Looking for a Christmas menu to impress your friends and family? Look no further!

I’m gonna show you easy recipes for your Christmas menu, that will allow you to save time and enjoy your holiday more. And they’re all delicious!

In Italy, the festivities kick off on December 24th, known as the Vigilia. It’s a time for a special dinner, usually featuring a delicious fish menu. Then at midnight we celebrate with some prosecco or spumante, and play table games or cards. The next day, a big lunch awaits (sometimes too big for my taste), then the dinner is often put together with the lunch leftovers. Lastly on the 26th it’s time to eat again! and here too it’s often about using leftovers from the day before.

Since it’s all about eating for three days, I hate being in the kitchen all the time and rushing back and forth. What if instead you could cook and enjoy more time with your family?

Here are some recipes that you can make in advance, or that are so quick to make that you’ll have more time to spend with your guests.

Traditional Christmas Menu

If you want to taste the traditional Italian Christmas Lunch menu, you should know that there are a lot of different recipes and traditions, throughout Italy. Where I grew up, in Rome (and many parts of central Italy) a simple menu could be:

• Prosciutto, olives, cheese and bread as antipasto
• Lasagne, cannelloni or ravioli as pasta main
• A beef or pork roast with a side of potatoes, leafy greens or a salad
• Panettone, torrone, pandoro and other traditional sweets with coffee.

When it comes to Christmas dinner, I grew up eating stracciatella. Eggs mixed with pecorino cheese and lemon zest, then dropped in chicken broth to cook. This soup is usually paired with lunch leftovers. 

In many places tortellini in brodo are also a staple on Christmas day.

Christmas Eve Menu

Usually on Christmas Eve we eat a fish menu, paired with tasty deep fried vegetables and cod. What I recommend is:

• Carciofi fritti and baccalà (battered and fried)
• Langoustine risotto or pasta with red mullet
• Baked fish like almond sea bass, or grilled fresh fish, served with a fennel, olive and orange salad.
• Traditional sweets 

Antipasti

A simple way to start your meal! try these recipes, easy and make-ahead time savers! Other easy antipasti you can prepare for Christmas day are crostini with dried tomato spread, but also a cheese and prosciutto platter.