What To Serve For Your Holiday Dinner Party - 35+ Options For Your Main Course!
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The holidays are upon us and I’ve got you covered on what to serve for your gatherings! Lucky for you I have made it easy to plan your main dish with over 35 delicious gluten free and paleo options that are sure to wow your guests! Pair any of these mains with a few of my delicious holiday sides and a few appetizers and then cheers the night away with some festive cocktails.
Don’t forget to save room for some paleo holiday desserts!
Noodles & Rice
Seafood Paella
Paella is one of my favorite spanish dishes and this version is perfect for your holiday gathering. I love making this for holidays and birthday celebrations. I have a delicious version in Wandering Palate that uses cauliflower rice as a grain-free alternative to rice, and has just as much flavor as this version with real rice.
Cauliflower Rice Paella
This Paella uses cauliflower rice to keep it fully paleo and is just as delicious as the rice versions! Get the recipe in Wandering Palate!
Pineapple Fried Rice
Pineapple Fried Rice is a savory and fruity combination, and is excellent served on its own or along with other Asian-inspired dishes. Cauliflower rice is a surprising low-carb replacement to regular rice, and makes this dish ideal for gluten-free and paleo diets. Check out my cookbook, Wandering Palate, for this and other tasty recipes to brighten your holiday table.
Protein Packed Puttanesca Pasta
Puttanesca Pasta is a classic Italian dish with a slightly checkered past of how it got its name (I will let you google that!). Generally, the pasta has a briny base with the use of anchovies, but this version is 100% plant-based, grain-free and gluten-free and still captures all of the delicious and aromatic flavors that go into it! Feed a ton of seasonal visitors with one dish.
Beef
Tomahawk Steak
Craving steak? This Tomahawk Ribeye is seasoned simply and seared making for a quick and easy Paleo dinner. Don’t let its size intimidate you, it is quite the easy steak to master.
Grilled Picanha
Grilled Picanha is a Brazilian staple but is one of my favorite cuts of meat. Often referred to as a Top Sirloin Cap, it is known for its flavorful fat cap that infuses the meat while it cooks.
Italian Meatballs with Tomato Cream Sauce
Juicy, homemade beef Meatballs, seasoned with fresh herbs gets served with an easy dairy-free tomato cream sauce. You can serve these meatballs and tomato cream sauce as a side of a main on your holiday table!
Grilled Tri-Tip and Veggies
Tri-tip is a sizeable steak that is leaner than other cuts and has beefy rich flavor. This grilled version with zucchini and tomatoes is a great way to sample this delicious cut, especially to heat up the kitchen in winter weather. Find the recipe in my cookbook, Wandering Palate.
Instant Pot Beef Brisket
This melt-in-your-mouth Brisket is incredibly tender and delicious with a spice coating. Also, while a traditional oven brisket may take a few hours to make, a pressure cooker cooks it in a fraction of the time to equally flavorful results. Make this even with houseguests underfoot - the Instant Pot makes it so easy! Enjoy a glass of Dry Farm Wines while it cooks.
Instant Pot Beef Osso Buco
Osso Buco is exactly the type of dish that is perfect for the Instant Pot. The Instant Pot breaks down the sinew so that the meat is super tender and fall-off-the-bone. There is also an incredibly flavorful and tangy sauce with notes of rosemary and thyme to drizzle over roasted potatoes or even mashed potatoes or cauliflower for a dreamy finish. Another dish you can walk away from and enjoy a glass of Dry Farm Wines while preparing.
Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs
This warming, stick-to-your-ribs dish is perfect for cooler months. The Instant Pot does the trick to fully tenderize Beef Short Ribs so that they are fall apart tender with a beefy, slightly tangy sauce. Collard greens are a wonderful side, as they are fresh and contrast the richness of the beef. If preferred, however, serve the beef on top of something that can sop up the sauce of your favorite holiday sides.
Chicken
Moroccan Chicken with Apricots
There is so much flavor packed in this one-pan Moroccan Chicken dinner. Seasoned with saffron, cinnamon, and tossed with fresh apricots! If you do not include rice in your diet, you can easily sub it out for cauliflower rice to make this 100% paleo! Plus, one-pan means faster clean up and more time for holiday fun.
Saffron Rice Baked Chicken
This Saffron Rice Baked Chicken recipe takes classic chicken and rice to new depths. It includes an abundance of fresh herbs, tangy wine, and the fragrant aroma and color of saffron threads. Although it looks fancy, it is a one-pot meal because it gets both combined and baked in a cast-iron skillet. If you don’t have a cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet, however, just sear the chicken and combine the mixture in an ordinary skillet and transfer to a baking dish for the oven step. It's sure to impress everyone who visits for the holidays!
Roasted Chicken
This humble roast comprises of tender chicken, root vegetables and herbs that are extremely comforting on a cold night. Just combine everything in a pan and bake in the oven until ready to serve. This recipe is from my cookbook, Wandering Palate.
Chimichurri Chicken
Delicate tasting Chicken becomes super flavorful by being marinated in a bright and herbaceous sauce. Classic chimichurri sauces are dominated by parsley and this one is no different. A healthy blend of lemon and additional herbs give the sauce nuance and make it perfect to drizzle over everything. Use it on any meat you plan as the centerpiece of your holiday spread.
One Pan Spatchcock Chicken
Whole Chickens often take a long time to cook, but the simple method of flattening a chicken can reduce the roasting time substantially as well as make portioning easier. By combining the chicken and veggies on a baking sheet, everything will be cooked at the same time and there will be less clean up as well. A whole bird is always Instagrammable, so you'll be giving dinner guests something beautiful to share online with their meal!
Chicken Piccata
This chicken dish from my cookbook, Wandering Palate, is bright tasting and zingy with lots of fragrant lemon zest and briny capers. The cream sauce can be prepared with dairy or coconut milk, which means this Piccata is accessible to dairy-restricted individuals as well.
Chicken Skillet
This one-pan meal features chicken breasts and earthy green Brussels sprouts, which cook together so the sprouts pick up the chicken juices. Fruity green olives and woody herbs add interesting flavors to this otherwise simple dish. Full recipe in my cookbook, Wandering Palate.
Lemon Artichoke Chicken
Do you love Chicken in a creamy sauce, but don’t have time to make it in addition to your favorite winter sides? Rest assured, this version is easy and is a full meal with the addition of artichokes to the pan. The dish is creamy and delicious with capers, herbs and lemon for freshness, and is as ideal for intimate holiday plans or big gatherings especially when you need something on the table fast.
Orange Chicken
Orange chicken is a favorite Asian dish for many, but is often laden with wheat flour and fried in plenty of fat. This version is from Wandering Palate and becomes ideal for those with gluten sensitivities with the use of cassava flour and the coconut oil makes the dish even more satisfying to eat.
Lamb
Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
This Rack of Lamb is so simple to make but will look so impressive when served to visiting holiday guests. The herb crust infuses flavor into the meat while adding an attractive spark of holiday green.
Patagonia Lamb
The lean nature of this butterflied Lamb means it is best to serve it between medium-rare and medium doneness. Simply check the temperature at intervals to ensure this roast will be the most tender and tasty lamb you have ever enjoyed since it is butterflied and cooks flawlessly.
Pork
Honey Glazed Pork Ribs
The best way to cook Pork Ribs is low and slow, and then glaze them in a sticky sauce at the end. These ones take approximately 3 hours in the oven and are extremely juicy and tender when they are done. The sauce is an incredible mixture of liquid honey, tamari, and garlic that caramelizes slightly on the meat towards the end of cooking. Make sure to give guests a few extra napkins for this potentially sticky meal.
Pork Chop Apple Skillet
This hearty dish is delicious all year round but is particularly perfect during winter when apples are such an iconic flavor. Be sure to get bone-in Pork Chops as they will have the most flavor and retain more moisture than pork loin chops.
Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin
Fresh herbs abound in this easy Roast Pork Tenderloin dinner! Make this simple herb crust- consisting of parsley, thyme, and rosemary - then stir in lemon juice and olive oil for maximum flavor!
Barbecue Pork Ribs
Ribs are typically the star attraction of summer cookouts, but you can enjoy them year-round. While you need no excuse to feast on ribs during a the holidays or the New Year, here is an easy recipe for ribs you can make at home any time. The beauty of ribs is that they are a blank canvas. While traditional barbecue is the most common flavor, you can get creative with customized rib rubs and sauces. Try a sweet and spicy or an Asian flavor profile. How about a coffee-based rub? The only limit is your imagination.
Instant Pot Carnitas
These Instant Pot Carnitas are ready in less than an hour! You only need six ingredients to prepare this easy instant pot dinner for your family!
Instant Pot Cuban Lechon
Cuban Lechon is a popular, fresh, easy meal. This dish needs to marinate overnight but its super easy to make in your Instant Pot and melts in your mouth since it bathes in citrus juices.
Holiday Ham
You can’t go wrong with a holiday ham! They generally come cooked and just need to be heated. Order a delicious ham from Butcher Box!
Seafood
Pistachio Crusted Cod
Pistachios add bright green flair, nutty taste and crunchy texture to tender Cod. This meal looks incredibly impressive and fit for entertaining!
Scallops with Lemon Butter
Scallops are incredibly fast cooking but best when they have a chance to caramelize on the outside. In my cookbook, Wandering Palate, I show you how to cook the perfect scallops. To do this, butter and high heat are essential, and the butter also becomes part of the tangy, lemony sauce.
Baked Halibut with Pineapple Salsa
Fresh and easy Halibut Dinner topped with a pineapple salsa! Only six ingredients is all you need to make this baked halibut recipe. This dish is a bright counterpoint to the comfort food we crave throughout the winter season.
Crab Cakes
These Crispy Crab Cakes are prepared with almond flour for a gluten-free and grain free alternative. Plenty of fresh herbs and lemon juice makes these cakes taste healthy and fresh even though they are fried. Crab cakes can also work as a side to compliment your star protein this holiday or as an appetizer.
Halibut En Papilote
This halibut parcel becomes a full meal when paired with sliced potatoes and asparagus spears as I'll show in my cookbook, Wandering Palate. If tight on time, consider preassembling packages in the morning so they are ready to pop in the oven around dinner time.
Orange Salmon
Fresh salmon takes on sweet and tangy flavors so well which is why this Orange Salmon should make it onto everyone’s table. The salmon is glazed in an orange sauce that is balanced out by garlic, onion powder and fresh herbs, and is particularly delicious when served with crisp green vegetables, or even hot cooked rice or cauliflower rice. This dish also looks elegant and would be ideal to serve when your most fastidious guests come by this winter.
Turkey
How to Brine a Turkey
Brining a Turkey is a miraculous way to impart flavor into the meat and ensure it is juicy even after roasting. This method also means you will have most of your prep done many hours in advance of the holidays. Once you have tried this with your holiday bird, consider brining any large cuts of meat such as bone-in pork roast, beef, chicken, duck or goose.
How to Cook a Turkey
Once you have brined your turkey in a delicious, salty and herbaceous brine, these next steps will take you to Turkey perfection. Rubbing an herb butter on and under the turkey skin helps brown and crisp up the skin while seasoning the meaty interior. This recipe is so good, you may decide to use it for all your future turkey dinners!
