7 Easy Christmas Potluck Recipes That Will Make You Look Like You Put In Hours Of Effort

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But, if you've ever been to one, potlucks can be quite the headache for some, as you need to decide what to bring to the table.

And it's either spending the whole day slaving away in the kitchen to impress everyone, or you just give up and buy in from a store or restaurant, earning yourself an "at least you tried" smile.

Ingredients

Vegetables:
- 1 broccoli, chopped into florets
- 1 cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced

Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions:

1. Add chopped vegetables into a salad bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, and sugar. Adjust the seasoning to your personal taste preference.

3. Pour over vegetables and toss together.

4. Chill in the fridge for one hour before serving.

Note: You can add other vegetables and nuts to create a more colourful salad bowl. Yellow, red, and green bell peppers, carrots, corn, etc.

Recipe source: Simple Stacie

Ingredients:
- 16oz (450g) of frozen puff pastry, cut into triangles
- 1 cup of shredded cheese of your preference
- 2/3 cup cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh broccoli
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
- 3/4 cup cubed cooked chicken
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion

Instructions:

1. Arrange triangle-shaped pastry on a 12-inch round baking pan, to form a ring, with pointed ends facing the outer edge of pan and wide ends overlapping one another.

2. Combine the remaining ingredients; spoon over wide ends of rolls. Fold the pointed end into and over the filling, tucking it under the wide ends (filling will be visible).

3. Bake at 375° (190 degree Celsius) for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

4. Serve immediately.

Recipe source: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
- 450g of frozen pizza dough
- Egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water)
- 7 mozzarella sticks
- 1/4 cup of melted butter
- 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
- Marinara sauce (for dipping)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F (230 degrees Celsius). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Cut the mozzarella sticks into one inch pieces and set aside.

3. On a floured surface, divide the pizza dough into two pieces. Stretch and roll each piece of dough into a long rectangle, then cut dough into two inch squares (you'll need 33 pieces in total).

4. Wrap a dough square around each piece of mozzarella, forming a tightly sealed ball. Place each ball seam-side down on the baking sheet in the shape of a Christmas tree (they should be touching).

5. Brush egg wash on the dough balls and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

6. Meanwhile, whisk together melted butter, Parmesan cheese, and herbs. Brush the mix on the baked pizza balls after removing it from the oven.

7. Warm up marinara sauce for dipping and serve with baked pizza balls.

Recipe source: delish

Ingredients:
- 450g elbow macaroni
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (176 degrees Celsius). Lightly grease a large, three to four litre baking dish and set it aside. Combine all the shredded cheeses in a large bowl and set it aside.

2. Cook the pasta one minute shy of al dente according to the package instructions. Remove from heat, drain, and place in a large bowl.

3. Drizzle pasta with olive oil and stir to coat pasta. Set aside to cool while preparing cheese sauce.

4. Melt the butter in a deep saucepan, dutch oven, or stock pot.

5. Whisk in flour over medium heat and continue whisking for about one minute, or until bubbly and golden.

6. Gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream until nice and smooth. Continue whisking until you see bubbles on the surface, and then continue cooking and whisking for another two minutes. Add in salt and pepper and mix.

7. Add two cups of shredded cheese from the bowl you set aside earlier and whisk until smooth. Add another two cups of shredded cheese and continue whisking until creamy and smooth. The sauce should be nice and thick.

8. Stir in the cooled pasta until it is fully coated with the cheese sauce.

9. Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish. Top it with the remaining two cups of shredded cheese and then the other half of the remaining mac and cheese.

10. In a small bowl, combine panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter, and paprika. Sprinkle over the top and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Recipe source: Mom On Timeout

For this dish, you'll need two separate sets of ingredients; one for the mashed potato layer and the other for the beef filling.

Ingredients

For potatoes:
- 1 1/2 peeled potatoes
- Salt and black pepper
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream

For beef mixture:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 680g ground beef (or any minced protein you prefer)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup corn
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup of low-sodium chicken broth
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F (230 degrees Celsius).

2. Make mashed potatoes. In a large pot, cover potatoes with water and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until totally soft, 16 to 18 minutes. Drain and return to pot.

3. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until smooth. Add the melted butter, milk, and sour cream. Mash together until fully incorporated, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

4. Make beef mixture: In a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion, carrots, garlic, and thyme, and cook for five minutes or until fragrant and softened. Add ground beef, and season it generously with salt and pepper. Cook for five minutes more or until the meat is no longer pink. Remember to drain the fat.

5. Stir in frozen peas and corn, and cook for three minutes until warmed through.

6. Sprinkle the meat with flour and stir to evenly distribute. Cook one minute more and add chicken broth. Bring it to a simmer and cook for five minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly.

7. Top the beef mixture with an even layer of mashed potatoes and bake it for 20 minutes until there is very little liquid visible, and the mashed potatoes are golden. Broil if desired.

8. Garnish with parsley before serving.

Recipe source: delish

Ingredients and tools:
- 20 oz (560g) of chocolate (try to choose a variety to help with decorating later)
- Any kind of topping you want (candy canes, chocolate chips, marshmallows, dried fruit, nuts, etc)
- Double boiler (create a double boiler by placing a heat safe mixing bowl on top of a pot filled with hot water)
- Baking pan
- Parchment paper

Instructions:

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. (Do not use wax paper or foil, in this instance it needs to be strictly parchment paper.)

2. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler, stirring frequently until it becomes glossy and smooth.

3. Carefully, pour the melted chocolate out onto the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

4. Use a rubber spatula to smoothen the chocolate out into a nice even layer, until it covers approximately 1/4 inch in thickness on the sheet. This step is where you can experiment and draw on different patterns in the melted chocolate with a toothpick or a skewer.

5. Have fun sprinkling your topping selection(s) evenly across the chocolate while it's still melted.

6. Let it cool for two to four hours at room temperature. Or, place carefully in the refrigerator and lay sheet flat on a shelf and allow it to cool for one hour.

7. Once hardened, use your hands to break the bark into several pieces. Alternatively, use a knife to cut it into rectangular shapes.

8. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Recipe source: The Sweetest Occasion

For this dish, you'll need two separate sets of ingredients; one for the cheesecake and the other for the decorations.

Ingredients

For cheesecake:
- 1 sleeve of graham crackers
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 blocks (approximately 230g) of cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice

For decoration:
- 1 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 12 strawberries with the tops sliced off
- Round biscuit cutter

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and salt. Press into the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan and up the sides.

2. In a large bowl using a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), beat heavy cream for five minutes or until stiff peaks form.

3. In another large bowl beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Then, add powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. Fold the whipped cream into cream cheese mixture, then pour mixture over crust. Smoothen the top with a spatula.

4. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours.

5. Once the cheesecake has set in refrigerator, use a round biscuit cutter and punch holes out of cheesecake. (Depending on the size of the cheesecake and the biscuit cutter, you should be able to get 8 to 12 cheesecake bites.)

6. Whip the whipping cream with hand mixer or stand mixer on high until stiff peaks form.

7. Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag and pipe a layer on top of the cheesecake.

8. Top with a strawberry, sliced side down.

9. Pipe a dot of whipped cream on top of the strawberry and serve.

Recipe source: delish