what can I bring?

julnmatt

Our Christmas Eve dinner will be italian style and here is what people are bringing:

Lasagna

Rolls/Garlic Bread

Drinks

Antipasto Salad

Dessert Dish

I am thinking side dish or appetizer (or both) what are some things that would work?

You girls are always so good with this kind of stuff and I am drawing a blank!

princess_shelly

You could do some garlic & Rosemary roasted potatoes.

Jenn09/04

How about a crockpot of Minestone soup?

stuffed mushrooms

fruit plate

some type of veggie, I usually make spinach with lasagne

 

myonetruelove

love bruschetta..yum

antipasta

Italian Meatballs

Stuffed Cannellonie (one of my favorite) 

Come with me and enjoy this simple dish today or when you are just craving an Italian twist.

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Cannelloni noodles
• 1/8 Cup Butter
• 1/4 Cup Onion; minced
• 1/4 Cup Mushroom; chopped
• 1 Cup Spinach leaf; cooked
• 2 Cups Chicken, cooked; shredded
• 1/4 Tsp.  Nutmeg
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Tsp. Pepper
• 3/4 Cup Ricotta cheese
• 2 Tbsp. Cream (heavy)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F .
2. Saute the onions and mushrooms in butter.
3. Chop the spinach. Add spinach, chicken, nutmeg, salt and pepper to onion mixture. Simmer about 5 minutes and cool slightly.
4. Add the ricotta and cream.
5. Mix thoroughly and season to taste.
6. Cook the noodles. Fill each noodle with the filling and place, seam side down in a buttered oven proof dish.
7. Cover with a generous amount tomato sauce and fresh basil.
8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
9. Bake 10 minutes until cheese and sauce is bubbling.
10. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: To ease the burden of food preparation, when cooking chicken for a given meal, cook 4-6 extra pieces and chop it up and store in Ziploc bags for meals throughout the week.  It is a great time saver.

Mindymo25

I have a pasta fagioli recipe which is a thick minnestrone soup...super easy...and best made a day ahead because the flavors mix over night.

beachbride19

I was going to suggest stuffed mushrooms too. 

Val&Jason

I vote for minestrone soup, YUM!

 

btw, I love the idea of an italian style christmas eve!

HisDollface

I was going to suggest bruscetta too. However, I think a dish with a white or light sauce might be a nice alternative to the tomato sauces. Some kind of fetucinni alfredo dish or something with a butter or clam sauce. Forgive me...I'm just throwing some ideas out there as they come to me. LoL

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bring me to the party!!!!

Val&Jason

Mindymo25:

I have a pasta fagioli recipe which is a thick minnestrone soup...super easy...and best made a day ahead because the flavors mix over night.

 

Do you have the recipe from Olive Garden? I make this soup almost weekly because DH and DS love it so much!

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ok Val & Mindy...please post the soup recipe!  TIA!!

julnmatt

Yes, please post it.

opee1&me

What about a caprese salad?

Fresh tomatoe slices with fresh mozzarella on top and a basil leaf on each. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and EVOO.

Appetizer could be a sliced baguette with the following spread:

1 pkg of Wish Bone Italian dressing powder, 1 cream cheese block, mix those together spread on top of the baguette and put a sliced tomatoe on top. It is delish. 

Mindymo25

Mine isn't the recipe from Olive Garden.  I don't have the one I use with me here at work.  I'll get it at home and post it.  I like that it is super easy.  It's like two cans of pinto beans, carrots, onions, celery, beef broth, stewed tomatoes and some seasonings...it's really that simple.  And I throw in a parmasean cheese rind while it is simmering to give it a little "cheesy" flavor.

 

Val&Jason

Ok here's the recipe from Olive garden, this is the one I use and I swear it tasted just like it. I buy fresh parmasean cheese and sprkinle it on top in the end. : )

 

 

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup julienned carrot
• 3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans (with liquid)
• 1 (15 ounce) can great northern beans (with liquid)
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 ounce) can v-8 vegetable juice
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 lb ditali pasta

Directions

1. 1

   Brown beef in a large stock pot over medium heat-drain off fat.

2. 2

   Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

4. 4

   After 50 minutes boil pasta to al dente.

5. 5

   Drain well.

6. 6

   Add pasta to the large pot of soup and simmer for 10 minutes.

7. 7

 

The V8 part threw me off at first because i do NOT like v8, but you can't taste it at all.

 

I would also not add that much pasta. The pasta absorbs alot of the juice in the soup. I barely used 1/3-1/2 of the pasta and it was plenty.

 

Enjoy!

spwspw

One of my fave apps is a rip off of a tapas from A.O.C. - bacon wrapped dates stuffed with parmesan.  So easy to make and so tasty!  Not really Italian, but hey, I served them for appetizers when I was hosting an Italian style dinner and nobody complained. 

 

Mindymo25

Oh my...that is one of my favorite plates from A.O.C...*drooling*

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can I please have the date recipe too?  pretty please!!!!

Val&Jason

spwspw:

One of my fave apps is a rip off of a tapas from A.O.C. - bacon wrapped dates stuffed with parmesan.  So easy to make and so tasty!  Not really Italian, but hey, I served them for appetizers when I was hosting an Italian style dinner and nobody complained. 

 

ok those sound delicious! We have done bacon wrapped dates stuffed with almonds and those are fantastic! I must try the parmasean cheese ones!

 

They sell the pitted dates at Trader Joes : )