50 Festive Foods to Enjoy This Holiday Season
If your favorite part of the holidays is the food, you know that Thanksgiving is merely a warm-up to the winter feasting to come. So, whether you're just daydreaming about eggnoggy everything or prepping to celebrate all season long, we've put together some tried-and-true (and trendy) recipes to make sure your holidays are full of good cheer and great food!
Check out some of our favorite wintertime mains, sides, appetizers, desserts, and drinks to add some holly-jolly to your next holiday meal. Oh, and if you believe in leaving cookies out for Santa, we've got ideas for that, too.
Holiday Recipes - Appetizers
Because every great feast has to start with finger foods. (But please, don't forget to wash your mitts!)
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Goat Cheese Pesto Torta
This appetizer is so festive, it literally features the iconic red-white-and-green we've all come to associate with Christmas!
With 4 layers made up of goat cheese, cream cheese, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and olive tapenade, this appetizer will impress guests without a lot of effort in the kitchen.
Prep your torta up to 5 days ahead of time and serve it with crackers or one of our bakery's sourdough baguettes (we recommend toasting it slightly for the perfect crunchy-creamy combination).
Photo Courtesy of Half Baked Harvest
Sweet & Savory Cheesy Bacon Twists
Want a super simple appetizer that's a sensational blend of sweet and savory? Consider these puff pastry twists!
Using pre-made puff pastry helps bring these apps together in no time, and the salty, cheesy, bacon-y flavor is the perfect solution for pre-dinner munchies.
Make a big batch of these for any holiday gathering; trust us, there won't be any left over.
Find the full recipe at Half Baked Harvest
Herbed Baked Brie
Warm and gooey baked brie is the perfect cheesy and easy app for a cocktail party.
All you'll need is a wheel of brie, some rosemary and thyme, and olive oil. What you serve alongside the brie is up to you!
But we recommend some fruity spreads, a high-quality cracker, and maybe some sliced apples and pears.
Photo Courtesy of Feasting at Home
Parmesan Popovers with Thyme
Calling for just a few simple pantry ingredients, these parmesan popovers only take 15 minutes to pull off, making them the perfect last-minute holiday appetizer.
Toss them in the oven when company arrives and you'll have a warm and buttery snack with a winter wow-factor.
Find the full recipe at Feasting at Home
More Holiday Appetizer Recipes
Pimento Cheese Potato Bites from Smitten Kitchen
Goat Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates from Half Baked Harvest
Pull-Apart Garlic Butter Bread Wreath from Half Baked Harvest
Classic Deviled Eggs from Gimme Some Oven
Holiday Cheese Board from Gimme Some Oven
Holiday Recipes - Main Course
Keeping it traditional with prime rib or want something vegan-friendly? Either way, we've got a few ideas worth making the centerpiece of your holiday dinner table.
Photo Courtesy of RecipeTin Eats
Maple Glazed Ham
Maybe your crew is more of the ham-type when it comes to holiday dinners.
This maple glazed ham recipe is sweet and salty and made up of just 6 simple ingredients.
Do note, however, that this recipe makes enough ham for 30 people. The simple fix: go with a smaller ham and adjust the other ingredients accordingly!
Find the full recipe at RecipeTin Eats
Prime Rib
When it's cooked properly, prime rib is tender, deeply flavorful, and mouth-wateringly delicious. And this recipe keeps is simple.
All you need is a rib roast, salt, and pepper. Keeping the seasoning simple lets the flavor of the meat do all the talking.
Make sure you have a meat thermometer on hand to make sure the meat isn't overcooked!
Photo Courtesy of Feasting at Home
Sagey Mushroom Walnut Roast
Whether you've got a vegetarian to feed or you love mushrooms more than life itself, consider this sagey roast that's filled with mushrooms and walnuts.
Walnuts are toasted and combined with onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms to create a savory and satisfying loaf.
Top it all off with mushroom gravy and pomegranate seeds for a little extra flavor and color.
Find the full recipe at Feasting at Home
Spiral Ham in the Slow Cooker
Why make holiday dinners complicated when you can just toss ham in the slow cooker? Chances are, this recipe calls for a few ingredients that you already have at home.
Serve your spiral ham on your fanciest serving platter along with your favorite sides, like the ones you don't even have to make from our Deli, since we're going for less complicated.
Photo Courtesy of Bon Appetit
Set-It-and-Forget-It Roast Pork Shoulder
If there was ever a year to break holiday traditions and try something new, this is it!
Skip the ham, forget the prime rib, and try this easy pork shoulder recipe that you can literally set and forget. But, like, don't forget to eat it.
You'll want to score the skin on this roast: it helps the fat render and makes it easier to slice.
Find the full recipe at Bon Appetit
More Holiday Main Course Recipes
Roasted Beef Tenderloin from Half Baked Harvest
Maple Mustard Brisket from Co+op
Rosemary Garlic Beef Roast with Wild Mushrooms from Feasting at Home
Festive Vegetable Pot Pie from Forks Over Knives
Classic Rack of Lamb from Simple Recipes
Roasted Stuffed Winter Squash from Forks Over Knives
Holiday Recipes - Side Dishes
If the main course isn't really what gets your taste buds jumpin' and jivin', then we bet it's the sides. Of course, it's the sides!
Whether you like your holiday sides rich and heavy, light and refreshing, or a smorgasbord of both, we've got some holiday side dish recipes with your name on them.
Cheesy Brussels Sprouts Gratin
When you want to have your greens and eat them to, this Brussels sprout gratin is a holiday-worthy veggie dish that's healthy-ish.
Brussels sprouts are combined with pancetta, shallots, garlic, and lots of cheese and baked until it's perfectly browned.
Walnuts add a nutty flavor and a nice crunch to this otherwise super creamy dish.
Photo Courtesy of Feasting at Home
Citrus Salad
We started off with a rich dish, so here's a nice light salad to balance it out!
Full of bright winter colors and lots of different textures, this winter salad is all about the citrus.
This recipe also includes directions for a homemade citrus vinaigrette, but if you ask us, our housemade Third Street Cafe Lemon Vinaigrette is better, and will save you some time.
Find the full recipe at Feasting at Home
Christmas Pasta Salad
Easy to toss together, totally festive, and full of delicious flavor and texture, what's not to love about this Christmas pasta salad?
Red peppers, broccoli, and mozzarella balls accompany the pasta, but feel free to toss in some salami for a little extra boost of protein.
While this recipe calls for you to make the pesto from scratch, if you're tossing it together last minute, store-bought pesto is a reasonable substitute!
Photo Courtesy of Once Upon a Chef
Oven-Fried Potato Latkes
Whether you're celebrating Hannukah or not, these potato latkes are must-eat!
Rather than being pan-fried, these latkes are oven-fried making them a bit healthier and a lot less messy to make.
Serve them in a traditional style with sour cream or applesauce or enjoy them all on their own.
Find the full recipe at Once Upon a Chef
Roasted Sweet Potato and Delicata Squash With Cranberry Agrodolce
If you're looking for a colorful and elegant side dish to accompany your sit-down Christmas dinner, consider this recipe from Epicurious.
In-season delicata squash and sweet potatoes are paired together with a homemade cranberry agrodolce to create this sweet and savory dish.
Serve it alongside other classic standbys like mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and roasted veggies.
Find the full recipe at Epicurious
More Holiday Side Dish Recipes
Maple-Roasted Carrots from Co+op
Sweet Potato Casserole from Co+op
Green Bean Casserole from RecipeTin Eats
Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes from Epicurious
Bacon Stuffing with Radicchio and Chestnuts from Food Network
Baked Mac and Cheese from RecipeTin Eats
Vegan Mashed Potatoes & Gravy from Forks Over Knives
Holiday Recipes - Dessert
Or, maybe you're in the camp that believes the best part of the holiday dinner isn't the dinner at all. It's the desserts, and you like to eat them first, second, and last.
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread is one of those quintessential winter treats that simply must be on a holiday recipe list.
Made with ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, these cookies feature all the bite you'd want from a ginger cookie, but with a nice sweet flavor, too.
Decorate them with royal icing, make them into a gingerbread house, or let the kids cut their own shapes out!
Photo Courtesy of Half Baked Harvest
Santa Claus Cookies
Now, there are a lot of Christmas cookies that are pretty adorable. But we think these puffy little Santas take the cake, or cookie, if you will!
This recipe calls for a little bit of cookie construction, but we think that just makes for a fun afternoon with the kids!
Sprinkle them with some extra sugar, because that's what the holidays are for.
Photo Courtesy of Gimme Some Oven
Easy Apple Pandowdy
When you want the taste of pie, but not all the work that goes into it, consider this apple pandowdy!
But what on earth is a pandowdy? Simply put, it's a fruit filling topped with pieces of puff pastry, so you end up with soft gooey filling and a crispy, light exterior.
This recipe calls for apples, but other fruit like blueberries, blackberries, or cranberries would also be delicious.
Find the full recipe at Gimme Some Oven
More Holiday Dessert Recipes
Peppermint Bark from Food Network
White Christmas Cranberry Layer Cake from Half Baked Harvest
Poached Pears with Pomegranate from Feasting at Home
Christmas Trifle from RecipeTin Eats
Best Holiday Fruitcake from Simply Recipes
Holiday Recipes - Drinks
Because what a holiday feast needs is a little something to sip on!
Under-the-Mistletoe Punch
If you're hosting a small gathering this year, a great way to easily craft drinks for a crowd is punch.
This holiday punch features a homemade spiced syrup, a variety of liquors, and bright citrus flavors.
And if you're hosting a holiday party for two, you can easily scale down this recipe.
Find the full recipe at Epicurious
The Co-op's Own Holiday Beer & Wine Selection
In case you missed it, we created our own holiday beer and wine post that features all sorts of options you can buy right here at the Co-op.
Whether you're enjoying pork, beef, chicken, or just need a glass full of cheer, we've got a wine or beer for that.
Photo Courtesy of Gimme Some Oven
Chai Eggnog
A seasonal favorite that's kid-friendly, this chai eggnog is warm and cozy on a cold winter night.
That said, if you want to make it a little zippy for the adults, feel free to add in your favorite rum or brandy.
Find the full recipe at Gimme Some Oven
More Holiday Drink Recipes
Horchata Hot Cocoa from Co+op
Pomegranate Champagne Mule from Half Baked Harvest
White Russian from Smitten Kitchen
Sparkling White Sangria from Once Upon a Chef
Christmas Snowstorm Margarita from Half Baked Harvest
Santa Clause Smash from Half Baked Harvest