30+ Easy And Elegant Christmas Dinner Menu Ideas and Recipes

Main Dishes: 

Perfect Beef Tenderloin with Gorgonzola Sauce – Grits and Pinecones

Nothing says the holidays like a showstopping, melt-in-your-mouth, Perfect Beef Tenderloin with Gorgonzola Sauce.  This elegant and impressive oven-roasted dish is a classic entree for Christmas Dinner or, when sliced thin, makes a great appetizer for a holiday or New Year’s Eve party. Check out the easy recipe; it’s a must-try!

Crown Roast of Pork – Pudge Factor

Are you looking for a replacement for the traditional ham for your Christmas dinner? Try Crown Roast of Pork. It is an elegant entrée for your special holiday dinner.

Herb Crusted Rib Eye Roast – Butter your Biscuit

This herb-crusted rib-eye roast recipe is easy and delicious. The meat is moist and juicy, and the outside has a delicious garlic herb crust. This stunning dish will impress family and friends for a holiday dinner or Sunday supper with hardly any work.

Cornish Game Hens with Cranberry Stuffing – Grits and Pinecones

Looking for Christmas dinner ideas? Try my Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Cranberry Stuffing. They are an easy-to-make, delicious, elegant, and inexpensive main course for a Christmas dinner or a special dinner party!

Salmon Wellington – Little Ferraro Kitchen

This salmon Wellington recipe is a true show-stopper! A beautiful wild-caught filet of salmon is layered with Dijon mustard and a creamy spinach mixture and then nestled into buttery puff pastry.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Onion Blue Cheese Sauce – Grits and Pinecones

This recipe for Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Onion Blue Cheese Sauce answers your Christmas and holiday dinner prayers. Beef Tenderloins are prized for their tenderness and, though expensive when cooked in the oven, are elegant and delicious and make an impressive main dish for special occasions.

Christmas Roast – Wanderlust and Wellness

Do you need a holiday recipe to feed a crowd? You can’t go wrong with this Christmas Roast! It’s perfectly smoked and fork-tender, making it a holiday meal for the best. All you need to do is pair it with your favorite side dish and drink, and you’ve created the perfect Christmas dinner

Skillet New York Strip Roast – Grits and Pinecones

Incredibly juicy and tender, simple, yet refined, New York Strip Roast cooked low and slow in a cast-iron skillet in the oven will add elegance to any gathering or holiday dinner. Bursting with a bold, beefy flavor, this boneless NY Strip Roast is easy to prepare and makes a dazzling presentation.

Seared Scallops with Brown Butter – Life, Love and Good Food

Seared Scallops with Brown Butter are delicious, elegant, and the perfect combination of zesty and savory. It features sea scallops cooked in a homemade brown butter sauce with garlic, fresh lemon juice, and capers.  This easy meal is sure to become a family favorite!

Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin – Grits and Pinecones

This spectacular Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Bacon entree will add a touch of elegance to any meal. It features a butterflied pork tenderloin stuffed with a mushroom and bacon filling that is so delicious you could serve it as a side dish.

Champagne Roast Chicken with Grapes and Shallots – Cali Girl Cooking

We pour the champagne/sparkling wine all over the little chick, stuff it with lemons AND oranges, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and pop it in the oven. It’s perfect for your Christmas dinner and other special occasions!

Champagne Roast Chicken

Easy Baked Ham with Pineapple and Cherries – Grits and Pinecones

Nothing says Christmas dinner like a traditional oven-baked ham topped with a decadent, sticky-sweet brown sugar bourbon glaze, pineapple, and maraschino cherries.

Check out all of my main dishes here for even more recipes or menu ideas.

Sides and Salads:

Broccoli Cauliflower Cranberry Salad with Bacon – Grits and Pinecones

My easy, make-ahead, low-carb wonder, Broccoli Cauliflower Cranberry Salad with Bacon, is a holiday side-dish favorite. This healthy salad is full of crisp broccoli and cauliflower, sweet/tart cranberries, and crunchy pistachios, and it’s equally at home on an elegant Christmas dinner table or at a covered dish neighborhood potluck.

Green Bean Casserole without Mushroom Soup – Grits and Pinecones

Discover a delightful twist on the classic Southern Green Bean Casserole. This easy-to-make recipe is crafted with fresh ingredients without canned cream of mushroom soup. 

Southern Old-Fashioned Ambrosia – Grits and Pinecones

Southern Ambrosia is often called “Nectar of the Gods,” an excellent description of this famous old-fashioned, citrusy fruit salad. Classic ambrosia is a traditional Christmas dish for many Southerners, and I am no exception. I can’t imagine the holidays without this delicacy front and center on my table.

Green Bean Almondine – Beyond the Chicken Coop

Fresh green beans sautéed with butter and almonds and finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice make a delicious green bean almondine. This vegetable side dish is perfect for family, guests, and holiday dinners.

Ultimate Blue Cheese Potatoes Au Gratin – Grits and Pinecones

Are you looking for a delicious side dish for Christmas dinner or holiday entertaining? How about something just a little different from traditional mashed potatoes? Well, hold on to your Santa hat because Blue Cheese Potatoes Au Gratin will rock your world.

Make-Ahead Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes – Grits and Pinecones

Mouth-watering Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes with their creamy texture answer your prayers for a perfect side dish and an amazing, easy-to-make, make-ahead mashed potato recipe.

Baked Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes – Grits and Pinecones

This easy Baked Southern Candied Sweet Potato casserole features thinly sliced sweet potatoes covered with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. It is then topped with sweet, creamy butter and candied pecans. This classic Christmas casserole recipe comes together quickly and is both decadent and delicious!

Ultimate Broccoli Cheese Casserole – Grits and Pinecones

When you see a recipe with the name Ultimate Broccoli Cheese Casserole, you expect it to be, well, something pretty spectacular, and this delicious casserole loaded with cheesy goodness lives up to its name! It’s the perfect Christmas dinner side dish.

Traditional Southern Cornbread Dressing- Grits and Pinecones

There are so many things to love about my holiday classic, Traditional Southern Cornbread Dressing. In addition to its divine taste, this old-fashioned dressing recipe can be made ahead of time and freezes beautifully.

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Buttermilk – Grits and Pinecones

Get ready to fall in love with the fluffy, golden perfection of buttermilk-made Southern Sweet Potato Biscuits! Perfect for your holiday meals or special occasions.

Southern Baked Mac and Cheese – Grits and Pinecones

Southern Baked Mac and Cheese is synonymous with Southern entertaining and the ultimate comfort food. You would be hard-pressed to find any holiday or celebration involving food in the South without a homemade, baked mac ‘n cheese casserole, full of creamy melted cheese front and center on the table.

Cranberry Sauce with Fruit and Nuts – Grits and Pinecones

This is an elegant version of the Thanksgiving and Christmas classic cranberry sauce we all know and love, dressed up for the holidays. With only fifteen minutes and a handful of ingredients, you can transform a bag of cranberries into a unique and delicious side dish.

Holiday Salad with Kale – Flavor the Moments

This Holiday Salad is as festive as it is delicious and will add sparkle to any meal! It’s a tasty blend of hardy kale, sweet persimmon, pomegranate, feta cheese, and toasted pecans tossed in a tangy, sweet citrus maple dressing.  Ingredients may be prepped in advance so you have time to enjoy the holidays!

Quinoa Stuffed Squash with Walnuts and Pomegranate – Nirvana Cakery

I’m getting all festive on the blog today with this Quinoa Stuffed Squash with Walnuts and Pomegranate, perfect for the holiday season. It’s a special plant-based, seasonal, and super wholesome meal.

Need even more menu idea? Here are links to all of my side dish recipes and here are links to all of my side dish recipes, and all of my salad recipes.

Sweet Endings – Desserts:

Cranberry Cake with Hard Sauce – Grits and Pinecones

Easy Cranberry Cake with Hard Sauce is a beautiful and festive dessert that will make a unique, sweet ending for your Christmas meal. Full of fresh tart cranberries, this cake has it all: the season’s colors, a winning combination of flavors and textures, and the creamy, blissful yumminess of a decadent hard sauce.

Easy Christmas Red Velvet Cake Trifle – Grits and Pinecones

It might be said that the Easy Christmas Red Velvet Cake Trifle, with its festive candy cane colors and delicious and decadent layers, is a Christmas miracle. If not, it definitely wins first place for the best Christmas dinner idea!

Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Icing – Grits and Pinecones

Have you ever seen anything as sweet as this Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Icing? With powerful notes of spicy ginger, molasses, warm cinnamon, and cloves, this easy, old-fashioned, moist cake will fill you with nostalgia and memories of past Christmases.

Pecan Pralines and Cream Ice Cream – Grits and Pinecones

A festive and decadent holiday dessert, luscious Pecan Pralines, and Ice Cream will make a sweet ending to any meal! Sometimes, it’s called Pralines and Cream Ice Cream, or even simply Praline Ice Cream, but no matter what you call it, the combination of pralines and cream is the perfect balance of richness and sweetness.

Christmas Cranberry Pie – Grits and Pinecones

Savor the flavors of fresh tart cranberries and citrusy orange marmalade as they come together in this unique and delicious Christmas Cranberry Pie. It’s easy to make and incredibly delicious!

Southern Pecan Praline Cheesecake – Grits and Pinecones

Tis’ the season, and I have a scrumptious make-ahead holiday dessert for you today! Southern Pecan Praline Cheesecake is everything a cheesecake should be and includes a delicious and decadent pecan praline topping.

No-Bake Cranberry Cheesecake – Grits and Pinecones

No-Bake Cranberry Cheesecake features a fresh cranberry topping that covers a luscious cream cheese filling. This delightful and decadent cranberry dessert recipe, with a homemade graham cracker crust, is perfect for the holidays and will look spectacular on your Christmas or holiday dessert table.

Chocolate Mousse Cake – Grits and Pinecones

This easy, no-bake, velvety Chocolate Mousse Cake is for you if you love all things chocolate like me and baking isn’t your thing! This simple, decadent cake is full of dreamy, whipped chocolate mousse made with heavy cream, semisweet, and dark chocolate chips, and dark chocolate chips with a crunchy Oreo crust.

Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies – Grits and Pinecones

Easy Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies are a Christmas dream come true for chocolate cookie lovers of all ages, all wrapped up like a present with crushed candy canes. Perfect for the kids or a more casual Christmas Dinner.

More Christmas recipes:

Need even more ideas or recipes for Christmas? Check out these other holiday roundup posts:

If you need even more recipes or menu ideas, you can find all of my Christmas recipes here. 

★★★★★ If you make any of these recipes, please leave a comment and give them a star rating. I would love to know which are your favorites.