65 Christmas Eve Dinner Ideas That Take One Hour or Less

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why We Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

Pair this easy-yet-elegant tart with a big green salad and you’ll have a vegetarian dinner worthy of any celebration.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, high protein, special occasion–worthy

Skip the steakhouse and make it at home—you’ve got this. Parsley gets elevated from a forgettable garnish to the star ingredient of the accompanying salad.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why We Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients

You can thank the Italian sausage for infusing the dish with all that flavor in basically no time at all.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why We Love It: one pan, high protein

Ooh, this flavor combination is so cozy. Bonus, you can also make it with chicken wings for a more casual meal.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why We Love It: vegetarian, low sugar, crowd-pleaser

Just because dinner is low-effort doesn’t mean it can’t feel special. Allow Queer Eye’s own resident foodie to show you how it’s done.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why We Love It: sheet pan recipe, kid-friendly, high protein

Consider this a lesson in how to sheet pan: The vegetables are cooked first before adding the chicken, so everything is actually done at the same time. (Plus, it’s so much tastier than takeout.)

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients

FYI, a deeply flavorful and creamy vodka sauce isn’t difficult to make at home, as long as you have a tube of double-concentrated tomato paste on hand.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, beginner-friendly

This soup tastes like a million bucks—it was inspired by lamb shawarma and Italian wedding soup—but takes less than an hour to make.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why We Love It: sheet pan recipe, vegetarian, low sugar, kid-friendly

When baked on a sheet pan, store-bought gnocchi becomes irresistibly crisp on the outside but stays pillowy soft on the inside (without any boiling).

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: vegetarian, special occasion–worthy

This dish will convert even the most staunch mushroom haters—it’s all in the caramelization technique.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly

A classic Italian recipe that feels fancy (especially if you nail the pronunciation), but it actually requires just four ingredients if you don’t count salt and pepper.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: sheet pan recipe, <10 ingredients, dairy free

The main course and side dishes all come together on the same pan, so you can wrap last-minute gifts instead of cleaning up after dinner.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: kid-friendly, vegetarian, beginner-friendly

Our mantra about Christmas Eve? You should be consuming as much cheese as possible.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, special occasion–worthy

Presenting the easiest way to cook fish at home: This stunner calls for fewer than ten ingredients and the most difficult thing you have to do is toss together the sauce.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <500 calories, beginner-friendly

The secret to a creamy, 30-minute pasta dish? Goat cheese. It melts together with the pasta water for the easiest sauce ever.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why We Love It: <30 minutes, make ahead, high protein

If you’re anticipating a gut-busting Christmas feast, why not keep things on the lighter side with a bright, briny shrimp salad?

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy, gluten free

Something about scallops screams special occasion, so it’s a pleasant surprise that they require only two minutes of cooking per side (and are actually pretty nutritious).

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, <30 minutes, one pan

We don’t know if Parisians eat mussels and fries on the night before Christmas, but Santa does.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly

Pan-fried chicken stuffed with gooey, melty cheese is our idea of festive. Serve it with thin ribbons of Parmesan for good measure.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, beginner-friendly, gluten free

Easy, gorgeous and delicious are our three favorite food groups. Plus, there’s feta—need we say more?

• Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly

Yes, you can (and should) roast a whole fish at home. Ask the fishmonger at your supermarket to clean the fish, so all you’ll have to do is add citrus and herbs.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, high protein

If you absolutely *must* eat takeout on Christmas Eve, make a meal out of this this easy, breezy General Tso’s-inspired chicken.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion–worthy

This Provençal seafood stew normally takes two hours to make, but we’re proving you can do it in less than half that amount of time (and it tastes just as good).

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

By the time you pour yourself a glass of chilled red wine, dinner will already be on the table.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, gluten free, high protein

We promise these lamb chops are as foolproof to cook as chicken. The pomegranate molasses glaze is a sweet-and-sour cherry on top.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy

If you’re used to dry, boring pork tenderloin, you’re in for a treat. This one is buttery and tender, and best of all, the entire meal is cooked on a single baking sheet.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, <30 minutes, vegetarian

If you can’t serve a cheese platter and call it dinner on Christmas Eve, when can you?

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, beginner-friendly

From fridge to table in 30 minutes is our new mantra. If you’re not into Swiss chard, try kale or collard greens instead.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy

A well-stocked pantry is all you really need for this quick-cooking dish. It’s as simple to make as chicken cutlets but feels fancy enough for a celebration.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly

Hearty, comforting meatballs are always a good idea. These are best served on a bed of buttery mashed potatoes.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: sheet pan recipe, gluten free, dairy free

No fuss and no muss here—just a few juicy, impeccably cooked steaks and practically no cleanup. Merry indeed.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why We Love It: <30 minutes, Instant Pot recipe, special occasion–worthy

Risotto is a classic Italian dish that requires time, patience and attention…until you make it in an Instant Pot in 25 minutes and subsequently knock your dinner guests’ socks off.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients

This simple-yet-elegant dish relies on canned tomatoes, so it can be made any time of year. (We heard the big man up north loves it.)

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why We Love It: <30 minutes, sheet pan recipe, crowd-pleaser

For a dinner to be truly foolproof, it should require minimal prep, little cooking time and almost zero cleanup once it’s been devoured. This checks all the boxes quite nicely.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly

There’s nothing like a heaping plate of spicy pasta to lull you into a long winter’s nap.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

This is based on a traditional northern Italian dish made with buckwheat pasta, but since it can be hard to find stateside, we suggest you make your own. (It’s easy, promise.)

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, beginner-friendly, gluten free

You’ve got gifts wrapped in festive paper under the tree and in crispy bacon on your plate.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why We Love It: one pan, beginner-friendly

It’s just as creamy as the original, but without all the stirring and standing at the stove.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly

If you don’t have a grill pan, you can just as easily sauté the chicken until crisp and golden brown.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, high protein, crowd-pleaser

The shrimp and pasta both absorb lots of flavor and cook in a flash, and the addition of tomato, parsley and lemon brighten up this otherwise hearty dish.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients

It’s creamy, filling and best of all, easier to make than you think.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: one pan, special occasion–worthy, kid-friendly

It only tastes like you spent all day making it, but the store-bought gnocchi insures you’ll have plenty of time to relax and enjoy a festive cocktail.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why We Love It: high protein, gluten free, dairy free

Salad? On Christmas Eve? You bet. This one is packed with rich salmon and a creamy yogurt dressing, so it’s anything but bland.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly

It’s nostalgic, comforting and low-effort, aka everything we want in a Christmas Eve dinner.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why We Love It: sheet pan recipe, special occasion–worthy

It looks like a fancy-pants dinner, but don’t tell anyone it took a measly ten minutes to prepare. (The oven does all the hard work for you.)

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why We Love It: high protein, gluten free

The trick to the crispiest chicken thighs is to start with a cold skillet and go low and slow, like bacon. File this one under “genius.”

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly

Pizza and presents has a nice ring to it, especially when the pie is homemade.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why We Love It: one pan, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly

“One pan” is our middle name. (Or is it “cheese pull”? We forget. Either way, this dish is calling us.)

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why We Love It: sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs have all the flavor and juiciness of a whole bird, but they cook in much less time. And the cleanup? It’s already done.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy, <10 ingredients

Store-bought cheese tortellini takes almost zero effort to dress up and tastes like you spent all day making it. But instead of pairing the pasta with jarred marinara, try this (just as easy) balsamic brown butter sauce with spinach and hazelnuts.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why We Love It: vegetarian, vegan, dairy free

Need a break from all the meat you plan to eat on Christmas Day? This recipe for crispy tofu steaks is a good place to start.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why We Love It: sheet pan recipe, high protein, special occasion–worthy

The chicken is brined in buttermilk for extra tenderness and a golden-brown crust. Sheet pan dinner for Christmas Eve dinner? You bet.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why We Love It: <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, vegetarian, <10 ingredients

Consider this one-pot, 15-minute pasta dinner in your back pocket: You likely have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already, and it comes together in practically no time. (Plus, it tastes like a restaurant dish.)

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why We Love It: sheet pan recipe, crowd-pleaser, gluten free, dairy free

Here’s a light dinner recipe before you dig in on Christmas Day. And in case you were wondering, it’s also paleo friendly and gluten, dairy and grain free. If you ask us, it was love at lemon-tahini drizzle.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why We Love It: one pan, special occasion-worthy

This recipe calls for two cups of wine, and a bottle contains about three. The chef gets to decide what to do with that final cup…just saying.

• Time Commitment: 23 minutes
• Why We Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly

Consider this secretly nutritious dish the calm before the cookie storm.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour, 5 minutes
• Why We Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion–worthy

OK, technically this takes more than an hour to make…but you won’t complain about five minutes once you taste the meatballs.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why We Love It: sheet pan recipe, <10 ingredients, special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser

This one looks really elegant but calls for only five ingredients (and it can be assembled ahead of time).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why We Love It: one pan, special occasion–worthy, gluten free

It turns out one-pan dinners can be just as fancy without all that cleanup.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why We Love It: keto, low carb, high protein

Serve this with a simple green salad and admire your work.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, low carb, high protein

Rethink the ho-hum-yet-healthy salmon you serve on repeat during the week. This version is just as simple to prepare, but borrows sweet and spicy flavors from al pastor for a dish with a kick.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly

If you have a leftover rotisserie chicken in your fridge, consider this dish already halfway done.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients

Follow the steps for pan-searing here (patted dry seafood, hot pan, two minutes per side) and you’ll have perfectly caramelized and meltingly tender scallops in no time.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why We Love It: Instant Pot recipe, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian

As it turns out, you don’t have to spend hours tending a simmering pot to achieve cozy dinnertime bliss. Just ask your Instant Pot how it’s done.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why We Love It: one pot, special occasion–worthy, <10 ingredients

Thanks to the starch in the pasta, this dish has all the creamy texture of risotto with almost no stirring or stove-watching required. We used honeynut squash because it’s adorably mini, but any variety (like butternut, kabocha or delicata) would work.