Ideas for christmas dinner

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From unique apps to traditional desserts, we’ve got your Christmas feast covered. For many, gathering loved ones for Christmas dinner is one of life’s purest pleasures and most cherished traditions — a magical event you might very well spend the other 364 days of the year dreaming about. Of course, when you’re gathering your Christmas dinner ideas, you won’t likely be thinking about restraint. Rather, it’s about celebrating the most wonderful time of the year amid abundance and indulgence. If you’re the host, planning the meal can be a lot of work as well as a lot of fun. The Christmas dinner ideas on our list include a range of recipes that will satisfy everyone at the table, from the pickiest eater to the most sophisticated palate.

Many of these Christmas dinner recipe ideas are easy and fast — and all are utterly crowd-pleasing — so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time indulging in your dishes with the people you love most. You can serve these as an appetizer or as part of your meal — either way, they’re sure to be a hit. As beautiful as it is tasty, this tortilla wreath doubles as a centerpiece and an appetizer. These easy-to-make apps burst with flavor from smoked paprika, bacon, and fresh green herbs. An aromatic brine of juniper, cardamom, and bay imbues this lean cut with juicy flavor. The breadcrumb filling adds heartiness and texture to every bite. These savory tartlets are inspired by flavors of the Mediterranean.

Reminiscent of Greek spanakopita, they combine spinach, feta cheese, and fresh dill in a crunchy phyllo dough shell. Made from layers of rolled and folded dough, these puff pastries are buttery and flaky. Try cutting this tasty tarte into smaller bites to create a party-ready appetizer. Move over, turkey: This smoky ham recipe glazed in sweet, fruity apricot will have even the kids craving seconds. Even the pickiest of eaters won’t be able to resist these lemon-maple roasted carrots — they’re simply too delicious to pass up. Turkey is a great alternative to the traditional Christmas ham. This dry-brined version is packed with flavor and has that satisfyingly crispy skin.

Chive butter is the perfect topping for these tasty little potatoes. They’re so good you’ll want to recreate this recipe all year long. Here’s a quick and easy appetizer guests will love. Whip up these next-level breadsticks, stuffed with a yummy sour cream and cheese filling. Roast beef gets a tasty upgrade with this recipe. The trick to a perfect dish is making sure the jarred horseradish is squeezed as much as possible — it has more liquid than you think. Who says you can only have turkey at Thanksgiving?

Wow your guests with this exquisite turkey recipe with garlic, olive oil, and fresh thyme. Green beans add a fresh, crisp element to any holiday dinner. Flavored with rosemary, garlic, and orange zest, these beans pack a serious flavor punch. Spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your guests on the holiday: For this recipe, cut and wrap onion for the compote and prepare orange sections up to two days ahead. Up your sweet potato game this year by making them with this drool-worthy spiced syrup. This roast goose makes a wow-worthy, tastes-as-good-as-it-looks Christmas dinner centerpiece.

Start you dinner off right with some tasty sausage roll appetizers. These savory bites will be gobbled up in a flash. There’s nothing typical about this roast: Pears, fennel, and a touch of coriander combine for a taste that’s succulent and earthy, with just a hint of citrus. The sweetness from the pears and the herby flavor from the thyme come together for a extremely tasty side dish. A good roast will please all on Christmas Eve. This pot roast cooks slowly, but really only takes 15 minutes to prep before you pop it into the oven.

This easy, creamy, one-pot recipe will have everyone asking for seconds. Christmas dinner just isn’t complete without Santa — or dessert. Combine the two in this cheeky cake. Not only do these sweet potatoes look amazing, but they taste just as good.

You can’t really go wrong with a toasted meringue, now can you? Load up your potatoes this year with sour cream and bacon. Made from one pound of carrots, this cinnamon-spice sweet potato soup is packed with healthy vitamin A. An unusual spin on the classic butternut squash, this recipe uses plenty of butter, sage, and garlic to make a tasty side dish with a striking visual presentation.

Make mimosas a Christmas tradition with these fresh and bubbly orange-cranberry drinks. Chocolate and peppermint is a classic holiday combination, and when paired together in this rich cake, they make a delectably festive dessert. Alesandra is a digital travel and lifestyle journalist based in Los Angeles whose work has appeared in Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Prevention, Insider, Glamour, Shondaland, AFAR, Parents, TODAY and countless other online and print outlets. So, How Old Is Santa Claus Exactly?

Browse the best recipes for a unique, alternative Christmas dinner, from main dishes and side, to desserts and cocktails. Everyone loves tacos, and Christmas tacos put a delicious seasonal spin on the meal. Pasta is an underrated holiday side dish, and so is seafood. Sweet potatoes are such a classic holiday meal, but the same old recipes get way too overused. Whoever said macaroni and cheese wasn’t a holiday dish?