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Putting together a holiday menu is the highlight of the year! Combine the delicious, amazing tastes with all of the beautiful spreads and colors and you have yourself a meal to remember!
A wide variety of options is key to making your holiday menu stand out! I absolutely love packing all of my options in to make it more a feast than a meal! My favorite recipes to include are roasted chicken, this punch and these amazing carrots
How to Put Together a Holiday Menu
I loooooove the holidays for the fact that the FOOD is always incredible! I know that most people have a tradition and cook the same thing every year. But… I love to switch things up and add more every holiday. Creating a feast is probably a more accurate description of holidays around here! So, the way to make the best holiday menu ever is to first come up with your main dish. I love using a roast, ham, or turkey because they are easy to make and feed a lot of people! Next, I make sure to fix up at least a few different sides. A cooked vegetable, a salad and some bread are a great place to start!
Once you pick out your main course and some sides, you should look everything over and make sure that there is a wide variety of options! When it comes to a holiday menu, I say more is always better! I definitely don’t want my guests to be taking small portions and leaving hungry because they are worried there isn’t enough food! Last but not least, you need a mouthwatering dessert to finish it off. You can do cookies, cakes or pies and they will all leave your guests full and satisfied! I have rounded up my very favorite, tried and true holiday menu ideas below to make this super easy for you!
Holiday Menu Tips
Don’t let your holiday menu stress you out! I have put together a few tips to make this process as easy and enjoyable as possible! It will be a hit!
Grocery shopping: Don’t let the preparation scare you. You can do a lot of your shopping weeks ahead of time! Make your menu and list of non-perishables that you need for your meal. Buy those items a few weeks in advance. That way, when the time comes to cook, you don’t have to grocery shop too!
Prep some recipes in advance: Another thing to do is find a few meals that you can cook a fews days (or weeks!) in advance and store them in your freezer or fridge. You’ll already be halfway done if you do things this way!
Delegate: If you have a large group coming to your meal, have everyone bring something. Assign them a category (and even refer them back to this page for ideas!). This takes a bit of the load off of you and it makes your holiday menu that much better!
Pre-wash your dishes: If you have special dishes that come out only at holiday parties, prepare those by gettting them out and washing them before you need them. Preparation is really the key to success!
Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
5 from 4 votes
Amazing juicy and perfectly tender turkey breast that slow cooks all day in the crockpot!
Spiced Rub Brown Sugar Pineapple Glazed Ham is coated with a sweet and tangy spiced glaze that caramelizes on the edge of the ham. This will be the star at your holiday dinner table!
These Bacon Wrapped Chestnuts are crunchy sweet chestnuts, that are enveloped in a savory bacon and marinated in a sweet spicy sauce for the perfect flavor combination.
Garlic butter herb prime rib is melt in your mouth tender, cooked to medium-rare perfection, and marbled with fat. The seared garlic butter herb crust is incredible!
Green bean casserole is a classic, tried and true side dish that everyone loves! It's so delicious and creamy that it just might steal the turkey's spot as the star of the show!
Slow cooker Swedish meatballs braised in a rich and flavorful cream sauce. A combination of ground beef, pork, and warm spices make for a comforting and satisfying dish. Serve as an easy appetizer or hearty meal paired with mashed potatoes or egg noodles!
Autumn Chopped Salad with Creamy Poppyseed Dressing
4.91 from 10 votes
Autumn Chopped Salad with Creamy Poppyseed Dressing is all of your fall salad dreams come true! Crisp chopped apples, pears, romaine lettuce, crunchy pecans, bacon, cranberries and feta cheese combine in a creamy dressing to bring you one unforgettable salad!
Fork-tender, melt-in-your-mouth pot roast with delicate potatoes and sweet carrots in a perfectly seasoned broth. This recipe is super simple but will make you feel like you've spent all day cooking.
Chocolate Peppermint Dipped Shortbread Cookies are buttery, melt in your mouth shortbread cookies that get dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint. These cookies make the perfect holiday treat!
A mouthwatering winter salad with quinoa, spinach, mandarine oranges, and crunchy pistachios. Topped with a creamy lemon greek yogurt dressing and feta cheese this makes one unforgettable salad!
Creamy Parmesan Garlic Brussels Sprouts are sautéed in a rich, thick and creamy parmesan sauce with minced garlic cooked until soft and tender. These make the perfect side dish!
This honey-glazed ham is coated with delicious brown sugar and sweet honey glaze! It is tender and juicy and goes with everything which makes it ideal for your holiday meal!
A cheesy potato casserole full of melted cheese, sour cream, onions, and garlic with a crunchy top. This is full of amazing flavor and will be the star of the dinner table!
This bruschetta is easy to make with fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes, shredded mozzarella cheese and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette over top of a French baguette. Bruschetta comes together quickly and easily!
Homemade Milano Cookies have tender cookies with a nice crunch sandwiched around a layer of rich dark chocolate in the center! They taste even better than the store bought version!
Best Ever Glazed Carrots have the most amazing brown sugar glaze and caramelize as they roast! These carrots are so irresistible and are going to be the star of the table!
Roasted Cranberry Orange Pork Loin with Green Beans
4.50 from 2 votes
Roasted Cranberry Orange Pork Tenderloin with Green Beans is such a flavorful and easy meal. The cranberry orange glaze is perfect on top of the pork and green beans. This will be the star of your holiday dinner table!
Candied Sweet Potatoes are just that, sweet and tender, juicy, bright orange sweet potatoes that will warm your home and melt in your mouth! Only 3 ingredients is all you need!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pinwheels are and easy wrap your party guests will love with chicken, bacon, cheese and ranch seasoning. They're delicious hot and cold!
This easy Christmas fruit salad recipe is loaded with red and green fruit making it theperfect light and healthy addition to your holiday table! With a super simple dressing, it comes together quickly and is sure to be a hit!
French Onion Soup is such a classic and SO easy to make! Onions are slowly caramelized until soft and sweet, simmered with beef broth, thyme, and just a touch of sugar. It's topped with a crispy crouton, loads of shredded gruyere cheese and broiled into a crispy, cheesy oblivion. So good!
Welcome to my kitchen! I am Alyssa Rivers and the food blogger behind The Recipe Critic. The blog launched in 2012 as a place to share my passion for cooking. I love trying new things and testing them out with my family. Each recipe is tried and true, family-tested and approved.
I’ve tried several of your recipes. They’re always great! Thank you so much.
I really like the clarity of the recipes and their implementation. The helpful tutorage is great, also.
will try to work my way through all of these, thank you! Wonderful holiday inspiration!