These Italian Christmas dinner foods, like saucy, rich mains and freshly baked desserts, are begging to be on your holiday table this year.
48 Italian Christmas Dinner Ideas
Published on Dec. 20, 2018
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Italian Sprinkle Cookies
You don't need a party to enjoy these Italian wedding cookies. The soft, lemon-scented, cakelike cookies with a sweet glaze and pretty sprinkles make any day brighter.
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Creamy Beef Lasagna
This creamy beef lasagna is a stick-to-your-ribs entree, thanks to its Stroganoff-like filling. My family loves the delicious taste, and I appreciate that it’s inexpensive to fix. —Jane Frawley, Charles Town, West Virginia
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Pear and Gorgonzola Salad
This pear and gorgonzola salad is quick and easy. When I have leftover cooked chicken, I often add it to the recipe to make a main dish salad. —Candace McMenamin, Lexington, South Carolina
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Soft Garlic Breadsticks
I rely on a bread machine to mix the dough for this buttery garlic breadsticks recipe that is mildly seasoned with garlic and basil. I like to use this dough when making pizza, too. —Charles Smith, Baltic, Connecticut
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Vegetable-Stuffed Flank Steak
This colorful beef dish was always a favorite request for birthday dinners while I was growing up. Savory, special and stuffed full of vegetables, it’s as tender as the memories it still brings back every time I make it. —Julie Etzel, Tualatin, Oregon
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Quick and Easy Tiramisu
No one can resist this classic cool and creamy dessert. It’s quick to prepare but can be made ahead for added mealtime convenience.
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Portobello Risotto with Mascarpone
Portobello mushrooms add a beefy flavor to this creamy classic. Each serving is topped with soft, buttery mascarpone cheese, which makes it extra special. —Carmella Ryan, Rockville Centre, New York
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Italian Cream Cheese Cake
Buttermilk makes every bite of this awesome Italian cream cheese cake recipe moist and flavorful. I rely on this recipe year-round.—Joyce Lutz, Centerview, Missouri
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Anise Pizzelle
These lovely, golden brown anise pizzelle cookies have a crisp texture and delicate anise flavor. I create them using a pizzelle iron. —Barbara Colucci, Rockledge, Florida
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Gnocchi with Spinach and Chicken Sausage
Dinner is easy when I can use ingredients typically found in my fridge and pantry. —Laura Miller, Lake Ann, Michigan
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Italian Appetizer Meatballs
Store-bought spaghetti sauce speeds up the preparation of these homemade meatball appetizers. Leftovers make terrific sub sandwiches.—Rene McCrory, Indianapolis, Indiana
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Nana's Italian Roulade
My great-aunt from Sicily taught my mother how to stuff and bake a steak in a jelly-roll style. It’s unique and really special in our family. —Roseanne McDonald, Days Creek, Oregon
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Garlic Knots
These novel garlic knots are handy because they can be made ahead of time and reheated when needed. —Jane Paschke, University Park, Florida
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Cranberry Ricotta Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sauce
To make light and airy gnocchi, work quickly and handle the dough as little as possible. You’ll be pleased with the resulting pillowy dumplings. —Sally Sibthorpe, Shelby Township, Michigan
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Tuscan Grapes and Sausages
This recipe is one of my go-tos when entertaining. It’s simple, elegant and you can entertain your guests instead of spending the entire time in the kitchen. The whole pieces of garlic in this dish become so sweet, a lovely complement to the sweet grapes and spicy sausage. —Melissa Zienter, Las Vegas, Nevada
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Gingerbread Amaretti Cookies
The classic Italian cookie gets a new gingerbread twist! Don’t overbake—they should be slightly chewy. —Tina Zaccardi, Eastchester, New York
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Chicken Pesto Meatballs
These tender, pesto-stuffed meatballs get gobbled up in our house. They're short on ingredients, but packed with flavor. I always make a double batch, freezing the other half for a busy night. —Ally Billhorn, Wilton, Iowa
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Over-the-Rainbow Minestrone
This vegetarian soup features a rainbow of vegetables. You can use any multicolored pasta in place of the spirals. —Crystal Schlueter, Northglenn, Colorado
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Amaretto Ricotta Cheesecake
There's a good reason why a relative handed this cherished recipe down to me. It's a keeper! The amaretto and ricotta make for a truly unique dessert. —Isabel Neuman, Surprise, Arizona
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Flounder with Shrimp Stuffing
The delicious shrimp-herb stuffing makes this fish recipe special enough for company. But it really isn’t hard to make, and since our family enjoys fish, we eat it often. —Marie Forte, Raritan, New Jersey
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Italian Pork Loin
This herb-crusted Italian pork loin is an easy-to-make entree that will impress everyone who gets to enjoy it.
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Italian Chocolate Spice Cookies
I recently found this old family recipe in my mom’s kitchen. I made a few adjustments to streamline the process, and the cookies turned out wonderfully. —Shawn Barto, Winter Garden, Florida
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Hearty Ragu Bolognese
My robust ragu combines ground beef, sausage and chicken. Serve it over any type of pasta, or baked or fried polenta. It’s even good on its own with a slice of hot buttered garlic bread. —Caroline Brody, Forest Hills, New York
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Cherry Tomato Salad
In this cherry tomato salad, juicy, sun-ripened tomatoes are dressed lightly with a little oil, vinegar and herbs and given their moment to shine.
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Olives and Cheese
This elegant marinated olives and cheese platter is a perfect appetizer for any occasion, especially one with an Italian-inspired menu. The arrangement is visually appealing and temptingly delicious, and it can be made entirely ahead of time.
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Spinach Chicken Manicotti
Pepper and nutmeg spice up the rich sauce in this hearty chicken and spinach manicotti. I made this for my boyfriend on our first Valentine’s Day. It was a big success—now we're married! —Amy Luce, Dallas, Texas
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Cherry Tomato & Basil Focaccia
When I had 80 pounds of tomatoes, I got creative incorporating them into meals. Sometimes I slice this loaf into squares to make sandwiches with fresh mozzarella cheese and deli meats. —Katie Ferrier, Houston, Texas
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Italian Pasta Bake
Whether feeding a small army or just your very hungry family, this pasta bake recipe never fails to satisfy.
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Spicy Seafood Stew
The hardest part of this quick and easy recipe is peeling and dicing the potatoes—and you can even do that the night before. Just place the potatoes in water and store them in the refrigerator overnight to speed up assembly the next day. —Bonnie Marlow, Ottoville, Ohio
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Olive Focaccia
When I add my own special touches to a basic focaccia recipe—including sun-dried tomatoes, olives and roasted sweet red peppers—the results were simply delectable. The flavorful, chewy loaf makes a wonderful accompaniment to nearly any meal. —Dee Froemel, Hayward, Wisconsin
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Cheesy Spinach-Stuffed Shells
This is my own personal recipe. I'm very proud of it because I am still a beginner cook and it was the first recipe I created. You can adjust it to your liking by doubling the spinach or adding some meat. —Laci Hooten, McKinney, Texas
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Herbed Bread Twists
A blend of herbs and a special shape dress up ordinary frozen bread dough in this unbelievably easy recipe. —Deb Stapert, Comstock Park, Michigan
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Fig & Almond Cookies
In our family, holiday cookies—like these nutty fig ones—are a big deal. I'm so proud to be passing on this Italian tradition to my two boys. —Angela Lemoine, Howell, New Jersey
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White Bean Soup with Escarole
This escarole and bean soup recipe is tasty enough to make everyone forget how healthy it is. Better yet, it's quick and easy.
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Penne alla Vodka
This easy and impressive pasta is always on the menu when my husband and I invite first-time guests over for dinner. Many friends have asked me to make the recipe again years after they first tried it. —Cara Langer, Overland Park, Kansas
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Holiday Biscotti
A twice-baked Italian cookie, biscotti makes a wonderful "dunker." A pretty way to present a batch is on a seasonal plate arranged in a wagon-wheel fashion. —Libia Foglesong, San Bruno, California
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Pasta Fagioli al Forno
The name of this Italian-inspired dish means "baked pasta with beans." But my busy family translates it as "super satisfying dinner." —Cindy Preller, Grayslake, Illinois
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Ricotta Cookies
Ricotta cheese is the star of these ricotta cookies, traditionally served as Italian Christmas cookies. The soft ricotta cheese makes the treats extra moist, and the vanilla frosting seals in the sweetness.
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Spaghetti Sauce
This homemade spaghetti sauce is loaded with sausage and beef and generously flavored with garlic and herbs. Using a slow cooker melds the flavors while you go about your day.
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Pizzelle
This recipe was adapted from one that my Italian-born mother and grandmother followed. They used old irons on a gas stove, but now we have the convenience of electric pizzelle irons. These delectable cookies are still a traditional treat in our family. —Elizabeth Schwartz, Trevorton, Pennsylvania
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Italian Chocolate-Hazelnut Cheesecake Pie
I first prepared an Italian-style cheese pie years ago. When I added a chocolate-hazelnut topping, it proved so popular that I had to give out copies of the recipe.—Steve Meredith, Streamwood, Illinois
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Cranberry Walnut Biscotti
A chocolate drizzle lends a little extra sweetness to biscotti.—Joan Duckworth, Lee’s Summit, Missouri
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The Best Eggplant Parmesan
Truly delicious! I love eggplant and have many recipes, but this one’s my favorite. The cheeses and seasonings make this dish unforgettable. —Dottie Kilpatrick, Wilmington, North Carolina
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Bread Machine Panettone
This bread machine panettone is easy to make. Every tender, moist slice is filled with candied fruit and raisins. —Josephine Bianchi, Bristol, New Hampshire
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Citrus Almond Cookies
These frosted goodies were a “must” every Christmas in my mother’s family. I think the blend of milk chocolate, toasted almonds, lemon and orange is cookie perfection.
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Slow-Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
Low-and-slow cooking is the key to achieving tender, flavorful meatballs in this slow-cooker spaghetti and meatballs recipe. Make homemade meatballs, or swap in store-bought frozen meatballs if you're running short on time.
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Sweet Italian Holiday Bread
This is authentic ciambellotto, a sweet loaf my great-grandmother used to bake in Italy. I still use her traditional recipe—the only update I made was for using modern appliances. —Denise Perrin, Vancouver, Washington
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Mostaccioli
Even though we’re not Italian, this rich, cheesy pasta dish is a “family tradition” for holidays and special occasions. I was delighted the first time I tried this mostaccioli recipe—it has all the flavor of lasagna without the work of layering the ingredients. Try it…I’m sure it’ll become one of your family’s favorites, too! —Nancy Mundhenke, Kinsley, Kansas
