Christmassy lasagne - a meat one and a veggie one - anyone any ideas?

[Carrotsandcelery]

We are hoping to simplify Christmas dinner and have lasagne, salad and nice bread.

We thought it might help to make the occasion feel more festive if we could add a more Christmassy hint to the lasagnes. One will be a meat lasagne and the other a vegetarian one.

Has anyone got any ideas or tried and tested recipes for festive lasagnes?

I love your festive salad ideas Popbiscuit!

I think it's a great idea to do something a bit different, and I'll be watching this thread for ideas x

I think so too Gay it's got me thinking. There's no law to say you have to have the usual 'Sunday dinner with a cracker'. The world won't stop!

My friend made butternut lasagne one New Years Eve. It was amazing, and felt totally celebratory. That and a normal meat one would be great. You could chop up some pre cooked chestnuts into both of them to add an Xmassy tough. Your turkey one sounded horrid!

www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/butternut-squash-lasagna-1520

Nigella has a 'Rudolph pie' recipe, which is a beef & venison (or omit venison) cottage pie - could you use the base of that A's the meat part of your lasagne?
And in her Feast book there is a butternut squash veggie lasagne iirc.

there was a phil vickery recipe last year that uses leeks instead of lasagne ad blue cheese -and i think walnuts- in it. he makes it on 24 th dec .

sounds interesting and a bit different. don't know if i would fancy the no pasta idea.

excuse the dodgy typing, trying to stop guinea-pig 'helping'

The Nigella Xmas one referred to above is Pumpkin and Goat's cheese lasagne. Tis easier than usual lasagne as it only requires one sauce (according to Nigella - I've not actually made it). There are also make ahead and freeze ahead tips.

Take Christmas dinner out of the freezer, cut bread. Make salad. Pour wine. Genius.

Leaving loads of time to play with all the dcs and have a few .

Great ideas everyone. Keep them coming please and then my dmum and I will have a good scour.

Fortunately we are not turkey purists here and only 4 of us for Christmas dinner so we can have what we want - no bugger to upset or conform to.
I quite fancy salmon, and DP fancies duck.

Carrots I think you have changed the Sparklingbrook household's Christmas day. It's going to be far less stressy.

Happy to be of service Sparklingbrook. It was a revelation to us last year and there were no rows.

But what shall we do for pud?

I would add some sage to the bechamel sauce - it would smell and taste quite festive (the smell of sage and onion stuffing is super christmassy for me for some reason) and sage would complement everything in the lasagne (I had pumpkin filled pasta with sage butter for lunch today: ambrosia!).

Sparklingbrook what is your favourite pud? I see no reason why you can't just have what you really like.

We will have a trifle option, a Christmas pudding option and something else which has yet to be decided (and probably cream, ice cream and custard on the go too).

I would be happy to go straight to dessert tbh

I never do a traditional. xMas dinner...we have a roast most Sundays so it's not special to me and As we go to friends for pre lunch drinks, want something I can bung in the oven and not worry about.
We have had lasagne in the past, lamb shanks, a Greek style stefado dish.....this year, dh and ds fly to Oz on CHristmas day so dd and I will have something lovely from M and S.

Sage in the white sauce is a v good idea - just a bit though, or it will be overpowering.

Yes to trifle!

I can give you my patented port trifle recipe if you want it?

Ooh port trifle sounds divine - yes please from me.

Sparkling there is a thread about Christmas desserts running just now in the Christmas section.

Thanks Carrots. I'm the only one that eats trifle. I think it may be a cheesecake.

Cheesecake goes well with lasagne it has to be said. What flavour would you go for? I was looking at a recipe for one today in the BBC Good Food Vegetarian Christmas magazine. I need to invest in a spring form tin so I can make these things.

I am a bit of a New York Vanilla cheesecake purist. I have never tried to make one but think I will have a go.

Port trifle - I think I'm going to try it with baked plums this year, rather than the raspberries:

cut up a madeira cake or two and use to line trifle dish

pour lots of port over it

add lots of frozen raspberries (you can defrost them or stick them in frozen if making the day before)

slosh over more port

top with more sliced madeira to make a sort of parcel of the raspberries

more port

custard

leave for a good few hours or overnight

whipped cream

meanwhile, make a syrup of more port and sugar, cooked until thick and sticky - let it cool

toast some flaked almonds

when ready to serve, drizzle the syrup over and sprinkle almonds on top

Remus that sounds fantastic. I think I will have to invest in a new bottle of port Thank you.

Sparkling the desserts are in food not Christmas. Sorry!