Italian Christmas Dinner Ideas: Traditional Italian Mains your whole family will love
Discover easy and delicious Italian Christmas dinner ideas, from baked pastas to roast lamb and festive risotto. Perfect mains for a cosy, family-friendly holiday meal.
Christmas in Italy is a beautiful blend of family traditions, regional flavours and dishes that have been loved for generations. I know this well as I am from Rome, Italian Christmas is my own Christmas!
If you’re looking for Italian Christmas dinner ideas, you’ll find that traditional Italian mains offer comfort, richness and plenty of festive flair.
Italian Christmas dishes are wonderfully accessible: familiar enough for children to enjoy, but special enough to feel truly celebratory. Most require simple ingredients, and the presentation is usually what gives them that festive twist — perfect for easy family gatherings
They work beautifully for families looking to add something different to their Christmas dinner or for anyone who simply loves Italian food. They all work amazing for all family gathering, the presentation usually being the main festive twist!
In a previous post, I suggested Italian Christmas appetizers.
Below you will find some of the most traditional Italian Christmas mains, including meat dishes, lighter Christmas Eve options, and a few vegetarian showstoppers.
In Italy, we have more than one course for a festive dinner: usually we have appetizers, primo (pasta or rice), secondo (meat or fish), and desserts. So my list of Christmas mains has both primo and secondo, so you can make one, the other, or both (just make less of each, if serving both).
Lasagne al Pesto
If you’re looking for a twist on a classic, our Lasagne al Pesto is a winner. Layers of tender pasta, vibrant pesto, and creamy béchamel make this a lighter but still indulgent alternative to traditional lasagne—perfect for a festive table that needs a pop of green.
Classic Lasagne Pasta Bake
Sometimes, nothing beats the comforting familiarity of classic lasagne. Rich meat sauce, silky béchamel, and golden mozzarella on top—this is the dish that will have everyone asking for seconds, and it’s practically made for a Christmas feast.
Cannelloni
Stuffed pasta is always a crowd-pleaser and, when made from scratch, it gets elevated from go-to mid-week meal to festive show-shopper.
My cannelloni recipe is vegetarian and filled with a creamy, cheesy mixture and topped with golden béchamel—perfect for making ahead so you can enjoy a glass of wine with guests.
Tortellini in Brodo
Tortellini in brodo are a family staple for Christmas Eve especially, when you want to serve your guests something delicious yet not overloading them with food that is so filling and heavy they cannot have Christmas lunch the day after (did you know? In Italy we celebrate both!).
My favorite way to make them is with a simple home made chicken broth and opting for the cappelletti type of tortellini, which are small and filled with meat. Delicious!
Pasta al salmone
Pasta al salmone is one of the easiest types of pasta dishes you can make but it is a Christmas favorite as smoked salmon in Italy is a bit of a treat so you tend to only offer it at special occasions, like Christmas!
You simplest way to make pasta al salmone is to cook the pasta and coat it with a delicious cream made of smoked salmon shredded in small pieces and sauted with onion, butter and cooking cream, or you can also make it without cream, sautéing the smoked salmon with onions and cherry tomatoes.
Spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams)
Spaghetti alle vongole require little skill, but they are a light, elegant and impressive dish perfectly in line with the Italian tradition of having fish on Christmas Eve. To make them, you need fresh clams you can trust the provenance and quality of, a bit of patience to get them clean but once that’s done, it’s only a quick preparation in the pan and they can be served straight away!
Mediterranean Baked Fish in Parchment (Pesce al Cartoccio)
Al Cartoccio is Italian for ‘in parchment’ and fish in parchment is an easy and impressive way to serve fish to your guests, one of those that go for minimum effort – maximum result.
To make, you place whole fish or fillets on a sheet of baking paper, add slices of lemon, garlic, cherry tomatoes, olives, herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, then fold the paper into a tight parcel. Bake until the fish is fragrant and flaky.
It feels elegant but takes minutes to prepare, the “parcel” keeps everything moist without effort, and the flavors stay wonderfully clean and Mediterranean — perfect alongside richer Christmas dishes.
Chicken with Peppers (Pollo ai Peperoni)
If you are looking for an easy to make, super fragrant chicken dish that doesn’t require messy carving, I have the perfect one for you: chicken in skillet with peppers, from my very own town of Rome!
This Roman classic comes together in a skillet, with tender chicken pieces and sweet, red and yellow peppers. It’s colorful, festive, and a quick way to add a hearty main to your Christmas table.
Arista di Maiale (Tuscan Roast Pork)
A beautiful roast is the quintessential family gathering main and arista di maiale is beautifully aromatic pork loin seasoned with rosemary, sage, garlic and olive oil. Super Italian and super easy to make as all you need to do is seal the meat and then let it cook in olive oil, rosemary and white white (just keep an eye on it!)!
Risotto
In Northern Italy, risotto is a staple: creamy, comforting, and endlessly adaptable.
At Christmas, families often prepare it with seasonal mushrooms or delicate saffron, but the beauty of risotto is that you can tailor it to whatever your family loves. The method is always the same: slowly cook the rice with broth, stirring gently until it turns silky and perfectly creamy, then finish with a swirl of butter and a handful of Parmesan.
It’s warming, rich without being heavy, and ideal for a winter celebration.
Cotechino con Lenticchie (Pork trotter with Lentils)
Although cotechino with lentils is traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve, it’s just as festive — and just as delicious — for Christmas. The dish features a rich, slow-cooked pork sausage simmered until tender and served over a bed of stewed lentils.
We love it not only for its hearty flavour but also for its symbolism: the lentils represent coins and prosperity, making it a lovely, hopeful addition to the holiday table. It’s rustic, warming, and perfect for anyone wanting to bring a little Italian good-luck charm into their Christmas meal.
Agnello al Forno (Italian Roast Lamb)
Agnello al forno is a timeless Italian roast, traditionally enjoyed at both Christmas and Easter.
The lamb is simply rubbed in olive oil with garlic, rosemary, lemon, and sometimes a touch of white wine, then roasted until tender and aromatic. The flavours are simple but full of character — exactly what Italian home cooking does best. Serve it with roasted potatoes, sautéed greens, or even a bright salad, and you have a main course that feels both celebratory and effortless.
Parmigiana di Melanzane (Aubergine Parmesan)
Parmigiana di melanzane is one of those dishes that wins over absolutely everyone.
Layers of golden fried aubergine, rich tomato sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan bake together into a bubbling, comforting main that feels indulgent enough for Christmas but familiar enough for any family meal.
The process is simple (find my full eggplant parmigiana recipe here): pan fry the aubergine, layer it with sauce and cheese, and bake until beautifully golden — and the result is a hearty, crowd-pleasing dish that brings a little Southern Italian warmth to the holiday table.
Italian Christmas food is wonderfully varied, comforting and steeped in tradition.
Whether you choose a rich roast, a slow-cooked northern classic, or a seafood dish inspired by Italian Christmas Eve, these Italian main dishes are guaranteed to bring warmth and deliciousness to your festive table.
They’re also a lovely way to “travel from home” during the holidays — discovering new traditions through dishes that Italian families have passed down for generations
Italian Christmas Dinner ideas: pin this!
