124 Jingle Bell-Rockin’ Christmas Dinner Ideas

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You just can't go wrong with a prime rib for all the meat-eaters in your life. Dramatic, tender, and easy to cook, it's the perfect Christmas main dish.

Dramatic, tender, and easy to cook, it's the perfect Christmas main dish. You can serve it with horseradish cream if you're looking for something a little extra.

Beef tenderloin is a classic Christmas cut that never fails to impress.

Try this ultra-tender meat slow-roasted, with a mushroom sauce on the side. Or coat it with the chopped mushroom mixture known as duxelles, then wrap it in puff pastry to create the savory masterpiece, beef Wellington.

Rich flavors of beer, soy, and beefy short ribs meld in a Dutch oven to create this first decadent dish. Serve tender, meaty short ribs with polenta, mashed potatoes, or pasta to soak up the flavorful juices.

Tropical pineapple and rum team up with tangy lemon juice, caramel-rich brown sugar, and allspice for depth in a memorable glaze for this ham.

The recipe, which serves up to 14, calls for a bone-in, unsliced ham. In the next recipes, you have options for unsliced and spiral-cut hams.

A frenched rack of lamb makes a gorgeous dinner table display when decked out on a platter with pomegranates and chestnuts. The individual chops melt in your mouth for the ultimate Christmas treat.

Long, slow braises are the secret to creating succulent, melt-in-the-mouth lamb shanks that fall off the bone. Be sure to get a nice thick balsamic vinegar for this first recipe, which includes red wine, rosemary, and garlic.

A pork roast makes an elegant centerpiece for your winter meal without the expense of a large roast beef. To create the easy-carve Italian dish called porchetta, you'll debone, butterfly, and season your roast with plenty of garlic and fennel, then roll and tie it.

Turkey isn't just for Thanksgiving; in fact, a roast turkey is traditional Christmas fare in many countries outside of the United States. And why not? Herb-butter roasted turkey tastes great, feeds a crowd, and brings a festive, bountiful look to your meal.

Making a bone-in or boneless turkey breast saves you the hassle of roasting a whole bird, and it cooks faster, too.

Try it with lemon, butter, garlic, and herbs, as in this first easy recipe. Or consider wrapping it in Italian bacon (pancetta), or seasoning in another style.

Good things come in small Christmas packages, right? That's certainly true for these Cornish game hens, which are a great option for an intimate dinner.

While they're as easy to make as a roast chicken, having a whole bird for each guest feels decidedly decadent.

If you want a meatless main that's special enough for Christmas Day (or Christmas Eve dinner), look no further than this nut loaf.

Made with earthy mushrooms, roasted nuts, rich cheese, and brown rice, the recipe delivers with celebratory flavors as well as beautiful presentation.

While gnocchi are made from potatoes, they typically also include flour to bind the dumplings together, so be sure to buy a gluten-free brand if you're trying to accommodate any celiac diets (or make your own if you're feeling ambitious!).

This healthy seasonal dish is bursting with flavors (and cranberries). Hearty enough for a main and delightful as a side, this vegan dish fits right in at the Christmas table.

A stunning meatless main dish, the mushroom and ricotta galette is made with a flaky puff pastry and Gruyere, a rich Swiss cheese.

If you want a dramatic vegetarian centerpiece, this recipe will certainly do the trick. While veggie-based, it's decadent with dairy: The sauce features cream cheese, heavy cream, feta, and goat cheese.

To serve, slice the cauliflower into steaks and top with the whipped cheese.

Acorn squash loaded up with savory quinoa, pecans, and vegetables add a festive flair to your table.

Lasagna is a tradition at many holiday meals ... and with good reason! This spinach version sports Christmas colors, feeds 12 people, and is easy on both your waistline and your wallet.

Once again, we prove that pasta can be anything but ordinary. Layered with a homemade red sauce with meat as well as golden brown cheese, this rigatoni pie baked in a springform pan is sure to let all your guests know that this is a special meal.

Creamy risotto never fails to please. This first version is vegan, with white wine and mushrooms. The next options add in a little bacon, seafood, or cheese.

You can't help but eat this beautiful dish with your eyes. Luckily, you can also put it on your plate, where you get to eat the beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and Gruyere the old-fashioned way.

Verdant green beans are always a welcome, cheery sight on a winter table. Lemon zest and juice add a delicate tang and livens up the crunchy dusting of buttery, garlicky panko breadcrumbs.

Simple or sumptuous? You have options when it comes to Brussels sprouts for your green holiday dish! This first recipe is a great choice if you're looking for easy Christmas dinner recipes.

Just toss the vegetables with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and minced garlic, and roast. The next recipes add in some additional seasonings.

Potatoes are always a crowd-pleaser. This year, will it be roasted potatoes with rosemary and olive oil; creamy, flavorful mashed potatoes; or both?

Blanketed in a creamy, cheesy sauce, gratins always feel festive. This potato gratin is topped with Manchego cheese for a sophisticated take on the traditional gratin — and an extra touch of elegance.

This pretty salad brings some exciting flavors and bright colors to your meal. Romanesco, a cruciferous vegetable that tastes like a cross between cauliflower and broccoli, is seasoned simply with garlic, capers, and lemon.

This dish gets better with marinating time, so consider it a perfect make-ahead recipe.

Pomegranates and pistachios bring the colors of Christmas to your holiday table in these maple-syrup-kissed carrots. Miso paste adds a depth of flavor that makes this dish a real stunner.

A light and refreshing spinach salad is always a welcome contrast to hearty roasts and heavy casseroles.

Take advantage of holiday season flavors of pecans and cranberries for this easy and colorful addition to your Christmas menu.

White wine and Italian seasonings are the perfect accents for these elegant breadcrumb-studded beauties. Lovely to look at and tasty to eat, stuffed artichokes make any meal a little more special.

Pull-apart breads are fun to make, fun to grab, and fun to eat! This stuffed and shaped version looks impressive, but features store-bought pizza dough and pesto sauce so you can focus on shaping. Our guided video recipe makes it easy.

This Japanese bread is soft and light with the barest hint of sweetness on the top. Perfect for sopping up juices from a roast, with butter, or eaten just as-is, one thing is certain —these rolls won't stick around for long.

At the end of all that cooking, even Santa's star elf wants to kick back and join the family and guests for a treat!

Pomegranate seeds, fresh pineapple, citrus, and apple bring Christmas cheer to this rum- and sparkling wine-based punch.

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124 Jingle Bell-Rockin’ Christmas Dinner Ideas

You just can't go wrong with a prime rib for all the meat-eaters in your life. Dramatic, tender, and easy to cook, it's the perfect Christmas main dish.

Prime Rib with Roasted Vegetables by Yummly

Dramatic, tender, and easy to cook, it's the perfect Christmas main dish. You can serve it with horseradish cream if you're looking for something a little extra.

Prime Rib with Roasted Vegetables by Yummly

Beef tenderloin is a classic Christmas cut that never fails to impress.

Slow-Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce by Yummly

Try this ultra-tender meat slow-roasted, with a mushroom sauce on the side. Or coat it with the chopped mushroom mixture known as duxelles, then wrap it in puff pastry to create the savory masterpiece, beef Wellington.

Slow-Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce by Yummly

Rich flavors of beer, soy, and beefy short ribs meld in a Dutch oven to create this first decadent dish. Serve tender, meaty short ribs with polenta, mashed potatoes, or pasta to soak up the flavorful juices.

Honeyed Stout-Braised Short Ribs with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes by Yes to Yolks

Tropical pineapple and rum team up with tangy lemon juice, caramel-rich brown sugar, and allspice for depth in a memorable glaze for this ham.

Rum, Pineapple, and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham by Yummly

The recipe, which serves up to 14, calls for a bone-in, unsliced ham. In the next recipes, you have options for unsliced and spiral-cut hams.

Rum, Pineapple, and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham by Yummly

A frenched rack of lamb makes a gorgeous dinner table display when decked out on a platter with pomegranates and chestnuts. The individual chops melt in your mouth for the ultimate Christmas treat.

Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb by What's Gaby Cooking

Long, slow braises are the secret to creating succulent, melt-in-the-mouth lamb shanks that fall off the bone. Be sure to get a nice thick balsamic vinegar for this first recipe, which includes red wine, rosemary, and garlic.

Balsamic Braised Lamb Shanks by Diethood

A pork roast makes an elegant centerpiece for your winter meal without the expense of a large roast beef. To create the easy-carve Italian dish called porchetta, you'll debone, butterfly, and season your roast with plenty of garlic and fennel, then roll and tie it.

Porchetta by Chef Daniel Holzman

Turkey isn't just for Thanksgiving; in fact, a roast turkey is traditional Christmas fare in many countries outside of the United States. And why not? Herb-butter roasted turkey tastes great, feeds a crowd, and brings a festive, bountiful look to your meal.

Super Moist Turkey by Yummly

Making a bone-in or boneless turkey breast saves you the hassle of roasting a whole bird, and it cooks faster, too.

Easy Herb-Rubbed Turkey Breast with Quick Pan Gravy by Yummly

Try it with lemon, butter, garlic, and herbs, as in this first easy recipe. Or consider wrapping it in Italian bacon (pancetta), or seasoning in another style.

Easy Herb-Rubbed Turkey Breast with Quick Pan Gravy by Yummly

Good things come in small Christmas packages, right? That's certainly true for these Cornish game hens, which are a great option for an intimate dinner.

Roasted Cornish Hens With Cherry-bourbon Glaze by Grab a Plate

While they're as easy to make as a roast chicken, having a whole bird for each guest feels decidedly decadent.

Roasted Cornish Hens With Cherry-bourbon Glaze by Grab a Plate

If you want a meatless main that's special enough for Christmas Day (or Christmas Eve dinner), look no further than this nut loaf.

Vegetarian Nut Loaf with Shiitake Mushroom Gravy by Yummly

Made with earthy mushrooms, roasted nuts, rich cheese, and brown rice, the recipe delivers with celebratory flavors as well as beautiful presentation.

Vegetarian Nut Loaf with Shiitake Mushroom Gravy by Yummly

While gnocchi are made from potatoes, they typically also include flour to bind the dumplings together, so be sure to buy a gluten-free brand if you're trying to accommodate any celiac diets (or make your own if you're feeling ambitious!).

Mushroom Gnocchi with Arugula and Walnut Pesto by Pinch of Yum

This healthy seasonal dish is bursting with flavors (and cranberries). Hearty enough for a main and delightful as a side, this vegan dish fits right in at the Christmas table.

Butternut Squash, Cranberry, Maple Tempeh Holiday Brown Rice Bowl by Healthy. Happy. Life.

A stunning meatless main dish, the mushroom and ricotta galette is made with a flaky puff pastry and Gruyere, a rich Swiss cheese.

Mushroom And Ricotta Galette by Gourmet Traveller

If you want a dramatic vegetarian centerpiece, this recipe will certainly do the trick. While veggie-based, it's decadent with dairy: The sauce features cream cheese, heavy cream, feta, and goat cheese.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Whipped Goat Cheese by Bon Appétit

To serve, slice the cauliflower into steaks and top with the whipped cheese.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Whipped Goat Cheese by Bon Appétit

Acorn squash loaded up with savory quinoa, pecans, and vegetables add a festive flair to your table.

Vegan Quinoa, Spinach, and Mushroom Stuffed Acorn Squash by Yummly

Lasagna is a tradition at many holiday meals ... and with good reason! This spinach version sports Christmas colors, feeds 12 people, and is easy on both your waistline and your wallet.

Skinny Mushroom Spinach Lasagna by Little Spice Jar

Once again, we prove that pasta can be anything but ordinary. Layered with a homemade red sauce with meat as well as golden brown cheese, this rigatoni pie baked in a springform pan is sure to let all your guests know that this is a special meal.

Rigatoni Pasta Pie by Live Love Pasta

Creamy risotto never fails to please. This first version is vegan, with white wine and mushrooms. The next options add in a little bacon, seafood, or cheese.

Creamy Vegan Mushroom Risotto by Connoisseurus Veg

You can't help but eat this beautiful dish with your eyes. Luckily, you can also put it on your plate, where you get to eat the beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and Gruyere the old-fashioned way.

Cheesy Root Vegetable Gratin by spoon fork bacon

Verdant green beans are always a welcome, cheery sight on a winter table. Lemon zest and juice add a delicate tang and livens up the crunchy dusting of buttery, garlicky panko breadcrumbs.

Green Beans with Crunchy Lemony Panko Breadcrumbs by Yummly

Simple or sumptuous? You have options when it comes to Brussels sprouts for your green holiday dish! This first recipe is a great choice if you're looking for easy Christmas dinner recipes.

Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts by Yummly

Just toss the vegetables with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and minced garlic, and roast. The next recipes add in some additional seasonings.

Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts by Yummly

Potatoes are always a crowd-pleaser. This year, will it be roasted potatoes with rosemary and olive oil; creamy, flavorful mashed potatoes; or both?

Crispy Herb-Roasted Potatoes by Yummly

Blanketed in a creamy, cheesy sauce, gratins always feel festive. This potato gratin is topped with Manchego cheese for a sophisticated take on the traditional gratin — and an extra touch of elegance.

Potatoes au Gratin by El invitado de invierno

This pretty salad brings some exciting flavors and bright colors to your meal. Romanesco, a cruciferous vegetable that tastes like a cross between cauliflower and broccoli, is seasoned simply with garlic, capers, and lemon.

Romanesco Salad by Simply Recipes

This dish gets better with marinating time, so consider it a perfect make-ahead recipe.

Romanesco Salad by Simply Recipes

Pomegranates and pistachios bring the colors of Christmas to your holiday table in these maple-syrup-kissed carrots. Miso paste adds a depth of flavor that makes this dish a real stunner.

Maple Roasted Carrots in Tahini Sauce with Pomegranate and Pistachios by Closet Cooking

A light and refreshing spinach salad is always a welcome contrast to hearty roasts and heavy casseroles.

Spinach Salad with Toasted Pecans and Cranberries by Yummly

Take advantage of holiday season flavors of pecans and cranberries for this easy and colorful addition to your Christmas menu.

Spinach Salad with Toasted Pecans and Cranberries by Yummly

White wine and Italian seasonings are the perfect accents for these elegant breadcrumb-studded beauties. Lovely to look at and tasty to eat, stuffed artichokes make any meal a little more special.

The Ultimate Stuffed Artichoke by Cooking On The Weekends

Pull-apart breads are fun to make, fun to grab, and fun to eat! This stuffed and shaped version looks impressive, but features store-bought pizza dough and pesto sauce so you can focus on shaping. Our guided video recipe makes it easy.

Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Pizza Bread by Yummly

This Japanese bread is soft and light with the barest hint of sweetness on the top. Perfect for sopping up juices from a roast, with butter, or eaten just as-is, one thing is certain —these rolls won't stick around for long.