When planning a shower – whether that be a bridal shower or a baby shower – one of the first things you’ll want to start planning is the food.
Maybe you want the food to match whatever the theme of the shower is, or perhaps you just want to keep things tasty and simple so everyone is satisfied and you can enjoy the event without worrying too much about the food.
When it comes to shower food ideas, you can’t go wrong with lemon tarragon pasta salad! It’s simple, perfect for a summer shower, and is sure to go down a treat with everyone.
Below, you’ll find 6 amazing lemon tarragon pasta salad recipes, as well as tips on how to plan food for a shower. Let’s get started!
Lemon Tarragon Pasta Salad From Alex Daynes
At the core of this pasta salad are bowtie noodles, cubed chicken, green onions, red grapes, and slivered almonds that are all tied together by a super smooth lemon tarragon dressing that’s to die for!
Lemon Tarragon Pasta Salad From In Fine Taste
With just 5 ingredients you can make a salad that is the perfect balance between tangy, crunchy, and sweet. It contains protein, without being too heavy and is just too good to make only for showers. Trust us, this is going to be your go-to midweek dinner recipe too.
Lemon Tarragon Pasta Salad From The Food Charlatan
Lemon and tarragon is already a unique combination, but this version of lemon tarragon pasta salad takes this uniqueness to the next level with the addition of asparagus.
Lemon Tarragon Pasta Salad From Jamie Cooks It Up
The tarragon and lemon dressing in this recipe is so refreshing and creamy, and makes an amazing companion to the chunks of chicken, filling pasta, and sweet grapes.
Lemon Tarragon Pasta Salad With Chicken From The Crafting Chicks
This lemon tarragon pasta salad with chicken is sure to go down a treat with shower guests!
If you’re on food duty, you need to check this recipe out, as whipping up this salad quickly will make food planning so much easier.
Lemon Tarragon Pasta Salad From House Of Nash Eats
Packed with herby tarragon and zesty lemon, this salad is as refreshing as it is filling. We recommend making a large batch that will see you through the shower and a week of lunches!
Tips For Planning A Menu For A Shower
Planning the menu for a shower really gives you a chance to be creative, but of course, for things to go off without a hitch there are some practical elements to keep in mind.
As the host of the shower you will have a lot to do, such as decorating the venue. Therefore, it’s a good idea to plan a menu that is quick and simple to make, and just as easy to eat.
If you would like some more guidance, here are some tips to help make planning a menu for a shower a breeze.
Take The Theme And Size Of The Shower Into Account
You should consider whether you’re planning a more casual shower, or a more formal affair. For example, will your guests be seated, or standing, or eating their food on their laps?
Are finger foods more appealing to you, or will you need some knives and forks? Once you’ve decided this, creating your shower menu around that will be a lot easier.
Offer A Range Of Options
This is particularly important when planning a baby shower, as pregnant people are told to avoid certain foods such as fish that are high in mercury, processed or undercooked foods, unpasteurized foods, and undercooked or raw fish.
However, for a bridal shower you will still need to consider potential food intolerances, allergies, or special diets. It’s a good idea to put this question on your shower invitations, so you can make sure there are safe, delicious options for everyone.
As well as food safety, it’s important to keep aesthetics in mind too, and provide food in a variety of colors, (see also: Make Your Own White Food Color Marker)temperatures, textures, and spiciness.
Prep Food Safely
Remember to thoroughly wash vegetables and fruits, and to use separate surfaces for cutting fruit, veggies, and other raw foods.
Also, remember to cook all meat well and make sure that any hot food on the menu is reheated to safe temperatures before serving.
Clearly Label Foods
Labelling dishes is incredibly helpful for guests who have food intolerances, allergies, or adhere to certain diets, and it makes it easier for every guest to know exactly what they’re eating.
If you’ve gone for a buffet-style table, label the foods on offer with small cards or tags. Or, you can print out a couple of menus that you frame and display on each table.
Use Good Tableware
If you’ve decided to use disposable plates for your shower, make sure to avoid those lacking in quality as they might get easily soggy and cause a mess! You should also steer away from plastic cutlery that doesn’t cut food well.
We recommend going for plastic or paper plates that are sturdy and can withstand sauces, salad dressings, and everything in between.
Set Up A Practical Food Table
Your food should be accessible to all your guests, and a great way to do this is to set up two food tables (for example, one for sweet treats and one for savory dishes) and allow guests to serve themselves.
Rather than pushing the buffet table against a wall, bring it forward so your guests can easily mingle around the table, and serve themselves food without having to form a line.
We also recommend adding height by using stands made of overturned bowls or pots, to draw people’s attention to the food on offer and make them more easily accessible. You can dress these pots or bowls up with a tablecloth.
Go For Dishes You Can Make Ahead Of Time
To reduce your amount of stress, try to make most of the food on your menu ahead of time. A crudités platter can be easily put together the night before, for example. You can also ice sweet treats like cupcakes and cookies the night before too.
Foods like mini sausages and meatballs can also be made ahead of time, and easily heated up before serving.
Unfortunately, not all food items can be made in advance. For example, guacamole will quickly turn brown so it’s a good idea to make this fresh.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re planning the menu for a shower, you may want to plan a buffet with plenty of hot and cold finger foods to encourage your guests to mingle and eat. Some good examples are cheese plates, cookies, cupcakes, fruit skewers, mini quiches, Swedish meatballs on skewers, or sushi.
If you would like to add sandwiches to your shower menu, let’s take a look at some tasty and simple options that all the guests are sure to love!
-Afternoon tea sandwiches (such as cream cheese and cucumber, sliced turkey and pimento cheese, or sliced cold roast beef and horseradish sauce).
-Bruschetta.
-Mini cornbread sandwiches.
-Mini sliders.
Final Thoughts
We hope our article has given you some inspiration for your next baby shower or bridal shower!
But if there’s one thing we want you to take away, it’s this – you can’t go wrong putting lemon tarragon pasta salad on your menu.
When I gave birth to my first kid, I could no longer skip dinner, or just cook easy meals.
This is what inspired me to create EatThinkBeMerry.com.
I hope you will get to find your own inspiration for your next meals and have as much fun as we do looking out for you!
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