Here are some of the best unique, special, and also traditional Christmas dinner meals ideas for 2 to 20 guests. So, plan to make this festive Christmas holiday an event to remember with our loads of recipes along with time-saving tips and make ahead ideas. Also, this is a part of our Food Guides category and is listed in our Holiday Dinner Suggestions article.
Christmas Dinner Meals Plan: Recipe Ideas for Planning
To begin with, Christmas is a time we gather with family and loved ones. So it’s important to plan what you’re going to have for this festive, creative time. Also, here are some thoughts for how you can plan that Christmas meal.
So, the best way to begin this special plan is to decide on one more key areas. Then, we’ll move on to sides that will go with that entrée. After that, there are a lot of other things that we’ll go over. So, let’s choose the key focus item now.
1. Choose the Hearty Main Course
Traditional Ham or Turkey for Christmas Dinner Meals Ideas as Main Courses
Occasionally, your dinner meal plans for Christmas might be a meat selection like turkey or the traditional ham as the main course. So, if getting turkey, see our smart article on “What Size Turkey Chart & Guide“. Also, you might be looking for something non-traditional like seafood, roast chicken, roast, or prime rib.
So, keep reading for some specific options in more detail, including many of their recipes, as well as what else goes well with them.
Ham is a traditional Christmas Dinner Main Course Idea
Nontraditional Christmas Dinner Meals Ideas for Main Courses
Sometimes, you might want to think about less traditional main course ideas for Christmas. With that in mind, you can look for something else besides ham or turkey. So, consider something non-traditional like seafood, roast chicken, roast, or prime rib.
So, keep reading for some specific options in more detail, including many of their recipes, as well as what else goes well with them.
Christmas Dinner Meals Ideas of Seafood
Also, the non-traditional options are as varied as you want to make them. So, here are a few fun seafood ideas. Fish, shrimp, and crab are easy to get in time for Christmas. And, even if you have a full meal planned for turkey or ham, if it’s a large crowd, consider adding in some different items.
10 Best Christmas Dinner Meals Main Course Ideas
Overall, it’s now time to decide the main course(s) for your key recipes. Some are easy to make but all look great on the holiday dinner table. So, here’s a complete simple list of main selections, appropriate for Christmas.
In order to choose their appropriately paired items, you’ll first need to first decide your meal’s feature item. So, here are some choices.
- Ham
- Turkey
- Roast Chicken
- Crab Cakes
- Fried Fish
- Shrimp: Shrimp Recipes by Sizzlefish.com
- Salmon
- Roast
- Prime Rib
- Steak
2. Choose the Christmas Side Dishes
Secondly, you can choose anything you want to match up with your own selected featured focus. So, usually, it’s about several of these other items as shown here, along with a salad, bread, and dessert. We will cover the salads, breads, and desserts later.
Festive and Casual Christmas Dinner Meals Appetizers
Christmas Dinner Meals Salads, Breads, and Desserts
Christmas Desserts & Snacks
Christmas Breads
Christmas Dinner Meals Planning for Family and Guest Size: 2, 3, 4 to 20
This section is devoted to serving a variety of the gathering sizes and also references the buffet concept. So, here are some great thoughts of Christmas dinner meals for families and guests of all sizes (not weight references; LoL).
Casual Christmas Dinner Meals Plan for 2-5 People
Altogether, you can have a wonderful festive menu for a small amount of people. The notion here is to reduce the number of food items yet still remain in the Christmas spirit. So, personalize it. For example, make some food choices based on whoever’s coming. Then, you just have to ensure you set the servings quantity correctly so you don’t run out.
So, these are several good menu ideas for a traditional holiday dinner for 2 to 5 people:
- First Choice Ham: Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Green Bean Casserole, dinner rolls and/or cornbread muffins, simple lettuce salad, pecan pie
- Ham: Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Bean Casserole, Dressing/Stuffing with gravy, whole cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, cucumber salad, cheesecake
- Ham: Green Bean Casserole, Potato Salad, crescent rolls, cantaloupe salad, pecan pie
- First Choice Turkey: Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Green Bean Casserole, dinner rolls, simple lettuce salad, pecan pie
- Turkey: Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Bean Casserole, Dressing/Stuffing with gravy, crescent rolls, cucumber salad, cheesecake
- Turkey: Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Dressing/Stuffing, whole cranberry sauce, homemade yeast rolls, cantaloupe salad, pecan pie
Christmas Dinner Meals Plan for 6-12 People
Moreover, if you have 6 to 12 people for dinner, you can make an incredible meal of Christmas dinner recipes with lots of variety. So, look at each recipe servings amount and decide how to adjust it. But, if it calls for serving 6, and you have 10 people, decide if you have enough of a variety of other items to take its place. However, some might be very popularly loved so you might have to increase the servings amount. Furthermore, if the recipe is on our site, we have a popular built-in <Resizer> available on all of them.
Here’s an overall guide of how to plan out this medium-sized dinner menu.
- Main Course: 1 or 2 selections
- Sides: 4-5 choices
- Salads: 1-2
- Breads: 1
- Desserts: 2-3
Christmas Dinner Meals Plan for 12-20 People
When having more than 12 people, that calls for a lot of food and a lot of planning. The great thing is this is the time many will choose to have two main courses, e.g., ham and turkey. Or, you can choose any other featured items, of course. Also, you could just simply double up on the size of the one featured item.
For the most part, for sides, breads, desserts, and salads, you have a ton of flexibility. Also, to make it easier, you can make larger quantities of the easier to prepare foods, like the green been casserole.
This is where your plan can also cover some things to purchase pre-made in large quantities like rolls from the bakery. Subsequently, even the mashed taters are routinely available pre-made. However, if time doesn’t permit, you’ve got all those traditional pies available from the bakery as well. For that reason, those are huge time savers.
Here are some menu ideas overall.
- Main Course: 2-3 selections
- Sides: 5-6 choices
- Salads: 2-3
- Breads: 1-2
- Desserts: 2-4
How do you serve so many people? With this in mind, you serve your younger kids and everyone else can serve themselves if you have it laid out like a buffet. Read on for a full buffet or a partial one, another great idea and stress reliever.
Light Christmas Dinner Meals Ideas
Casual and Simple Christmas Dinner Meals Ideas
Light dinners are usually for a small gathering, although not always. Also, this is a great idea if you’re looking to avoid a heavy holiday meal. So, here are some menu ideas for a more casual and simpler, lighter holiday dinner.
- First Choice Ham: Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans Skillet, Cucumber salad, Whole cranberry sauce, chocolate covered raisins
- Ham: Baked potato, Whole cranberry sauce, Asparagus with cherry tomatoes, cantaloupe salad
- Ham: Chef Salad (with ham) and celery soup (no cream).
- First Choice Turkey: Skillet Potatoes & Green Beans, Whole cranberry sauce, salad with Romaine lettuce, strawberries & vanilla yogurt
- Turkey: Cooked cabbage, Green beans & carrots, Corn on the cob, Cantaloupe salad
- Salmon: Saffron rice, Zucchini & Yellow Squash, Cantaloupe salad
- Crab Cakes or Salmon Patties: Saffron rice, Sugar snap peas, Cucumber salad, Strawberries in vanilla yogurt
Storing and Re-using Leftover Ideas – Fast and Easy
Meanwhile, after this fun day has finished, you will be deciding what to keep and save for leftovers. For example, many cooked meats can usually be stored in the fridge for about 3 to 5 days. Also, they can stay about 3 to 6 months in the freezer. However, cooked seafood is usually good for about 1-2 days in the fridge and about 2-3 months in the freezer. Finally, veggies and pasta are good for usually up to about 5 days in the fridge.
Additionally, you can re-use ham and turkey in many ways if you want something different. So, here are some examples.
Ham Leftovers Solutions
We have a good amount of “Leftover Ham Ideas“. Check it out and plan a little ahead for using some of these ideas. It will save you money, will reduce food waste, and give you some great tasting ham alternate meals.
Turkey Leftovers Solutions
- Grilled turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwich
- Turkey submarine sandwich
- Turkey salad sandwich
- Diced and added into making a Cobb-like salad
- Finally, chopped up and make a turkey soup or cabbage soup with chicken broth
Related to Events & Holidays
Conclusion
Overall, you can now plan out your major festive dinner ideas for Christmas. Moreover, you can now start your list and check out the linked recipes or use your own. Likewise, decide what to make and what to get. Also, you have an idea of what can be made in advance to save time. NetMums also has a good article on planning your Christmas or Christmas Eve Dinner.
Hopefully, it’s going to be easier than you thought. So, share your time-saving or planning thoughts. Before you go, leave a comment below.
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