Easy Food Bloggers Christmas Dinners
We asked 41+ INSPIRED and top cooks the same question: “If you wanna surprise your family with an easy (and non-traditional) Christmas dinner idea, what will it be?”
The recipes we received were absolutely AWESOME. We’ve listed them here:
30 – German Frankfurters and Potato Salad:
Karen Lodder from German Girl in America
Why not cook German food for Christmas?
No… not a meaty roast or Schnitzel!
Since German families celebrate on Christmas Eve with Bescherung (the gift exchange), they keep it simple in the kitchen, and serve Würstchen und Kartoffelsalat (German Frankfurters and Potato Salad).
The Potato Salad (cold or hot) can be prepared in advance, and the sausages can be simmered quickly just before sitting down to eat.
Serve with German mustard, and some crusty rolls or bread. You’ll be in and out of the kitchen quickly with a meal everyone will love.
31 – Seafood Fondue:
Margaret from Kitchen Frau
A seafood fondue is a special Christmas dinner that is very easy to put together, but feels absolutely special.
Purchase some wonderful fresh seafood: scallops, prawns, firm-fleshed white fish, and maybe some squid or octopus if you’re feeling really adventurous.
Set a pretty pot onto a single burner hot plate (induction is especially easy) in the middle of the table and fill the pot with either white wine or a flavorful chicken broth brought to a simmer.
The beauty of seafood is that it cooks quickly and is perfect for fondue.
Set out some favorite purchased sauces (cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, and another sauce of choice like guacamole or salsa).
Give everyone a fork and have a wonderful dinner sharing the cooking and lots of lively conversation.
32 – Christmas Shrimp Scampi:
Jenna Fletcher from Seasoned Sprinkles
For the easiest non traditional Christmas dinner, I would hands down do Christmas shrimp scampi with asparagus and red pepper.
Scampi comes together surprisingly fast- especially if you get shrimp that’s already deveined and peeled and feels special.
Not into scampi?
Lobster tail is way easier to prepare than most people think, especially when compared to a turkey or prime rib dinner- or Instant Pot roast beef with apple cider gravy.
All of these are light on the cook time but don’t lack in flavor.
33 – Scalloped Potatoes and Ham:
Lynn from Turnips 2 Tangerines
Our Christmas dinner is always on the easy side.
We tend to go all out for brunch and dinner is usually ham on the rotisserie for ham sandwiches or a simple dish of Scalloped Potatoes and Ham.
In fact our favorite recipe is called: Christmas Scalloped Potatoes and Ham. This delicious recipe uses both gold potatoes and sweet potatoes. The perfect recipe to use up any leftover ham.
34 – Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash:
Jenny Berk from Jenny Eden Coaching
As someone who has been plant-based for roughly 35 years now, an easy and yet really delicious and comforting non-traditional Christmas dinner idea would be stuffed roasted butternut squash with wild rice and breadcrumbs.
If you don’t want to make it entirely vegan, you could also add sausage, ground lamb or other types of meat into the wild rice and bread crumb mixtures.
Add whatever festive herbs you want like sage to help make it still feel like Christmas.
This main dish would go great with roasted brussels sprouts and some sort of relish or sweet bite to accompany it.
35 – Duck Breast with Blackberry Sauce:
Caroline from Caroline’s Cooking
We love duck for a festive meal, but while roasting a whole duck can feel intimidating, it’s really easy to sear duck breast and it feels like such a special meal.
I make it with a blackberry sauce that pairs so well and we all love it.
36 – Meatless Chili With Chocolate:
Amy Reiley from Eat Something Sexy
It is not just an aphrodisiac recipe, it’s also my family’s favorite chili recipe.
Veggie Chili, or Veggie Chilli as the Brits call it, is really an American dish with Latin American root.
My version is most definitely American-influenced but it also incorporates the Mexican use of cacao, or chocolate, in savory dishes.
37 – Salmon Wellington:
Lucy Parissi from Supergolden Bakes
Salmon Wellington is the kind of special dish you make to wow guests at festive gatherings.
It looks gorgeous, is sure to impress and tastes as good as it looks!
Also known by its French name “Salmon En Croute”. Simply translated, this means salmon baked in a puff pastry crust.
Like its cousin Beef Wellington, Salmon Wellington consists of fillet of salmon encased in a creamy spinach filling and wrapped in flaky puff pastry.
It’s the perfect dish for entertaining as you can assemble it in advance and bake it before your guests arrive.
And I will let you in on a little secret… This salmon in puff pastry is actually really easy to make!
38 – Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms Appetizer:
Faith Gorsky from An Edible Mosaic
For an easy non traditional Christmas dinner, I would make a few different appetizers.
My family is a casual crowd, so a variety of finger foods that we can nibble on as we walk around laughing and chatting with each other is the perfect option.
And of course it’s fun to try a little bit of everything!
I’m not sure if you need recipes that I would include, but if so, here’s a more detailed explanation:
I would definitely include Three Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms because they’re always one of the first things to disappear off a buffet table.
I also like serving a dip or two, such as Baba Ganoush.
And also maybe a homemade cheese ballbecause they’re easy to whip up and always impressive.
And I’d keep dessert simple with a cookie platter that definitely includes everyone’s favorite Russian Tea Cakes.
39 – Lemon Garlic Pasta:
Heather Vander Wey from The Fed Up Foodie
Over the years when life has been crazy but I still want to serve something incredibly comforting for Christmas dinner I lean on recipes such as my Beef and Dumplings.
It has the richness of the finest beef stew with the added bonus of large fluffy homemade dumplings.
However if I am really needing simplicity, my Lemon Garlic Pasta is the answer.
It is incredibly elegant and so very quick and easy to make.
