Holidays & Occasions Christmas Our Best Recipes For an Unforgettable Christmas Eve Meal, No Matter Your Family's Dinner Style By Lisa Cericola Lisa Cericola Lisa is the Deputy Editor at Southern Living and joined the team in 2015. She works with the Southern Living Test Kitchen to create recipes for the site and print magazine, edits the magazine's food section, and writes digital food stories as well. Previously, she was the features editor at Food Network Magazine and has more than 15 years of experience writing, editing, and managing photo shoots for print and digital lifestyle brands. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 3, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Jen Causey On Christmas Eve, families around the South gather to celebrate in different ways. We have the houses we go to, the dishes we serve, and the traditions we recreate year after year. "It's our family tradition," we might say. Or, "That's just my family's style." And while the dishes we serve may vary over time, it's more often than not that our family or group's dinner style stays somewhat the same. Once a casual Christmas Eve dinner family, always a casual Christmas Eve dinner family, and so on. With this in mind, we decided to create three delicious menus for the most common Christmas Eve dinner styles: casual, classic, and formal. And to make things easy to recreate at home, we've provided the same structured menu for each: one main entree, two side dishes, and one dessert. So, read on to find dinner inspiration, whether your crowd prefers a casual holiday meal or a formal sit-down affair. We have menu ideas for every type of Christmas Eve dinner. And no matter which menu you choose, these delicious dishes will surely put everyone in a festive mood. 01 of 12 Casual Main: Lasagna Roll-Ups Hector Sanchez Recipe: Lasagna Roll-Ups Lasagna checks all the boxes on our holiday meal wish list: feeds a crowd (of all ages), can be made in advance, and can be made in one dish. These roll-ups, however, were made for a holiday helping of Lasagna, as they still check the boxes but are presented in a way that while casual, feel celebration-worthy too. 02 of 12 Classic Main: Pineapple Glazed Ham Jen Causey Recipe: Pineapple Glazed Ham Glazed ham isn't just for Easter. Make this pineapple-glazed, cherry-studded showstopper the center of your Christmas Eve table this year. Trust us: It tastes as good as it looks. 03 of 12 Formal Main: Pancetta-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin Jim Franco Recipe: Pancetta-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Whipped Horseradish Cream Pancetta (otherwise known as "Italian bacon") adds an extra layer of richness and a deliciously crisp texture to beef tenderloin. Slice the beef into rounds and serve with Whipped Horseradish Cream. 04 of 12 Casual Side: Yeast Rolls Iain Bagwell Recipe: Yeast Rolls A basket of warm, scratch-made rolls makes the most laid-back holiday meal feel special. This recipe, a favorite among our readers, turns out beautifully every time. 05 of 12 Casual Side: Christmas Salad Alison Miksch Recipe: Christmas Salad This salad is a go-to for holiday gatherings because the sturdy lettuce can hold for a few hours. This works well for a serve-yourself dinner style without sacrificing the salad's signature flavors of beets, onions, bacon, and feta. 06 of 12 Classic Side: Herbed Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Lisa Cericola's Herbed Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes No one can resist an extra helping of these buttery, silky smooth mashed potatoes. This recipe comes from a Southern Living editor's own kitchen, so trust us when we say the addition of herbs and brown butter will surprise you in the best way. 07 of 12 Classic Side: Green Beans with Garlic Jim Franco Recipe: Green Beans with Garlic This simple side dish of blanched, then sautéed green beans comes together in minutes and will pair perfectly with any dish on your menu. Not a fan of garlic? Omit it and top the green beans with toasted slivered almonds. 08 of 12 Formal Side: Sweet Potato Stacks Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Sweet Potato Stacks Enjoy the comfort of sweet potatoes in a pretty little bite with these rosemary-and-cinnamon-topped stacks. While beautiful, they are surprisingly easy to make and look fancy thanks to the unique flavors and presentation. 09 of 12 Formal Side: Honey-Glazed Spiced Carrots Iain Bagwell Recipe: Honey-Glazed Spiced Carrots Roast multicolored whole baby carrots in a hot oven, then toss them in a spicy-sweet honey glaze for a side dish that looks and tastes more impressive than the sum of its parts. 10 of 12 Casual Dessert: Ambrosia Trifle Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Giulietta Pinna; Food Styling: Ali Ramee Recipe: Ambrosia Trifle Everyone will be eager to dig into this incredible trifle, made with layers of angel food cake, maraschino cherries, and pineapple. We especially love the rich flavors of the homemade custard—made with whipped cream, mayonnaise, and sour cream. 11 of 12 Classic Dessert: Gingerbread Cake Roll with Eggnog Cream Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Gingerbread Cake Roll with Eggnog Cream We gave an old-fashioned Christmas dessert—gingerbread cake—an extra holiday twist with eggnog cream filling. Add a dusting of powdered sugar to top it off. 12 of 12 Formal Dessert: Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Everyone loves crème brûlée for its golden, crackled tops and silky custard filling. Turn this favorite fancy dish, which always feels like a special occasion when you order it at restaurant or make it at home, into a crowd-friendly cheesecake for Christmas. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit