Monthly Meal Plan for December 2026: 31 Easy Dinners

A collage of easy December dinners including beef stew, glazed ham, roast chicken, and holiday casseroles from the monthly meal plan.

Your Free December 2026 Meal Plan

The Monthly Meal Plan for December 2026 is here, right when your calendar fills up with everything but dinner. Between the shopping, the school events, and the holidays, cooking should be the easy part. So eleven of us food bloggers teamed up and mapped out 31 dinners, one for every day of the month. You get glazed ham, slow cooker soups, easy casseroles, and quick weeknight meals to carry you through Christmas and into the new year. Grab the free printable calendar, pop it on the fridge, and take the guesswork out of dinner.

Download the Meal Plan

31 Easy Dinner Ideas to Make This December

This month’s lineup has something for everyone. A few of my own recipes are in the mix, including my Glazed Ham with Roasted Carrots, Spatchcock Chicken, Slow Cooker Beef Stew, Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup, and Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings. I rounded it all out with recipes from ten other talented food bloggers, so you get a whole month of easy dinners in one place.

What’s Included

31 easy dinner recipes, one for every day in December
A free printable calendar you can save, print, or pull up on your phone
Clickable links to every recipe inside the PDF
Dinners from 11 food bloggers, so there is plenty of variety
Holiday favorites like glazed ham, prime rib, and hearty casseroles
Slow cooker soups, easy weeknight meals, and leftover-friendly dinners

Glazed Ham by Tessie's Table. — Photo Credit: Tessie’s Table.

31 Easy December Dinner Ideas: Week by Week

Here’s a look at all 31 dinners, broken out week by week so you can see exactly what’s coming up.

Week 4: December 20 to 26

This is Christmas week. Mac n Cheese Bites and Chicken and Feta Meatballs are great for a party, then Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli and Slow Cooker Italian Beef do the work for you. Christmas Eve brings a Turkey Melt Sandwich, Christmas Day is an Easy Ham Salad Recipe for the leftovers, and the day after rounds out with a Black Bean Enchilada Casserole.

Week 5: December 27 to 31

We close out the year. My Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup use up the last of the holiday food, then a One Pot Kidney Bean and Beef Chili and Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole. Ring in the new year with a big pot of Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings.

Join my Facebook Group for daily recipes with easy tips and tricks.

Facebook Group

How to Use the October Meal Plan

Download the PDF using the button at the top of the post.
Tap any recipe on the calendar to jump straight to the full recipe, since every one is a clickable link.
Print it and stick it on the fridge, or save it to your phone for grocery runs.
Cook in any order you like. Scan the week, pick what sounds good, and build your shopping list from there.
Lean on the slow cooker and make-ahead meals during the busy holiday stretch.
Repeat the dinners your family loves and skip the ones that do not fit.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew by Tessie's Table. — Photo Credit: Tessie’s Table

FAQs

Is the December meal plan free?
Yes. The whole thing is free to download. Click the button, grab the PDF, and print it or save it to your phone. No sign-up is required, though if you want it sent straight to your inbox every month you can join the email list.
How many recipes are in the plan?
There are 31 dinners, one for every day of December. They come from eleven different food bloggers, so you get a real range of flavors and cooking styles instead of the same few meals on repeat.
Do I have to cook the recipes in order?
Not at all. The calendar is just a starting point. Move meals around, skip the ones that do not fit your week, and repeat your favorites. Think of it as a menu, not a rulebook.
Can I make any of these ahead for the holidays?
Plenty of them. A Glazed Ham with Roasted Carrots and Slow Cooker Beef Stew are great for prepping ahead, and soups like Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup freeze and reheat beautifully. Cook a double batch when you can and stash some for a busy night.
Are there options for picky eaters or meat-free nights?
Yes. There is lots of kid-friendly food like Mac n Cheese Bites, Taco Cornbread Casserole, and Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole. For meat-free nights you have One Pot Orzo with Broccoli and Butter Beans, Black Bean Enchilada Casserole, and Orzo Soup with Butternut and White Beans.
How do I get next month’s plan?
Join the email list here and I will send the new plan to your inbox at the start of every month. You can also follow along on the blog and in my free Facebook group, where we share dinner ideas every day.

Download The Meal Plan

Meet the Food Bloggers Behind This December Meal Plan

This meal plan is a team effort. Every recipe is tested, photographed, and written by the blogger behind that site, so you know you’re getting a real, tried-and-true dinner idea.

The Chaotic Table: Easy family dinners for busy nights when life isn’t slowing down.
Food Exit Recipes: Easy meals, snacks, and desserts made with stuff you actually have.
Risa’s Family Kitchen: Tried and tested family recipes for weeknights and everything in between.
Sweet Miscellany: Simple seasonal vegetarian recipes that make plant-based cooking feel easy.
The Kitchen Bucket List: From air fryer weeknight dinners to weekend BBQ, they’ve got it covered.
A Spiced Life: Mostly from-scratch cooking and baking, kept approachable for home cooks at any level.
Hungry Whisk: Quick, family-friendly recipes that don’t need a long ingredient list.
My Rad Kitchen: Simple, feel-good recipes and cocktails the whole family will love.
Tasty Cue: Easy, approachable recipes for every skill level, from appetizers to desserts.
Learned it from My Mom: Family-inspired recipes made with love for everyday cooking and baking.
Tessie’s Table: That’s me! With easy, approachable recipes for busy home cooks, straight from my kitchen in Atlanta.

Stay Tuned for Next Month’s Plan

That is December sorted. A brand new meal plan lands at the start of every month, so check back in January for 31 more easy dinners to kick off the new year. Bookmark This Page to find all the meal plans, or join my email list to get them sent straight to your inbox.