Serve up delicious dishes all the way through the holiday season with our 12-recipe Christmas countdown. From classic lasagna, to prosciutto wrapped beef, these dishes are sure to become holiday staples in your household for years to come. These recipes make for great meals for the whole family and are relatively easy to put together.
Whether you are using a French or a Dutch Oven, or a tagine, Le Creuset’s premium cookware offers superior heat retention and is built to last. Many of these classic recipes embody the set-it-and-forget-it nature of holiday cooking, offering you the ability to spend quality time with your loved ones as these delicious dishes slow-cook to perfection. Serve them directly out of our stylish cookware to minimize cleanup and add a bold splash of colour to your dinner table this holiday season.
Here are 12 of our favourite Christmas recipes to take you right through the holiday season this year.
Day 1: Classic Lasagna
Our Christmas countdown list would simply not be complete with our mouth-watering lasagna recipe. Lasagna is a traditional holiday classic, particularly in Italian households, and can even be prepared well in advance of your family get-together. Our lasagna recipe is an ideal dish to freeze ahead of time, offering an effortless holiday meal when needed.
The trick with getting this recipe right is to be patient with the meat sauce until it is perfectly simmered in your large French Oven. This will ensure the sausages are cooked evenly throughout every layer.
This recipe takes just over an hour to prepare and is good for between eight and ten servings. This age-old classic can even be transformed into a vegan delight by simply swapping out the meat sauce for vegetables.
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Day 2: Mussels in Cream and Curry
Looking for a dish for the seafood lover in your family? Well, look no further than our mussels in cream and curry recipe. This dish is rich in texture, all-while offering a much-needed kick to the mussels with the curry powder.
The Round French Oven is the ideal piece of cookware for this recipe, simmering the creamy sauce until it is bubbling to perfection. The French or Dutch Oven’s tight-fitting lid, by contrast, locks in moisture, creating the steamy environment for the mussels to cook evenly.
This recipe takes just under an hour to prepare and can serve between four and six people. If you’re expecting more guests, add more mussels to your shopping list and adjust the proportions accordingly!
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Day 3: Apricot and Lamb Tagine
Have you recently bought a tagine and want a perfect recipe for it? Our apricot and lamb tagine is a great starter recipe to get familiar with this piece of cookware and is relatively easy to put together.
The tagine is designed to keep ingredients tender and moist throughout, continuously basting the lamb in the dried apricot and surrounding spices. Begin by sauteing the onions at the base of the tagine before browning the lamb cubes. Once all the ingredients are in the tagine, put its tight-fitting lid on and cook for approximately one hour and 20 minutes.
This recipe does not require a constant presence; however, it is recommended to check in at the 45-minute mark to monitor the lamb. Our apricot and lamb tagine can go from stovetop to table in just under two hours, serving between two and four portions.
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Day 4: Roast Turkey
Our roast turkey recipe was made for the holiday season, offering a delicious dish for the entire family. The sweet and savoury sauce compliments the turkey wonderfully, adding another layer of rich flavour.
Our turkey recipe requires slightly more preparation than other dishes beginning with the brine. Once the turkey is completely submerged in the liquid, refrigerate it between four and eight hours and let it marinate in the spices.
The 3.8 L Oval Casserole is recommended for this recipe, roasting the turkey until it reaches the appropriate temperature (180°F/82°C). Finish by straining the sauce in a 2 L saucier and serve it alongside the turkey with shallots and leeks.
This recipe may take over three hours from start to finish, not including the brine, but is well worth the effort and can quickly become a go-to dish over the Christmas period for years to come.
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Day 5: Paella
Transport your guests to the coasts of Spain this holiday season with our delicious paella recipe. Typically, a traditional paella consists of various spices, seafoods, vegetables, chicken, and of course paella rice, however, our recipe offers a slight twist.
Begin by mixing the prawns, calamaris, mussels, and clams in a large bowl, while the chicken broth is heating with the saffron in a saucepan. Our paella pan, as the name suggests, is specifically crafted for this dish, offering a large surface area for excess moisture to evaporate and creating the perfect conditions for the socarrat to form.
The socarrat is a layer of toasted rice at the bottom of the dish and can essentially make or break the recipe. This dish takes under two hours to prepare and is good for six and eight servings.
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Day 6: Osso Buco
Our osso buco recipe is yet another Italian classic for the holiday season, hailing from the region of Lombardy. The goal is to braise the veal shanks in the vegetables, white wine, and beef stock until they are completely tender. Before browning the meat, however, remember to tie a string around the circumference of the veal shank to avoid it falling apart.
Osso buco is typically served with polenta and garnished with a gremolata, and this is no different with our recipe. The French or Dutch Oven can be used for all steps of the recipe, offering you the ability to brown, braise, and slow-cook the veal shanks with ease. This recipe can go from stovetop to tabletop in just over two hours and can serve up to four people at a time.
For more information, watch how we prepare this Osso Buco dish.
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Day 7: Spicy Whole Roasted Fish
Our spicy whole roasted fish recipe represents a great alternative to traditional meat platters over the holidays. This dish is equally nutritious as it is delicious and is relatively simple to put together. The chef's knife is particularly useful for this recipe, ensuring three precise, diagonal incisions are carved into each side of the fish.
Once the fish is in the rectangular casserole, top it with fresh lemongrass, ginger, and garlic for added flavour. Finish by pouring the mixture of soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and sugar over the fish et voilà – dinner for two! This recipe takes just under an hour to prepare and can serve as the centerpiece for a romantic dinner this holiday season.
For more information, watch how we roast this striped bass to perfection.
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Day 8: Maple Glazed Ham
Our maple glazed ham recipe is everything you need in a holiday recipe, requiring little to no preparation and feeds the whole family. The combination of maple syrup, chicken broth, orange juice, mustard, vinegar, and rosemary add a rich flavour profile to this dish.
The Oval French Oven will take care of much of the cooking for you, ensuring a crispy exterior and soft interior. The total cooking time will usually vary depending on the size of the ham, however, estimate 20 minutes per pound. This recipe serves between 10 and 12 people, taking just over two hours to prepare.
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Day 9: Red Snapper
Our red snapper and grapefruit recipe is perfect for weeknight cooking over the holiday season and goes from stovetop to tabletop in four simple steps. Begin by heating up olive oil in a toughened nonstick braiser and add garlic, ginger, and shallots.
Once the braiser reaches the appropriate temperature, introduce the fish stock and white wine along with the bok choy and fennel and let it cook for approximately five minutes. This introduces a green component and some much-needed flavour to an already nutritious meal. Finish by adding the red snapper and grapefruit into the braiser and enjoy! This recipe takes just under 30 minutes to prepare and can serve between two and four people, making it ideal for smaller families.
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Day 10: Prosciutto wrapped beef
Our prosciutto wrapped beef recipe is yet another delicious dish for the holiday season and is a great way to make the most of your iron handle skillet. The onion purée is designed to complement the beef to perfection, requiring seven simple ingredients. Begin by roasting the onions for an hour before blending them in a food processor with garlic, thyme, Parmesan, and cream.
With the purée complete, brown the beef filet in the iron handle skillet until it achieves a crispy texture. Finish by roasting the filet and draping it in fresh prosciutto along with pink peppercorns. It is recommended to let the filet rest for 10 minutes before serving. This dish takes just under two hours to prepare, and is ideal for hosting smaller get-togethers, serving up to four people at a time.
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Day 11: Stuffed Tomatoes
Looking for a healthy meal for the whole family? Our stuffed tomatoes recipe is extremely easy to put together and could come in handy throughout the busy holiday season. Blend the garlic, onion, mint, parsley, nuts, and raisins in a food processor to create the delicious stuffing for the tomatoes.
The rectangular casserole will bake the stuffed tomatoes to perfection, exposing them to a consistent heat source throughout. The casserole’s secure lid is crafted to lock in flavours, while also making it a convenient choice for transporting to parties. This dish takes just over an hour to prepare and is good for eight to 10 servings at a time.
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Day 12: Chicken Pot Pie
Our chicken pot pie recipe strikes the perfect balance between a delicious and healthy meal and is a great dish when hosting friends and family. Begin by cooking the carrots, garlic, and leeks in the roaster until they are softened before sprinkling them with flour.
The rectangular roaster is the ideal piece of cookware for this recipe, offering a large surface area for the chicken and vegetables to cook evenly. Once the vegetables have been softened, add in the chicken, spinach, kale, stock, and cream, and gently simmer the sauce. This should only take about five minutes.
Finish by cutting the filo sheet in four squares and integrating each layer of the chicken mixture. Bake the filo for approximately 20 minutes or until it is golden. This recipe can serve up to eight people and takes just under two hours to prepare.
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The holiday season is a wonderful time to connect with family and friends, especially over a delicious meal. These recipes include traditional holiday staples, as well as unique dishes your guests are guaranteed to enjoy.
Whether you serve up red snapper, or a perfectly tender osso buco directly from your French or Dutch Oven, your holiday meals are sure to be full in flavour. Our premium cookware arms you with all the tools you need to tackle these recipes and quickly make them your own.
We hope you enjoyed our 12-recipe Christmas countdown and are ready to put your Le Creuset cookware sets to the test. For more inspiration, visit our featured recipes and step up your cooking game this holiday season with some of our favourite meals.
