20+ Italian Christmas Day Dinner Recipes for a Family Feast

Christmas Day Dinner was always a lot less work than the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. In our Italian-American family, we take Christmas morning slow and have a late lunch, early dinner situation.

Now, don't get me wrong, it's still a big feast, but a lot of the recipes are things we prep in advance, like lasagna, baked ziti, Sunday Sauce, or a roast that's been marinating overnight.

We usually start with some Italian Appetizers at 11 a.m. and slowly make our way to the dinner table by 3 p.m. Below, you can choose Italian and American Pasta and Italian Main Course recipes for your Christmas Feast!

Italian Christmas Appetizer Ideas

1

Italian Sausage Bread

This is my all-time favorite appetizer. My dad taught me how to make this when I was a kid, and I've been making it ever since. It's cheesy, crunchy, and everyone always loves it.

Italian Sausage Bread Recipe

2

Simple Overnight Focaccia Bread

This one ferments overnight to let the bubbles really strengthen. But the day of, all you have to do is take it out of the fridge and rest it on the counter. Then bake it for 30 minutes. And you get this flavorful, salty bread that you can serve with marinara sauce.

Cast Iron Focaccia Bread Recipe

3

Easy Ricotta Bruschetta

Marinated tomatoes and onions served over a ricotta bruschetta. This simple app is perfect for when people arrive early. It's a great way to hold everyone over until more appetizers come out!

Ricotta Bruschetta Recipe

4

Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Baby bella mushrooms stuffed with a flavorful sausage stuffing. This is my grandma's stuffing recipe, stuffed into mushrooms and baked for 20 minutes. The best part is you can prep them a night in advance and bake them the next day!

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

5

Eggplant Meatballs

These are the perfect little crispy appetizers to serve with some marinara sauce for dipping. You can prep them a night in advance and fry them on Christmas.

Polpette di Melanzane Recipe

Italian Christmas Day Pasta Ideas

6

Authentic Italian Lasagna

It wouldn't be a holiday without my Mother's Lasagna. She brings it for every single holiday, and usually she prepares it weeks in advance and freezes it. She'll travel across the country with it, thaw it, and heat it up right in my kitchen!

Italian Lasagna

7

Italian Sunday Sauce

Most Christmases, we have a Sunday Sauce going first thing in the morning. Then we enjoy an early dinner with meatballs, sausage, and pasta with loaves of bread for dipping!

Sunday Sauce

8

Italian Baked Ziti

I love to make baked ziti with sausage because Christmas is a low-and-slow day for us. Ziti can be prepped 2 days in advance. Then I just throw it in the oven for dinner!

Italian Baked Ziti

9

Braised Short Ribs with Gnocchi

A rich and delicious short rib ragu served over gnocchi. If you want to level up Christmas dinner, serve this as the pasta dish.

Braised Short Rib Ragu

10

Classic Italian Stuffed Shells

I know, I know, we've done a lot of baked pastas, but that's what the spirit of Christmas is about, right? Santa and his stuffed shells? These delicious ricotta stuffed pasta shells are perfect for a holiday dinner!

Classic Italian Stuffed Shells

Italian Christmas Day Dinner Ideas

11

Eggplant Rollatini

Crispy fried eggplant stuffed with a ricotta filling and baked with a marinara sauce. A labor of love and a really special dish to serve on Christmas!

Eggplant Rollatini

12

Authentic Italian Braciole

Top round or flank steak sliced thin and tenderized. It's then stuffed with a breadcrumb filling and braised in a tomato sauce for a tender beef main.

Authentic Italian Braciole

13

Italian Pork Roast

This braised pork roast is cooked in a Dutch oven for 3 hours for a tender and sliceable roast. With less than 30 minutes of hands-on prep, this might be the easiest Christmas dinner you can make!

Italian Pork Roast

14

Authentic Italian Porchetta

Pork Belly Porchetta made with a special Italian ingredient: fennel pollen. This slow-roasted pork belly slices into beautiful swirls for a delicious centerpiece meal with perfectly crispy crackling skin.

Italian Porchetta

15

Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breast

This is perfect if you're having a smaller Christmas celebration. Just a turkey breast roulade wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with a breadcrumb stuffing.

Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breast Recipe

Italian Christmas Day Side Dish Ideas

16

Fennel and Potato Au Gratin

An Italian take on the classic potato au gratin with slowly sautéed fennel and thinly sliced potatoes, baked for a soft inside and crispy edges.

Fennel and Potato Au Gratin

17

Broccoli Rabe (Rapini)

Sautéed rapini or broccoli rabe is one of my favorite vegetables to have at the table purely for dipping my bread. But it's delicious and probably the best leftover the next day.

Sautéed Rapini with Garlic

18

Italian Radicchio Salad

A light radicchio salad with a citrus dressing, chickpeas, and pine nuts. This is a nice light salad to break up some of these heavy Christmas Dishes.

Italian Radicchio Salad

19

Garlic Parmesan Green Beans

Simple but a staple for a reason. Garlic parm green beans are an easy addition to your Christmas feast, and they don't take up oven space! They can be made while your main dish is resting!

Garlic Parm Green Beans

20

Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

A subtle garlicky mashed potato recipe with mascarpone and parmesan. I use garlic confit to flavor the mashed potatoes, which leaves no garlic chunks in the potatoes!

Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Setting Up the Christmas Menu

For every eight people, I usually plan on one or two appetizers, one pasta, one main dish, and two sides. If we're having more people over, I adjust from there.

I'd start with eggplant meatballs and focaccia. Slice the focaccia for the appetizers, then leave the bread on the table for anyone who wants to mop up their Sunday sauce.

For the pasta course, I'd toss the pasta with Sunday sauce, then bring out the braciole, meatballs, and sausage from the pot on a separate platter for the main course. That's why I love making Sunday sauce for Christmas. One pot takes care of two courses. I'd serve it with sautéed rapini and my Italian radicchio salad.

What to Serve for Dessert

There's always room for a little something sweet after Christmas dinner. Here are a few desserts I'd put out with the coffee.

• Pistachio Torta Caprese. Make it a day ahead so dessert is already taken care of.
• Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies. Bake them ahead and ice them on Christmas morning.
• Pignoli Cookies. These soft, chewy almond cookies are right at home on the tray on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
• Pistachio Tiramisu. This one's a labor of love, but it's the dessert I'd make when I want something a little extra for Christmas.