Vegetarian Christmas Menu Italian Style

Hosting Christmas this year and need a vegetarian holiday menu that still feels special? This Italian-inspired lineup is made for exactly that moment when you want everyone at the table to feel included, without adding stress for you.

Italian Christmas cooking is naturally rich in meat-free celebration dishes, from impressive appetizers to cozy baked pasta and a centerpiece worthy of carving. Here you’ll find a simple 3-course vegetarian Christmas dinner, plus extra Italian sides, pastas, and desserts if you want to build a bigger spread.

Whether you’re hosting a fully vegetarian crowd or just adding a few festive options, this menu keeps things comforting, beautiful, and totally doable for an American holiday table.

This show-stopping appetizer looks like a classic Italian panettone, but it’s savory, colorful, and super easy—perfect for Christmas Day nibbles or a holiday party centerpiece.

The dough is naturally tinted bright green with broccoli rabe, then “holiday-stuffed” with ingredients that echo traditional panettone fruit, but in a savory key—think nuts, dried fruit, and squash for festive contrast. It’s an impressive pull-apart style starter that feels special without needing complicated prep.

Swaps & tips:

• If broccoli rabe isn’t your thing, use broccoli florets, spinach, or kale.
• No panettone mold? A bundt pan works great for that tall, holiday look.
• Serve warm with a sparkling aperitif, or slice it on a board for grazing.

If you want something more elegant than lasagna but just as comforting, these baked crêpes are a dream. Soft green-tinted crêpes are filled with a creamy ricotta-and-spinach mixture, then baked until golden and bubbly.

They’re rich, delicate, and totally holiday-worthy. An Italian classic that feels right at home on an American Christmas menu.

Swaps & tips:

• Make the crêpes a day early and refrigerate; bake right before serving.
• Pair with a simple winter salad to balance the richness.
• Great option if you need a vegetarian first course that pleases everyone.

Every Christmas table needs a centerpiece—and this Italian-style veg roast delivers the same carved-at-the-table wow as a traditional holiday roast, just plant-based.

It’s made with wheat gluten (seitan) for a tender, sliceable texture, then finished with a glossy, sweet-tart pomegranate sauce that feels incredibly festive and adds that jewel-red holiday touch.

Swaps & tips:

• Seitan is easy to find in grocery stores near tofu/tempeh.
• Serve with roasted potatoes, green beans, or a mushroom gravy.
• The pomegranate sauce also works beautifully on side veggies.

2 Days Before (Dec 23)

• Prep the Veg Roast: make the roast dough, shape it, and refrigerate.
• Make the pomegranate sauce: store in a jar in the fridge.
• Grocery check: buy any last-minute fresh herbs, greens, or dairy.
• 1 Day Before (Dec 34)

• Quick Savory Panettone: bake it fully, let cool, wrap well.

  • To serve: re-warm wrapped in foil at 300°F / 150°C for 10–15 min.

• Crêpes: cook the spinach crêpes, stack with parchment between, cover and refrigerate.

• Filling & béchamel: prep both, store airtight in the fridge.

Morning of Christmas (Dec 25)

• Assemble baked spinach crêpes: fill, roll, place in baking dish, top with béchamel.

  • Cover and refrigerate if baking later.

• Bake the Veg Roast: bring to room temp while oven heats, then roast.

• Set the table + plan serving order: appetizer board ready to go.

Right Before Serving

• Reheat the savory panettone and slice.

• Bake the crêpes until golden and bubbling.

• Glaze/sauce the roast, slice at the table, add pomegranate arils for a festive finish.

Hosting tip: If oven space is tight, bake the crêpes first, keep covered warm, then roast the veg centerpiece while guests snack on the panettone appetizer.

Want to expand your menu or add a buffet-style spread? Here are extra Italian vegetarian favorites that fit the holidays perfectly:

Now there’s only one thing left to say: may your holidays be merry, bright, and full of food shared with the people you love!