Small crowd, big celebration: Elegant holiday recipes for two

Holiday entertaining doesn’t always mean cooking a big meal for a crowd. With the following recipes, you can create a festive meal for two.

Using these right-size recipes means you won’t have mountains of leftovers filling the fridge, you’ll reduce food waste (and your budget) and you’ll still have plenty of room for holiday cookies.

RECIPES

These festive dinner recipes accommodate a range of active cooking times and dietary needs. The vegetarian lasagna requires a lot of hands-on time, but can be made in advance. The pescatarian scallop and risotto dish will require your full attention, but it only takes about an hour, start to finish. And the meaty braised short ribs roast without intervention for several hours.

A loaf pan is the ideal vessel for this smaller vegetarian lasagna. (Aaliyah Man for the AJC/food styling by Kate Williams)

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna for Two

This vegetarian lasagna gets its luxuriousness from a Parmesan-enhanced bechamel and whole-milk mozzarella. A loaf pan is the ideal vessel for a small lasagna; it offers the depth needed to build a few substantial layers of pasta and filling while corralling the ingredients.

Soaking the lasagna noodles simplifies the cooking process and makes the dish easier to assemble. Don’t substitute no-boil noodles; there is not enough liquid in the recipe to cook those noodles to tenderness. You can assemble the lasagna up to three days in advance and refrigerate. Add 20 minutes to the bake time if cooking straight from the refrigerator.

This recipes makes two extra-large portions or three typical servings. Enjoy any leftovers cold or rewarmed; they taste even better the next day.

• 6 dried lasagna noodles (5.5 ounces)
• 3 to 4 quarts boiling water
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 4 ounces fresh baby spinach
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 4 ounces grated whole-milk mozzarella (about 1/2 cup)

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees with a rack in the middle and a rack 6 to 8 inches from the broiler. Spray a broiler-safe 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Grease a 9-by-13-inch sheet of aluminum foil.
2. Place the noodles in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cover the noodles with boiling water and let soak while preparing the vegetables and sauce.
3. Make the vegetables: In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter is foamy, add the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
4. Add the spinach to the now-empty skillet and cook until wilted and water is released, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the spinach to remove as much water as possible. Add to the bowl with the mushrooms. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Make the sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Add the shallot, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is foamy and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Stir in the bay leaf, nutmeg and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened and flavorful, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Add 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, whisking until melted.
6. Assemble the lasagna: using tongs or clean hands, remove the noodles from the water and thoroughly pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Pour 1/4 cup of sauce into the prepared loaf pan. Top with 2 noodles, trimming off excess length to fit (reserve the trim). Top with 1/3 of the mushroom-spinach mixture. Cover with 1/2 cup sauce spread evenly, followed by sprinkles of 2 tablespoons mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Repeat two more times, then top with the pasta trim, the remaining sauce and the remaining cheeses. Cover tightly with the prepared aluminum foil.
7. Transfer lasagna to the oven’s middle rack and bake until the sauce is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and remove the foil. Switch the oven to broil. Return the uncovered lasagna to the oven on the top rack and broil until well-browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
8. Let lasagna cool for 15 minutes before serving. Keeps in a refrigerated, airtight container up to 3 days.

Makes three servings.

Per serving: 665 calories (percent of calories from fat, 49), 27 grams protein, 58 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams total sugars, 4 grams fiber, 37 grams total fat (22 grams saturated), 105 milligrams cholesterol, 847 milligrams sodium.

Cooking risotto in the oven frees up your hands to sear the scallops for this approachable, elegant recipe. (Aaliyah Man for the AJC/food styling by Kate Williams)

Seared Scallops With Butternut Squash Risotto

Scallops and risotto may sound like an intimidating combination, but, by cooking the risotto in the oven, you can sear the scallops in the last few minutes without stress.

Diced butternut squash, which roasts alongside the baking risotto, and a punchy gremolata add color and flavor to the meal.

Be sure to use arborio rice, and keep a bit of extra broth handy to adjust the final risotto consistency.

• 2/3 cup Italian parsley leaves
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 3 cups peeled and diced butternut squash (about 1 pound)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth, plus more as needed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3/4 cup arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 6 to 8 large sea scallops, tendons removed

1. Make the gremolata: Use a chef’s knife to finely chop the parsley. Grate the garlic over the parsley using a microplane. Chop the parsley again to thoroughly combine. Grate the zest of half the lemon over the parsley mixture and chop to combine. Reserve the remaining lemon. Transfer parsley mixture to a bowl, season to taste with salt.
2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees with racks in the upper- and lower-middle positions. Combine the squash, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on a quarter sheet pan. Toss to thoroughly combine. Transfer to the lower-middle rack of the oven and roast until tender and lightly browned, 30 to 35 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the vegetable broth until just simmering.
4. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter is foamy, add the shallot and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until shallot is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until opaque, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 1 minute. Remove saucepan from the heat, add the warm broth and stir to combine. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, transfer to the upper-middle rack of the oven, and bake above the squash until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into the risotto. Whisk in additional broth to thin the risotto if desired. Stir in the squash and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Sear the scallops: in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Pat the scallops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. When the oil just starts to smoke, use tongs to transfer the scallops to the hot pan. Cook without touching until deeply browned on the first side, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the scallops are opaque and the centers register 115 degrees, 30 to 60 more seconds. Transfer to a plate.
7. To serve, transfer the risotto to serving plates and top with scallops and gremolata. Serve immediately.

Serves two.

Per serving: 848 calories (percent of calories from fat, 48), 18 grams protein, 91 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams total sugars, 9 grams fiber, 46 grams total fat (18 grams saturated), 72 milligrams cholesterol, 556 milligrams sodium.

Tender, flavorful braised short ribs can be made up to three days in advance. (Aaliyah Man for the AJC/food styling by Kate Williams)

Braised Short Ribs With Root Vegetables

Short ribs are a cut of beef that may seem intimidating, but are actually very easy to cook. All they need is a low-and-slow braise with plenty of flavorful ingredients like root vegetables and wine.

You can use either a large 3-quart saucepan or a small Dutch oven for this recipe, just be sure that it has a lid to cover the pot while braising in the oven. You can braise the short ribs and vegetables up to 3 days in advance. Warm the pot back up, covered, over medium heat before finishing the sauce and broiling the ribs.

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 meaty English cut bone-in beef short ribs (about 8 ounces each), trimmed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 cups bite-size potatoes, or larger potatoes cut into 2-inch pieces
• About 2 cups low-sodium chicken or beef broth
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley