One surefire way to pull off a successful holiday? Have a curated menu. Don’t worry — you don’t have to spend hours and hours on an epic quest to find the perfect assembly of entrées and sides. We’ve got solutions just for you, no matter your style. (Yes, that includes you, “person who likes hosting but just didn’t get “the cooking gene.”) Below, we've match three of our favorite holiday menus to different personality types. They're sure to wow your guests, whether or not you do the cooking.
Traditional Holiday Dinner
Your style is simple and elegant. You crave comfort, tradition and look forward to unwrapping presents one by one. This classic menu is tailor-made for you!
The scent of roasting beef will tempt your guests’ taste buds while they kick off the meal with a crisp spinach salad with sweet pears, salty walnuts and tangy goat cheese. Come main-course time, everyone will be more than ready to dig into the tenderloin (complete with red wine-infused pan sauce), along with a scoop of creamy scalloped potatoes, light-as-air cheddar popovers and herb-sautéed green beans. Talk about a feast.
Classic Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine-Shallot Pan Sauce opens in a new tab
Spinach Salad with Pears, Walnuts and Goat Cheese opens in a new tab
The “I Don’t Want to Cook” Menu
You’re all about the fast-forward button. Meal kits are your best friend, you’ve got your whole house programmed with the Amazon Echo — and, oh yeah, you’d just rather not cook.
So this holiday season, assign the cooking to us. All you’ll have to do is reheat your food (and then eat said food). Our menu features a simply seasoned prime rib roast that’s finished sous-vide style, plus crispy garlic fingerling potatoes. For a dose of greens, the menu also includes Brussels sprouts and a creamy kale and spinach medley. Since no holiday dinner — shortcut or otherwise — is complete without something sweet, slice our take on Sister Pie’s Cranberry Crumble Pie. Taking the extra step of digging out the ice cream scoop and vanilla pint in your freezer is optional ... but highly recommended.
Salt and Pepper Prime Rib Roast
Roasted Fingerlings with Garlic and Parsley
Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pepitas
Creamed Spinach and Kale
Green Peppercorn Sauce
Sister Pie Cranberry Crumble Pie
Globally-Inspired Christmas Menu
You’re known among your friends and family as the traveler. Your Instagram feed is filled with photos from all the places you’ve visited. So turn to this unique menu, inspired by Peruvian flavors, that was designed by Molly Siegler from the Whole Foods Market Culinary Development Team.
Citrus-Brined Turkey with Roasted Onions. Use this turkey recipe opens in a new tab, but add 4 wedged yellow onions to the roasting pan halfway through roasting the turkey.
Aji Amarillo Gravy. This gravy is inspired by the bright yellow chile sauce served with Peruvian meat dishes. Look for aji amarillo chile paste and whisk 1 teaspoon of it into the roux of this gravy recipe opens in a new tab.
Corn Pudding with Chiles. Experiment with the chiles in this recipe opens in a new tab, and see if you can find a Peruvian variety to swap in for the green chiles.
Quinoa Pilaf with Herbs, Pickled Carrots and Raisins. Make quinoa using this basic recipe opens in a new tab. While the quinoa cooks, combine 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon sweetener (honey or yacon syrup, if you can find it!), 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and bring just to a boil. Pour the mixture over 1 cup shredded carrots and 1/3 cup raisins and allow to cool completely. Combine cooked quinoa with the pickled carrot and raisin mixture and add a handful of fresh cilantro and mint just before serving.
Roasted Yuca and Sweet Potatoes with Lime. Skip the paiche in this recipe and add yuca to the mix for an unexpected sweet potato side.
Vanilla Pots de Crème with Cocoa Whipped Cream and Popped Quinoa. Start with this recipe opens in a new tab but skip the espresso. Make a whipped cream with cocoa powder to top the pots de crème and sprinkle the whole thing with popped quinoa. For the quinoa, cover the bottom of a large, deep pan with dry quinoa, and then cover and shake the pan over high heat to pop the seeds.
