Food and Recipes Lunch 35 Christmas Lunch Ideas That Won't Ruin Your Appetite for Dinner By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is an Associate Digital Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 11, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Southern Living Christmas morning is such a whirlwind. Between opening presents from Santa, attending church services, and preparing for the big Christmas dinner, it's easy to overlook one thing: lunch. Your family still needs to eat lunch on Christmas Day, especially if all they've had is candy from their stockings. We know: You want to save room for the gorgeous Christmas feast you're going to eat that night. But the last thing Mama needs is a bunch of hangry family members showing up for dinner. To hold the family over and keep you sane, we pulled together some of our favorite ideas for Christmas lunch. These festive recipes are either super quick or make-ahead to help you out after a hectic morning and before the day's main culinary event at dinner. With these Christmas lunch recipes, you won't miss a second of the holiday with your family. 01 of 35 Ham and Noodle Casserole Jen Causey Recipe: Ham and Noodle Casserole Have this classic casserole waiting in your freezer for Christmas lunch so you won't skip a beat in your dinner prep. 02 of 35 Spicy Sausage-and-Cheddar Kolaches Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Spicy Sausage-and-Cheddar Kolaches Our savory twist on the classic Czech pastry is the perfect lunch bite with a simple green or fruit salad. 03 of 35 Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread Southern Living Recipe: Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread Make Christmas lunch a festive snack that everyone can pick on before the main dinner event with this cheeky pull-apart bread recipe. 04 of 35 Shrimp and Grits Casserole Antonis Achilleo; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Shrimp and Grits Casserole Whether your crew wakes up in time for breakfast, brunch, or late lunch, this shrimp and grits casserole will satisfy them. 05 of 35 Ham Biscuits Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Ham Biscuits Ham biscuits are a timeless, any-time-of-day party food. 06 of 35 Extra Easy Lasagna Photo: Lee Harrelson Recipe: Extra Easy Lasagna Lasagna is a popular dish to serve around the holidays, and what better time to bring out an easy lasagna than at Christmas lunch? 07 of 35 Christmas Morning Strata Southern Living Recipe: Christmas Morning Strata When in doubt, a hearty breakfast casserole with a handful of ingredients is a surefire way to have a happy crowd. 08 of 35 Chicken Biscuit Sandwiches Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Chicken Biscuit Sandwiches Prep these easy slow-cooker sandwiches the day before so you can throw them together for lunch and not miss a second of Christmas Day with your family. 09 of 35 Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup with Bacon Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup with Bacon A cup of warm soup is comforting for a cold Christmas Day but won't fill the family up too much before dinner. 10 of 35 Fresh Fruit Salad Jen Causey Recipe: Fresh Fruit Salad This is our go-to fruit salad recipe, but for a festive spin, use only green and red fruit. 11 of 35 Cheese Puffs with Ham Salad Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cheese Puffs with Ham Salad Have the cheese puffs ready in the freezer to put together this presentable but easy old-school luncheon recipe. 12 of 35 Christmas Tree Spinach Dip Micah A. Leal Recipe: Christmas Tree Spinach-Dip Start Christmas lunch with a festive twist on classic spinach dip. 13 of 35 Salmon Bagel Sandwiches Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Salmon Bagel Sandwiches This isn't your average lox bagel. Made with savory slow-cooked salmon and a fresh herbed cream cheese, your family will love these pretty bagel sandwiches. 14 of 35 Best Waldorf Salad Southern Living Recipe: Best Waldorf Salad Every holiday meal could use a pretty seasonal salad to start. 15 of 35 Italian Casserole Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Italian Casserole This cozy casserole is the ideal make-ahead dish to have on-hand throughout the holidays. 16 of 35 Turkey, Apple, and Brie Sandwich Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Turkey, Apple, and Brie Sandwich These quick, flavorful sandwiches are easy to put together while you work on dinner dishes. 17 of 35 Biscuits-and-Gravy Skillet Jennifer Causey Recipe: Biscuits-and-Gravy Skillet We'd enjoy this comforting one-dish meal any time of day. 18 of 35 Harvest Salad Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Harvest Salad This winter salad showcases the best and brightest of the season. It's also a great palate cleanser in between morning pastries and Christmas dinner. 19 of 35 Hot Chicken Salad Southern Living Recipe: Hot Chicken Salad Our hot chicken salad takes the classic combination of chicken, mayo, and celery and adds a tasty explosion of flavors. 20 of 35 Winter Vegetables and Gnocchi Greg DuPree Recipe: Winter Vegetables and Gnocchi This quick, seasonal pasta recipe is on the table in 30 minutes and will satisfy everyone at the table. 21 of 35 Beef Stew Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Beef Stew Make a big batch of beef stew the day before and enjoy it for lunch on Christmas Day. 22 of 35 Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches Southern Living Recipe: Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches This Southern favorite open-faced sandwich is a crowd-pleaser for even the crankiest Christmas crowd. 23 of 35 Croissant Breakfast Casserole Victor Protasio Recipe: Croissant Breakfast Casserole This is our Test Kitchen's new favorite way to make brunch ahead for a crowd. 24 of 35 Ham-and-Cheese Puff Pastries Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Ham-and-Cheese Puff Pastries These buttery pastries are filled with a dreamy combination of ham, Gruyere, thyme and honey mustard. 25 of 35 Macaroni Pie Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Macaroni Pie Macaroni and cheese is always a crowd-pleaser. This delicious pie version is easy to whip together. 26 of 35 Mushroom-Stuffed Phyllo Cups Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Mushroom-Stuffed Phyllo Cups These bite-sized mushroom pies are perfect served alongside deviled eggs and other party appetizers for a light and casual Christmas lunch. 27 of 35 Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce Meatballs never disappoint. Instead of serving with spaghetti, try these sliders for a lunch spread. 28 of 35 Peppered Beef Soup Jennifer Davick Recipe: Peppered Beef Soup This hearty soup will warm you up on chilly holidays. 29 of 35 Christmas Salad Alison Miksch Recipe: Christmas Salad This colorful salad will add plenty of Christmas cheer to the lunch spread. 30 of 35 Roasted Fennel-and-Prosciutto Flatbread Hector Sanchez Recipe: Roasted Fennel-and-Prosciutto Flatbread This beautiful flatbread starts with store-bought pizza dough, but the fresh toppings keep it light. 31 of 35 Orange-Basil Baked Brie Alison Miksch Recipe: Orange-Basil Baked Brie Seasonal baked brie is invited to every holiday gathering at our house. 32 of 35 Feta-Olive-Fresh Herb Cheese Ball Hector Sanchez Recipe: Feta-Olive-Fresh Herb Cheese Ball Set out a timeless cheese ball and everyone can snack until dinner time. 33 of 35 Citrus Salad with Spiced Honey Iain Bagwell Recipe: Citrus Salad with Spiced Honey Use whatever citrus fruit you grab at the grocery store in this colorful, fresh salad. 34 of 35 Brussels Sprout Slaw with Apples and Pecans Greg DuPree Recipe: Brussels Sprout Slaw with Apples and Pecans Salads don't have to be boring. This bright and crunchy salad made with apples, pecans, and shaved Brussels sprouts makes a lovely lunch on Christmas. 35 of 35 Ham-and-Cheese Sliders Photography and Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Ham-and-Cheese Sliders These sliders are perfect for feeding a crowd on Christmas. Plus, they're ready in under 30 minutes. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit