Christmas Week Meal Plan
Your Christmas week dinners, with a printable menu and shopping list inside.
We have finally reached that time of year when the days are getting longer, the light begins to return and Christmas is just a few days away. Some of us are still busy at work, some are rushing to finish their Christmas shopping and some have already started preparing a feast for the whole family. Amidst all this, with the main focus on Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner, we have very little time to spare for cooking. That’s why the recipes suggested for Monday and Tuesday are really easy and quick to make. You can cook the cabbage and minced meat fry well in advance, store it in the fridge or freezer, and then warm it up whenever you’re hungry. The caramelized onion pasta takes just minutes to make and requires hardly any effort.
For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I have chosen some of my favorite festive and hearty dishes: Irish Guinness stew and chicken fricassée, which can easily be turned into turkey fricassée if turkey is a traditional Christmas staple for you. These dishes are even better the next day. If you have any leftovers after the celebrations, what could be better than tagliatelle or mashed potatoes served with beef or chicken stew and grated Parmesan?
For those who feel like detoxing on Boxing Day, I have a healthy salmon Florentine recipe for Friday.
In many European countries, the main part of the feast happens on Christmas Eve, right after the stars appear. Meanwhile, in countries such as the UK and Ireland, the celebrations start on the morning of the twenty-fifth with unwrapping presents and drinking Mimosa cocktails before coffee. Either way, Christmas morning is of crucial importance for the whole family. As a bonus, I have suggested a simple yet elegant breakfast idea.
🥂 Here’s to the end of the year and the lovely holiday season! Thank you very much for reading my recipes and watching my videos. My love for Christmas goes far beyond the feast and presents. As the old carol goes, “A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn”, and I wish you all this beautiful hope, along with a new dawn of joy and kindness. Merry Christmas!
Printable Menu Card (PDF):
Christmas Week Meal Plan Shopping List:
This week’s shopping list is organized in one simple PDF you can download and print.
Each ingredient has a small emoji next to it so you instantly know which recipe it belongs to.
The plan serves 3–4 people, but feel free to scale up or down.
Download it, print it, or keep it on your phone while shopping for Christmas week. I hope it brings a little calm to busy days and makes dinners feel easier.
Printable shopping list (PDF):
THE MEAL PLAN
Monday: Quick one-pot Cabbage and Minced Meat Fry
A delicious dish of minced beef and green cabbage that is quick to make and clean up, since everything is cooked in one pot!
Tuesday: Easy Caramelized Onion Pasta
This is one of the easiest recipes on my blog. With just pasta, onions, butter and cheese, you can make a meal that the whole family will enjoy!
Wednesday, Christmas Eve:
This delicious stew can be made with inexpensive cuts of meat, which are tenderized in a stew. Serve it with a beautiful bake of sweet potato ‘petals’ that look like a flower to make your Christmas table even more beautiful.
Irish Guinness stew
+ Baked sweet potato “flower”
Thursday, Christmas Day:
As I mentioned, this classic French recipe can be made using turkey legs and thighs, although the cooking time will be slightly longer. It can be served with hasselback potatoes, couscous or polenta — whatever starchy side dishes you prefer! The aubergine fries can be served with a variety of dips before, during and after dinner. Try them with other vegetables cooked in the same way.
Chicken Fricassée
+ Aubergine Fries
Friday: East & Delicious Salmon Florentine
This is one of my favorite salmon recipes, full of spinach goodness and protein.
Christmas Breakfast idea: One loaf of bread – two delicious breakfasts
If your family and friends have different Christmas breakfast preferences, don’t let them fight! Here’s a solution: make omelettes and mini hot dogs using just four slices of toast.
Preps, Preps, Preps
Let these “preps, preps, preps” be your “ho, ho, ho”! They’re rather easy, and you can make lots of things in advance if you want to.
You can make the following dishes in advance in their entirety and then keep them in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months: quick one-pot cabbage and minced meat fry, Guinness stew and fricassée. They can be warmed up gently on the hob or in the oven.
The sweet potato “flower” can also be prepared in advance: arrange the petals in a baking tray, cover with foil, and bake at 180°C/360°F for 25 minutes. Leave to cool completely, then store in the fridge. When you are ready to put it on the table, remove the foil and add a spoonful of butter or oil. Bake at 180°C/360°F for 8–10 minutes, then increase the temperature to 215°C/420°F and bake for a further 18–20 minutes.
Caramelize the onions in advance for the pasta dish: Cut two onions into half-rings and cook them with two tablespoons of butter over a medium heat for about seven minutes until soft. Add a generous pinch of salt and reduce the heat to low. Cook for a further 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Store in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer.
To avoid the rush around the bonus Christmas breakfast, you can prepare the batter the night before by beating 2 eggs with 3 tablespoons of milk and seasoning, then storing it in the fridge. You can also wrap the sausages in bread and then cling film, and keep them in the fridge to save time in the morning. You can also prepare the omelette mix in advance. Beat two eggs with chives and seasoning, then store in the fridge. Just add a finely chopped sausage when you’re ready to cook it in a warmed pan.
I hope this Christmas week meal plan brings a little calm to busy days and keeps your table warm and happy. I’d love to hear how it feels for your week! 💛 🤍
XO,
Sophie
Creative and Delicious! You must be one of Santa's better helpers! Speaking of Santa...during his visit to your home and after eating up your sweet tasty treats...He might not be able to Fit Back UP the chimney!
Merry Christmas, Good Health and Peace to You and Family!