jusnikki
Head Chef
Hi all!!!(waving) What's a good menu for a wedding party dinner? Looking along the lines of pasta and what may go with it...
Chicken Tetrazzini
green salad or spinach salad w sliced strawberries, poppy seed dressing
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Stuffed shells or manicotti with a marinara sauce on top. Festive but a lot of work.
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Nobody serves this, at least any weddings I've been to -- devilled eggs, a good hors d' oeuvres and easier than stuffing shells.
Hi 'nikki! (waving back) Nice to see you pop in. A wedding - how exciting!
Our go-to dish for a large group is something a friend dubbed "Pound Of". It's a pound each of macaroni, rotini, ziti, ground beef, Italian sausage, pepperoni (I used just 1/4 pound for a full recipe), and a pound of mozzarella cheese. Cook all the pastas up, fry up the beef and sausage, and combine all meats and pastas together with enough jar sauce (or your own, if you're so inclined), and about half of the mozzarella. Fill your baking dishes with it, top with the remaining cheese, and bake at 325 for 45 minutes.
We would make this for scout gatherings, but it came in handy for feeding football players a few hours before a game. I'd always make a much smaller batch for home, using up whatever pasta shapes I have on hand. You can tweak it with extra herbs, some grated parma cheese on top, anything you think sounds tasty.
I would think a simple tossed salad would work along side.
If you want fancier, maybe cheese-stuffed shells? Then there are the chicken and eggplant Parmesan entrees that can be served over/along side pasta.
Good luck!
Nice to see ya!
Your question brings so many more questions to mind!
Does it need to be made in advance? Maybe a seafood lasagna or maybe stuffed shells.
Do you know all of the people well enough to pick one dish? Maybe one pasta with a choice of two sauces.
Can it be done at the last minute? Maybe angel hair with shrimp, asparagus or snow peas and cherry tomatoes.
Once you decide on the pasta I would go with a basic green salad and warm crispy Italian bread or rolls. For dessert I would go with a simple scoop of ice cream and a crunchy cookie or a small serving of biscuit tortoni.
If it's a buffet maybe a choice of two pasta dishes,roasted chicken pieces and a salad bar with rolls.
Good luck!
We had our last night's dinner at a wedding dinner once, penne alla vodka. I think we had a salad to go with and there was some kind of garlic bread. There was another pasta dish as well, probably something vegetarian with eggplant as I think that's what Craig had since he really likes eggplant.
I'd serve at least 2 pastas, with 1 being a vegetarian option unless you know for a fact that none of the guests are vegetarian. In fact, I'd probably go for 3 make-ahead pasta dishes, with 1 being vegetarian and the other 2 with pork, beef or chicken. Personally, I'd stay away from seafood since it has the potential of going bad quickly and also a lot of people have allergies or quirks about eating seafood, not to mention the expense of it.
Maybe you could tell us a bit more, like if it's going to be a buffet or table service, whether all dishes need to be pre-made, budget, whether you need an appetizer, dessert, etc.
Whatever pasta you decide, remember, sauces flavored with oregano, basil, rosemary, etc. must be seasoned just before serving, as the aromatics of those herbs will give up their flavors to the air, or, in other words, evaporate out, leaving you with a bland sauce.
Of course if the pasta is tossed with olive oil, and freshly cut herbs and spices just before serving, it tends to be flavorful, and perceived as lighter, and even healthier food. Add sun-dried tomato and some sliced olives to add more layers of flavor.
I agree that though wonderful in flavor, seafood should be avoided due to expense.
Choose pasta shapes that sauces will stick to. Rigatonie, ziti, bowties, and anything with ridges on the outside work well.
Good luck. Have fun.
Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
This, too, can be made a day ahead. Just use more sauce when you mix it to allow for liquids being absorbed the day before.This sounds good. I will definetly be trying this... thank you.
This, too, can be made a day ahead. Just use more sauce when you mix it to allow for liquids being absorbed the day before.
And yes, like Kayelle, I'm nosy too. Will you let us know who the happy couple is?
It's wonderful you'll be hosting the rehearsal dinner Niki. That's so much nicer than having it at a restaurant and I'm sure your gift of love will always be remembered. There's nothing better than a family celebration of love.
Keep us posted how it went, ok?