18 Tantalizing Holiday Main Dishes
Rolled Spinach Pork Loin [1]
Roll a filling of bacon, chopped spinach and Parmesan cheese in pork loin roast to create this appealing holiday main dish, from Turkey Run Inn in Terre Haute, Indiana. When checking the temp of this roast, move the thermometer around so it's resting in meat, not filling.
Stuffed Beef Tenderloin Filet [5]
Cheese, bacon and mushrooms create a mouthwatering beef main dish from White Gull Inn in Fish Creek,
Wisconsin. "Wisconsin produces great beef," innkeeper Andy Coulson says. "The only way to improve upon a broiled tenderloin is to stuff it with onions and Wisconsin cheddar."
Baked Holiday Spiral Ham with Raisin Sauce [9]
Raisins dot the sauce and plump up as they're heated in this easy topper for traditional spiral-sliced holiday ham. Plan on leftovers for sandwiches and soups.
Herbed Chicken With Wild Rice [13]
For the holidays, guests savor this herbed chicken and vegetable main dish at Spa Shiki at the Lodge of Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, Missouri. Chefs cook and stir their own Alfredo sauce, but we skipped that step and used purchased sauce as the base.
Harvest Salad with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette [17]
Cooked chicken turns this colorful salad into a quick main dish, or use your own bumper crop of leftover turkey. Walnut oil adds a nutty flavor to vinaigrette in this salad from Clabber Girl Bake Shop in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Strongbow Turkey Pie [21]
Turkey dominates the menu at the Strongbow Inn in Valparaiso, Indiana. Use their meaty turkey pie recipe as a new twist for a holiday main dish -- or save your leftovers and make the pie the day after the big event.
Strongbow Turkey Pie [22]
Pot Pie Pastry [23]
Pork Marsala [26]
Saute thin-sliced pork tenderloin, then serve it with tomato-rich Marsala sauce, generously flecked with garlic. The recipe comes from Ohio's Shawnee State Park Resort near the town of Friendship.
Pork Marsala [27]
Mediterranean Stuffed Breast of Chicken [30]
Stuff chicken with a colorful mix of tomatoes, mushrooms, pine nuts and goat cheese or feta cheese in this recipe from the DeSoto House Hotel in Galena, Illinois. A rich cream sauce tops the chicken.
Tomato Pesto Turkey and sides [34]
Our main dish turkey gets an extra sparkle of flavor from tomato pesto with herbs, salt and pepper slipped between the skin and meat of a turkey breast. The mashed potatoes mix yellow and sweet potatoes with cream cheese, butter, sour cream, bacon and canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. The Brussels sprouts are skillet-roasted and tossed with seasoned mushrooms.
Tomato Pesto Turkey [35]
Pheasant Breast Supreme [40]
Serve this rich sherried mushroom sauce over either pheasant or chicken breasts. The recipe comes from a restaurant in South Dakota, where several areas claim to be the "Pheasant Capital of the World."
Thyme Pork Chops [44]
For this easy entree, just brush thick pork chops with a flavorful marinade of herb and olive oil, and then roast until done. Serve with cheesy Glad Tidings Potatoes. Both recipes come from the Latchstring Restaurant overlooking South Dakota's Spearfish Canyon.
Thyme Pork Chops [45]
Main-Event Turkey [49]
A rub of pepper, paprika and your favorite herb gives an easy flavor boost to turkey. If you like, serve with one of our favorite stuffings, such as Herb-Sausage Dressing or Cranberry-Apple Cornbread Stuffing.
Main-Event Turkey [50]
London Broil with Marsala Sauce [55]
Marinate beef flank steaks in a teriyaki-orange mixture before broiling. We tried our London broil with sides of Herbed Baby Carrots and Two-Rice Pilaf. All three recipes are from a Dubuque, Iowa, restaurant.
London Broil with Marsala Sauce [56]
Herbed Baby Carrots [57]
Two-Rice Pilaf [58]
Dazzling Yuletide Chicken [61]
Impress even the most persnickety guest with this five-ingredient main. Wrap the cheesy chicken like a present in phyllo dough. The recipe comes from a Northfield, Minnesota, restaurant.
Mushroom and Gorgonzola Fettuccine [65]
Tempt your holiday guests with this meatless main dish pasta from Herman's restaurant at Garland resort near Lewiston, Michigan. A creamy, colorful mushroom-and-sweet-pepper sauce coats the pasta.
Season's Best Shrimp Parmesan [69]
Spoon this creamy, rich shrimp sauce over rice or pasta. It's a specialty from Cafe Beignet in St. Charles, Missouri.
DeSoto House Pot Roast [73]
Four root vegetables combine with a tender, herbed pot roast for an old-fashioned holiday meal. The recipe comes from the Generals' Restaurant at the DeSoto House Hotel in Galena, Illinois.
Unbelievable Les Bourgeois Beef [77]
Guests can almost forget their knives when eating this tender beef draped with rich cream-and-wine sauce. The recipe comes from Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Rocheport, Missouri.