We’re mere days away from Christmas, meaning your to-do list has likely reached peak length. You could eat sugar cookies for six days straight…or you could cook these seven meals instead, which are seasonal, satisfying, celebratory and, most importantly, easy to pull off in a pinch. Our list even includes two decidedly elegant mains for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day that will wow every guest at the table—even your picky uncle.
Here’s What to Cook Every Night This Week (December 19 – 25)
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Published Dec 15, 2022
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Shopping List
Produce
1 pound red cabbage
2 large red onions
3 celery stalks
2 apples
2 large shallots
2 large lemons
2 persimmons
2 small butternut squash
5 garlic cloves
4 ounces baby spinach
1 orange
2 large bunches lacinato kale
1 bunch dill
1 bunch scallions
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch thyme
2 bunches mint
Meat
Twelve 3-ounce lamb chops
One 10- to 12-pound boneless ham
Dairy
Crème fraîche or sour cream, for serving
2 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese
1 quart whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter
7 ounces smoked Gouda cheese
3 ounces whole milk Greek yogurt
Grains
6 ounces quinoa
1 pound orecchiette or other bite-size pasta
Canned and Packaged Goods
68 ounces vegetable stock
2 ounces walnuts
Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas
3 ounces dried apricots
8 ounces canned corn
11 ounces roasted red peppers
5 ounces hazelnuts
One 5-ounce can tuna in oil
1 tablespoon capers
Pomegranate molasses
3 ounces pomegranate seeds
3 ounces sliced almonds
Pantry Ingredients: red wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, caraway seeds, balsamic vinegar, honey or agave, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, vegetable oil, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, za’atar, maple syrup, dry mustard, brown sugar, whole-grain mustard, crushed red pepper flakes
Monday: Winter Cabbage and Apple Soup
Proof that soup doesn’t need to be 50 percent cream or topped with cheese to be comforting. In fact, this robust seasonal dish is almost entirely plant-based (and could be vegan if you skip the crème fraiche swirl on top).
Tuesday: Kale Salad with Persimmons, Crispy Chickpeas and Fried Shallots
Festive enough to repeat with Christmas dinner, easy enough to make on a busy Tuesday. Prepare a second batch of the crispy chickpeas and frizzled shallots so all you have to do on the big day is assemble.
Wednesday: Hearty Stuffed Butternut Squash
Despite being meatless, this vegetarian gem is beyond satisfying, with 24 grams of protein per serving. Chalk it up to chickpeas, hazelnuts and gooey Gruyère.
Thursday: 5-Ingredient Smoked Gouda-Thyme Mac and Cheese
This might be the easiest fancy mac and cheese recipe of all time. The pasta is cooked in cold milk, so you won’t need to wait for water to boil to begin. Then, all you’ll need to do is add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and stir.
Friday: Tuna Salad with Yogurt, Capers and Za’atar
’Twas the night before Christmas Eve, so you’re busy with cookie decorating, last-minute shopping, gift wrapping and countless other tasks. That’s why we recommend making this five-minute, six-ingredient, no-cook meal for dinner.
Saturday: Pomegranate-Maple Glazed Lamb Chops
In our book, Christmas Eve dinner is just as important as the following night’s. Why not grill these 40-minute chops that are bound to wow your relatives? Be sure to use a grill pan to get those drool-worthy char marks, and don’t be shy with the pomegranate arils on top.
Sunday: Spicy Orange Honey-Glazed Ham
Can you believe the main event is only eight ingredients away? (Even better, almost everything you need is likely in your kitchen right now.) We call serving up to 25 people in less than 90 minutes a Christmas miracle.
Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.
