What should I make for Christmas Eve dinner? I need something cheap and easy to make!?

Question

Our big Christmas dinner is always on Christmas day, but on Christmas Eve my husband and I, along with my immediate family, get together to eat and enjoy time together. In the past, our menu would consist of "finger foods" ie cheese dip, cheesy bacon bites, cocktail weenies, cookies, etc. One year we had chili, which turned out great, but this year my sister is pregnant and won't be able to eat any foods with tomatos in it.

I'm racking my brain for something cheap and easy to make, seeing as how I don't want to spend my entire Christmas Eve in the kitchen. I would like to steer away from finger foods, and actually just have a good, filling meal (that will feed 8 adults). Any suggestions for the menu would be great!! Thanks =D

Answer 1

Actually the Italians eat only fish and pasta dishes on Christmas Eve, so why not follow their example. (At least part way) You could make a big pot of spaghetti and offer several different sauces (a typical red sauce for those who can eat something of a tomato base and Alfredo perhaps for your sister, and maybe a Pesto). Have large loaves of Italian bread or hard rolls, a nice salad and maybe an antipasto platter. Fast and easy as well as inexpensive. No one doesn't like spaghetti. To be honest, I'd buy pre-made meatballs and jarred sauces which I'd doctor up. You can prepare the salad, antipasto platter and bread ahead of time and all you'd have to do is heat things up and make the spaghetti. Have the others bring dessert and you are done!
Besides the colors are of Christmas and what a nice filling yummy meal.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!!

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Easy Christmas Eve Dinner

Answer 4

2

Answer 5

Make a few homemade pizzas, (make an alfredo or pesto one for your sister), and sit back and watch A Christmas Story and It's a Wonderful Life.

Buuut, you said you didn't want fingerfoods, and no matter how well pizza goes with wine, it will always seem like fingerfood, hunh?

I would make a roast, because you can just put it in the oven (don't do the crockpot thing, actually make it in a roasting pan) and let it cook while you entertain. It often has the vegetables with it (if not, some roasted potatos and some green beans or asparugus would be great), perhaps just serve some crusty warm bread with it. No tomatos.

And then, because it's Christmas, you could always make Ginerbread cookies. They go great with vanilla ice cream.

Answer 6

The Paleo diet isn't a fad or another weight loss gimmick. It's the way humans were meant to eat.

The Paleo Cookbook is a comprehensive collection of recipes from across the globe.

Paleo Recipe Book - http://paleorecipebook.healthyaz.co

Whether you're looking for Paleo-friendly breakfasts, dinners, desserts, or international favorites, you'll find dishes for every taste.

The Paleo Cookbook is your guide to a new, healthier way of eating:

For both meat-eaters and vegetarians.

Enjoy over 370+ healthy Paleo recipes that are very easy and fast to cook, not to mention they are incredibly delicious.

Prepare easy and healthy meals with the Paleo Recipe Book. Over 370+ recipes covering just about anything you'll ever need on a Paleo diet.

Transitioning to the Paleo lifestyle is the natural way to increased vitality, weight loss, and overall better health.

Prepare Easy And Healthy Meals - http://paleorecipebook.healthyaz.co

With The Paleo Cookbook, you'll discover just how easy, delicious, and nutritious the Paleo diet can be.

Answer 7

Christmas Eve soup (Cheeseburger soup)
Quick, easy, filling and plenty to go around.
Recipe
1lb hamburger browned
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 cups chicken broth
1 can cheddar cheese soup
2 soup cans of milk
1 lb of Velveeta cheese
2 cups of cooked rice
1 8 oz carton of sour cream with chives

simmer carrots, celery and onion in chicken broth for 10 minutes. Add ground beef, cheese soup, milk and rice. Stir in Velveeta until melted. DO NOT BOIL.Add sour cream just before serving.

Hope this helps. It is YUMMY, especially for a family gathering on Christmas eve.

Answer 8

How about a large Greek salad: crisp romaine lettuce (or you can grab the bag/such as Dole at your grocers-produce dept.); feta cheese; salad olives; chopped red onion; and black pitted olives... also tomatoes (omit from your sistr's serving). Top with a good Greek dressing such as Kraft's. Also, grab 2 trays of frozen lasagna such as Stouffer's meat lasagna and the Vegetable lasagna, which has a white sauce. You simply throw that in the oven fr an hour and take it out when it's done. Maybe grab some garlic bread, and you've got a really fillng, satisfying meal that isnt too much work or trouble and tastes great.

Answer 9

I recommend a spiral ham or canned ham which makes it easy to make sandwiches. You could also make baked beans (or use canned ones) and scalloped potatoes.

In a buttered pyrex dish put:
Peel potatoes and cut very thin. 3 cups in all
1/2 cup minced onion
1 1/2 cups of ham peices
Put in at least 3 layers. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of flour over layer with salt, pepper and dry mustard. Pour 2 to 2 1/2 cups of heated milk over the casserole and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes at 325 degrees.

I have made these potatoes for company many times with rave reviews. Enjoy your Christmas.

Answer 10

Order Chinese Take-Out Food.

Here's a YUMMY Appetizer.....

SUE's ALMOND PINECONE DIP:
1 1/4 cups whole natural almonds
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup mayonnaise
5 crisply cooked bacon slices, crumbled
1 Tablespoon chopped green onion
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Assorted Crackers for serving
Spread almonds in a single layer in shallow pan or cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring often, until almonds just begin to turn color. Combine softened cream cheese and mayonnaise; mix well. Add bacon, onion, dill and pepper; mix well. Cover and chill overnight. Form cheese mixture into shape of pinecone on serving platter. Beginning at narrow end, press almonds at a slight angle into cheese mixture in rows. Continue overlapping rows until all cheese is covered. Garnish with artificial or real pine sprigs that have been cleaned. Serve with assorted crackers.