83 Christmas Dinner Ideas for a Warm and Festive Holiday
You’ve decked the halls with garlands and candles, but you really need showstopping Christmas dinner ideas to complete the holiday vibe. Gathering together around the table—whether you’re carving into a classic roast turkey, a sweet-and-spicy ham, or a wreath-shaped pork roast—is, for many, the highlight of the season. For side dishes and desserts, you might return to old favorites and family traditions, but this is the year to delight your crew with new Christmas main dishes to enjoy in the glow of your sparkling Christmas tree. Scroll down for big roasts, occasion-worthy seafood stews, and other expert-tested Christmas entrée ideas from the Epicurious archives, plus a few essential extras for your holiday feast.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich1/83Easy, Cheesy Sausage Lasagna
If the main goal of all of these Christmas dinner ideas is to find a dish that’ll make everyone at the table beam with happiness, this low-stress lasagna is the perfect choice. Add a loaf of garlic bread and a pile of presents.
Photo by Peden & Munk2/83Baked Ham
A baked ham is a holiday classic, perfect for your holiday dinner or as an impressive feature for any Christmas party. This version, from the authors of the classic cookbook the Joy of Cooking can be made with either a whole or half ham. Hosting a small group? If you wind up with leftover ham, all the better.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog3/83Roast Goose With Oranges and Madeira
You’d like your Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner main course ideas to be the kind of thing that people will really remember? Then we’ve got your goose. Here, the bird is blanched briefly and then chilled for two days before roasting to ensure a crisp skin. Offer buttered peas and carrots on the side, and pour a Pinot Noir for whoever’s drinking. A pear tart would end the evening in style.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson4/83The Simplest Roast Turkey
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton5/83Tamales con Elote y Chile Poblano (Tamales With Corn and Poblano Chiles)
Tamales are a Christmas tradition across many communities, and this version, made with either fresh masa or masa harina, makes a great vegetarian main for the holidays. Gather a group to make them—this isn’t a one-person activity.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova6/83Bouillabaisse
Serving this impressive seafood stew isn’t quite a traditional way to feast on fish during Christmas, but it’s so good that it might just become your new tradition. You can add whatever seafood you like, and it comes together in one big pot.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich9/83Roast Turkey With Country Ham Stuffing and Giblet Gravy
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne10/83Porchetta-Style Roast Pork
Flavor pork shoulder with fennel seed, crushed red pepper, and garlic for an easier-to-manage version of classic Italian porchetta. Serve with a simple salad of greens and Parmesan.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews11/83Crisp Roast Duck
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog12/83Christmas Pork Tenderloin
Rubbed with garlic, rosemary, and allspice, this bacon-wrapped roast is rich with holiday flavor. Serve it with cranberry sauce and sourdough dinner rolls, and the leftovers will also make excellent sandwiches for Boxing Day.
Photo by Andrew Purcell, Prop Styling by Paige Hicks, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell14/83Leg of Lamb With Garlic and Rosemary
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton17/83Spiced Yogurt-Marinated Cornish Hens With Sweet Onion-Roasted Potatoes
Cornish hens can be prepped in marinade up to two days ahead of time, and because of their size, they roast much more quickly than other traditional Christmas main dishes, making it easy to put the meal on the table in about an hour. This is an especially good option for a small holiday dinner.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce18/83Vegetarian Lasagna With Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce
Not all Christmas dinner recipes need to highlight big cuts of meat. This vegetarian lasagna makes a festive (and very family-friendly!) dinner. Bonus: You can roast the tomato sauce and assemble the dish ahead if you don’t want to spend your whole holiday in the kitchen.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton20/83Braised Chile-Marmalade Duck Legs With Brussels Sprouts
Photo by Colin Price21/83Mushroom Stroganoff
Beef stroganoff is a traditional holiday meal for many families, but the original can be quite heavy (and unfriendly to folks who don’t eat red meat). Fortunately, this vegetarian version has the rich flavors of the original. All it needs is a bright salad to round out the meal.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini.23/83Garlic-Aioli Roasted Turkey with Lemon-Parsley Pan Sauce
The secret to a gloriously glistening and super-moist turkey? Mayonnaise! We’ve spiked ours with creamy roasted garlic for a juicy, flavor-packed bird.
Photography by Gentl & Hyers24/83Lomito de Cerdo al Tamarindo y Menta (Tamarind Braised Pork Loin With Mint)
This juicy, tender pork loin braised with rum, tamarind, and sweet panela and finished with mint will add rich Colombian flavors to your table—and fill your home with the most wonderful aromas.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton25/83Shrimp Scampi
This garlicky favorite makes a perfect Christmas main course, and it’s extremely easy to throw together. It’s great with a bright salad and some crusty bread (if you’re a real garlic fiend, go for garlic bread). You can easily double or triple the recipe to accommodate last-minute guests.
Photo by Chris Court, Benjamin Dearnley, William Meppem, Con Poulos, Anson Smart26/83Spiced Pomegranate and Orange Glazed Ham
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne29/83Peking-Style Chicken
For a fun, hands-on Christmas dinner, try this Beijing-style meal with a twist. This recipe uses a chicken to recreate many of the flavors of China’s most famous duck dish.
Photo by Johnny Miller30/83Spiral Ham in the Slow Cooker
Cooking a whole spiral-cut ham in a slow cooker is a revelation. The ham keeps its iconic shape as it cooks but is infused with rich, sweet flavor—and you end up with a delicious sauce in the bottom of the pot. Don’t forget to make rolls or biscuits, too.
Photo by Issy Croker33/83Creamy Parsnip, Leek, and White Bean Crumble
The rich, warm flavors of parsnips, beans, cooked alliums, and oats come together in this vegetarian main to make a cozy cold-weather meal. It’s just the right thing to eat after a day of holiday fun in the snow.
Photo by Colin Price34/83Apple Cider Pork Pot Roast
If you usually feed a crowd during the holidays, this sweet-savory braise—which easily feeds twelve—is a perfect Christmas main course. Serve it with potatoes or rice, and keep any leftovers for next-day sandwiches.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog35/83Brown Sugar–Mustard Glazed Ham
For an old-fashioned holiday meal with a Southern accent, this honey–mustard ham will hit the spot. This recipe from chef Scott Peacock comes with handy tricks to help you get perfect results every time. Serve with buttery rolls or biscuits.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews36/83Rack of Lamb With Garlic and Herbs
This elegant rack of lamb only requires 20 minutes of hands-on prep time, so you can whip up a Christmas cocktail before everyone arrives.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne38/83Baked Rigatoni With Red Peppers and Green Olives
What’s red, white, and green and makes cooking Christmas dinner simple? This big tray of pasta is done in a little over an hour (or faster, if you make the sauce ahead of time). Serve it with snappy blanched green beans, and you’ll have a stress-free time.
Photo by Kristin Perers39/83Lamb Tagine With Potatoes and Peas (L'Ham Bel B'Tata Wa Jeblana)
The spices in this tagine—ginger, cumin, paprika, and saffron—will add tons of warmth and depth to your holiday meal, and since the potatoes and peas cook with the meat, you’ll have a full meal with very little cleanup required.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou40/83Braised Butternut Squash in Spiced Coconut Gravy
Photo by Kristen Kilpatrick43/83Slow Cooker Balsamic Pork Roast With Scalloped Potatoes and Easy Steamed Broccoli
This recipe is perfect for cooks who don’t enjoy spending their holidays in the kitchen. The pork goes into a slow cooker with just vinegar, salt, and pepper, and by the end of the day, you have a beautifully cooked main dish. It also frees you (and your oven) up to make delicious scalloped potatoes and some bright broccoli to serve it with.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne44/83Our Favorite Mac and Cheese
Is it really a holiday if you don’t have at least one giant casserole dish crowned with crispy breadcrumbs and bubbling with cheese? We consider this a group-meal essential, whether it’s the crowd-pleasing main course or just the most important side dish for your ham dinner.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich45/83Paella With Seafood
Some dishes just feel celebratory, and this seafood paella is definitely one of them, pairing saffron-hued rice with jumbo shrimp, mussels, and squid—or whatever seafood you’d like.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell48/83Turkey for Two With Pan-Sauce Gravy
This easy holiday turkey breast is just the right amount to serve two with leftovers, or four for dinner. All you need is some mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce on the side.
Photo by Alex Lau49/83Seared Duck Breasts With Blood Oranges
For an elegant but understated holiday meal, serve seared duck over a salad of frisée and citrus. Round out the meal with an equally elegant Christmas dessert like a pecan pie or a lemon curd tart.
Photo by Marcus Nilsson50/83Spicy Tamarind-and-Honey–Glazed Spiral Ham
A sweet, sour, and spicy take on the classic honey-glazed ham. Don’t worry if it feels like a large hunk of meat; the leftovers will taste amazing stuff into a mini potato roll.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich52/83Shrimp Cocktail
If you’ve got Christmas main dishes covered, consider your starters. There’s pretty much no better choice than this old-school shrimp cocktail, served with a new-school Old Bay Remoulade.
.jpg)
Photo by Elizabeth Van Lierde and Abagail Halstead54/83Rosemary-Bourbon Glazed Ham
This sweet, sticky, savory roast ham recipe, which includes a glaze of bourbon (or another whiskey) and fresh rosemary can be prepped up to two days in advance, so you can keep your holiday cooking as simple as possible.
Photo by William Meppem, Chris Court, Con Poulos, and Anson Smart57/83Chestnut, Bacon and Sage Stuffing Rolls
This brilliant holiday dish gives stuffing a starring role. The nostalgia-inducing mix of chestnuts, breadcrumbs, almonds, and sage gets an added hit of sweetness from dates, and then the whole mixture is rolled up in bacon. While you could serve this as a side, it’s rich and flavorful enough to enjoy all on its own.
Hirsheimer & Hamilton59/83Vinegar-Braised Chicken and Onions
For this dish, balsamic vinegar adds the sweetness needed to balance the sharp flavor of red wine vinegar. Serve the braise over creamy polenta.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop styling by Tim Ferro, Food styling by Taneka Morris61/83Slow-Roasted Salmon With Fennel, Citrus, and Chiles
This elegant salmon dish is great for a Christmas dinner party—just slide it into a low oven for 40 minutes and it’s flawless and ready to serve. Serve a round of eggnog or mulled wine while you wait.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell63/83Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Baked Halibut
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Laura Rege64/83Turkey for Twenty
Christmas Eve dinner guest list got out of hand? Grab your sheet pans: This is the way to make it work.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini65/83Cheesy Baked Butternut Squash Polenta
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Frances Boswell67/83Manicotti
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton68/83Foolproof Spatchcocked Turkey With Garlic-Thyme Butter
This is the easiest turkey you’ve ever set on your holiday table—especially if your butcher is willing to help out with removing the backbone and flattening the bird. Use your extra energy on the ultimate holiday side dishes: classic stuffing, candied yams, and potatoes au gratin.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich70/83Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Little stuffed mushrooms make delightful holiday appetizers—but this main-course version has them beat. Sautéed onions and prosciutto give the filling big flavor here.
Photo by Andrew Purcell, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell71/83Cider-Brined, Mustard-Glazed Pork Loin
The apple cider brine and maple-mustard glaze make this pork loin recipe one of the best we’ve ever tried. Serve with rolls, Dijon, and a quick-pickled cucumber relish, or a freshly baked skillet of homemade cornbread.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Stying by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua72/83Pomegranate-and-Honey-Glazed Duck With Rice
Making this tangy-sweet glazed duck is nearly as easy as roasting a chicken—but the presentation is much more impressive. Just make sure to leave enough time for the duck to defrost if your local store only sells frozen ducks.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele73/83Slow-Cooker Pork Roast
If you’d rather focus on baking Christmas cookies, let your slow cooker make the pork roast for your Christmas day or Christmas Eve dinner. A few anchovy fillets add a hidden savory boost.
74/83Baltimore Crab Cakes
Serve these classic crab cakes with a squeeze of lemon, perhaps on top of your favorite winter salad.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich75/83Confit Turkey With Chiles and Garlic
Photo by Heami Lee, Food Styling by Victoria Granof, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka76/83Classic Cheese Ball
Photograph by Jenny Huang, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Martha Bernabe77/83Char Siu Wellington
Cantonese sticky-sweet char siu meets British beef Wellington in this celebration-worthy main dish. For the full menu, add glutinous rice with lap cheong and a five-spice sweet potato tian.
Photo by Yuki Sugiura78/83Celebration Salmon
A side of salmon works great for a crowd—this one packs in the flavor with a mix of lemongrass, ginger, cherry tomatoes, soy sauce, chiles, and garlic on top.
Photo by Sophie Hansen79/83Caramelized Fennel and Brie Dip
Baked Brie is always a hit for holiday dinners, but this baked fennel and Brie dip is a wonderful change of pace.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua81/83Roast Chicken With Cognac Sauce
This Jacques Pépin recipe fancies up chicken with a creamy, buttery cognac sauce that you’ll want to lick from the plate. For veggies on the side, go with glazed carrots and Lyonnaise potatoes—or just some simple crisp greens with a tart vinaigrette.
