Sheet Pan Christmas Dinner

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/3/21
sheet pan Christmas dinner

The Spruce / Leah Maroney

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 70 mins
Total: 90 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1 pan
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1707 Calories
74g Fat
189g Carbs
80g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 1707
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 74g 95%
Saturated Fat 33g 167%
Cholesterol 262mg 87%
Sodium 4596mg 200%
Total Carbohydrate 189g 69%
Dietary Fiber 17g 61%
Total Sugars 51g
Protein 80g
Vitamin C 122mg 608%
Calcium 539mg 41%
Iron 11mg 59%
Potassium 3414mg 73%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Making a sheet pan Christmas dinner is the perfect solution for a small holiday table. Our recipe serves four people and makes great leftovers. And there's no need to keep an eye on multiple pots and pans, or to alternate dishes in the oven. You just need one baking sheet, some planning, and 20 minutes of preparation. Because there are multiple dishes being cooked, we suggest you have all of the ingredients ready and measured to ensure a speedy process.

Glazed ham, carrots, Brussels sprouts, potatoes au gratin, and dinner rolls will be served in less than two hours, with very little preparation involved. With just one baking sheet to clean up, this might be your new favorite meal, holiday or not.

Ingredients

For the Glaze:

  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • 2 tablespoons apricot jam

  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

  • 1/2 cup orange juice

  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

For the Ham:

  • 1 (4-pound) ham

For the Potatoes:

  • 4 to 6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

  • 1 small onion, diced

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon flour

  • 1 cup chicken stock

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

  • 3/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese

  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

For the Brussels Sprouts:

  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts

  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 3 slices bacon, optional

For the Carrots:

  • 1 pound carrots

  • 2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, divided

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Rolls:

  • 8 balls frozen roll dough

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Steps to Make It

Make the Glaze

  1. Gather your ingredients.

    Ingredients for making a glaze for ham

    The Spruce

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, whisking constantly until thickened.

    Heating glaze for ham in a saucepan

    The Spruce

Prepare the Baking Sheet and Arrange the Ham

  1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Make divisions in the pan by creating barriers with aluminum foil by folding or crimping it—you'll need 4 sections: 1 for the ham and carrots, 1 for the potatoes, 1 for the Brussels sprouts, 1 thin, long section on the side for the rolls. Place the ham in the bigger area in the sheet pan. Pour half of the glaze over the top of the ham and reserve the remaining glaze.

    Ham on a sheet pan lined with foil

    The Spruce

Prepare the Potatoes

  1. Gather your ingredients.

    Ingredients for au gratin potatoes

    The Spruce

  2. Scrub, wash, and peel the potatoes. Thinly slice them, using a sharp knife or a mandoline, about 1/4 inch thick.

    Sliced potatoes

    The Spruce

  3. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, and salt and sauté for 1 minute, or until fragrant and just softened.

    Sautéed onions and garlic in butter

    The Spruce

  4. Add the flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute to cook off the flour taste.

    Flour added to sautéed onions and butter

    The Spruce

  5. Slowly pour in the chicken stock and then the heavy cream, whisking while adding. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened.

    Cream sauce in a pan

    The Spruce

  6. Whisk in the Gruyère and Parmesan until melted. Stir in the potatoes.

    Potatoes in cream sauce

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  7. Pour the potatoes into a section of the baking sheet, sturdily divided from the rest with aluminum foil. Make sure the potatoes are mostly covered by the cream sauce. Cover the ham and potatoes with foil and roast for 20 minutes.

    Ham and potatoes in a foil-lined sheet pan

    The Spruce

Prepare the Brussels Sprouts

  1. Gather your ingredients.

    Ingredients for making roasted Brussels sprouts

    The Spruce

  2. Trim the stem ends from the Brussels sprouts, then halve each.

    Brussels sprouts cut in half

    The Spruce

  3. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the Brussels sprouts and toss to coat. Chop the 3 slices of bacon, if using, and toss with the sprouts.

    Brussels sprouts tossed with balsamic vinegar

    The Spruce

  4. After 20 minutes in the oven, remove the pan and spread out the Brussels sprouts, cut-sides down, in the open section of the baking sheet, below the potatoes. Leave room along the side for the rolls.

    Ham, Brussels sprouts, and potatoes on a sheet pan

    The Spruce

Prepare the Carrots and Rolls

  1. Gather your ingredients.

    Ingredients for preparing carrots and dinner rolls

    The Spruce

  2. Scrub, wash, and peel the carrots. Halve each lengthwise.

    Carrots sliced in half

    The Spruce

  3. Whisk together the butter, honey, thyme, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add the carrots and toss to coat. Place the carrots, cut-sides down, on the baking sheet next to the ham. Be mindful that at this stage the ham and potatoes still need to be covered with aluminum foil. Put the pan back in the oven for 35 minutes.

    Glazed carrots

    The Spruce

  4. After 35 minutes, increase the oven temperature to 400 F. Remove the pan from the oven and uncover the ham and potatoes. Pour the remaining glaze over the top of the ham and place the rolls along the edge of the baking sheet, brushing them with the melted butter.

  5. Roast everything for 15 minutes or until the rolls and potatoes are browned, carrots are cooked, and the internal temperature of the ham reaches 150 F. If the rolls are browning too much before the other ingredients are cooked through, either remove them from the pan or cover with aluminum foil.

    Christmas sheet pan dinner

    The Spruce

  6. Serve and enjoy.

How to Refrigerate and Reheat

If you have leftovers, allow everything to cool off before placing each dish in individual airtight containers. Keep the vegetables, potatoes, and rolls for up to two days. Keep the ham for up to four days. To reheat, place everything in a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil, cover all with foil, and warm in a 350 F oven to taste.


Be mindful that for food safety reasons, you should only warm up the leftovers that you need, as once you've reheated them once, you can't cool them off again and keep them, much less re-reheat.

Substitutions for the Vegetables

Here are our suggestions to replace the sprouts and carrots. Be mindful of adjusting your cooking times and the order in which you add the ingredients, as the times may vary:

  • To substitute for the sprouts, use the same dressing as the sprouts on 1 bunch of cleaned and trimmed asparagus, and cook for just 15 minutes. Place in the pan 15 minutes before the end of the entire cooking time.
  • To substitute for the carrots, clean, slice, and cut 1 small butternut squash into 1-inch cubes. Use the same dressing as the carrots and roast for 35 to 50 minutes until tender. Place in the pan after the first 20 minutes of the roasting time of the ham and potatoes, and check for doneness at the 1-hour mark.