Showstopping Main Dish Recipes

Christmas Cooking FAQs

Whether you love to shower your loved ones with homemade treats or you are hosting Christmas dinner, we want to help you make your holiday food memorable. Here are the answers to our most frequently asked questions about everything from holiday treats to Christmas dinner.

How much meat should I cook per person?

The general rule of thumb is to plan for about 8 ounces of meat per adult and about 4 ounces per child. Keep in mind that if the meat you are cooking contains bones, the weight of the bones should be excluded.

How long can I store holiday leftovers?

Most leftovers, including meat, vegetables, potatoes, gravy, and any desserts made with cream or milk, need to be refrigerated. Keep them in separate sealed containers in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze them for longer storage. Dinner rolls and desserts that aren’t made with dairy can be stored at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days.

How many side dishes should I serve at Christmas dinner?

For a big holiday meal, plan for 3 to 4 side dishes. A starchy side, like mashed potatoes, along with bread or dinner rolls, and one to two vegetable sides works well.

What’s the best way to store holiday cookies?

Most holiday cookies can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a week. Shortbread, sugar, gingerbread, and rolled cookies will freeze well for up to 3 months. You can freeze the unbaked dough or the baked, undecorated cookies in an airtight container between parchment or wax paper layers.

How to Make a Gingerbread House

An elaborately decorated gingerbread house

Spectacular Side Dishes

Holiday Cookies

Classic Shortbread Cookies

Tender and delicate and buttery and spectacularly simple, just as classic shortbread cookies ought to be.

1 hr

Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies

The classic cookie benefits enormously from a hit of ginger here with these surprise sleeper hits of your Christmas season.

1 hr 15 mins

Lebkuchen

These traditional German Christmas cookies that are subtly reminiscent of gingerbread are typically called lebkuchen, although we tend to refer to them as moments of perfectly spiced deliciousness.

5 hrs

Gingerbread Men Cookies

The cutest, sweetest, happiest gingerbread people ever, right? They also happen to be the fastest, cheapest, unfussiest gingerbread cookies we’ve encountered.

1 hr

All Christmas

Slow Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb

Even if you're new to roasting lamb, this one is a cinch to pull off. Just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes of effort to a wow-worthy meal.

1 hr 50 mins

Chocolate Caramel Cake

For this stunning dessert, rich chocolate cake and salty-sweet caramel frosting collide to make a magnificent masterpiece.

6 hrs

Cheese Danish with Fruit Filling

A startlingly spectacular made-from-scratch cheese Danish that is going to forever change your notion of what a cheese Danish ought to be.

1 hr

Peppery Cheese Straws

For these easy homemade cheese straws, the rich, peppery bite of cacio e pepe is married with flaky puff pastry to create an unforgettable hors d'oeuvre.

35 mins

Peppermint Brownies

They're rich, a little fudgy, and bursting with peppermint flavor. Say hello to your new favorite holiday brownie.

1 hr 20 mins

Potatoes Dauphinoise

Potatoes. Cream. Cheese. And a French lineage. We really don't think comfort food gets any more comfort-y than this.

2 hrs 30 mins

Spiced Beef Tenderloin Roast

Skip the traditional beef tenderloin seasonings and try this shawarma-inspired version that gets coated in fragrant spices and quickly cooked in the oven.

4 hrs 35 mins

Scottish Shortbread

This tender, buttery, crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth Scottish shortbread is as authentic as it gets.

1 hr 25 mins

Cranberry Pistachio Cookies

These easy-to-make icebox cookies are bejeweled with cranberries and pistachios to create a standout holiday cookie.

3 hrs 35 mins

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Not your everyday mashed potatoes, these are ridiculously rich and comforting thanks to butter, sour cream, Parmesan, and roasted garlic. Leftovers freeze and reheat beautifully.

1 hr

Dry Brine Turkey

All the juicy, tender perks of brining. None of the fuss of finding a container large enough to contain a turkey and cramming it in your already overstuffed fridge.

1 d 4 hrs 20 mins

Old-Fashioned Coconut Cake

Layers of vanilla cake take turns with oodles of coconut filling and the whole shebang is slathered with fluffy white icing. Uh, yes please!

2 hrs

8 Showstopping Christmas Entrées

This list highlights some of our favorite sophisticated and splendid entrées. Get ready to pull out all the stops and win the holidays!

Chocolate Polenta Pudding Cake

This rich and creamy chocolate pudding cake is made with cornmeal instead of flour, making it gluten-free.

13 hrs 30 mins

Braided Cinnamon Bread

This Dutch oven braided loaf is swirled with cinnamon and topped with vanilla glaze and toasted pecans. It's perfect anytime of the day, breakfast included.

3 hrs