Christmas is on Monday, you guys! Three days away! I can’t believe it, but I seriously need to get myself in gear…haha. I personally have never hosted a full Christmas dinner at my house because we live so close to my parents, but I always bring a side. And I don’t like to come empty handed! And I figure quite a few of you must be in the same boat as I am with Christmas festivities over the next few days, and may be scrambling to find something yummy to bring along. So, today I’ve rounded up my go-to easy, shareable side dishes that will be perfect and festive no matter what course you are designated to bring!
All these recipes are printable, so be sure to print one out and try it! Let me know if you end up making any of them! They sure are crowd pleasers! [PS: My amazing assistant, Mattea, baked all day with me, and you’ll get to see her in the photos below 😉]
Caprese Christmas Wreath
This festive side dish is super simple and takes only about 10 minutes to make and put together. Plus it’s so cute and everyone will love how delicious and healthy it is!
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar (or store bought balsamic glaze)
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
Salad Wreath
- 12 oz grape tomatoes
- 10 oz fresh mozzarella balls
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3-4 tsp dried Italian herbs
- sea salt and pepper (to season)
Glaze
-
Combine the sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat (leave on for 4-5 minutes) until sugar has dissolved.
-
Increase heat and bring to a boil
-
Reduce heat again for about 8-10 minutes until it has a syrup like consistency.
Salad Wreath
-
Wash tomatoes and place in a circle on the a plate surroudning the balsamic glaze.
-
Drain mozzarella balls and place around or mixed in with the tomatoes.
-
Drizzle olive oil and Italian herbs over tomatoes and mozzarella balls
-
Add basil leaves to the edge of the plate to add the wreath effect.
The original recipe is adapted from Cafe Delights blog via http://cafedelights.com/caprese-christmas-wreath/. Thanks Karina for this awesome recipe!
Original Recipe via Cafe Delights Blog
Caramel Apple Dip
This easy side dish is simple and delicious and can be served before or after dinner! Plus, it only has FOUR ingredients.
- 1 8oz block of cream cheese
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 16oz container of caramel dip
- 1/2 cup toffee bits
-
Place the cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer until creamy.
-
Add in sugar until fully combined. Spread cream cheese mixture onto a serving plate (we used a square 10×10 inch plate).
-
Spread caramel on top of of the cream cheese spread. Sprinkle toffee bits over top.
-
Cut apples and place around the sides of the plate.
This is an adaptation of the original recipe from the Dinner at the Zoo blog via dinneratthezoo.com. Thanks so much to Sara for sharing this awesome recipe!
Original Recipe via Dinner at the Zoo
Peppermint Oreo Truffles
These truffles are perfect for every chocolate lover. Oreo chocolate on the inside, with a little peppermint, and white chocolate on the outside, again with a little peppermint, is the perfect combination for your holiday side dish! It’s super simple and only calls for 4 ingredients!
- 1 16oz package regular Oreo cookies
- 1 8oz package of cream cheese
- 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 8 oz white melting chocolate
- 1 bag peppermint candies (optional) (Try already crushed peppermint candies to make it easier.)
-
Crush all of the Oreos cookies and about 1/3 of the peppermint candies and place into one medium bowl and one small bowl
-
Add cream cheese and peppermint extract into the medium sized bowl with crushed Oreos. Refrigerate until firm (at least one hour).
-
Melt white chocolate candies. (Look for the melting candy that can be put in the microwave! SO much simpler!)
-
Roll firm Oreo filling into balls and dip in melted white chocolate. Top with pieces of crushed peppermint candies.
This is an adaptation of the original recipe from Chelsea via her blog twotwentyone.net. Thanks Chelsea for sharing this delicious recipe!
Original Recipe via twotwentyone.net
Baked Mac & Cheese
This side dish is so delicious and catches everyone by surprise! No one thinks to bring Mac & Cheese as a side dish (but if that’s you, you have the right idea). Baking the mac & cheese adds an extra “umph” to it’s already cheesy texture. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
- 2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups milk
- 1 lb. shredded cheddar cheese (A bag of shredded cheese works fine, but buying a block of cheddar cheese and hand shredding it tastes so much better!)
- 1/4 cup butter – melted
- 1 sleeve buttery round crackers, crushed
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-
Fill large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil on high heat. Stir in macaroni and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until the pasta has cooked through (about 8-10 minutes). Strain when cooked.
-
Combine butter, flour, milk, salt, and cheddar cheese in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the cheese is melted and the mixture thickens. Add macaroni and stir to coat, then our the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish.
-
Mix the melted butter and the crushed crackers together in a bowl. Scatter the mixture evenly over the macaroni.
-
Bake in oven until golden brown on top (about 45 minutes).
Thanks to my mom, Lisa, for giving me this recipe! She makes it all the time and is seriously the best! Hopefully you guys love it as much as our family does!
