Christmas Dinner Ideas & Recipes

From traditional Christmas dinner recipes to vegetarian Christmas dinner recipes, we have so many different festive dishes to choose from. Whether you're looking for a hearty roast or beautiful salad, these delicious recipes will help you plan a healthy holiday meal in no time!

Staff Picks

Cranberry Glazed Turkey Breast with Wild Rice Pilaf

Rating: Unrated
1
This cranberry-glazed turkey breast recipe, which uses a split bone-in turkey breast, is the perfect thing to make if you're serving a smaller crowd or if everyone wants white meat. The wild rice pilaf recipe is delicious on its own so you can make it even if you don't prepare the turkey.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Homemade Potato Gnocchi

Rating: Unrated
2
Traditional homemade gnocchi (little Italian dumplings) are made with just potato, flour, egg and salt. Be sure not to work the dough too much or the gnocchi will be tough. Toss them with your favorite sauce and dinner is served!
By Stacy Fraser

Kale & Squash Galette with Olive Oil Crust

Rating: Unrated
2
Kale and kabocha pair deliciously in this healthy vegetarian galette recipe that looks as fabulous as it tastes. The squash wedges are roasted, peel and all, while the onions and kale are sautéed, and then everything is baked into this yeasted olive oil crust. If kabocha squash isn't available, buttercup squash is a good substitute.
By Anna Thomas

Coffee-Braised Pot Roast with Caramelized Onions

Rating: Unrated
15
This recipe is reminiscent of a pot roast made with onion-soup mix, but the flavors are true and pure--and nobody misses the excess sodium. (For a slow-cooker variation, see below.)
By Patsy Jamieson

Broiled Lobster Tails

Rating: Unrated
1
This easy holiday appetizer calls for lobster tails, the meatiest part of the lobster, which you can buy fresh or frozen. We've also included three easy and delicious compound butters to choose from to pair with the lobster meat: this recipe makes classic lobster thermidor butter, with the rich mix of Parmesan cheese, herbs and brandy; see Tips (below) to swap in an earthy porcini mushroom butter or a bright fennel and lemon butter.
By Liz Mervosh

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork with Roasted Apples & Fennel

Rating: Unrated
1
Inspired by the Italian roast called porchetta, this herb-slathered pork roast is wrapped in prosciutto. Completely company-worthy, this healthy dinner can be rounded out with garlicky broccolini, smashed potatoes and a dry hard cider.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Cauliflower Casserole with Everything Bagel Seasoning

Rating: Unrated
1
The cheesy-seedy crust that tops this healthy cauliflower casserole recipe evokes everything bagels. Serve for the holidays or as a hearty side dish with roast chicken.
By Nora Singley

Slow-Cooker Cassoulet

Rating: Unrated
1
This classic French stew recipe is typically made with a variety of meats and simmered over the course of multiple days. In this easy, streamlined cassoulet, the slow cooker makes it a breeze to have a healthy dinner on the table when you get home.
By Stacy Fraser

Nonna's Spaghetti & Meatballs

Rating: Unrated
5
The meatballs and sauce are cooked in the slow cooker for this traditional Italian spaghetti and meatballs recipe. You could also serve the meatballs over creamy polenta or on a sandwich with melted provolone.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna

Rating: Unrated
18
Sure, the slow cooker's great for stews and soups, but it also happens to make a mean lasagna! In this ingenious slow-cooker recipe, all you have to do is chop your veggies, then layer the ingredients (raw) into the crockpot. Serve with: Garlic bread and a green salad.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Beet & Goat Cheese Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
This stunning winter salad gets its sweet, earthy flavor from roasted beets and balsamic vinegar. Creamy goat cheese and peppery arugula add color and balance, while toasted walnuts add crunch. A mandoline is the best way to get thin, even slices from the roasted beets.
By Karen Rankin

Garlic Chicken

Rating: Unrated
10
Whole garlic cloves are mild when simmered with chicken in a simple white wine-mustard sauce in this garlic chicken recipe. Serve with smashed potatoes with buttermilk and sautéed green beans.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Inspiration and Ideas

A Traditional Christmas Dinner Menu

A Traditional Christmas Dinner Menu

Sticking to Christmas tradition, this classic dinner menu features holiday favorites like braised Brussels sprouts, juicy beef tenderloin, buttery-herbed potatoes and our healthier take on creamy eggnog.
Fresh Ham with Red Pepper Glaze

Fresh Ham with Red Pepper Glaze

For this fresh roast ham recipe, look for meat that hasn't been cured or smoked. Many markets stock fresh hams, but you may need to special-order one to be sure.
34 Vegan Christmas Dinner Reci

34 Vegan Christmas Dinner Reci

How to Cook Lobster Tails

How to Cook Lobster Tails

28 Impressive Seafood Recipes to Make for the Feast of the Seven Fishes

28 Impressive Seafood Recipes to Make for the Feast of the Seven Fishes

Last-Minute Holiday Recipes

Last-Minute Holiday Recipes

No-Sugar-Added Sweet Potato Casserole

Instead of loading up this comfort food side with tons of brown sugar and marshmallows, we have turned to sweet spices, vanilla and inherently sweet dried fruit to enhance the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes. A topping of pecans and pepitas replaces traditional marshmallow topping to keep it healthy and add texture and color for a beautiful casserole.

All Christmas Dinner Ideas & Recipes

EatingWell Meat Pie

Rating: Unrated
2
Traditionally meat pie recipes are made with mostly ground pork. This recipe for French-Canadian meat pie, or tourtiere, is lightened up by using lean ground beef with a little ground pork for flavor and bulked up with plenty of shredded vegetables. You can make it even easier by using a store-bought crust.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Balsamic Berry Vinaigrette Winter Salad

Rating: Unrated
4
This festive salad features colorful greens, fruit and cheese tossed with a light and zesty dressing.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Roasted Honeynut Squash

Rating: Unrated
2
Honeynut squash looks just like mini butternut squash, but on the inside you'll find an even sweeter, deeper orange flesh. This winter squash has only been available at farmers' markets and in select grocery stores for a few years. If you see it, grab a few to try! This simple roasting method enhances the natural flavor of the squash with butter and spices.
By Carolyn Casner

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

This healthy recipe is a savory riff on the traditional brown-sugar-and-pecan-topped sweet potato casserole so often found on Thanksgiving tables. Crispy baby kale leaves make a stunning garnish, but any green or herb that suits you will look great, fried or not.
By Mary-Frances Heck

Sweet Potato Hash Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Rating: Unrated
1
Diced sweet potato, bell peppers and apples make a vegan stuffing inspired by the flavors of sausage. To add that savory flavor, we use poultry seasoning (don't worry, there's no actual poultry in it!). Piled into portobello mushroom caps, it creates a beautiful and filling plant-based main dish--perfect for the holidays.
By Carolyn Casner

Mushroom & Wild Rice Frittata

Rating: Unrated
4
Packed with a flavorful medley of chewy wild rice and three kinds of mushrooms, this satisfying frittata is perfect for Sunday brunch. Don't worry if you can only find one kind of mushroom--the richly aromatic top of baked Parmesan and crisp prosciutto will make up for it.
By Maria Speck

Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes with Spinach

Rating: Unrated
1
Classic scalloped potatoes get a burst of color, heartier texture and a healthy update with the addition of chopped spinach. The greens in this side dish also create a nice contrast to the creamy, velvety potatoes.
By Hilary Meyer

Individual Brussels Sprout & Potato Frittatas

Rating: Unrated
3
Brussels sprouts and preshredded potatoes make these oversized muffin-shaped frittatas hearty. They're as good served warm for dinner as they are at room temperature for lunch. Pair with a mixed green salad with cherry tomatoes and buttermilk dressing.
By David Bonom

Simple Roast Chicken

Rating: Unrated
2
There's no reason to get overly fussy with complicated techniques for a flavorful, rich and simple roast chicken, the ultimate comfort food.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Fennel, Porcini & Chicken Cacciatore

Rating: Unrated
2
Dried porcini give an earthy, punch to this Italian classic. Although it tastes great hot from the oven, the fennel-and-mushroom combination mellows beautifully overnight.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Seared Steak with Caramelized Onion & Blue Cheese Sauce

Rating: Unrated
3
It only takes one skillet to make this restaurant-worthy pan-seared steak recipe with creamy caramelized onion and blue cheese sauce.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Air-Fryer Brussels Sprouts

These super-crispy and browned air-fryer Brussels sprouts with sweet onions and salty bacon--all amped up with bright lemon juice--are sure to be a hit, whether you serve them for a weeknight side dish or as part of your holiday spread for Thanksgiving. This recipe makes enough to serve eight but is easily halved, though once you taste it you may well want a double serving. And if you prefer a vegetarian side, simply omit the bacon.
By Anna Theoktisto

Beef Tenderloin with Cabernet-Mushroom Sauce

Rating: Unrated
2
For this classic roast beef recipe, cremini or white mushrooms are delicious in the sauce. But if you want to get fancy, mix in some wild mushrooms, such as oyster, maitake or porcini.
By David Bonom

Roast Chicken with Preserved Lemon & Braised Vegetables

The pulp and rind of Moroccan preserved lemons is all you need to lift a pedestrian roast chicken into the realm of the exotic!
By Kitty Morse

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Chard & White Beans

Rating: Unrated
11
Acorn squash's natural shape makes it just right for stuffing. This filling has Mediterranean flair: olives, tomato paste, white beans and Parmesan cheese. Serve with: Mixed green salad with radicchio and red onion and crisp white wine, such as Pinot Grigio.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp with Arugula Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
This recipe for jumbo shrimp wrapped in thin strips of prosciutto and served on a lemony bed of arugula is a practically effortless dish that's sure to impress your guests. Wrap your shrimp and make the dressing ahead of time, and you'll have dinner on the table even faster. Serve with toasted whole-wheat baguette sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Loaded Scalloped Potatoes with Bacon, Cheddar & Chives

Rating: Unrated
1
Imagine a loaded baked potato topped with bacon, Cheddar and chives combined with the creamy goodness of scalloped potatoes, and you have the ultimate comfort food casserole. This scalloped potato recipe is made healthier than original versions by using low-fat milk in place of heavy cream, but it still tastes just as rich and creamy.
By Hilary Meyer

Two Simple Herb-Roasted Chickens

We've included a basic herb combination in this recipe for roasting two chickens at once, but season your chicken with whatever herbs you like. Though we like to roast two chickens at once, you can also easily halve all the ingredients and just roast one.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Kale-Butternut Squash Gratin

This colorful gratin dish livens up any holiday plate. Creamy melted Gruyère is comforting, while a blend of cumin, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper lends a warm, spicy note.
By Andrea Kirkland M.S., RD

Mushroom Risotto

Rating: Unrated
2
Although traditional risottos use refined arborio rice and require constant stirring, you can achieve excellent results with this oven-baked version using short-grain brown rice, taking advantage of its whole-grain benefits.
By Wendy Kalen

Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Frittata

Rating: Unrated
4
A frittata is a baked omelet that requires no flipping. This one features tangy goat cheese and sweet red bell peppers. Make it a Meal: Serve with home fries and a salad of mesclun greens.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Rating: Unrated
1
If you're looking for a twist on classic scalloped potatoes, this recipe using roasted sweet potatoes and melty Gruyère has all the creaminess of the original with a new flavor twist. The sweet potatoes and lightened sauce--made with flour and low-fat milk--keep it healthier than butter- and cream-laden versions. Don't cut your sweet potatoes too thin--they'll turn mushy under the sauce.
By Hilary Meyer

Irish Pork Roast with Roasted Root Vegetables

Rating: Unrated
1
In this easy one-pan dinner, boneless pork loin roast is cooked over a bed of carrots and parsnips for an all-in-one dish that makes an impressive centerpiece for a holiday meal or Sunday dinner. Choose free-range heritage pork if you can--its flavor really shines with no more seasoning than a bit of thyme and a little sea salt. If you'd like, dress up the meal with a traditional Irish apple condiment--Ploughmans chutney or Bramley applesauce, which you can find in specialty stores and online.
By Robb Walsh

Braised Lamb Shanks & Eggplant

Rating: Unrated
2
This slow-cooked lamb and eggplant stew melts in your mouth. Sumac, a lemony-flavored spice, gives the dish a fruity, tangy aroma. Look for it in Mediterranean markets or spice shops. Serve the stew over mashed root vegetables, bulgur or brown rice.
By Sheilah Kaufman
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