14 Complete Christmas Dinners for Two
An elegant Christmas dinner for two can feel festive and be utterly delicious with some simple planning tips. Choose recipes that are easy to scale up or down and pair them with simple side dishes so your plate feels full and celebratory!
This time of year you'll spot tip after tip for feeding a crowd. So many holiday recipes are created for large portions to bring to potlucks which makes it extremely difficult to plan an elegant Christmas dinner for two.
You can enjoy a bountiful dinner with little effort that will make your cozy table feel warm and utterly delicious if you use some smart meal planning strategies that maximize your ingredients for the least amount of waste.
I've included 14 complete holiday dinner menus featuring a main dish and easy sides that scale well for a dinner for two. Once you try them, you'll love them enough to scale them back up for feeding your friends another day!
And if you're a thoughtful family member, neighbor, or friend who is looking out for a couple of loved ones facing a quiet holiday, many of these dinners would make an excellent drop-off delivery and could be prepped ahead and travel well.
How to Plan Dinner for 2
Just because you're cooking for two people doesn't meant you can't enjoy a festive holiday feast! The trick is all in picking the right main dishes to pair with easy sides so you have a variety of options with low waste.
Each of my suggested dinners below can be easily scaled down for just 2 servings or freeze really well so you can enjoy your dinner now and freeze the leftovers for enjoying another time.
Then choose 2 - 3 easy side dishes so your plate feels bountiful but manageable. I've listed the perfect pairings for each main to help narrow down your choices.
Roasted Pork Tenderloin
I always buy the 2-pack of plain pork tenderloins from the grocery store so I can season them just the way I want.
You could make my easy roasted pork tenderloin and cook both at once. Enjoy one for dinner now and plan to freeze the second one for later.
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Sweet Potato Casserole: You can scale this recipe down or plan to freeze half of it for another time.
- Roasted Green Beans: These could cook in the oven at the same time.
Slowcooker Boneless Turkey Breast
My easy slowcooker boneless turkey breast is the perfect way to cook a small turkey for 2! Bonus points for being mostly hands-off.
Leftover turkey freezes really well but you could use it to make my famous open face turkey sandwiches for lunch tomorrow.
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Air Fryer Stuffing: You can prep a batch of sausage stuffing and cook it in the air fryer. This recipe is easily to split and freeze half if you want.
- Cranberry Sauce: My homemade cranberry sauce takes just minutes to make.
- Roasted Green Beans: You could cook these in the air fryer with the stuffing, or splurge and pop my slowcooker green bean casserole into your Crockpot.
Classic Beef Bolognese Sauce
My freezer-friendly classic beef bolognese sauce makes a big pot. Save some for your special holiday dinner but freeze the rest in smaller containers. You'll have easy grab-and-heat dinner options all winter.
Serve the bolognese over pasta or gnocchi for your main dish and then add these side dishes.
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Homemade Garlic Bread: You could easily freeze half of it if you want but bread never goes to waste at our table.
- Italian Garden Salad: Keep it easy and fresh, my quick prep recipe is perfect for storing leftovers in the fridge all week.
Saucy Crockpot Bourbon Chicken
My easy saucy crockpot bourbon chicken is a delicious way to serve budget-friendly chicken that makes it still feel holiday-special. Leftovers freeze so well!
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Herb Butter Rice: Spoon the tender chicken over bowls of herb butter rice to collect all that delicious sauce.
- Parmesan Roasted Zucchini: Add a pop of green to your plate, I like to roast mine in the air fryer. This is an easy veggie to scale for 2.
Instant Pot Apricot Chicken
My Instant Pot apricot chicken is a perfect holiday dish for Christmas, it feels festive and special without much effort.
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Instant Pot Rice Pilaf: This saucy chicken should be served over rice to catch every drop.
- Parmesan Roasted Asparagus: I love to pair asparagus with this chicken
Baked Boursin and Tomato Pasta
Full of all the festive colors of the season, my easy baked boursin and tomato pasta is a one-pot wonder.
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Italian Bread and Olive Oil Dipping Sauce: Make a loaf of my easy bread machine bread and then treat yourself to a dish of olive oil with balsamic vinegar drizzled in. Add a shake of Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and minced garlic to the oil for a bigger boost.
- Caprese Salad: You could make a layered tomato and mozzarella salad as an appetizer to enjoy while the pasta bakes.
Creamy Gnocchi with Sausage
My skillet gnocchi with sausage also has pretty red and green colors for the holiday and is easy to make just before serving.
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Caesar Salad: Enjoy a light salad for 2 before dinner.
- Herb Butter Biscuits: This is the easiest way to dress up refrigerator biscuit dough.
Oven Baked Salmon
You could cook just two fillets for my oven baked salmon but I always cook four so we have leftovers the next day over a chilled salad.
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Wild Rice Pilaf: There are tender veggies hiding in this easy wild rice dish. You can use leftover salmon and leftover rice to make this crispy wild rice salad the next day.
- Oven Roasted Carrots: If you plan to make the salad tomorrow, make the roasted carrots for dinner tonight but peel enough for leftovers.
Crispy Baked Chicken Parmesan
My daughter would argue that crispy baked chicken parmesan is always the right answer for dinner. You can easily prep just two chicken breasts using this method.
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Fettuccine Alfredo: For a decadent side, make my creamy sauce using a brick of cream cheese! It's so easy.
- Buttered Noodles: Or just toss your favorite pasta shape in a bit of melted butter with a sprinkle of garlic salt.
Marinated Beef Tenderloin
Buy just enough beef for marinating in our family's all-time favorite steak marinade. It is so easy to scale up or down!
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Buttered Penne Pasta: We call this dish "steak and tubes" because my mom ALWAYS served it with buttered penne pasta.
- Glazed Baby Carrots: The final side dish, my mom ALWAYS served it with these easy carrots.
Seasoned Boiled Shrimp
Growing up, my mom always made seasoned boiled shrimp just for her and my dad during Christmas. She scaled it down because my sister and I didn't care for it. If I were cooking for two, I'd start here!
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Shrimp Dipping Sauces: Pick one or two from this fun list!
- Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta: Or plan to spoon the cooked shrimp over bowls of this easy pasta.
Easy Chicken Tetrazzini
I always split my easy chicken tetrazzini into two smaller baking pans so I could freeze one for later. It is an easy casserole to make at Christmas time if you want an all-in-one dinner.
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Crescent Rolls: You can make my homemade kind or serve it with easy ones from the store.
- Marinated Tomatoes: For an easy pop of red on your plate, try making my marinated tomatoes with a pint of cherry tomatoes.
Roasted Chicken with Vegetables
When a full blown turkey is just too big, you can channel that same vibe and bake my easy roasted chicken with vegetables instead! Tender potatoes and carrots roast right under the buttery bird.
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Skillet Cornbread: You could pop a cast-iron skillet of cornbread into the oven, too.
- Buttermilk Drop Biscuits: Or try my one-bowl buttermilk biscuits brushed with herb butter.
Macadamia Crusted Halibut
Possibly the most elegant dish on this entire list, this is my husband's and my favorite romantic dinner idea. My prep-ahead macadamia crusted halibut gets all the work done ahead so you can just pop your two fillets in the oven at dinnertime.
Easy Side Dish Recommendations:
- Herb Butter Rice: Serve this fish over packaged wild rice or make my easy herb butter rice.
- Lemon Cream Sauce: This is an essential condiment for spooning over the finished fish but it tastes great on the rice and veggies too.
- Roasted Asparagus: The most perfect veggie side dish for this! You could substitute broccoli or green beans if you prefer.
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