Simple Stress-Free Christmas Dinner: Cozy & Delicious

Happy Friday Reader!

Are you ready for a bit of holiday relief—and a break from all the feasting? I have a simple idea to make Christmas dinner delicious AND easy this year.

At our house, Christmas dinner is always much more casual than our Thanksgiving spread.

After preparing a giant feast with all the trimmings, I’m more than ready to slow things down and warm up our celebration with our favorite comforting soup recipes.

Why Your Christmas Dinner Should Be Soup, Too

A steaming bowl of savory, satisfying soup is one of the easiest ways to serve a meal-in-one. It nourishes and soothes, is simple to prep and serve, and instantly creates a homey, welcoming atmosphere for your guests.

Leftovers? Even better. Most soups reheat beautifully.

I love the simplicity of delectable, warming, comfort-food soups to satisfy every appetite at Christmas. The possibilities are limitless—and every one of them is delicious.

I think these simple soup recipes will help make YOUR holidays easy and bright, too!

Creamy Chicken and Noodles over Mashed Potatoes in a blue ceramic bowl.

My Christmas Menu

My Christmas Day menu will offer three soup options:

Creamy Chicken and Noodles over Mashed Potatoes
Jalapeno Chicken Corn Chowder
New England Clam Chowder (not yet on the blog—I'll take pictures and share the recipe with you in the new year!)

Jalapeno Chicken Corn Chowder in a turquoise ceramic bowl.

For sides, I’ll definitely serve some crusty bread, like my mouthwatering Soda Bread or these delectable Easy Biscuits.

Both are perfect complements to soup and simple enough to have hot on the table in about thirty minutes.

I’ll also offer something “green”—most likely House Salad, Broccoli Cauliflower Salad or an Easy Spinach Salad.

More Easy Soup Recipes Perfect for Christmas

There are so many delicious possibilities for a simple, homey, and memorable Christmas dinner. Here are a few more ideas:

Colcannon Soup: An easy way to offer a vegan option that is hearty and satisfying! It's my rustic version of potato soup with cabbage & hidden veggies, and let me tell you, it is delicious!

Easy Taco Soup: A family favorite that was only narrowly nudged out, this year, by Chicken and Noodles. All the taco night flavors everybody loves in a comforting bowl of soup. Delish!
Slow Cooker Beef Stew: Always a hit! My special twist on this classic makes it deeply flavorful—and the crockpot keeps it warm while you celebrate.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup Recipe: Homey, creamy, savory goodness. All the flavors of chicken pot pie without the fuss of a crust.

For even more delicious soup recipes, check out the Soup Category page on the blog.

Making Ahead and Storing Holiday Soups

Many soups can be made a day or two ahead. In fact, for most recipes, the flavors actually get better as they sit! There are a few simple tips to keep in mind so your soups taste perfect when served.

For Creamy Soups:

Omit dairy (milk, cream, or cheese) during initial prep. Rewarm the soup on the day you plan to serve it, making sure it’s fully heated through. Then reduce the heat, stir in your dairy, and enjoy!

For pasta soups:
Like creamy soups, it’s best to omit the pasta when preparing ahead. When reheating the soup to serve, bring it to a boil, add the noodles, then reduce the heat and cook until the pasta is tender. This prevents the noodles from absorbing all the broth while stored.

Storing leftovers:
Keep pre-made soups in airtight containers. Most broth-based soups freeze beautifully. Dairy-based soups are best served fresh, as freezing can sometimes change the texture, leaving it slightly gritty.

Dessert!!!

On Christmas Day, the only desserts we serve are handheld delights. Cookies top the list, and you can explore even more on our Cookie Category Page.

As I mentioned in the last newsletter, our family has some traditions built around favorites — and these are the ones that will definitely be served this year:

My plan is to have several new gluten-free options available, too. Be sure to watch for those recipes after New Years!

No Dinner for Us on Christmas Eve!!!

That’s right! As I’ve shared before, we’ve enjoyed ice cream sundaes for dinner on Christmas Eve for more than 35 years.

I usually put out some hand-held nibbles to balance the sugar, but dinner is simple — a relaxed celebration with family and our favorite snacks.

Besides a veggie relish tray with cheese and crackers, some non-sweet treats you might find on our kitchen counter include:

This tradition makes Christmas Eve stress-free and fun — everyone gets their favorite treats, and no one is stuck in the kitchen for hours.

Homemade Beef Summer Sausage on a wooden cutting board with cheese and crackers.

This is the last newsletter you'll receive from me in 2025. I'm taking some time to enjoy the holidays with my family. I hope your Christmas and New Year's will be full of joy and blessings, Friend!

And, I hope these simple, comforting soups—with a few easy sides and sweet treats—help make your Christmas celebration cozy and stress-free.

Remember, the holidays don’t need to be complicated to be special. A BIG meal is terrific, but a warm bowl of soup shared with loved ones can be just as satisfying and memorable.

Wishing you lots of laughter and Christmas magic shared with the people you love most! And as always, I hope someone else does your dishes. Hugs!

What's For Dinner?

This is the part of the newsletter where I share recipe ideas from some of my best blogging friends and myself to inspire you with what's for dinner at our houses this week. That gives you seven days' worth of new recipes to inspire you for your own delicious meal plan. Enjoy!

Lasagna Soup from Laura at Little House Big Alaska
Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas from Gen at Two Cloves Kitchen
Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice from Glenda
Tuscan Garlic Chicken from Rupali at Caramel and Spice
Dorito Casserole with Ground Beef from Sue at Sula and Spice
Crock Pot Ham and Potato Soup from Lori at A Reinvented Mom
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese from Kristin at Dizzy Busy and Hungry

Red Beans and Rice in a white ceramic bowl, with garlic toast on the side.

Tools to Make Smash Hit Christmas Soup Suppers

These are Amazon and Walmart affiliate links to some of my tools for making easy meals at home. I may earn commissions on qualifying purchases. You can read my affiliate disclosures here.

Crock Pot - This is one of three slow cookers I use on a regular basis. Yes, three. lol I mean what does a girl do when she is making Crock Pot Potato Soup, delectable Slow Cooker Chicken Breasts and Slow Cooker Beef Stew all at the same time? lol This beauty is an 8-qt. giant that can handle anything I throw at her. And she was cheap, as crock pots go.

Pyrex Mixing Bowls I use these daily. Of course, they're great for stirring together the ingredients for a recipe. But they're also perfect for storing leftovers and serving dishes like this scrumptious Best Easy Chickpea Salad. Another great feature is that they come with lids, so leftovers can easily go straight to the fridge. For potlucks, I can toss together a quick salad, snap on the lid and go.

My Deep Dish 9x13 Ceramic Baking Pan is perfect for casseroles, Tuna Casserole with Cream of Mushroom Soup, cakes and more.

12 qt. Stainless Steel Stock Pot with Lid - This is my soup, stew and chili go-to pot. And it's the one I reach for when making mashed potatoes for a big gathering. Plenty of room for making large batches.

18x13 Half-Sheet Rimmed Baking Sheets: I have six of these cookie sheets and I bought them 13 years ago. I LOVE them! They are stainless steel professional grade sheets that are warp resistant. I use them for cookies, brownies, sheet pan dinners and baking bacon. They're an essential tool in my kitchen.

I absolutely love these Oven-Safe Cooling Racks. Obviously they're great for cooling hot things on the counter. But these also fit inside the baking sheets I listed, above. I love being able to roast things in the oven with that little bit of hot air being able to circulate even to the bottom of what I'm cooking.

Visit my Amazon Storefront to explore more of the tools and ingredients I love cooking with at home.

Glenda Embree