20 Festive Christmas Dinner Ideas

Parmesan cheese straws are crispy, crunchy, flaky, cheesy, and super easy to make. All you do is twist up some frozen puff pastry and season it with grated parmesan (preferably parmigiano-reggiano from Italy) and herbs and spices of your choosing. Then bake them up until golden brown and delicious and serve. Make twice as much as you think you’ll need, because these go fast.

Any nut can be candied, but there’s something about the flavor and texture of pecans that really sets these apart from the pack. To prepare, just toss pecans in a frothed-up egg white, then mix with sugar and a pinch each of cinnamon and salt before baking in a 250º F oven for about an hour, tossing occasionally. Add a little cayenne for a spicy kick, or pumpkin spice to make them super-seasonal.

Who doesn’t love a rich and creamy,super-comforting spinach and artichoke dip? It’s a perfect way to start a holiday meal, and it’s also easy to make: Just combine chopped canned artichokes and (thawed) frozen spinach with cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, mozzarella, and some parmesan and garlic and bake until brown and bubbly.

If you’re looking for an appetizer that’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser, look no further than warm and hearty potato leek soup. The recipe is also easy enough to keep in your back pocket: just boil potatoes, leeks, celery, and herbs in stock until tender, whizz up with an immersion blender or in a food processor, stir in some cream, and simmer until thickened.

On the subject of easy and delicious appetizers: shrimp scampi. All you need to do is cook up some peeled shrimp with garlic, white wine, and a lot of butter, and garnish with a sprinkle of parsley. Make sure your guests have plenty of crusty bread on hand for mopping.

Some pasta dishes take hours to prepare, but you can whip this one up in no time at all. Use tri-color rotini for a pop of Christmasy color, and simply toss it in a quick sauce made with plenty of butter, a little of the pasta cooking water, and a healthy handful of grated parmesan. Add in parsley and your favorite herbs for an extra dose of color and flavor.

Tenderloin is the most tender and luscious cut of beef. If you want to treat your guests to a high-end feast but don’t want to cook individual filets for each of them, splurge on a center-cut beef tenderloin, also called a chateaubriand. All you need to do is season it with plenty of salt, pepper, and herbs and spices of your choosing, sear it in a hot pan until it develops a crust, then slowly roast it until it reaches your desired temperature (130º F for medium-rare) — then slice and serve.

Few other Christmas dinner centerpieces are this easy and inexpensive, yet impressive and delicious. A store-bought ham can be customized to your liking with any variety of glazes, rubs, and seasonings. For Christmas, we like to glaze our bone-in, spiral-sliced shank-end ham with a combination of real maple syrup, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and a pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Yes, we know that a Christmas goose may sound old-fashioned, but once you’ve had one properly cooked, you may never roast up a turkey again. Think of it as a big duck, another red-meat bird: the breast meat needs to be cooked to medium so it doesn’t turn dry and stringy, and it needs to be cooked slowly so the ample fat can render out. Once you get the hang of it, though, no Christmas will be complete without an old-school roast goose on the table.

If you’ve never had Hasselback potatoes, think of them as the perfect cross between a baked potato and thick-cut potato chips. To make them, slice potatoes lengthwise until they’re almost — but not quite — sliced through (we like to rest them on chopsticks, or you can use the bowl of a deep spoon), brush them with plenty of butter and herbs, and bake until they’re tender and crispy.

Farmers markets are brimming with root vegetables this time of year, and they make for a deliciously hearty and festive side dish. To cook, just cut your favorite root vegetables (like sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, beets, and turnips) into equal-size pieces, toss with your favorite fresh herbs and olive oil or butter (and maple syrup if you want a hint of sweetness) and roast in a hot oven until tender.

A fresh, green salad should always be included on your Christmas table, and there’s ample opportunity to make it festive. Our favorite Christmas salad combines arugula (or your choice of greens) with diced apples and pears, dried cranberries, goat cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds, and nuts (another good use for those candied pecans) with a mustard vinaigrette.

Roasted Brussels sprouts are delicious on their own, but hey, it’s Christmas, so why not make them a little more luxurious? To turn this versatile veg into a side dish to remember, roast halved Brussels sprouts until tender, then toss them with butter, salt and pepper, cream, and plenty of your favorite cheese (we love a mix of shredded cheddar and Gruyère). Add the mixture to a buttered baking dish, top with more cheese and some toasted breadcrumbs, maybe a sprig or two of herbs, and bake until brown and bubbly.

You’re under no obligation to make these from scratch, but Parker House rolls are an absolutely essential Christmas dinner sidekick. They’re perfect for mopping up gravy, and are delicious warm with a pat of butter.

Does any dessert scream “Christmas.” more than gingerbread cookies? Loaded loaded with warm spices like cinnamon, clove, and allspice, they get an extra kick from molasses and ground ginger. Be sure to use your favorite gingerbread-man cookie cutter, and get the kids involved in decorating them.

A Bûche de Noël — meaning “Yule log” — is a French dessert dating from the 19th century. To make this traditional Christmas dessert, roll a chocolate sheet cake up with whipped cream or some other filling, cover it in chocolate frosting, and decorate it to look like a log.

French apple pie (also called Dutch apple pie) is topped with a layer of crumbly brown sugar streusel. It’s perfect for beginners, because it allows you to use a store-bought crust and the bottom and not have to worry about making a top crust. It also adds an extra layer of sweet and buttery goodness, and tastes just as good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Eggnog is one of the most delicious and indulgent beverages on earth, and it’s the perfect sipper on a Christmas afternoon. It’s essentially drinkable custard, made with eggs, sugar, and plenty of milk and cream. Serve it with a sprinkle of nutmeg and a hefty shot of bourbon or rum.

A mug of warm apple cider is one of life’s truly great cold-weather pleasures, but why stop there? To give it a real Yuletide kick, simmer the cider with sliced oranges and mulling spices like cinnamon, cloves, and allspice before straining and serving. And if you decide to add a little bourbon to yours, we won’t tell anyone.

Glögg, a traditional Nordic Christmastime drink, is essentially mulled wine. There are plenty of recipes, but we make ours by warming up red wine and a little brandy with sugar, cloves, cinnamon, orange and lemon peels, and ginger. Let it simmer very slowly for a couple hours without allowing it to come to a boil. A non-alcoholic version can be made with grape juice; just leave out the sugar.