Planning and preparing the perfect Christmas eve dinner may be complicated and exhausting at some points, especially combined with the hurry to buy or make the gifts, hang up the decorations and provide attention to all the guests and extended family. But fear no more: we are here to guide you through it! We selected traditional and modern recipes for all the season meals you’ll need!
Main Course
Slow Cooker Honey Glazed Ham
To start with our Christmas guide, we have to decide what the main course will be. Ham is one of the most popular choices for the holiday, it pairs excellently with a wide range of side dishes and pleases basically everybody’s taste. This delicious recipe from Wholefully is just perfect for a traditional menu!
Spiced Ginger Ale And Rum Glazed Ham
For a modern take on your traditional ham, this spiced ginger ale and rum glaze is what your holiday meal is craving. The delicious recipe is easy to prepare and it will make your Christmas celebrations unforgettable! Get the instructions!
Garlic Rosemary Balsamic Roasted Pork Loin
This delicious Roasted Pork Loin recipe is amazingly flavorful and it will be the perfect main course for your holiday dinner. The party of flavors that combines garlic, rosemary, balsamic vinegar and incredibly tender pork loin will amaze you with its delicious flavor. You have to try it!
Apricot Glazed Bacon Wrapped Cajun Pork Tenderloin
This incredibly easy to prepare Bacon Wrapped Cajun Pork Tenderloin will be a party favorite! Its moist and juicy cajun seasoned pork tenderloin wrapped in crispy bacon and glazed in an apricot dijon sauce is unforgettably delicious. Combined with the easy instructions and quick cooking time (it only takes 30 min to be ready!) makes it a must for your dinner!
Rosemary And Garlic Roast Beef
If your family is more into beef, this will be your best choice. This delicious and fragrant recipe of Rosemary and Garlic Roast Beef will wow your family and instantly transform the holiday! Get the ingredients list and instructions over at Olivia’s Cuisine!
Beef Wellington
For a modern take on your holiday beef, this delicious recipe is a guaranteed success. It takes a little time to put this dish together, but it’s simple to make and totally worth it! Get the instructions!
Appetizers
Christmas Tree Cheese Platter
A beautiful Cheese Platter like this one, shaped as a festive Christmas Tree, it’s the perfect choice to open the appetite of your guests. Combine mozzarella cheese, peppadew peppers, olives, pita chips and rosemary sprigs in a triangular shape with a square-ish base and you’re good to go!
Cranberry And Feta Pinwheels
This delicious appetizer that combines the sweet taste of cranberry and the salty flavor of feta cheese is perfect for your Christmas gathering. Get the ingredients list and instructions over at The Girl Who Ate Everything!
Side Dishes
Roasted Winter Vegetables
For the first side dish to add to your Christmas dinner, roasted vegetables is a must. This delicious Roasted Winter Vegetables recipe is the right choice for your traditional menu. For an amazing combination of flavors, you may add red potatoes, carrots, turnips, peppers, onion, green beans, yams, beets, asparagus, zucchini and many other vegetables that you like. You just have to taste this delicious mix!
Honey Glazed Hasselback Butternut Squash
This healthy and amazingly elegant Butternut Squash recipe is perfect to add to your Christmas gathering. It is guaranteed to be the star of the dinner! Get this delicious recipe over at The Healthy Foodie!
Duchess Potatoes
Duchess Potatoes may be the best side dish you can make for this Christmas Dinner! It pairs perfectly with the main courses we presented before and it’s a total crowd-pleaser! Check out Bakerette for the full recipe!
Crispy Potato Roast
This amazingly crispy Potato Roast is so delicious that it will be a party’s favorite. It certainly looks incredible and tastes wonderful! Get the ingredients list and detailed instructions over at Martha Stewart!
Twice The Onion Green Bean Casserole
This delicious Green Bean Casserole is a tasty and comforting side dish choice for your holiday family gathering. This recipe from Melanie Makes doubles the amount of french fried onions from the traditional recipe, which makes it even more ridiculously delicious, but you can adapt the ingredients as you like. It’s a must!
Cheesy Sausage And Croissant Casserole
This unforgettable casserole will transform your holiday gathering! The flavorful mix of buttery croissants, tasty sausage and amazing melted cheese on top makes this recipe incredible. And the best part about it is it can be made ahead of time and refrigerated overnight. Isn’t it perfect?! Check out the instructions over at Plain Chicken!
Simple Roasted Parsnips
Parsnips are the perfect addition to any holiday gathering, and this simple recipe is a must for your Christmas menu. The recipe only requires 35 min to be done and the few ingredients it needs are:
- 2 pounds parsnips;
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil;
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt;
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried herb mix;
- Chopped parsley for garnish.
That’s it! Could it be any simpler? Check out the full recipe!
Creamy Paleo Parsnip Gratin
This Parsnip Gratin will impress your guests with its delicious taste and creamy texture! This healthier version of the traditional potato and cheese gratin has fewer calories, lighter feel and will let you enjoy the meal guilt-free. All of that while still being incredibly yummy! Check out the recipe over at Paleo Grubs!
Roasted Red Pepper And Tomato Soup
This Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup will take your holiday gathering to a whole new level. The recipe is easy to prepare and you can serve it hot or cold: whatever way you prefer. Check out this delicious recipe over at Pretty Practical Pantry!
Holiday Fruit Soup
For a modern take on holiday soup, this delicious option will enchant your heart and be your next favorite soup option! The tasty mix of various fruit makes this meal incredibly yummy, not to mention unique and original. You can also make it ahead of time, to save you the hurry of Christmas Eve preparations. Check out the recipe!
If you want more options for soups, check out These 10 Soups Are All You’ll Want!
Christmas Salad With Citrus Champagne Vinaigrette
This salad screams “Celebration”, and it is just the perfect addition to your Christmas menu! Combining red pomegranates and green pistachios with a champagne based vinaigrette, this is the perfect holiday salad! Get the recipe!
Healthy Veggie Avocado Lettuce Cups
For a modern take on your traditional holiday salad, you have to try these amazing Healthy Veggie Avocado Lettuce Cups. I mean, look at the photo: doesn’t it look incredible? It’s a great addition to your holiday menu to balance out all those heavy dishes and bring a flavorful and delicious option.
Rosemary Dinner Rolls
For your traditional holiday rolls, this Rosemary Dinner Rolls recipe is a great option. They are soft, fluffy and simply taste heavenly. You have to try it! Check out the instructions over at Cooking Classy!
Fluffy Apple-Cheddar Biscuits
These Fluffy Apple-Cheddar Biscuits take the traditional rolls to the next level! Its cheesy, melt-in-your-mouth texture will swoon away the guests and enchant everybody’s taste buds! The recipe by Good Housekeeping is easy and the total prepare and cooking time only takes 50 minutes. It’s a must!
Cranberry Brie Pull Apart Bread
This delicious Cranberry Brie Pull Apart Bread is simply sensational. The taste is mouth-watering and unforgettable. A total crowd pleaser! Get the instructions over at Half Baked Harvest!
Brie And Apple Tart
This incredible Brie and Apple tart looks fancy and tiring, but it requires minimal effort and only 40 minutes to be done. If you want to impress your family with a delicious and mouth-watering recipe, this is it!
Drinks
Homemade Salted Caramel Eggnog
This delicious Homemade Salted Caramel Eggnog is the perfect modern take on the classic holiday drink. It’s creamy, tasty and so good that it’s borderlines dangerous. Get the ingredients list and instructions at The Cookie Rookie!
If you want a more traditional recipe for eggnog and some dessert ideas using the drink, check out 10 Mouthwatering Eggnog Dessert Recipes You Have to Try.
Cranberry Apple Cider Sangria
Cranberry Apple Cider Sangria is the perfect cocktail for your Christmas eve! The simple recipe combines red wine, orange liqueur, fresh cranberry juice and soft cider for an amazing party of flavors that will please you on the very first sip. You have to try it!
For more cocktail ideas, check out 15 Delicious Cocktails to Truly Be Thankful For!
Mouthwatering Desserts
Some people consider the dessert to be the best part of a meal. So we devoted an entire article just for them! Check out These 12 Desserts of Christmas Are All You’ll Want!
How’s your Christmas preparations going? Already chose what main course and side dishes you’ll be preparing? Let us know on the comment section below and check out our Articles page for more incredible ideas!
