18 Best Christmas Dinner Ideas

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Pick one of these easy Christmas dinner ideas and pair it with all the recommended side dishes for Christmas menu your family will love to enjoy on Christmas Eve or Day.

A family table is set with fresh flowers for Christmas dinner, a Christmas tree twinkles in the background.

Planning your Christmas dinner menu doesn't need to be complicated.

To save you the time in matching main dishes and entrees, I'm sharing 16 completely organized Christmas menus that feature my very best make-ahead recipes for special occasions.

For Christmas Eve, we tend to do a more formal, fancy meal at the table with recipes that are easy to prep-ahead and just finish off after we walk in the door from Christmas Eve Mass.

Christmas Day tends to be more laid back and this year we're trying a slowcooker approach to the meal. I plan to dump everything into the Crockpot in the morning and get back to the living room to enjoy my family. 

Whether your family approaches the holiday feast with an Open House style celebration or you've got picky eaters at the table, or you need a Christmas dinner for 2, there's a Christmas dinner menu to help you plan a meal everyone will love.

Bonus: Since they're easy, they'll get you out of the kitchen to be with your kids as much as possible!

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Why These are the Best Menu Ideas

Fancy magazines love to encourage complicated holiday menus that would leave most home chefs utterly exhausted.

These easy and ELEGANT Christmas dinners are perfect for real families who want to enjoy a festive feast with their loved ones without spending the entire holiday in the kitchen.

You'll find the perfect Christmas menu idea featuring everything from chicken recipes, make-ahead pasta recipes, easy seafood dishes, and delicious ways to serve both pork or beef that will make your Christmas dinner extra special.

Macadamia Crusted Halibut

This amazing macadamia halibut has been our family's special occasion dinner for Christmas Eve, birthdays, anniversaries, and more.

You can completely prep the fish in the morning and simply bake it before serving, giving it the perfect crispy crunch. Don't skip the lemon cream sauce to drizzle over the top.

What to Serve it With:
Serve with wild rice pilaf and roasted asparagus or broccoli, they can cook on a second pan in the oven at the same time.

Easy Macadamia Crusted Halibut with Quick Lemon Butter Cream Sauce
Macadamia crusted halibut is one of the best easy halibut recipes for a special occasion. Prep it earlier in the day and this oven-baked halibut will be ready to go in just minutes at dinner time leaving you with almost no cleanup. Serve it with a drizzle of rich lemon-butter cream sauce for a quick but decadent treat.
4.44 from 158 votes
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A filet of macadamia encrusted halibut is covered with a drizzle of lemon butter cream sauce. Fresh green asparagus and a serving of wild rice sit next to it on the plate.

Beef Tenderloin with Garlic Butter Pasta

This dish is affectionately known in our family as "steak and tubes," my mom's nickname for it when we were going up. It was our annual Christmas Eve dinner for more years than I can even remember.

The beef is marinaded in a 2-ingredient steak marinade and then sauteed in butter. It tastes amazing with the buttered noodles and is very kid-friendly.

What to Serve it With:
Serve it with glazed baby carrots topped with butter and brown sugar.

Steak Marinade for "Steak and Tubes"
This easy steak marinade is delicious on steak tips, flank steak, beef stew, or even beef tenderloin for a special meal. Saute the beef in a skillet in melted butter and serve with a side of buttered noodles for a delicious and easy dinner.
5 from 1 vote
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Marinated steak on a plate next to buttered noodles.

Make Ahead Lasagna

If you have never made a homemade lasagna and are nervous to try, this is the BEST lasagna recipe for beginners. Step by step photos walk you through how to prep and assemble an easy lasagna ahead of time that you can bake for a delicious Christmas dinner.

What to Serve it With:
Serve it with a light garden salad and homemade garlic bread or my super-easy bread machine focaccia.

Easy Sausage Lasagna
This delicious make ahead lasagna is perfect for beginners to bake for a holiday feast or Sunday family dinner. Several easy shortcuts make this classic dish quick to prepare.
4.50 from 2 votes
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A slice of lasagna sits on a festive holiday plate with a green salad and slice of garlic bread.

Italian Christmas Dinner Ideas

While you're at it, you may as well plan an entire Italian Christmas dinner menu!

If my favorite lasagna isn't what you're looking for, one of the other delicious and easy pasta recipes, fresh breads, or Italian desserts might be.

Check out the whole list of ideas here:

Blue Cheese and Cranberry Stuffed Pork Tenderloins

I still remember my mom prepping these elegant and festive pork tenderloins for holiday dinner parties when I was young.

When you slice the tenderloins, you'll see a swirl of festive red cranberries mixed with a creamy blue cheese filling. They can be completely prepped ahead of time and just baked before serving.

What to Serve it With:
Serve them with roasted sweet potatoes or my make-ahead sweet potato casserole.

Blue Cheese and Cranberry Stuffed Pork Tenderloins
This elegant stuffed pork tenderloin recipe is perfect for fall entertaining. You can prep the dish ahead of time and simply bake it before serving.
4.78 from 9 votes
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A stuffed pork tenderloin has cranberries and blue cheese peeking out of the roll. A bunch of fresh thyme is on the platter.

German Sauerbraten

This delicious and budget-friendly beef recipe is perfect for Christmas dinner because you can cook it on the stove top, in the oven, or in a slowcooker, whatever works best for your full menu.

What to Serve it With:
Serve it with German spaetzle in butter sauce with German red cabbage.

German Sauerbraten
This traditional German sauerbraten is a sweet and sour beef recipe that is delicious when served with buttery spaetzle, savory mashed potatoes or potato pancakes, or classic German red cabbage. Prep it days in advance for an easy meal that is elegant enough for Christmas dinner!
4.99 from 52 votes
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A plate of sauerbraten has homemade spaetzle and red cabbage on the side.

Herb Butter Turkey

Roasted turkey is such a traditional holiday recipe but it can often be overlooked at Christmas. My easy herb butter turkey actually tastes even more amazing the next day.

You could cook the turkey, slice it, and store it in the fridge. Reheat it in gently simmering gravy on the stovetop until it has just heated through.

It's the perfect way to have make-ahead turkey unless you want to cook the even-easier Crockpot boneless turkey breast.

What to Serve it With:
You could serve the meat as open faced sandwiches on warm bread or over a big scoop of Crockpot mashed potatoes with holiday sides.

Herb Butter Turkey
This delicious herb butter turkey is a perfect easy turkey recipe for beginner chefs. The combination of citrus, herbs, and butter make a juicy turkey with the most delicious turkey gravy ever!
5 from 4 votes
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A roasted turkey sits in a metal roasting pan, golden brown all over.

Glazed Spiral Ham

A holiday ham is a stunning main dish whether you make my Crockpot spiral ham or this pineapple mustard glazed spiral ham.

What to Serve it With:
Serve the ham with Crockpot green bean casserole and a dish of cheesy cornflake potatoes.

Crockpot Spiral Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze
This easy Crockpot spiral ham recipe is the perfect way to cook your holiday dinner while your family is out of the house at church on Easter morning or Christmas eve. Come home to a hot ham ready to be glazed and broiled for the picture perfect finish in just 10 minutes. Choose a traditional sweet brown sugar and mustard glaze or use hot honey for a delicious sweet and spicy spin on a holiday classic.
4.98 from 47 votes
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The spiral ham is on a roasting rack so it can be broiled to make the brown sugar glaze crispy.

Roasted Pork Loin

This elegant pork loin recipe features an easy and delicious green peppercorn sauce drizzled over the top.

I love that the entire thing can be prepped ahead for an easy Christmas dinner.

What to Serve it With:
Serve it with this crispy wild rice and roasted carrots salad for a fun holiday side dish. You could turn the leftovers into this roasted pork sandwich the next day.

Oven Roasted Pork Loin with Green Peppercorn Sauce
Make ahead oven roasted pork loin is an easy holiday upgrade when drizzled with the simple green peppercorn sauce made right in the same skillet. This budget-friendly dinner recipe is elegant enough to serve to company but easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
4.60 from 10 votes
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The roasted pork loin is served on a platter with a drizzle of green peppercorn sauce.

Roasted Pork in Applesauce

If you prefer to cook a pork tenderloin instead of a whole pork loin, roast a pack of two plain tenderloins in rosemary herbs and applesauce.

What to Serve it With:
Serve it with make ahead potato pancakes with sour cream and homemade applesauce on the side or this festive apple pear salad.

Roasted Pork in Applesauce
This sweet and savory pork tenderloin is browned on the stove top but finished in the oven. It is wonderful served with mashed potatoes or your favorite fall side dishes.
4.58 from 7 votes
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Two pork tenderloins in a dutch oven.

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken parmesan can be fussy but this particular recipe has all the make-ahead tips you need to have perfectly crispy baked chicken cutlets for Christmas dinner.

What to Serve it With:
For a special treat, serve it with a side of homemade alfredo pasta and a light garden salad to balance out all the richness

Baked Chicken Parmesan
Baked chicken parmesan is a comfort food classic made easy in the oven. Coated in savory bread crumbs, the chicken bakes up moist and juicy with delicious tomato sauce and melted cheese on top.
4.71 from 17 votes
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A dinner plate has a serving of baked chicken parmesan, farfalle pasta, and a green salad.

Italian Sausage Pasta Casserole

Want to get your Christmas cooking done in advance? This freezer-friendly pasta casserole is always a huge hit.

When we don't want to fuss with lasagna, we always make a giant dish of this delicious Italian sausage casserole. There's baby spinach mixed in which gives it a fun festive color.

What to Serve it With:
Serve it with a big platter of fresh pineapple, the flavors pair together perfectly!

Italian Sausage Pasta Casserole
This delicious Italian sausage pasta casserole mixes Jimmy Dean bulk sausage with fresh spinach for a perfect make-ahead dinner.
4.60 from 45 votes
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A pan of baked Italian sausage pasta casserole has a pair of oven mitts in the background.

Creamy Gnocchi with Sausage

This simple skillet dinner is an excellent choice for a smaller family gathering. I love the festive red and green colors of the vegetables and my family loved the sauce on this creamy gnocchi with sausage.

What to Serve it With:
If you want to serve this as the main dish, you could add a fresh baked Italian bread and cut it into fingers for dunking into the sauce.

This would also make an excellent side dish in addition to your holiday roast if you need to feed a larger crowd.

Creamy Gnocchi with Sausage
This easy skillet dinner recipe tosses fluffy gnocchi in a creamy sauce with roasted tomatoes and tender baby spinach. Perfect comfort food for a busy weeknight but elegant enough to serve for a simple holiday dinner with its festive red and green color palette!
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A skillet is filled with the creamy sauce coated gnocchi with roasted cherry tomatoes and wilted baby spinach.

Crockpot Tortellini Soup

This festive red and green soup is loaded with tender vegetables and satisfying cheesy tortellini.

It is a simple recipe to feed a crowd for the holiday. Add it to the buffet table with some easy sandwiches or use it as an elegant first course.

What to Serve it With:
Serve it with pesto chicken sliders or chicken parm sliders.

Crockpot Tortellini Soup
This hearty slowcooker tortellini soup is the perfect vegetable soup to keep simmering on a busy day. Rich tomato broth, savory ground beef, and fluffy cheese tortellini make a satisfying dinner with fresh bread or a side salad.
5 from 2 votes
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A crockpot has tortellini soup with a tomato broth base.

Easy Christmas Crockpot Recipes

In fact, if you like the idea of using a Crockpot for your Christmas dinner, you won't want to miss this list of all my favorite crockpot recipes that would be perfect for the holiday.

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Gooey Ham and Cheese Sliders

Do you have a few picky eaters in your family? If you need a reliable kid-friendly Christmas dinner to serve to the little ones, this pan of ham and cheese sliders is sure to be a hit.

You can prep the entire pan ahead of time and just pour the butter topping over the top before baking. They only need about 10 minutes in the oven and are good even lukewarm.

This makes it easy to serve something fancier for the grown-ups if everyone has happy kids.

Gooey Ham and Cheese Sliders
These totally easy, utterly delicious, Hawaiian roll ham and cheese sliders are perfect for making for your next party. Make a big pan in minutes and watch them disappear.
4.70 from 10 votes
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A filled baking pan of mini ham sliders with butter dripping off the top and a sprinkle of poppyseeds on each one.

Red Chicken Chili (No Beans!)

If Christmas dinner looks more like an Open House than a sit-down meal, you absolutely need this tomato-based chicken chili in your rotation.

Make a big pot of this festive red chili and keep it simmering on the stovetop or transfer it to a slowcooker to keep warm. Set out all the yummy toppings and let your friends and family serve themselves as they stop by for a visit.

What to Serve it With:
Serve it with a big bowl of tortilla chips for dunking or a basket of fresh dinner rolls. These bread machine crescent dinners rolls would be perfect since it makes a nice big batch.

Red Chicken Chili with No Beans
Light and healthy red chicken chili with tons of tomatoes and fresh peppers but no beans. Top it with shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and serve with tortilla chips for dunking.
4.43 from 28 votes
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A white bowl of tomato-based chicken chili has shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream on top.

Roasted Shrimp

Want to add a little "surf" to a surf and turf Christmas dinner? You don't need to have access to fresh shrimp to enjoy a delicious shrimp cocktail or entree.

This recipe for roasting frozen shrimp can be paired with your favorite shrimp dipping sauce or tossed in a lemon garlic angel hair pasta for homemade shrimp scampi.

Roasted Shrimp
This quick and easy method for cooking frozen shrimp is the perfect way to prepare shrimp cocktail or an elegant but easy shrimp dinner.
5 from 1 vote
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A blue plate with roasted shrimp next to lime wedges. Fresh parsley is sprinkled over the top. A blue napkin is under the plate.

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

If you need a smaller Christmas dinner for 2 or 4, this roasted chicken with vegetables might be a better fit than a whole turkey.

You can mix and match the veggies to suit your family but the red potatoes and carrots are our personal favorites. A juicy lemon tucked inside coupled with sprigs of fresh thyme give this chicken a lovely holiday flavor.

What to Serve it With:
This is a perfect all-in-one Christmas dinner but you could also serve it with fresh bread from your bread machine.

How to Roast A Chicken
This juicy golden brown roast chicken is just a few minutes away from your dinner table. The buttery flavoring helps to season the perfectly tender roasted potatoes and carrots underneath the chicken as it cooks.
4.50 from 2 votes
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The roasted chicken sits on top of roasted vegetables in a round roasting pan.

More Easy Christmas Recipes

Don't miss some of our other favorite solutions to a family-friendly Christmas meal:

Oh! And don't forget to set the cutest Christmas kids table, too. It's easier than you think.

A beautiful Christmas dinner doesn't have to be complicated. This table with fresh flowers in mason jars can be set in minutes.
10 easy ideas for a Christmas dinner menu you can make ahead.

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