit and then need a "main course." I would like to stick to chicken for the other option. Also if anyone has a recipe for a crowd pleasing salad let me know.
Also, any easy appetizer ideas are appreciated. The bride does not like mayo, cold cheese or meat...
THANK YOU

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G.H.

answers from Chicago on

The bride is not the only one you're feeding. Everyone I know loves a cheese board with fruit (cantelope, strawberries, Rainer cherries, watermelon,chunks, etc). Also a vegtable tray. Cheese chunks on toothpicks, some pepperoni. Olives, cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, broccoli, and or cauliflower florets with a blue cheese or ranch dip. Have a few bowls of mixed nuts scattered around for them to munch and a tasty punch for guests to help themselves to while waiting for people to arrive. Nice music in the background is a good touch that people will notice.

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D.K.

answers from Chicago on

When I was hosting my dh's 30th b-day party, I was fortunate enough to stand next to an old Italian couple while in line at the butcher. They very frankly and correctly told me I was making it harder than I needed to. We were having 80 people! They SAVED me and I'm so glad I listened to them. Here's what they told me and what I did.

you can bake Italian sausage, a single layer in a pan with sides, for 20 mins per side at 350 degrees. be sure to pierce them first for obvious, painful reasons.

Take a large top or bottom round roast and seer both sides then put it in the bottom of a large crock pot. Top it with a jar of giardinaire and cook on low for 6-8 hours - it makes EXCELLENT Italian beef. (my dh's stepmom makes this for family things now, apparently she really liked it that day)

On the stove, sautee bell peppers with olive oil & garlic. They go great with the other stuff.

Serve these with good Italian bread cut into decent sandwich sizes & cut with slits so they are easily opened. Serve buffet style so they can help themselves. Add some good spaghetti sauce for people who want it with their sausages and that's even better. I like to put out good grated parmesan cheese, and slices of provolone, too.

I also added an easy dish - another crock pot thing so it's easy, breazy. Get good frozen meatballs & a good spaghetti sauce, put them into the crock pot & cook on low 3 hours, will keep most of the evening so you can leave it for people to help themselves.

Lasagna is great, too. Easy because you can make it the day before and bake before the party. You can make spinach lasagna for people who don't eat meat, to balance all the other stuff I mentioned. There's a great recipe in the better homes & gardens cook book, or check their site. It's great, I've made it a million times with great fanfare. My mil even requests I make it sometimes for family gatherings.

People offered to bring dishes so I let them. We ended up with broccoli salad; tomatoes with fresh mozzarella or feta with balsalmic vinegar & Italian seasonings and fresh basil; potato salad, egg salad, a nice green salad; and other things I can't remember 7 years later lol. But it worked really well and I stayed sane despite having 80+ people in my house!

I've hosted plenty of parties since then and find that people generally offer to bring something so have a list of what you want to serve and when people ask if they can bring something, go down your list unless you know a)they can't cook (in which case you say a bottle of red would be great!) or b) they have a specialty they might bring.

Last summer we had a graduation/going away party for my son who was headed to the Air Force. We had a pig roast. I had my list and everyone offered food so my mil's famous beans were very necessary. After that I did like I mentioned before and well I didn't cook ANYTHING! I had plenty other stuff to do, but there was a moment when the pig was off the spit & being carved but not everyone else was there so I thought boy we'll be pork & beaners here but heck we had a keg to wash it down so bring it on! lol. Well the last minute everyone came and poof, we had an EXCELLENT buffet set up in the kitchen for people to walk through and peruse.

For a huge group (this time more than 150!) buffet style is the only way to serve! And heck with live music they were all set. What could anyone complain about?! What would they do, demand their money back? lol.

Have fun!
D.

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M.S.

answers from Chicago on

Here's a great chicken dish that takes very little effort to make and you can make a huge pan of it...
Pesto Chicken
You will need:
chicken breasts - (don't use chicken breasts that are too big b/c it will take much longer to cook)
provolone cheese (sliced)
mushrooms (optional)

Bread the chicken breasts, put in baking dish and pour pesto sauce over the chicken. Place provolone slices on each breast and mushrooms (optional). Cook at 375 for 45 minutes

Appetizer ideas:
Shrimp: marinate cooked shrimp in Italian dressing & capers for a couple hours (in the fridge, serve cold)

Bread & topping: toast thinly sliced italian bread in the oven and serve with goat cheese & roasted red peppers or brie, pear and honey on the bread.

Good luck!

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M.B.

answers from Chicago on

I am not sure when you are hosting the shower, but I have a wonderful and easy recipe for a summer strawberry salad.
Washed baby spinach. Slice 1 cup strawberries, add 8 oz goat cheese and 1/2 cup of pecans or almonds.
Toss all ingredients right before serving in a lite Raspberry Vinegrette dressing (Kraft makes on) and serve. It is a huge hit and very easy to make!
Good luck!!!

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R.P.

answers from Chicago on

Something that our extended family has adopted because everyone is picky about what is on or in their salad is a salad bar. It is easy enough to put together, just shred what ever greens you want to use into a large bowl then place each "topping" in a seperate container and provide a few dressings that are popular. We like to include things like sliced hard-boiled eggs, shredded carrot, pecans, shredded or crumbled cheese, croutons, tomato, cucumber, etc as toppings. The sky is the limit really, you could even theme it for say taco salad or add chicken for a more filling salad. The big plus is you can prep a lot of things a few days ahead and then just pull it out.

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P.K.

answers from Chicago on

Hi M.- I'm a big fan of simple salads, especially when making one for a large group.

Toss: Arugula, fresh shaved parmesan, drizzle olive oil, add ground pepper & sea salt to taste. Done.

Good luck with everything!

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L.B.

answers from Chicago on

I'm a Pampered Chef consultant. I can give you several recipes that would be perfect for a bridal shower. They are all easy to make and most make in under 30 minutes. Email me at ____@____.com

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J.B.

answers from Chicago on

There is a great recipe for a chicken oriential salad made with roman noodles (search online). It is oil based, no mayo. Also you could make finger sandwiches with cream cheese and sour cream mixed together as the base and then there are various add-ins (saw on Paula Dean so you could also search website). Grilled or Fried chicken is always a hit so you can't go wrong with chicken.

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T.D.

answers from Chicago on

First of all...Bravo for hosting a bridal shower with a new baby!!
I may not have the answer you want to hear, but I am a huge advocate for catering. I have had many parties where I prepared the food and it's expensive and time consuming. I've found that catering might be a little more expensive, but it removes a layer of stress from party planning.
Some ideas are: italian food, mexican food (I catered a big party from Lalo's and it was fantastic) or Chinese food. Most chinese restaurants offer some sort of catering package. Look for a package that offers a salad, bread and entree. Good luck!

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D.L.

answers from Chicago on

Veggie pasta salad made with vinegar instead of mayo. Hummus with veggies & pita chips. As far as a main course, I would choose a chicken crock pot dish. You can prepare it early & then you're not doing everything at the last minute.

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D.T.

answers from Chicago on

Family Circle has a salad in its current issue that appeals to young and old, is easy to prepare......you can find the recipe there, but here are the ingredients: romaine lettuce, sweet onion(sliced), sesame seeds, mayo, milk, vinegar, sugar.....

I used to prepare a spinach salad along this same idea.
Fresh spinach, sunflower seeds, sweet onion slices, cubes of avocado, fresh raspberries and served with a raspberry vinegarette......even the kids would gobble this down!

I agree, simple is best. You may want to look into borrowing some glass punch bowls for serving the salad ...it will hold more than enough and is pretty to look at.

Grilled chicken or baked with a nice marinade should be a great choice especially with everyone watching their diets these days!

I'm sure you will have lots of fun.

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J.D.

answers from Chicago on

Hi M. Go to the internet and you'll find tons of recipes. Sites such as : Taste of Home, Paula Deen, All Recipes, Rachael Ray and ect.

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E.R.

answers from Chicago on

Classic for any shower... the sandwich loaf. Go to your local bakery and have one made.

They are awesome and everyone loves them.

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