Food Seasonal & Holiday Holiday Main Dishes That Will Wow Your Guests By Midwest Living editors Midwest Living editors Midwest Living's experienced editors create best-in-class travel, lifestyle, food, home and garden content you won't find anywhere else. We're loudly, proudly Midwestern, and we're passionate about helping our audience explore and create through award-winning storytelling. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 8, 2023 Trending Videos Photo: Carson Downing Add sparkle to this year's holiday menu with our collection of main dish recipes, including beef tenderloin, prime rib, Cornish game hens, salmon and turkey. 01 of 15 Spice-Brined Turkey Carson Downing Jason Qureshi, executive chef at River Roast in Chicago, says that brining gives this turkey unbelievably juicy, flavorful breast meat. The process requires some advance planning (and a lot of room in the fridge), but you'll taste the difference. View Recipe 02 of 15 Oven-Roasted Prime Rib with Dry Rib Rub When life calls for a celebration, prime rib comes to the rescue. The homemade spice rub is delicious on the beef in this elegant entree, but it also complements more affordable cuts of beef, or even pork or chicken. Oven-Roasted Prime Rib 03 of 15 Lemon-Pepper Cornish Hens Lemon-Pepper Cornish Hens. Adam Albright When Gerard Klass, chef and co-owner of Soul Bowl in Minneapolis, was growing up, half of his family were vegetarians. So, instead of a big bird, Cornish game hens (and an alt-meat called dinner roast) graced the table. Soul Food Thanksgiving Recipes View Recipe 04 of 15 Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin Carson Downing Chef Kieron Hales makes a perfectly pink beef tenderloin that hearkens to his mum's Sunday roasts. He roasts this tenderloin on a rack over a bed of leek, carrot and onion so drippings flavor the vegetables. View Recipe 05 of 15 Pork Tenderloin with Pears and Potatoes Carson Downing Pork tenderloin, pears, potato and onion bake on the same pan—dressed in maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic and herbs. This might be the easiest holiday dinner you've ever made. Our Best Pork Recipes View Recipe 06 of 15 Beer-Braised Brisket Compared to classics like turkey or roast beef, which require precise timing, brisket is an amazingly forgiving holiday main dish. (It actually tastes better when made ahead and reheated!) Not to mention, it actually makes its own gravy as it cooks, a luscious sauce that's begging for mashed potatoes. View Recipe 07 of 15 Juicy J Salmon Adam Albright At Soul Bowl in Minneapolis, chef and co-owner Gerard Klass sears salmon fillets, then brushes them with spiced cranberry sauce. For holiday drama (and ease), you can just roast a whole side of salmon. Toss a few citrus slices on the pan, too, for a garnish. 20 Favorite Salmon Recipes View Recipe 08 of 15 Cider-Brined Turkey with Roasted Apples Even better than the pretty glazed fruit and crazy-juicy bird? The appley gravy made from the drippings. View Recipe 09 of 15 Smoked Mozzarella and Kale Lasagna Brie Goldman With its rich sauce and creamy cheese layers, lasagna is always a favorite main dish. The vegetarians in your family will especially love this one. View Recipe 10 of 15 Mustard-Crusted Rack of Pork Perfumed with rosemary and sage and served with white wine gravy and whole-roasted garlic and shallots, this succulent roast delivers drama at a bargain price. We recommend ordering this roast in advance. Ask the butcher to remove the chine bone and to French the roast-trim fat and meat from the bone. The whole garlic bulbs are edible but intended as a garnish. If you want to skip them, just roast one for the gravy. View Recipe 11 of 15 Cornish Game Hens with Root Vegetable Hash A marinade made of rosemary, orange juice and sorghum (a syrup that is stronger tasting than honey but less bitter than molasses) infuses the dish with sweetness and color. Chef Edward Lee swears by sorghum's flavor, but if you can''t find it, molasses works. View Recipe 12 of 15 Big-Batch, All-Day Pasta Bolognese This incredible pasta was a showpiece at the former Rieger restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri. Start to finish, it takes 8 hours, mostly hands-off and none of it hard. You'll make 18 cups of sauce—enough to serve 24 or to freeze for meals all winter long. View Recipe 13 of 15 Porchetta Allow us to introduce you to fennel pollen. This favorite of pros has hints of licorice and citrus. Find it in specialty stores or online, then use it to flavor pork belly. Serve Salsa Verde over potatoes or with porchetta. View Recipe 14 of 15 Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb With its short cook time, this Mediterranean-inspired roast leaves plenty of time (and space in the oven) for preparing side dishes. The recipe comes from chef Anne Kearney. View Recipe 15 of 15 Stuffed Beef Tenderloin Filet At the White Gull Inn in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, cheddar and mushrooms flavor indulgent steaks. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit