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Non-Traditional Christmas Dinner Ideas
Dinner ideas that step away from the usual turkey spread, from game hens to slow-cooked stews.
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Taste of Home offers two routes: give the classics a modern spin, or put totally different dishes on the Christmas table. Its list opens with Cornish game hens, small enough that everyone can have their own. Thriving Home's advice is the practical half: choose a menu you can mostly prep ahead, so you're not stuck in the kitchen all day. This list mixes both routes, with mains, a few sides and a dessert idea. It assumes a home cook hosting family, and it leaves out full recipes, so check each dish's source for quantities.
Why these items are on the list
- Cornish game hens. Individual birds that cook in a fraction of the time of a big roast.
- Eggplant rollatini. Fried, rolled with cheese and covered in tomato sauce. Even kids won't mind the eggplant.
- Maple miso sweet potato casserole. Miso, tahini and maple give a familiar side a savory, nutty twist.
- Root beer glazed ham. The glaze gives a sticky caramelized outside and helps tenderize the ham.
- Beef osso buco. One of the dishes Taste of Home lists as a total break from the usual spread.
- Stuffed salmon. A seafood main for families who'd rather skip turkey and ham.
- Prime rib tacos. The recipe calls for cooked prime rib, so a roast from an earlier dinner works, with horseradish guacamole.
- Fancy Christmas pizza party. See if a local baker or Italian grocer makes fresh dough; order balls ahead. Keep toppings in little bowls.
- Baked rosemary truffle macaroni. It's heavy, so serve crisp, lighter sides like cucumber salad or green beans.
- Honey garlic pork tenderloin. Serve with sesame mashed potatoes: a drizzle of sesame oil and seeds on top.
- Roast goose. One of the alternative roasts BBC Food calls majestic enough for Christmas dinner.
- Beef Wellington. BBC Food also has venison, mushroom, vegan and veggie versions.
- Nut roast with mushroom gravy. A vegetarian centerpiece that BBC Food lists as a main course among its alternative Christmas roasts.
- Miso butter roast chicken. The miso and dark soy sauce also flavor the gravy.
- Rolled lamb shoulder. Cooked with sherry, orange, cinnamon and chestnuts.
- Crock pot beef bourguignon. Slow cooks all day, so you're free to enjoy the day. Thriving Home lists it as an easy main.
- Sausage rigatoni with Boursin. Thriving Home calls it a 20-minute, four-ingredient pasta that still feels decadent.
- Boursin chicken and wild rice soup. Make it ahead and just warm it up on Christmas night.
- Simple charcuterie board. Appetizers can be the whole dinner, especially on Christmas Eve with a crowd.
- Chocolate charcuterie board dessert. Hand one or two desserts to someone else. Eggnog pie keeps the theme too.
Tick the ones that make the cut and a menu starts to take shape. Pass your phone around the table so everyone gets a say before you shop.
When to use it
Useful in the weeks before Christmas, once you've decided to skip the usual turkey spread.