Make ahead Christmas recipe ideas?

[smiths02]

We will probably leave our house on the 23rd and arrive home late afternoon on the 25th.

On the 25th, we will have a Christmas breakfast (which is traditional breakfast...eggs, bacon, biscuits) at brunch/early lunch then drive 3-4 hours home.

Anyone have any ideas on something I could prepare on the 22nd/23rd and heat up for dinner on the 25th within an hour or two? Or something that is fast to prepare for 6 people?
(I am trying to avoid too much work on the 25th as we will be tired from celebrating Christmas twice and driving 4 hours)

My first thought is pre-cooked ham, my mac and cheese casserole, some green beans and frozen rolls, which I still might do, but other options would be good. (Especially if we end up eating that on the 24th. Although, my vote would be Mexican takeout on the 24th)

 

[Hikergirl]

How formal do you want it to be? If it were me I'd make a lasagna or baked ziti that I can just re-heat on the 25th.
If it was the only Christmas meal I was having I'd go with the ham dinner option.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

Beef Stews work great when you reheat.

 

[klacey1]

Does your crew like Italian? I’d pre-assemble (but not bake) a really nice lasagna with a delicious homemade sauce and good meat and cheeses. I’d freeze it and bake from frozen on the 25th and serve with a good salad. I’ve made cheater’s garlic knots from Pillsbury pizza dough or crescent roll dough and they’ve come out delicious. You could do those fresh while the lasagna bakes.

 

[barkley]

do a beef roast ahead of time. pre slice it and put into a sealed container to prevent drying out. pre cut onions and mushrooms (again container them). when you get home heat up a pot of au juice (dry packet or liquid style you add water to is fine). add beef to au juice to slowly warm while you saute the onions and mushrooms separatly. in the meantime lightly toast some sour dough rolls (sliced sandwich style) so that people can make french dip sandwiches.

we make this every christmas eve b/c it's low stress. i make it with some boxed potatos au gratin and have some cold snacky sides on hand (store bought spinach/artichoke dip and such). in fact we made some last night and after we assembled them open face we put them under the broiler (w/provolone) for less than a minute. delicious, filling, easy.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Lasagna is what I was thinking too.

 

[HeatherC]

I am going to make Ina Garten’s Beef Bourginon this year. Sounds delicious and is supposed to taste even better a day or two later.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

We’re doing a Czech themed Christmas this year so the dishes I’m cooking are all traditional to that culture, but I refuse to spend the days leading up to Christmas in a frenzy so I plan a menu that can be frozen in advance and reheated. We have:

Vanocka, a braided almond bread
Kuba, a mushroom risotto-type casserole
Kyselice, a sauerkraut soup
Potato salad, which is apparently a staple on the Christmas table
Kolaches, fruit-filled pastries
Bublanina, a type of cake
About a bazillion different types of cookies

The only thing that will need to be made near Christmas is the potato salad which I can do a day or two in advance. Everything else is already (or soon to be) frozen away and will just need baking/reheating. I was pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of all these recipes. Czech food is no muss, no fuss. Tasty, too.

 

[smiths02]

Does your crew like Italian? I’d pre-assemble (but not bake) a really nice lasagna with a delicious homemade sauce and good meat and cheeses. I’d freeze it and bake from frozen on the 25th and serve with a good salad. I’ve made cheater’s garlic knots from Pillsbury pizza dough or crescent roll dough and they’ve come out delicious. You could do those fresh while the lasagna bakes.

We like Italian. The two younger ones don't like lasagna because it is too cheesy. The only Italian they eat is spaghetti and meatballs and pizza. (We fight the fight the picky eater fight some days, probably won't want to on that day). I am thinking I can freeze meatballs and make sauce (or use a qaulity jarred one) and get spaghetti and meatballs done pretty quickly.

do a beef roast ahead of time. pre slice it and put into a sealed container to prevent drying out. pre cut onions and mushrooms (again container them). when you get home heat up a pot of au juice (dry packet or liquid style you add water to is fine). add beef to au juice to slowly warm while you saute the onions and mushrooms separatly. in the meantime lightly toast some sour dough rolls (sliced sandwich style) so that people can make french dip sandwiches.

we make this every christmas eve b/c it's low stress. i make it with some boxed potatos au gratin and have some cold snacky sides on hand (store bought spinach/artichoke dip and such). in fact we made some last night and after we assembled them open face we put them under the broiler (w/provolone) for less than a minute. delicious, filling, easy.

That sounds yummy! It is not something we eat a lot either, so it would feel "special."

 

[smiths02]

How formal do you want it to be? If it were me I'd make a lasagna or baked ziti that I can just re-heat on the 25th.
If it was the only Christmas meal I was having I'd go with the ham dinner option.

Not formal, just 6 of us at that point (me, DH, my mom, my 3 kids), but maybe something special. My kids don't like lasagna (they are weird), but they might like baked ziti.

 

[klacey1]

We like Italian. The two younger ones don't like lasagna because it is too cheesy. The only Italian they eat is spaghetti and meatballs and pizza. (We fight the fight the picky eater fight some days, probably won't want to on that day). I am thinking I can freeze meatballs and make sauce (or use a qaulity jarred one) and get spaghetti and meatballs done pretty quickly.

If you do decide to go the Italian route, it’s easy to make a sauce from scratch and freeze/reheat it.

The au jus sounds so good too! Do you reheat in a large saucepan on the stove or in the oven?

 

[tasha99]

For dessert, I discovered a frozen pecan pie recipe that was everyone's favorite at Thanksgiving. It's eaten frozen, so you could make it in advance, and it would be ready to slice and eat when you were home.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2014/10/23/recipe-frozen-pecan-tart/

(The recipe is also in The Baking Bible. I used her weight measurements rather than the volume ones above, as I think it's easier to use a scale.)

 

[barkley]

That sounds yummy! It is not something we eat a lot either, so it would feel "special."

my mom started the tradition decades ago when my older brothers had all moved out of the area and would travel home for christmas arriving on christmas eve. it was something she could prepare and easily (pre microwave days) heat for each to eat when they arrived.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I made something yesterday that was pretty easy and might work for you. I started thinking about it after Thanksgiving seeing all the leftover turkey for sale, and noticed in my supermarket they were selling some individual servings with turkey dinner ingredients that were something like a Shepherd's pie. So I tried my own version. since we all really love a turkey dinner here. (Originally I was going to make this for DS and his college roommates for finals, but I had to make something for yesterday and had all the ingredients on hand so I thought I'd try it. Will still make another for them next week, and in a way it was good to sort of try it out.)

Anyway, everyone really liked it. It probably took me a half an hour to 40 mins or so to make.

I just layered in a large pan: cooked turkey slices, frozen string beans and corn in steamable packages (next time I would add more veggies like carrots and maybe pearl onions, a mix would be good), mashed potatoes, and stuffing (I make mine with sausage, chopped onion and apple, and rehydrated (in the microwave with a little water) dried cranberries, forgot the celery. Once put together, I covered with foil and baked for an hour, then uncovered for about 15 mins to get a little crust on the stuffing. I served it with cranberry sauce on the side. A little turkey gravy might be good, too, if anyone wants it.

It was pretty easy and there was very little clean up. The thing that took the longest was the stuffing, i.e. mainly cooking the sausage and chopping the onion and apples, but that wasn't much at all. One frying pan to clean and one throwaway baking pan. I softened the onion and cranberries in the microwave and put the apples in as is, which was perfect as they were not soppy. I used store bought mashed potatoes and frozen vegetables. I imagine you could do this with other things like ham or pork, whatevery you want. Our family likes different types of root vegetables, some of those could've easily gone in, too. Next time I might use a bigger pan. The one thing I didn't like was the type of turkey I used, which was cooked, seasoned and packaged. Next time I might just roast a breast ahead of time or buy some regular turkey slices, so that was good to find out ahead of time.

 

[barkley]

I made something yesterday that was pretty easy and might work for you. I started thinking about it after Thanksgiving seeing all the leftover turkey for sale, and noticed in my supermarket they were selling some individual servings with turkey dinner ingredients that were something like a Shepherd's pie. So I tried my own version. since we all really love a turkey dinner here. (Originally I was going to make this for DS and his college roommates for finals, but I had to make something for yesterday and had all the ingredients on hand so I thought I'd try it. Will still make another for them next week, and in a way it was good to sort of try it out.)

Anyway, everyone really liked it. It probably took me a half an hour to 40 mins or so to make.

I just layered in a large pan: cooked turkey slices, frozen string beans and corn in steamable packages (next time I would add more veggies like carrots and maybe pearl onions, a mix would be good), mashed potatoes, and stuffing (I make mine with sausage, chopped onion and apple, and rehydrated (in the microwave with a little water) dried cranberries, forgot the celery. Once put together, I covered with foil and baked for an hour, then uncovered for about 15 mins to get a little crust on the stuffing. I served it with cranberry sauce on the side. A little turkey gravy might be good, too, if anyone wants it.

It was pretty easy and there was very little clean up. The thing that took the longest was the stuffing, i.e. mainly cooking the sausage and chopping the onion and apples, but that wasn't much at all. One frying pan to clean and one throwaway baking pan. I softened the onion and cranberries in the microwave and put the apples in as is, which was perfect as they were not soppy. I used store bought mashed potatoes and frozen vegetables. I imagine you could do this with other things like ham or pork, whatevery you want. Our family likes different types of root vegetables, some of those could've easily gone in, too. Next time I might use a bigger pan. The one thing I didn't like was the type of turkey I used, which was cooked, seasoned and packaged. Next time I might just roast a breast ahead of time or buy some regular turkey slices, so that was good to find out ahead of time.

this is almost identical to the leftover thanksgiving casserole we make. the only difference is we put the mashed potatoes as the top layer (like w/shepherds pie) and then the last 10 or so minutes i remove the foil and top w/ a sprinkle of french fried onions (like green bean casserole). dh and dd love it.

 

[NYCgrrl]

You might find a good sale on a prime rib roast about now. For your size family a 3 rib would do well with or with/out the bones. dry the meat off, rub it down with a dry rub of your choice, cover in plastic wrap and leave in the fridge before you go. Make a horseradish and yogurt or sour cream sauce before you go and store in fridge covered.

Wash some string beans, prep them if needed (I find the haricot vert version from Canada are ready to wash with no cutting staight from the package; more expensive but great when time is precious), blanch and freeze:

https://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/preserving-canning/freeze-green-beans/

Make ahead mashed taters make a fine side dish with prime ribs. Cutting carbs out of your life? Sub cauliflower for the potaotes and no one will notice:

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/creamy-make-ahead-mashed-potatoes.html

Wash salad greens before you leave the house and wrap the greens in a layers of dish towels, roll then store in your fridge's vegetable crisper. They will be throughly dried by the time you return home and the lettuce will still be crisp. Add extras such as nuts or cheese when you get home.

Opt for a simple dessert such as amaretto cookies crumbled over vanilla ice cream or a ctirus sorbet. Should you feel a little ambitious make a pate a choux dessert. After baking it's easy to freeze and re-crisp in the oven. Some inspirations:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pate-a-choux-recipes_n_4912961

Stick a few bottles of your favorite holiday drinks in the fridge before you leave and they'll be nicely chilled if need be.

Make or purchase a veggie crudite platter before you go and cover with plastic wrap. For 6 people if you are buying already made get the smallest one you can find. Same size as a small shrimp ring should do you fine. Or just buy a small shrimp ring.

You now have everything you need for a festive meal with the family.

Have a member of the family set the dining room table before you leave and then cover the table with clean sheets; now you'll return home to a fully set, dustless, and clean table and trust me, that's a truly good thing.

Now when you walk in the house, and are settled in leaving the rest of the family to unpack the car, take the roast out of the fridge, the green beans, make ahead teters or caulifower, and salad out the freezer, pre-heat the oven, remove the sheets off the table and sit bake with a hot or cold beverage to contemplate what next to do for 15 minutes or so. A clear and focused mind makes the rest easier to accomplish.

This is a "basic" do ahead plan. Feel free to add/subtract using your family's must haves. The important thing is to make a memorable meal in keeping w/ the season and the warm fuzzy feelings you want the participants to have for decades later. Always good when you have your own memories as well without that harried feeling special occasion meals can bring on without resorting to Cracker Barrel.

 

[ronandannette]

We’re doing a Czech themed Christmas this year so the dishes I’m cooking are all traditional to that culture, but I refuse to spend the days leading up to Christmas in a frenzy so I plan a menu that can be frozen in advance and reheated. We have:

Vanocka, a braided almond bread
Kuba, a mushroom risotto-type casserole
Kyselice, a sauerkraut soup
Potato salad, which is apparently a staple on the Christmas table
Kolaches, fruit-filled pastries
Bublanina, a type of cake
About a bazillion different types of cookies

The only thing that will need to be made near Christmas is the potato salad which I can do a day or two in advance. Everything else is already (or soon to be) frozen away and will just need baking/reheating. I was pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of all these recipes. Czech food is no muss, no fuss. Tasty, too.

Yum! May I ask if you are Czech or is different "theme" cuisines at holidays just something you do? I love doing it for dinner parties but I've not tried a traditional ethnic Christmas menu. Nice idea!

 

[Kimberle]

I would get Chinese take out.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I would get Chinese take out.

Don't forget to get the duck's head cut off in advance...

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Yum! May I ask if you are Czech or is different "theme" cuisines at holidays just something you do? I love doing it for dinner parties but I've not tried a traditional ethnic Christmas menu. Nice idea!

Nope, no ties to the Czech Republic at all! We just thought it would be fun to do — pick a different country/culture each year, learn about how they celebrate the holiday season, and incorporate some of those traditions and foods into our celebration. In addition to the food, we added a Czech ornament to our tree, a Czech Christmas decor item to the house, my son is getting a traditional toy on Christmas Eve, and we’re going to do a floating walnut activity they do. I drew the line at the live carp in the bathtub, though. It’s been a fun (and educational) way to keep things interesting and fresh.

I told my husband I was going to be lazy and pick Italy so I could get by with just making a lasagna, but he wanted to be a smart aleck and say that he’d had his heart set on the Czech Republic, so that’s how we landed on that this year.