Paleo Christmas Dinner Recipes

Balancing hearty bites of kale and sweet notes of pomegranate, this salad is a flavorful, seasonal way to kick off a holiday meal. Packed with vitamins, and nutrients, kale and pomegranates are both superfoods that make for a wholesome, healthy salad. This starter is colorful and crowd-approved, making it the obvious option for your next hosting gig.

Salting and smoking a tender cut of beef gives it an unrivaled flavor. Prepared horseradish works well here, but try fresh horseradish root if you can find it; look in the produce aisle of your supermarket during the fall and winter. Tailor the heat and tang of this silky sauce to your taste buds by adding more or less horseradish, pepper, and lemon.

A nutty dark beer adds richness and depth to the stew. Be careful not to choose a beer that's super-hoppy; it will taste too bitter. To get 2 pounds of trimmed meat, you'll probably need to purchase a 2 1/2-pound roast.

The brine is all the seasoning you need for this fantastic bird. While the amount of bourbon used in the brine may seem generous, it will impart a very subtle flavor to the meat once all the water is added, diluting it slightly. If you want a more intense smoke flavor, add a handful of soaked applewood chips to the grill. For a deeply bronzed, almost mahogany look, brush the skin with a mixture of water and honey each time you go to rotate the bird.

Sherry vinegar has more depth and less tang and sharpness than other vinegars. It rounds out the sweet honey and pungent ginger. Since the thin glaze would burn on the grill if added too early, grill the pork most of the way through, then brush with the glaze and turn continuously for the final 6 minutes or until done. A fresh, crisp salad is a welcome change of pace from the usual fall side of roasted vegetables or mashed potatoes. We love the look of watermelon radishes in this fresh, crisp salad, but any radish will work. You can also round out this meal with Chili-Spiced Potatoes for a comforting side. If you don't have sherry vinegar, sub red wine vinegar or cider vinegar.

The "gift" of these foil-wrapped packets is more than their quick prep and easy cleanup; the method also steams the fish and vegetables perfectly. Carefully unwrap the packets yourself, or bring them to the table for each person to unwrap.

Cost for 4: $10.89
Total Time: 30 minutes

This recipe is part of our Let's Cook! curriculum: Find more easy, healthy, affordable recipes anyone can make at CookingLight.com/LetsCook.

Pomegranate seeds and tahini paste deliver delightful Mediterranean flavors in this quick winter side. Bonus: each serving, about a half cup only contains 152 calories.

This easy dish is perfect for a casual get-together with friends. Inspired by arroz con pollo, it is hearty with satisfying complexity. Cumin, saffron, and oregano season rich chicken thighs and nutty farro as the dish simmers. If using saffron, deploy it sparingly; those tiny threads bring subtle flavor and a little color to the dish, but too much will yield a medicinal taste. Serve with a side salad to complete the meal.

Chili doesn't get much faster. Just 30 minutes delivers long-simmered satisfaction along with mashed beans, butternut squash lends color and starch to thicken. Rotisserie chicken also helps make this hearty chili superspeedy without sacrificing rich, deep, and complex flavor. 

These mini meatballs are perfect for holiday parties and tailgating. We made them healthier by forgoing sodium-heavy ingredients like the usual ketchup and chili sauce and including whole-grain bulgur in place of breadcrumbs. You can also serve a larger portion of these meatballs for weeknight dinner. To up the kid-friendly factor, omit the ground red pepper in the glaze and serve with mashed potatoes (à la Swedish meatballs). For a tangier glaze, substitute cranberry sauce for the grape jelly.

This is a fun dish to "carve" at the table, as each person gets one wedge to enjoy as a side dish. For an entrée take, give each person half a squash.

Although it's budget-friendly, this dish is elegant enough for company. Serve with steamed fresh green beans.

A mix of colorful root vegetables may be your star side. Peeled, prechopped butternut squash saves time, but pieces tend to be irregular and small—we prefer peeling and cubing it yourself.

• • Gluten-Free Tip: Some mustards don't contain gluten, however avoid those that aren't labeled "gluten free" because there is a concern for cross-contamination.

This simple yet spectacular-looking crown roast earned our Test Kitchens' highest rating. If you can't find Calvados, use a combination of three parts brandy to one part apple cider.

If you’re not familiar with parsnips, try these quick recipes to acquaint yourself with them. The root veggies look like white carrots and have a decidedly sweet, earthy flavor. Shop for medium to small parsnips, as larger ones tend to have tough, woody cores. In the main recipe here, a hit of fresh lemon juice and sprinkling of fresh herbs make the whole dish taste fresh and bright. If you don’t have parsley on hand, you can leave it out, but do seek out the dill.

There are so many types of radicchio at the market, such as Castelfranco with its scarlet speckled leaves and Verona with its long, curled fingers. Round Chioggia is delicious roasted and topped with crispy pancetta and a drizzle of honey.

Radicchio—that bitter, crunchy, scarlet and white vegetable Italians adore, becomes entirely different when roasted. Its color deepens and the flavor turns mellow and nutty, with just a hint of bitterness remaining. Serve it alongside roast pork, chicken, or beef. Or, to turn it into a main course, chop and toss with hot cooked pasta.

Give fish time to absorb aromatic herbal and citrus essence while it cooks, in an ovenlike environment, to the perfect tenderness. And because it stays covered, the fishy odors won't fill the house.

These potatoes are perfect for a holiday meal: quick and convenient, but still plenty dressy. The beauty of these potatoes is in their simplicity. All this dish requires is a 6-ingredient blend of fresh rosemary, olive oil, salt, pepper, shallots, and fresh chives to achieve tender roasted potatoes in less than an hour.They cook in about the same time it takes for a large roast to rest before carving. Bake the potatoes in their jackets so the outsides get nice and browned while the buttery interiors gently cook through.

Nutty, tender roasted cauliflower pairs perfectly with the assertive flavor of anchovy. If you are an anchovy lover, use the oil from the tin or jar in place of extra-virgin olive oil to make the anchovy sauce.

The slow cooker gently coaxes out delicious flavors from simple, hearty ingredients. This soup is perfect for ushering in fall: It's hearty enough for the beginning of soup season, yet brothy and veggie-packed so that it doesn't feel too heavy. Pair it with a slaw or kale side salad and crusty whole-grain bread for a light, satisfying dinner. This recipe is ideal for a weekend, when you can check on the slow cooker after just a few hours; though you won't be able to leave the soup unattended all day, this still offers the benefit of hands-free, fuss-free cooking. Either baby red, Yukon Gold, or fingerling potatoes will work well here, as they'll maintain their shape nicely during cooking.

Spelt (called farro in Italy) is an ancient, unhybridized form of wheat that adds fiber to this soup.

Lean beef tenderloin is a good candidate for broiling because it won't render much fat that could smoke or flare under the broiler.

These delicious apple chips really satisfy your sweet tooth at snack time. Stick to cinnamon, or enjoy them alone. Feeling more adventurous? Try our pumpkin and chai spice variations.

Peppercorn-Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Gremolata is big on flavor. Fresh herbs and lemon make a bright, tasty topper for the steaks. It doesn’t take processed ingredients to season a perfectly cooked steak. In fact, it ruins it. This steak gets its bright natural flavor from fresh herbs and lemon juice. The gremolata adds a depth of flavor to this steak dinner. Pair it with roasted vegetables or a salad; the tenderloin is the star of this dinner. We suggest breaking this recipe out for a special night in or when you're serving guests at home. The steaks cook quickly in the pan, so have your sides almost ready before you begin.