Christmas is just a few days away, and with so much to do leading up to the big holiday, sometimes the menu can be the last thing on your mind. Even though it's a big day of food for some people, between all the shopping, gift-wrapping and spending time with family, the little things like appetizers and side dishes can sometimes slip your mind.
The Food Network's Chef's are pros at not only making extravagant dinners, but coming up with quick and easy last- minute holiday meals that are still delicious enough to impress your guests. Getting together with your family and sharing great food and traditions can be the best part of the holiday, and these celebrity chefs have some of the best recipes to make this happen.
Preparing Christmas dinner or hosting holiday parties can be a stressful time for anyone, even Food Network chef Giada De Laurentiis, who tries to make her life easier during the holidays by preparing as much as possible ahead of time and using shortcuts whenever she can, according to her blog on The Huffington Post. She suggests writing your full menu down, including drinks and desserts, to make sure you have everything ready to go and to have one main menu item that's the star of the meal, like a roasted beef tenderloin or baked ham.
Once you decide on what this star dish is going to be, the rest of the meal can be very simple and can be done in just minutes! That's where these 10 quick and easy last-minute tasty appetizer and side dish recipes come in as the perfect fill-in items that anyone can make!
1. Tortellini Skewers
These are the perfect appetizer for any cocktail party or Italian-themed dinner and can be ready in less than 20 minutes. All you have to do is thread the cooked tortellini, cherry tomatoes and cubes of mozzarella on skewers and then drizzle them with the olive oil, pesto and vinegar dressing. Plus, you don't need any utensils to eat it, so it's perfect for a party with large groups where people are standing and mingling. Click here for recipe.
2. Brie Cheese
With this one store-bought cheese item, you can make three different easy and delicious appetizers than can all be ready to go in less than an hour. The three recipes you can make are baked brie with cranberry-pecan-bacon crumble, fried brie with salsa verde and honey-peppercorn brie dip. Click here for all three.
3. Lasagna Cups
While making an entire lasagna would be ideal, sometimes you just don't have the time, which is why these mini lasagna cups are perfect, and they only require four ingredients! The trick to these is buying a party size Stouffer's Lasagna and then just cutting it into smaller pieces, placing the pieces into wonton wrappers, sprinkling some more yummy cheese on top, and that's it! You have perfect mini lasagna cups ready to be served. Click here for recipe.
4. Lamb Sausage in Puff Pastry
Pigs in a blanket are a Christmas appetizer classic, even though, according to chef Ina Garten, "Nobody serves pigs in a blanket anymore." But since she still thinks they're "so delicious," she came up with this updated recipe, which you can use any type of sausage for, that can be prepped in about a half hour. Plus, the puff pastry makes for the perfect, flaky crust that your guests won't be able to resist. Click here for recipe.
5. Creamed Spinach
This recipe, which chef Tyler Florence came up with, gets an extra flavor boost of crunch caramelized onion. He even adds some freshly grated nutmeg on top for a festive finish. This can be ready in under 20 minutes and is the perfect side dish for most Christmas meals. Click here for recipe.
6. Roasted Celery Root and Carrots
This side dish can go with really any winter meal, but it's a great addition to Christmas dinner, as well. It only takes about 10 minutes to prep, so you can have it cooking in the oven while you spend time with your family. Click here for the recipe.
7. Toasted Ravioli
You really can't go wrong with breaded ravioli. It'll be an appetizer you'll want to make for every occasion, especially when you realize how easy they are to make. The breading process can be a little time consuming, but once you get them frying, they can be done in minutes. Click here for recipe.
8. Shrimp Scampi
This recipe is extra special because it can work as an appetizer or main course. You can serve the shrimp by themselves as a starter dish or toss the shrimp with linguini for a main course dish. Either way, the lemony shrimp, which only take about 10 minutes to cook, are guaranteed to be a huge hit. Click here for recipe.
9. Crostini With Thyme-Roasted Tomatoes
There's a lot you can put on a crostini, and the best part is once you decide on a topping, they can be quickly assembled. These tomatoes require about an hour in the oven to be roasted to perfection to make sure the flavor is just right, but from there, all you need to do is toast the baguette, and you have an appetizer everyone will enjoy! Click here for recipe.
10. Shrimp Cocktail
Not only is shrimp cocktail a classic guest-pleasing appetizer, but it's one of the easiest to make. All you have to do is boil the shrimp for about five minutes and then let them cool in the refrigerator. Bobby Flay prefers to pair his with a spicy Tomatillo-Horseradish dipping sauce which you can find the recipe for here.
