Tired of searching for Christmas dinner ideas for small family or a large family, after whipping up for a full day?
What if I tell you after reading this blog you’ll end up making some fabulous main courses to side dishes and not to forget some delicious desserts for your perfect Christmas Eve.
These Christmas dinner ideas for a small family are perfect for 2-6 members in the house. The preparation will take an hour to some minutes to create a beautiful aroma in your house.
Let’s dive into the recipes that anyone can hand on whether you’re vegan-vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
Christmas Dinner Ideas for Small Family
1. Steak Au Poivre:
Steak Au Poivre is decidedly French as chefs aren’t mutually agreeing on the origin of this dish which consists of steak crusted with black pepper, pan-fried, and to compliment the spicy flavor serve it with creamy sauce.
Servings: 2
Time: 40 Mins
Cal/serv: 610
Ingredients:
1- Olive oil: 1 tbsp
2- 12 ounce steak strip(1 ½ inch thick): 1
3- Black paper, coarsely crushed: 1 tbsp
4- Salt: as per your taste
5- Unsalted butter: 1 tbsp
6- Large shallot (finely chopped): 1
7- Cognac: 2 tbsp
8- Chicken broth (low sodium): ⅓ cup
9- Dijon mustard: 1 tsp
10- crème fraîche: ½ cup
Direction:
Step1
Preheat the oven up to 425 °F. Heat the oil in a large frying pan on medium-high. Add ½ tsp salt and crushed black pepper on the steak and season with it.
Fry it until it turns its color into well brown on both sides, which will take up to 4 minutes.
Transfer to a compassed baking sheet and roast for about 12 to 15 minutes until the thermometer of the instant-read register 125 °F to get medium-rare. Now take it out, and let it rest before you cut it into pieces.
Step 2
Meanwhile, empty any fat on the frying pan. Add butter, any black pepper from the seasoning left over, and shallot. Now sauté on medium heat for about 2 minutes until the shallot is tender.
Step 3
Add Cognac and stir, until reduced and for about 1 minute, at this point now add chicken broth and simmer it for 1 minute.
Add mustard and crème fraîche, and whisk it for 5 to 6 minutes until it gets slightly thick. If you like salty add some salt or serve it spoon on steak and as a side dish add some carrot salad and baked potatoes.
2. Pesto Linguine With Clams
Looking for an easy but super delicious and full nutritionist for your kids to eat on Christmas Eve? Don’t worry this looks like a fancy dish of pasta, but it’s super yummy and easy to cook.
Servings: 4
Time: 20 Mins
Cal/serv: 650
Ingredients
Linguine: 12 oz
Olive oil: 2 tbsp
Large cloves garlic, thinly sliced: 2
Small red chile, thinly sliced:½
Dry white wine:1 cup
Salt: as per taste
Manila clams or littleneck: 20
One step classic pesto: ¾ cup
Direction
Step 1
Boil linguine as per instruction given on the package, then drain it.
Step 2
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat oil on medium. Add Chile and garlic and fry them until brown color begins to appear. Add wine and salt(½ tsp or as per your taste) and bring it to boil.
Step 3
Reduce heat, add clams, and simmer. Cover the lid for 4 to 6 minutes until the clams have opened, toss them with pesto and then linguine.
3. Vegan Pumpkin Risotto With Crispy Sage
No cheese? Don’t need to worry! Utilize your pumpkin leftover from Halloween, vegetable broth, and nutritional yeast to provide earthy, savory flavor and an aromatic touch of crispy sage that create this creamy dish perfect for your Christmas Eve. An additional point is that you don’t even need to stand or stir.
Servings: 4
Time: 45 Mins
Cal/serv: 541
Ingredients
Olive oil: 4 tbsp
Small onion (finely chopped): 1
Salt
Pepper
Large garlic cloves (pressed): 2
Freshly grated nutmeg: 1 tsp
Aborio rice: 2 cup
Dry white wine: 1 cup
Low-sodium vegetable broth:4 cup
Sage leaves: ¼ cup
Pure pumpkin puree: 1 cup
Nutritional yeast: 2tsbdp
Direction
Step1
In a large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil on medium heat. Add onion, ¼ tsp salt and cook, covered, occasionally stir, till it’s tender and start to turn golden brown which will take 5 to 7 minutes. For 1 minute, mix in garlic and nutmeg and simmer.
Step 2
Add rice and stir, mix to coat for 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, occasionally stir, until nearly disappearing, add broth, salt, and pepper and let it boil, when it starts boiling reduce the heat, cover the lid and cook, until moisture absorbs evenly and rice is tender for 18 to 20 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a medium pan on medium heat. Add sage when oil is hot and cook, often stir, till it’s crispy. On a paper towel-lined plate move sage onto it.
Step 4
In risotto mix pumpkin purée and nutritional yeast to well combine and warm thoroughly.
Serve it with crispy sage and cracked paper (if required) on top.
4. Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Sausage and Green Beans
Have you ever tried baked gnocchi? Try a baked gnocchi recipe to make it more delicious and crispy instead of boiling. The result will leave you satisfied. It takes only a single sheet pan and 15 minutes to cook.
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 30 Mins
Total time: 30 mins
Calories 584
Ingredients
17.5 ounce shelf-stable potato gnocchi: 1 package
Olive oil: 2 ½ tbsp
Salt
Back Pepper
Italian sausages: 8 oz
Green beans(trimmed): 8 oz
Garlic cloves( thinly sliced): 4
Red pepper flakes: ½ tsp
Baby kale:1 package 5 ounce
Lemon zest: 1 tsp
Ricotta
Grated parmesan
Direction
Step 1
Preheat the oven up to 425°F. Toss gnocchi on a large rimmed baking sheet with ½ tbsp oil and ½ tsp black pepper. Let it arrange in equal layers. Cut the sausages into pieces and roast it in a pan for 10 minutes.
Step 2
Toss green beans and garlic in a medium bowl with remaining tbsp of olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt ¼ tsp. Mix gnocchi and sausages on a baking sheet, on top throw some green bean mixture. And until everything turns golden brown, roast it for 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 3
On a pan scatter some all over and roast until wilted. Sprinkle some lemon zest.
5. Wellington
Vegan friendly recipe will knock your whole family perfect for Christmas eve this dish consist mushroom and sweet potato with cranberries. A perfect main course that would be the showstopper of any vegetarian or vegan family.
Servings: 5
Prep Time: 45 Mins
Total time: 1hr 15 mins
Cal/serv: 712
Ingredients
Dried porcini mushroom: 90g
Olive oil: 2 tbsp
onion(finely chopped): 1
Chestnut mushroom (finely chopped): 250g
Garlic cloves(crushed): 2
Sweet potatoes (2 large), peeled and cut it into 2cm chunks: 500g
Finely chopped rosemary: 1 tbsp
sage(Finely chopped), 4 whole leaves: 1 tbsp
Soft white bread crumbs: 100g
Pomegranate molasses: 2 tbsp
Chopped walnuts or pecans: 40g
Dried cranberries: 40g
Grating of nutmeg
Sheet of dairy-free puff pastry: 2 x 320g
Plain flour(to dust)
Plant based milk: 3 tbsp
English mustard or dijon mustard with a pinch of turmeric: 1 tbsp
Direction:
Step 1
Take a heatproof bowl and put dried mushroom in it and pour boiling water up to 500ml from the kettle. Mix and press them down so they’re well combined and leave them to soak.
Step 2
Meanwhile, take a broad frying pan, heat the oil in it, and put heat on medium, and fry chestnut mushrooms and onions until the veg is delicate and the mushroom looks saggy and shrinks, which will take 20 mins.
Step 3
Stir sweet potatoes and garlic, then the soaked mushrooms along their liquid, leaving the last dregs of the liquid in a bowl (this may contain any pebbles from mushrooms).
Cook and cover for 15 minutes until sweet potatoes soften, and the remaining liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle some water halfway if the water evaporates quickly.
Step 4
Now remove the lid and mix the chopped herbs, breadcrumbs, molasses, cranberries, and nuts. Mix well and sprinkle in the nutmeg. The combination should be hard enough to look like stuffing, but not dry- breadcrumbs should be well mixed and suck the leftover liquid. Remove it from the stove and set aside to cool it down.
Step 5
Once cool, spread one of the puff pastry sheets and lightly sprinkle some flour on a non-stick baking sheet or baking tray. Mix the milk and mustard along with a pinch of salt and set aside.
Step 6
A spoonful of filling is put in the middle of the pastry sheet, leaving 5 cm from the edges for the border. Take the brush and dip it into the milk mixture to brush the borders. Then cover with the second pastry sheet. Press the borders together around the filling to remove any air, now seal the edges. Cut it off if there are any extra pastry corners with a sharp knife.
Tip: if you wanna make border patterns use a fork or hands.
Step 7
Cut small holes for steam and brush it with milk mixture on the top of the middle of the pastry. Let it chill for about 30 mins.
Tip: you can freeze it for two days also.
Step 8
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas. Take out the Wellington from the fridge and brush it with the milk mixture. Create a pattern with the help of a knife or fork into the top of the pastry, if you want to be creative, then for 35 to 40 mins bake it until it’s puffy, golden crispy- use foil paper to cover it if it’s too quickly browning. Now on top of Wellington set the whole sage leaves and stick them with the help of milk mixture, then again put it in the oven for more 10 mins.
Step 9
Now let it rest before you cut it into chunks to serve.
6. Pink Grapefruit Cheesecake
No oven? How to make a cheesecake at home? No worries, slow-cooker is the best! To make this iconic dessert slow-cooker will leave you amazed.
Servings: 5
Prep Time: 20 Mins
Total time: 2 hours for chilling
Cal/serv: 369
Ingredients
Graham cracker crumbs: 2 ½ cup
sugar(divided): 5 tbsp
Grated grapefruit zest: 11/2 tsp
Ground ginger: ¾ tsp
Unsalted Butter, melted: ⅔ cup
Cream cheese(softened): 2 packages(8 ounce each)
Sour cream: 11/4 cup
Pink grapefruit juice: ⅔ cup
Large eggs(room temperature, lightly beaten): 3
Fresh citrus fruit(optional)
Direction:
Step 1
Take a 6 inch springform pan and grease it then place 12 inches square of heavy double layer of foil and place it on a pan and wrap it around(carefully). In a slow cooker, pour some water up to 1 inch.
Step 2
2 pieces of 24 inches of foil layers. Take a long side, 1 inch wide strip and fold it up, then make a coil by rolling a foil strip. Now place that coil into the slow cooker, for cheesecake to form a rack.
Step 3
Now, put 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs in a small bowl and mix it with 3 tbsp sugar and unsalted melted butter. About 1 inch up the side you prepared the pan and pressed all the mixture in the bottom.
Step 4
Meanwhile, take a large bowl and beat to smooth the packages of softened cream cheese. And sugar ⅔ cup sugar. Now, beat the cream cheese mixture into sour cream and grapefruit juice. Beat the eggs on low speed so it’s well combined.
Step 5
On the crust Pour the mixture of cream cheese. Place springform pan on coil. With a double layer of paper towel to cover the slow cooker and secure the lid. Turn off the slow cooker without removing the lid and let the cheesecake in, covered for an additional 1 hour in the slow cooker.
Step 6
Now, remove the springform pan, and unwrap the foil from around the cooker. Take out the cheesecake and for 1 hour more place it on a rack. With the help of a knife, loosen the sides and refrigerate it for 4 hours at least. Before serving the cheesecake, remove the rim.
Optional: you can add caramel sauce, other fruits, or berries. Create colors according to your preference.
7. Classic Apple Cranberry Crisp:
Do you love old-fashioned goodness? Try this classic apple cranberry crisp freshly baked to create the aroma in your house. This well-known recipe blends with seasonal charm, kissed with cinnamon, crisp apples, luscious cranberries, and capped with a golden buttery crumble. Make this dessert to bring joy and pleasure to your festive celebrations.
Ingredients
Chopped peeled tart apples: 3 cups
Fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed: 1-½ cups
Packed brown sugar, divided: ¾ cup
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Ground cinnamon: ½ tsp
All-purpose flour: ½ cup
Cold butter, cubed: ⅓ cup
Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Direction:
Step 1
Preheat the oven up to 175°C. Meanwhile, take a large bowl and gather the chopped apples, cranberries, brown sugar(½ cup), ground cinnamon, and lemon juice. Mix until the fruit is equally coated.
Now, transfer the mixture into an 8 inch greased baking dish.
Step 2
Take another bowl, pour the flour and the leftover brown sugar ¼ cup. Lightly start adding cold water, and butter. Use fingers or a pastry cutter to mix the mixture until it forms a mixture of coarse crumbs. Now spread the crumbly topping equally over the mixture of fruit in the baking dish.
Step 3
Now, put it in the preheated oven and bake it for 40-45 mins or until it looks golden crispy and the fruit looks bubbly.
Step 4
After taking it out from the oven, let it cool slightly before you serve it.
Tip: it becomes more delicious if you serve it warm and with vanilla ice cream over it for an extra treat.
Summary:
Are you feeling sick with the same traditional dishes for your Christmas dinner? This blog is your ticket to a delicious trip, with a selection of odd, tasty yet simple ideas for any taste bud- vegan, non-veg, or veg.
These following recipes to change your Christmas Eve festive game, from a show-stopping Wellington to tempting pink grapefruit cheesecake baked in a slow cooker.
