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Wow your friends and family this Christmas with an unforgettable dinner! This menu is made up of tried and true family favorite recipes, that are easy to make, but fancy enough to impress any guest.
Words can’t express how excited I am about this menu! I don’t know if it’s the individual recipes or the time of year, but my goodness, I have the Christmas spirit coursing through me!
I am a firm believer that Christmas Day should be (mostly) spent with family, not in the kitchen. That’s why I tried to focus this menu on make-ahead and “hands-off” recipes.
All the dishes on this menu can either be completely made ahead of time and then reheated, partially made ahead and then baked, or slow-cooked throughout the day.
Table of contents
Tips For Making This Menu
I’ve got a few tips to help prep, and cook this Christmas menu because it’s all about spending time with the folks I love instead of being in the kitchen all day.
- First, do all the shopping or at least as much as you can the week before Christmas,
- Second, chop and prep a couple of days before you are serving the menu.
- Next, I like to do the separating, measuring, and labeling of all my ingredients for each recipe. That way, I will cut down on time by having everything I need already measured out.
Favorite Holiday Snacks and Appetizers
To kick off any Christmas Dinner, you’ve got to have some appetizers! In my opinion, it’s not really a Holiday unless you have a hot dip, so I will be serving this Easy Hot Crab Dip, which is truly the best of the best!
Alongside this easy-to-make dip, I will be serving my two favorite nut mixes. These snacks can be thrown together in just minutes and are always crowd-pleasers.
Make-Ahead Salad Recipe
If you’re searching for a fast and fresh salad that you can make ahead of Christmas Day, then look no further! Prepared in under 25 minutes, this Caprese Pasta Salad delivers a burst of flavor everyone will love.
Main Dishes That Will Impress Guests
This year the shining star of my Christmas Feast is a Slow Cooker Pork Roast. I’m pulling out all the stops for Christmas this year, so I will also be serving my Roast with Garlic and Honey Lime Shrimp to give my guests a couple of options.
This Slow Cooker Balsamic Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Roast is cooked low and slow for a few hours with sweet, tangy balsamic vinegar, rich brown sugar, and a few herbs and spices to make a main dish masterpiece.
While it may seem like an unconventional Christmas dinner dish, this Garlic Honey Lime Shrimp recipe does not disappoint! I also added this recipe for guests that want a lighter main dish, so that they can load up on tasty sides.
Easy to Make Side Dishes
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again… side dishes are always the favorites of the meal! These four easy-to-make side dish recipes are bursting with flavor, and all require less than 20 minutes of hands-on work.
Desserts and Sweet Treats
Saving the best for last, I will be serving three easy, make-ahead dessert recipes! Christmas Day isn’t complete without pie and cookies, so I will be serving a classic Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie, as well as my favorite Snowball Cookies.
These Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars are rich, slightly indulgent, and will have you falling head over heels in love. I’m planning on doing all my baking a day or two before Christmas so that they’re ready to serve without any hassle on Christmas Day.
How Many Servings Will I Need To Make?
For my family of 6, plus a few friends, I prepare 2 salads and 4-5 side dishes. Now, of course, there’s no perfect number of sides to prepare. It really depends on what your family likes and how many people you are feeding. A good rule of thumb for serving size per person is 1 to 1-½ cups per person
Personally, I tend to make more desserts than I think I will need, folks usually like to bring sweets home as leftovers and I am more than happy to provide options.
Shop the Menu – Kitchen Tools for Each Recipe
- Crock Pot Casserole Dish // Crock Pot Maple Bacon Green Beans
- Sheet Pans // Easy Roasted Broccoli, Sweet and Spicy Roasted Nuts
- Pie Dish // Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie
- Hand Mixer // Easy Hot Crab Dip, Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars
- Large Crock Pot // Slow Cooker Balsamic Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Roast
- Cast Iron Skillet // Garlic Honey Lime Shrimp, Easy Hot Crab Dip
- Potato Masher // Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Knife Set // Scalloped Potatoes, Caprese Pasta Salad, Roasted Broccoli
- Baking Dish // Scalloped Potatoes, Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars
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