Recipes

Christmas first courses: 20 original recipes for your holiday table

20 quick and simple recipes for your Christmas first courses: the magic of what is cooked with love and care will amaze your guests!

Here are some fantastic recipes for preparing Christmas first courses that are ideal for dinner on the 24th and for lunch on December 25th, but also to be proposed again during the rest of the holidays and to be enjoyed together with your friends and relatives! These delicious Christmas first courses will leave everyone with whom you will share these special days speechless.

First courses are the strong point of the Italian tradition , so what are we waiting for? Let's get to the stove and discover the best recipes for classic or more sought-after first courses. Lots of ideas for all tastes !

Fish Christmas first courses
Meat Christmas first courses
Vegetarian Christmas starters

Christmas fish first courses: the best recipes

Risotto, homemade ravioli, lasagna and much more. In this review of fish dishes, there really is everything: choose the recipes that pique your enthusiasm and your imagination the most… and let's start discovering all the best first courses for Christmas Eve with this maritime section, also perfect for lunch the next day and to be offered throughout the holiday period and, above all, also for New Year's Eve!

1. Fish ravioli

Speaking of fresh pasta and fish, here is a refined , elegant and classy dish : fish ravioli ! The preparation is slightly more difficult than some of the other recipes that we will offer you today, but the result will be… outrageously good! For the filling you can use prawns, salmon, sea bass, swordfish or many other fish, which you can refine with ricotta and other ingredients. Bring the scent of the sea and homemade pasta to your Christmas table with this recipe, one of our favorite Christmas first courses.

Ingredients for the homemade fish ravioli recipe (for 4 people)

300 g of 00 flour
3 eggs
300 g of sea bass fillets
200 g of ricotta cheese, parsley to taste
half a glass of white wine
pepper as needed
Salt to taste
extra virgin olive oil to taste
2 clove of garlic
400 g of cherry tomatoes

Make the dough by combining the flour and the eggs and mix together first with a fork and then with your hands in order to obtain a homogeneous dough which you will leave to rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge (wrapped in plastic wrap). Put the sea bass cut into cubes in a pan with oil and garlic and cook for a few minutes . Remove it from the heat once cooked, remove the garlic and blend it together with the ricotta, oil, salt, pepper and herbs. Roll out the dough until it is about 2 mm thick, divide the sheet in two and cut it with a ravioli mould. Put a knob of filling on half of the squares of puff pastry and close them with the other half , sealing the edges well with water or squeezing with the prongs of a fork. Now cook the stuffed pasta and put the washed and cut cherry tomatoes in a pan with a drizzle of oil and the garlic and let it cook. When they are cooked, crush some with a kitchen spoon, add the ravioli, mix well and serve.

2. Salmon lasagna

There are no parties without salmon, so why not offer it in a delicious and inviting home-made first course like these fabulous lasagna ? Among the Christmas first courses it is certainly spot on.

If you love fresh pasta and delicious but at the same time refined recipes, this is the dish for you: you can combine the bechamel to make this lasagna even more creamy : you'll see, everyone will like this hot dish!

Let's dive (metaphorically!) into these fabulous salmon lasagna .

Ingredients for the smoked salmon and zucchini lasagna recipe (for 4 people)

250 g of lasagna pasta
400 g of smoked salmon
3 tablespoons of grated cheese
extra virgin olive oil to taste
Salt to taste
pepper as needed
1 liter of milk
nutmeg to taste
100 g of butter
100 g of flour

Cut the salmon into strips and season it with a pinch of pepper, salt and oil. In a saucepan, melt the butter over the heat and add the flour, starting to mix so that the roux is formed. When it is slightly browned , add the milk and keep stirring until it thickens (here is your béchamel). Add a grating of nutmeg and start composing the lasagna. In a pyrophile put a spoonful of bechamel, the fresh pasta, more bechamel, the salmon and cover with the pasta. Continue layering until the ingredients are finished, remembering to make the last layer with the remaining bechamel and grated cheese. Bake at 180°C for about 30-40 minutes .

3. Spaghetti with clams

It's always time for a tasty spaghetti ! If you want to prepare one for Christmas, among the many you can make, you absolutely must take into consideration spaghetti with clams.

This dish all depends on the quality of the ingredients, which must be fresh and of high quality, but also on how clean the clams are! In short, get everything you need and follow our recipe for spaghetti with clams ! They are delicious, you will see that you will not regret choosing it among the many Christmas first courses on this list!

Ingredients for the recipe of spaghetti with clams (for 4 people)

380 g of spaghetti
1 kg of clams
white wine to taste
Salt to taste
pepper as needed
2 cloves of garlic
chili pepper to taste
fresh parsley to taste

After purging the clams, put a pot of water for the pasta, then take a large frying pan, put it on the heat with a drizzle of oil, the garlic, the parsley and the molluscs. Immediately cover with a lid and let them all open completely , pour in the white wine and then remove them from the heat: remove the garlic and the closed clams and filter the liquid with a sieve. Drain the pasta al dente and put it in the pan where you cooked the clams, add the filtered water, a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water as needed , mix well then add the parsley and clams and serve.

4. Pasta with salmon

Could we not include pasta with salmon in the twenty recipes for Christmas first courses? This great classic is still re-proposed by many families during the holiday season : in short, it never goes out of style !

Try it too!

Ingredients for the smoked salmon pasta recipe (for 4 people)

320 g of penne
1 shallot
300 g of smoked salmon
200ml liquid cream
extra virgin olive oil to taste
half a glass of white wine
fresh dill to taste
1 clove of garlic
Salt to taste
pepper as needed

Throw the pasta into a pot of boiling salted water, in the meantime chop the shallot finely and tear the salmon into small pieces. Put a frying pan on the heat, add oil, garlic and the shallot and brown it for a few minutes, when it is wilted, add the salmon into small pieces for 2-3 minutes over low heat, stirring often. When it is cooked and toasted, pour in the white wine and, once the alcohol has evaporated , add the coarsely chopped dill and the cream and let it thicken. Season with salt and pepper and, when the pasta is cooked, add it to the sauce and serve.

5. Seafood risotto

Shall we conclude our roundup of Christmas first courses? Of course not but let's continue with a seafood risotto . This risotto is really rich and fragrant, and is prepared with lots of delicious ingredients : you can use prawns, mussels, clams, squid and much more, and then choose whether to leave it blank or color it with tomato sauce .

If you want to offer some delicious and inviting Christmas fish first courses, you're in the right place! Try it too and bring this seafood risotto to the table: you'll see what a success!

Ingredients for the seafood risotto recipe (for 4 people)

350 g of Carnaroli rice
350 g of prawns
500 g of mussels
300 g of clams
1 cuttlefish
1 squid
4 prawns
1 ripe tomato
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
1 cloves of garlic
2 onions
1 glass of white wine
Parsley
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Chilli to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper as needed

After preparing the fumet with the fish scraps and 1 onion, put it in a saucepan over low heat so that it is nice and hot for preparing the risotto. Put the purged mussels and clams in a pan with a clove of garlic, oil and the parsley and close the lid. Let them open completely then remove them from the heat, filter the liquid and put it in the fumet, shell the molluscs apart from some that will be used for decoration. Finally, cut the squid and prawns into strips and proceed with cooking the rice: put the remaining chopped onion in a pan with a drizzle of oil and the crushed garlic. When it is wilted, remove the garlic and pour the rice, which must toast for about 2 minutes . Deglaze with the white wine and, when all the alcohol has evaporated, cover it with a few ladles of hot fumet and continue cooking. Immediately add two spoonfuls of tomato puree and, after 5 minutes of cooking the rice, add the squid and cuttlefish. After another 5 minutes the prawns and when there are just 1-2 minutes left also the mussels and clams. Separately, cook very few prawns in a pan and add them to the rice. Also add the parsley and serve.

6. Fish lasagna

Let's stay on Christmas fish first courses, we introduced you to salmon lasagna, now why not try a more varied version? Fish lasagna is still easy, but also delicious and perfect for those who love this type of dish.

Ingredients for the fish lasagna recipe (4 people)

350 g of egg lasagna
30 g of breadcrumbs
400 g of monkfish
500 g of prawns
300 g of squid
100 g of clams
100 g of mussels
1 clove of garlic
2 white wine glasses for cooking
extra virgin olive oil to taste
fresh parsley to taste
650ml of water
60 g of butter
60 g of 00 flour

Clean the fish and put the waste aside (except the intestines and innards which can be thrown away) then cut the fish into cubes and also squid and prawns. Open mussels and clams by putting them in a pan and filter the liquid. Use the shellfish liquid and the fish scraps to make a fumet: put everything in a saucepan, add the water and cook for about 20 minutes (remember to mash the shrimp heads well so that they release more juices). Once the time has passed, filter the liquid, eliminate the waste and set the comic strip aside. Prepare the béchamel , replacing the milk with the fumet and, once it is thick , proceed with the creation of the fish sauce. Put a drizzle of oil and the garlic in a pan on the heat, then add the squid, prawns and monkfish. Also add the mussels and clams, blend with the fino white and then add a nice handful of chopped parsley and a few spoonfuls of filtered mussels and clams water. Now compose the lasagna, layering it with the pasta, the béchamel and the seafood sauce. Finally, bake at 170°C for about 15-20 minutes .

7. Crespelle with salmon

Who doesn't like savory pancakes? Stuffed in a thousand different ways but always delicious and suitable for special occasions. Today we offer you salmon crepes , hoping that they will win you over as they did with us! If you are uncertain about what to prepare, this is one of our best Christmas first courses.

Ingredients for smoked salmon crepes (for 4 people)

250 g of 00 flour
50 g of butter
3 eggs
500ml of milk
Salt to taste
250 g of smoked salmon
300 g of robiola or ricotta
parsley to taste
extra virgin olive oil to taste
pepper as needed

In a bowl, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and slowly add the milk, continuing to mix with a whisk. Now gradually add the sifted flour to create a fairly liquid batter, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes . In the meantime, prepare the filling by combining salmon cut into small pieces, cheese, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl, mixing everything well or, alternatively, season the soft cheese and use the whole salmon in slices. Now form the crepes by heating a pan on the stove with a drizzle of butter, add 1 ladle of batter and cook for about 1/1.5 minutes on each side. Once ready, stuff them, close them and put them in a baking dish. Add the béchamel and bake at 170°C for 10 minutes .

8. Spaghetti with seafood

Last fish first course we recommend for Christmas? Spaghetti with seafood ! Delicious, full of flavor and easy to prepare at home. For fish, go to your trusted fishmonger, you will surely return home with a very fresh haul ready to be cooked.

Ingredients for spaghetti allo scoglio (for 4 people)

320 g of spaghetti
1 kg of mussels
1 kg of clams
300 g of squid
12 scampi
300 g of cherry tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil to taste
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch of parsley
half a glass of white wine
Salt to taste

Clean and purge the mussels and clams , then put them in a pan with a drizzle of oil, close the lid and let them all open completely. Filter the liquid that has been created, throw away the shellfish still closed and put everything aside. Clean the squid and cut them into small pieces, then shell the prawns and remove the intestines. Heat a pan with a drizzle of oil and the garlic and cook the squid for a few minutes, when they are well browned, add the white wine and wait for the alcohol to evaporate . Add the cherry tomatoes cut in half, finally add the scampi and season with salt and pepper. Cook the spaghetti in a pot of boiling salted water and drain it 1 minute earlier than indicated on the package. Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce and finish cooking by adding, if necessary, the pasta cooking water and the filtered liquid from the mussels and clams. Lastly, add the shellfish, a little chopped parsley and serve.

First Christmas meat dishes

Now let's move on to the Christmas meat first courses! Also in this case there are great classics such as agnolotti, lasagna and cannelloni, but also easy-to-prepare regional proposals that could give a twist to your lunch (such as dumplings!).

As you will see, there really is something for all tastes and we, to help you step by step , want to describe each recipe from start to finish and be with you even on one of the most magical days of the year!

Ready? At the stove!

1. Piedmontese agnolotti

There is no Christmas without agnolotti! Preparing them at home with your loved ones can also be a nice moment to share before lunch, which will make them even… more magical!

Here we also leave you the recipe for roast sauce, perfect if you want to prepare traditional Piedmontese agnolotti , but if you want you can also offer them in broth or dipped in butter and sage! We know, even this recipe could not be missing from the Christmas first courses.

Ingredients for the recipe of homemade Piedmontese agnolotti (for 4 people)

For pasta:

600 g of flour
5 eggs
2 tablespoons of water
salt up to taste

For the agnolotti filling:

400 g of veal
300 g of pork
1 rabbit legs
300 g of boiled spinach
3 eggs
200 g of grated parmesan
1/2 glass of white wine
1/2 onion
1 clove of garlic
sage to taste
1 sprig of rosemary
1 bay leaf
vegetable broth to taste
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of seed oil
Salt to taste
pepper as needed
nutmeg to taste

For the agnolotti sauce:

350 g of veal
1/4 cup of red wine
250 ml of broth
20 g of butter
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
olive oil to taste
1 clove of garlic
1/2 onion
1/2 carrot
1/2 stick of celery
Salt to taste
pepper as needed

Let's start with the pasta: form the classic fountain with the flour and pour the eggs, water and salt into the centre. Knead first with a fork and then with your hands to form a homogeneous and elastic dough which we will put to rest for at least 1 hour in the fridge . Once the necessary time has passed, roll out the dough and stuff with the filling, then close and shape the agnolotti using a pasta cutter .

For the filling, take a frying pan, put it on the heat and add the oil, the finely chopped onion and the garlic. Sauté for a few minutes then add the veal, rabbit and pork. Leave to flavor then blend with the wine. Once the alcohol has evaporated, add the herbs and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes , adding the broth you have prepared previously. Once the meat is cooked, add the washed spinach. Transfer the meat and spinach to a cutting board and chop everything with a knife, put everything in a bowl and add the Parmesan, eggs, nutmeg and salt. Mix everything and use it to stuff the pasta as described above .

Now dedicate yourself to the roast gravy (you can also prepare it first, depending on your needs): melt butter with oil in a saucepan, add the veal cut into pieces, the chopped vegetables, the garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper. Let it all toast for a few minutes then blend with the wine. Add the tomato puree and half the hot broth and let everything cook for about 40 minutes on a low flame. When cooked, filter everything and keep aside, it will be used to season the stuffed pasta after having cooked it in boiling salted water for about 3-4 minutes .

2. Lasagna Bolognese

We have seen how to make those with salmon, so we could not fail to offer the very traditional and delicious lasagna alla bolognese.

It is a dish much loved by Italians, and which is enjoyed throughout the year. But Christmas can be the perfect occasion to cook this recipe together with the people you love , and to make them according to the traditional Bologna recipe!

What are you waiting for? This lasagna will blow your mind !

Ingredients for the baked lasagna recipe (for 6 people)

250 g of minced veal
250 g of minced pork
100 g bacon (stretched or rolled)
1 carrot
1 onion
1 stick of celery
1 glass of milk
extra virgin olive oil to taste
1 glass of red wine
50 g of butter
250 ml of meat broth
350 ml pureed tomatoes
500 g of flour
500 g of spinach
4 eggs
60 g of butter
60 g of flour
nutmeg to taste
Salt to taste
900ml of milk

Prepare the ragù and the béchamel and keep them aside. Now think about the pasta: boil the spinach in a pot of boiling salted water for 5 minutes , then drain well, eliminating all the excess water. Let them cool and then chop them in a mixer or with a knife. Create the classic fountain with the flour and put the eggs, spinach and salt in the center. Mix first with a fork then by hand until you obtain a soft and homogeneous dough which you will leave to rest in the fridge for about 1 hour covered with cling film. Once the time has passed, divide the dough and roll everything out until you obtain very thin thresholds which you will then cut into rectangles suitable for making lasagna. Boil the pasta in salted water until it floats to the surface and put it to dry on a tea towel.

Now let's move on to the assembly by alternating, in a pyrophile, béchamel, puff pastry, meat sauce and grated cheese. Once the ingredients are finished, place in a hot oven, set at 160°C for about 40-50 minutes .

3. Baked pasta

Baked pasta is a dish that makes your mouth water just thinking about it! It can be prepared in many ways and it is also a smart choice to propose it again in the days following Christmas, so as to also use any leftovers.

This is because it is a dish that the richer it is… the tastier it is! Meat, cheese, toppings, meatballs, you really can use whatever you want. Try it yourself at home, for a Christmas dedicated to true gluttony!

Ingredients for the baked pasta recipe (for 4 people)

600 g of macaroni or penne (or short pasta)
400 g of mozzarella
90 g of Parmesan
400 g of ground beef pulp
200 g of minced pork
300 g of tomato puree
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
1 golden onion
250 g of wine
500 ml of warm milk
rosemary to taste
50 g of butter
50 g of sifted flour
nutmeg to taste
extra virgin olive oil to taste
Salt to taste
pepper as needed

Prepare the ragout and the béchamel and cook the boiling salted pasta, draining it al dente. While the pasta is cooking, cut the cheese into cubes and let all the excess milk drain. Now assemble : drain the pasta and add it to the meat sauce, then pour it into a pyrophile together with the béchamel and mozzarella making the layers. Finally, bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes .

4. Cappelletti in broth

Here is another regional stuffed pasta recipe: cappelletti in broth are typical of Emilia Romagna and are characterized by an excellent capon broth, full and tasty, which perfectly accompanies every little chest of pasta that hides a creamy meat filling .

Preparing them isn't that difficult, try our recipe and you'll offer crazy Christmas first courses.

Ingredients for cappelletti in broth (for 4 people)

4 eggs
300 g of 00 flour
1 capon
1 stalk of celery
1 carrot + half for the filling
1 onion + half for the filling
1 tomato
100 g of minced veal
100 g of minced pork
100 g of capon
3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
pepper as needed
nutmeg to taste

Prepare the capon broth and keep it warm, then move on to the pasta. Create the fountain with the flour and put 3 eggs in the centre, knead first with a fork and then by hand until you have a smooth and homogeneous dough which will then have to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes or 1 hour . In the meantime, prepare the filling: take part of the boiled capon, fray it and add it to the minced pork and veal. Finely cut the piece of carrot and the onion and put both in a pan with a drizzle of oil to make a nice sauté. After a few minutes add the meat and, when it is golden, pour in the wine and let all the alcohol evaporate. Once cooked, put everything in a bowl to cool down , then add the meat with 1 egg, Parmesan, salt, oil, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Mix everything and here is your filling.

Now create the cappelletti by rolling out the dough very thin and cut into squares of about 5 cm per side . Place a knob of filling in the center and fold the dough in half to form a triangle. Take the two ends of the long side and join them. Make all the cappelletti and cook them in the boiling and previously filtered broth for about 5 minutes .

5. Cannelloni

Different twins of lasagna are cannelloni, a Christmas first course that does not miss anything and conquers with every bite. We want to prepare it following the original recipe, surely handed down from generation to generation by grandmothers from all over Italy.

Let's not get lost in chatter and let's move on to the facts!

Ingredients for the meat cannelloni (for 4 people)

200 g of 00 flour
2 eggs
350 g of selected minced beef
200 g of sausage
half a stick of celery
1 carrot
1 onion
1 glass of white wine
400 g of tomato puree
250 g of béchamel
extra virgin olive oil to taste
Salt and Pepper To Taste
150 g of grated Parmesan
1 sprig of rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 clove of garlic

Prepare the ragù by adding the sausage and the béchamel then prepare the pasta: make a fountain with the flour and put the eggs in the centre, knead and create a smooth and homogeneous dough and then put it in the fridge to rest for about 30 minutes. Once the time has passed, roll out the pasta and cut it into rectangles of about 11×15 cm and blanch the sheets of pasta for 2 minutes . Place the dough on a tea towel to dry. Mix 2/3 of the meat sauce with half the béchamel and 100 g of Parmesan and mix, then fill the pasta. To fill it, put a little ragu mixed with béchamel and cheese on one side, then roll up the dough in cannoli fashion and seal it with a thin layer of béchamel or sauce. Finally, dirty the baking dish with half the remaining béchamel and half the sauce, line up the cannoli, complete with the sauce and the béchamel, what remains of the cheese and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes .

6. Passatelli in broth

Do you want an unusual pasta, super cheesy and in broth? Then the passatelli are just the first one for you and for your Christmas lunch. In fact, this traditional Emilian pasta is made mainly with grated cheese, breadcrumbs, eggs and a few other ingredients. To complete you can't miss a good meat broth where you can dip them.

Ingredients for passatelli in broth (for 4 people)

200 g of breadcrumbs
200 g of grated Parmesan
4 eggs
nutmeg to taste
Salt to taste
untreated lemon zest to taste
meat broth to taste

Mix the cheese and the breadcrumbs, then add the beaten eggs, two pinches of salt, the lemon zest and the nutmeg and continue mixing until you obtain a homogeneous and fairly soft dough (when it no longer sticks to your hands, let it rest for at least 1-2 hours ). After the rest time, form the passatelli by placing the dough in a potato masher with holes at least half a centimeter wide and make them about 5 cm long . Boil the broth in the pot and, when it's hot, throw in the pasta and leave it on the heat until it floats to the surface. Now plate up and serve.

7. Dumplings

The last first course with meat is a typical Trentino dish, born in Germany but now a typical product of North-East Italy. The classics are made with stale bread and speck and are immersed in broth before serving on the table, there are a thousand versions and combinations of this dish… do you understand what we are talking about? Yes they are dumplings , among the Christmas first courses that we would not miss.

Ingredients to make dumplings (4 people)

200 g of stale bread
1.5 l of meat broth
2 eggs
100 g of speck
100ml of milk
1 shallot
pepper as needed
chopped fresh parsley to taste
salt up to taste
flour to taste
nutmeg to taste
extra virgin olive oil to taste

Chop the shallot and fry it in a pan with a drizzle of oil. Cut the speck into cubes and add them to the pan to brown, then remove them from the heat and let them cool. Now cut the bread into cubes and mix it with the eggs, the milk, a pinch of salt and the parsley and let it soften in the fridge for about 1 hour . Once the time has elapsed, remove the bowl from the fridge and add the speck with all the sautéed ingredients, mix everything well and, if you like, add a little nutmeg. With the mixture obtained, make balls of about 5 cm in diameter and roll them in the flour. Leave the canederli to rest for a while so that they are more compact when cooking, when you judge that they are firm enough, immerse them in boiling meat broth and cook for about 10-15 minutes , then on plates.

Vegetarian Christmas starters

Who says that the first vegetarian Christmas pacts are a stopgap? We have selected some delicious ones, which make your mouth water just by looking at them in the picture. In this list of Christmas first courses without meat or fish, cannelloni stuffed with lean meat, two types of risotto , gnocchi and the delicious lasagna with pesto could not be missing! Are these also in your heart? All that remains is to cook them and serve them on the table for the holidays.

1. Pomegranate risotto

One of the most delicious Christmas first courses to offer to your guests on your Christmas Menu is pomegranate risotto . The red of the beans will embellish your festive table and you will also bring a fabulous and original dish to the table. Seeing is believing!

Ingredients for the pomegranate and speck risotto recipe (for 4 people)

320 g of Carnaroli rice
1 shallot
60 g of butter
2 pomegranates
100 g of grated cheese
pepper as needed
vegetable broth to taste
1 glass of white wine

Heat the broth and start with the pomegranates. Shell all the grains and blend them in the mixer to obtain the juice (apart from 2-3 spoons for decoration ). Take a pan, put it on the heat and add a knob of butter and the finely chopped shallot. Let the shallots dry and add the rice which you will have to toast for about two minutes before deglazing it with the white wine. Once all the alcohol has evaporated, add the juice and continue cooking, when it is almost completely absorbed, add the broth and cook the risotto. Once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat and stir in the remaining butter and cheese and, to taste, some pepper. Mix well, serve and add the pomegranate seeds.

2. Ricotta and spinach cannelloni

Cannelloni stuffed with ricotta and spinach

And here we are at the review of other delicious Christmas first courses: now let's talk about ricotta and spinach cannelloni , also called di magro. The combination of ricotta and spinach is a must in Italian cuisine, it is good with everything, not only in cannelloni but also with crepes, ravioli or lasagne. If you adore this dish like we do, we also give you a very simple variant, the addition of tomato sauce.

Ingredients of ricotta and spinach cannelloni (4 people)

500 g of cottage cheese
500 g of spinach
50 g of parmesan
1 clove of garlic
1 knob of butter
Salt to taste
pepper as needed
500 ml of béchamel
grain to taste

Wash the spinach and cook it in a pan for 2-3 minutes with the garlic, then salt it, remove the garlic, let it cool and chop it with a knife. Put them in a bowl and add the cheese, ricotta and pepper and mix everything well. Ora prendete i cannelloni e riempiteli con la farcia , metteteli poi tutti in una pirofila e ricopriteli con la besciamella fatta in casa . Completate con altro formaggio grattugiato e infornate a 180°C per circa 40 minuti .

3. Risotto allo Champagne

Torniamo sul risotto per una ricetta semplice e profumata: il risotto allo Champagne ! Questo primo piatto è sicuramente delicato e adatto a tutti i palati, ma al tempo stesso darà un tono al vostro menù grazie allo Champagne , ingrediente protagonista del piatto .

In questo caso, vi consigliamo di acquistare una bottiglia di qualità: usatela per sfumare il riso e poi ancora verso la fine per dare al piatto il giusto tocco di acidità , e poi mantecate con burro e formaggio! Semplice, ma di grande effetto.

Ingredienti per la ricetta del risotto allo champagne (per 4 persone)

320 g di riso carnaroli
cipolla o scalogno qb
brodo vegetale qb
70 g di burro
100 g di formaggio grattugiato
pepe qb
sale qb
1 bottiglia di Champagne

Mettete una padella sul fuoco e aggiungete metà burro e la cipolla tritata. Ora aggiungete il riso e fatelo tostare 2 minuti , poi unite circa mezza bottiglia di Champagne e mescolate con un cucchiaio di legno fino a che non sarà evaporato tutto l'alcol. A questo punto aggiungete un po' di brodo bollente e abbassate la fiamma portando il risotto a cottura e unendo, al bisogno, altro brodo. Pochi minuti prima del termine della cottura unite un bicchiere di Champagne e, quando risotto sarà cotto, spegnete la fiamma. Mantecate con formaggio e burro e impiattate abbinando il primo con un buon bicchiere di vino francese.

4. Gnocchi alla Romana

Un piatto che sa di casa sapete per noi qual è? Una bella porzione di gnocchi alla romana ! Le nostre nonne li preparavano la domenica, quando ci si riuniva tutti insieme per un pranzo in famiglia ricco di risate e di piatti semplici ma saporiti.

Noi ora vi sveliamo la nostra ricetta, che ne dite di inserirli tra i vostri primi piatti di Natale?

Ingredienti per fare gli gnocchi alla romana (4 persone)

250 g di semolino
1 l di latte
80 g di burro
100 g parmigiano grattugiato
2 tuorli
sale e pepe qb
noce moscata qb

Mettete tutto il latte in un pentolino con una noce di burro, sale e la noce moscata. Quando il liquido sarà bello caldo buttate dentro a pioggia il semolino, mescolando con una frusta incessantemente per evitare la formazione dei grumi. Fate cuocere per circa 20 minuti poi togliete dal fuoco e aggiungete il formaggio ei due tuorli (continuando sempre a mescolare). Ora versate il composto su un piano da lavoro e livellatelo fino a raggiungere uno spessore di circa 1-2 cm . Lasciate intiepidire il tutto, poi mettetelo in frigo in modo che si rassodi per qualche ora . Passato il tempo toglietelo da frigo e ricavate tanti dischetti o cubetti di semolino e posizionateli in una teglia imburrata, aggiungete il formaggio e versate sopra il burro fatto fondere. Ora infornate in forno caldo a 200°C per circa 20-25 minuti .

5. Lasagne al pesto

Siamo quasi al termine della nostra lista dei migliori primi piatti di Natale, e non potevano non inserire anche le lasagne al pesto genovese . Facili da fare ma golosissime e da un sapore di basilico che inebrierà i palati di tutti i commensali.

Che ne dite di provare a prepararla?

Ingredienti per le lasagne al pesto (per 6 persone)

400 g di pasta fresca per lasagne
700 ml di besciamella
350 g di pesto
200 g di parmigiano
burro qb

Fate bollire la pasta per due minuti e poi lasciatela asciugare su un canovaccio, poi preparate la besciamella e sarete pronti ad assemblare il tutto . Prendete una pirofila, ungetela con il burro e aggiungete uno o due mestoli di besciamella sul fondo. Mettete il primo strato di sfoglia, aggiungete qualche cucchiaio di besciamella, di pesto e una manciata di parmigiano poi proseguite con la stratificazione fino a terminare gli ingredienti. Ora infornate le lasagne nel forno caldo a 180°C per 30 minuti .

6. Gnocchi alla bava

Dulcis in fundo vogliamo proporvi un piatto ricco di formaggio e super cremoso nella lista dei primi piatti di Natale: si tratta degli gnocchi alla bava ! Li avete mai sentiti nominare? Sono una bomba di gusto decisamente non adatta a chi ha problemi di colesterolo… ma noi adoriamo comunque questa ricetta!

Ingredienti per preparare gli gnocchi alla bava (4 persone)

1 kg di patate
250 g di farina 00
1 uovo
400 ml di panna fresca
220 g di fontina
sale qb
pepe qb
formaggio grattugiato qb(facoltativo)

Dopo aver preparato gli gnocchi fatti in casa passate al condimento: mettete in padella il latte, portatelo quasi a bollore e unite la fontina tagliata a cubetti e la panna. Abbassate la fiamma e mescolate in modo da sciogliere il tutto in maniera omogenea e ottenere una salsa abbastanza cremosa. Fate cuocere gli gnocchi in una pentola di acqua bollente salata fino a che non verranno a galla e, man mano, trasferiteli direttamente in padella con il condimento . Mescolate bene e impiattate, aggiungendo a piacere una grattata di pepe e una mangiata a piatto di formaggio grattugiato.

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