20 Best Traditional Christmas Dishes

Chef John's Honey-Glazed Ham

"A great holiday ham glaze needs to have three things: wonderful flavor, gorgeous, shiny appearance, and a crispy, crackling crust you can hear across the room," says Chef John. "I'm happy to report this easy-to-make glaze has all those things in abundance."

• How to Cook a Perfect Ham

Mom's Scalloped Potatoes

This classic scalloped potatoes recipe showcases the flavors of potatoes and onions baked in a creamy sauce. "This is the way my mother always made her scalloped potatoes," says janebp. "The measurements are taken from other recipes because she always just winged it, but the method is the same. The key is to heat the milk first!"

• Get More Scalloped Potato Recipes

Best Green Bean Casserole

Another classic Christmas side dish casserole. "This great variation of the traditional green bean casserole is topped with French fried onions and Cheddar cheese," says Jan.

• Get More Green Bean Casserole Recipes

Chef John's Roast Turkey and Gravy

"One of the secrets to a moist, delicious, and beautiful turkey is spreading butter under the skin," says Chef John. "You can season the butter any way you want; the possibilities are endless."

• How to Cook a Turkey

Holiday ONLY Mashed Potatoes

These mashed potatoes don't shy away from the butter or cream. "I only make these on holidays, and everyone wonders what's in them that makes them so rich," says Saltair4.

• Are You Making These Mashed Potato Mistakes?

Christmas Prime Rib

This boneless prime rib roast gets rubbed with horseradish and mustard, sprinkled with seasonings, and roasted to perfection. "I think that this was absolutely the best meat dish that I have ever prepared," says Diane Yearns. "It was absolutely delicious and I would love to make it an annual Christmas tradition."

• Secrets to a Perfect Prime Rib

Traditional Yorkshire Pudding

"As legend has it, Yorkshire puddings were traditionally cooked in a pan of fat, at the bottom of a hearth, underneath a large piece of roasting beef," says Chef John. "The smoky heat from the fire, along with all the other goodness dripping into the pan from the meat, must've made for quite a delicious pastry. Though limited by modern ovens, we can still come close to the original by using real rendered beef fat, without which you're just eating a popover."

Beef Wellington

If you don't want an entire prime rib, Beef Wellington makes an equally show-stopping main dish. "My 20-something son and I made this Christmas Day," writes nzp. "We made individual filets, and really the only change we made was that we chopped the mushrooms rather than slicing them. Made it a bit more manageable when eating it. This was my first time making Beef Wellington and I now have my recipe for life!"

Roast Duck with Chestnut Stuffing

"Duck is one of the traditional meals for Christmas in Germany," says barbara. "The duck needs to marinate for at least 12 hours before roasting. We serve broccoli and duchess potatoes with it. The stuffing can also be used for other poultry as well."

Christmas Pomegranate Salad

"Simple and delicious with all the colors of Christmas!" says France C. "It's very versatile and you could swap out for different nuts or cheeses. Definitely making this one again!"

• Get More Christmas Salad Recipes

Christmas Cranberry Salad

"Everyone loved this at Christmas Dinner," says Tammy Lynn. "It looked very pretty next to the rest of the salads. And to cast my vote on the Frozen vs. Chilled versions—I prefer chilled."

Candied Sweet Potatoes

"This is the bet recipe for Candied Sweet Potatos I have ever had and the easiest," says GRAMHOME. "I got raves at Christmas and requests for the recipe."

• Browse All Sweet Potato Recipes

Deluxe Garlic Green Beans

"Even those who hate beans or veggies love these," says Chelsey Carr. "Super quick, too. My aunt made these once for Christmas dinner, and they were a huge hit. I bring them everywhere."

Chef John's Roast Christmas Goose

Roast goose is the story-book main dish for Christmas dinner. And this recipe makes things super easy by starting with a pre-cooked smoked bird. The bird comes out rich, moist, and delicious with a crispy skin.

Holiday Cranberry Sauce

"WOW! This stuff is so good I couldn't stop eating it out of the saucepan and I've never been a fan of cranberry sauce!" says Janet G. "If you can boil water, you can make this. "

• See More Cranberry Sauce Recipes

Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

Acorn squash are stuffed with cornbread, mushrooms, and sage-flavored wild rice—perfect for a holiday meal. "It is delicious!" raves Tatana. "Easy to cook, looks great on the table. My guests were impressed! A perfect vegetarian dish!"

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Balsamic Roasted Pork Loin

Pork loin is marinated with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and steak seasoning rub. That's all you need to make this crowd-pleasing, deeply flavorful pork roast. "Made this for Christmas Eve Dinner and everyone raved and asked for the recipe," says WISEWOMAN64.

• See More Pork Loin Recipes

Chef John's Creamy Corn Pudding

"Corn pudding doesn't get the same attention as some other holiday side dishes, but it's a real crowd-pleaser that pairs perfectly with all your favorite special-occasion meats," says Chef John.

Christmas Roasted Vegetables

Seasonal root vegetables, including squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, and rutabaga, are roasted with olive oil, a dash of red wine vinegar, a squeeze of lemon juice, and herbs. "Very, very nice recipe," says Buckwheat Queen. "The diversity of the vegetable flavors are quite complementary to this. Leftovers turned into a lovely and rustic soup."

Fresh Spinach Gratin

"Fresh spinach and Swiss cheese combine in this gratin that is perfect for the holidays," says Soup Loving Nicole. "With the exception of the breadcrumb topping, this can be done a day ahead to save time on the big day. You will just need to allow an additional 30 minutes of cook time."

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