Gnocchi in alfredo sauce, baked ravioli in tomato sauce, rosemary pork chops, cheese topped garlic bread, melon with proscuitto, a nice cheese plate, veggie lasagne, chicken manicotti....

Dinner of the 7 fishes, or festa dei sette pesci, is traditional and delicious. There are some great menus around the web, including a few on epicurious.

Fish, perhaps in addition to the pasta. Both cuisines have wonderful fish dishes and if milder flavors are preferred, there must be a couple of recipes that are not highly seasoned.

Feliz Navidad e Buon Natale!

My family does Italian food for Christmas. There's a big pot of sauce with meatballs, of course, but also chicken cutlets for people who are super picky, they can be made into chicken parmesan otherwise. The big thing for me is antipasto, laid out before the meal. Lots and lots of variety for people who'd rather have a lot of different tastes to choose from. I like to have different seasoned olive oils, a few types of olives, cheese, bread, bread sticks, pickled peppers, prociutto, and some nice red wine to wash it down.

How about an Italian Wedding Soup with lots of crusty bread and a spaghetti dish with a fresh tomato and basil sauce or a lemon and cream sauce or just an olive oil, garlic and capers sauce? Dessert could be any traditional dessert like almond pudding with chocolate biscotti or apple/apricot bread pudding or a fruit strudel or a few different kinds of biscotti and some flavored coffees. Get creative with the appetizers.
A book you might find inspirational is "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy" by Lidia Bastianich. My husband and I have really enjoyed cooking from this book. Good luck!

When I think of zesty Italian food, I automatically think of a pasta with hot Italian sausage and peppers, or how about a pasta with puttanesca sauce? If you are simply looking for flavorful food, you can't go wrong with Italian food - basically everything they make is full of flavor.

Hi Everyone, Dana here--

Thanks so much for the advice, my mom and I truly appreciate it. I guess I'd like to clarify that our real concern other than pleasing some very picky and plain palates is our small, weak oven (and lest I forget that we have to feed ~60 people). Our oven cannot handle big casseroles such as lasagna, baked ziti, or other baked pastas, so we feel like it's a challenge to come up with something on the stove big enough to feed a large crowd. While the seven fishes are out of our culinary skill range, I love the ideas of rosemary pork chops, a big pot of meatballs, some Lidia's Kitchen recipes, and the puttanesca. I am taking everyone's suggestions into consideration and I can't wait to tell my relatives that I got help on theKitchn!

If I were mami, I would make at least one large pot of arroz con pollo. Do it simply, with store-bought sofrito and some sazón to not interfere with all of the other things that she has to do. It is not spicy, there's nothing offensive in it, it's cheap, and it goes with everything. If you have an outdoor grill, put on several whole, butterflied chickens seasoned with salt, olive oil, and rosemary. They will feed quite a few people, do not require an oven, are certainly Italian, and are easy to prepare. Serve with lemon wedges. You can also grill the vegetables and potatoes and season them simply. (P.S. Don't let the cold weather keep you away from the grill! I guarantee there is someone who would rather be bundled up outside with some coquito than in the kitchen ;) If you prepare a nice tomato sauce like puttanesca, you can double up with it and serve it with toast and cheese as an appetizer. I also love the idea of pork chops.

A couple more easy suggestions- red wine spaghetti with broccoli rabe or orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage would be great vegetarian and non-veggie options that are easy and festive and can be made in large quantities. I also love a big pot of bolognese over your pasta of choice, and it's less labor intensive for a large group than meatballs. My family will be having a pork tenderloin with grapes most likely, although I may switch up the spice rub. Tenderloins are great for a large crowd because they cook quickly.

I second the orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage...that's my favourite! What about a simple mushroom risotto or risotto with prawns, saffron and asparagus? I might have a few recipes that'll interest you on my blog www.bitesforbabies.com

How about trying Sicilian meatballs? http://7th-taste.com/2010/12/06/sicilian-meatballs-nero-davola-italian-red-wine/

Dana, you could always consider renting or borrowing one of those big roaster/cookers.

I would look up Rachael Ray's super scampi recipe. Its basically shrimp scampi amped up. Its pretty easy because its Rachael and its one of my favorites for our "Italian" christmas eve (we are not actually Italian but my dad loves Italian culture...so we do 7 fishes and panettone and other Italian traditions lol). It's made on the stove top so no worries about the oven.

Hi Dana, (and Lisa, cousin Mary here!)

You've got a lot of great ideas already.. and the food at the Christmas party is always delicious! Stick with the antipasto and stromboli appetizers, that alone enough for some people. I have also been learning a few things being from that italian side of the family and cooking for an Indian. Some of our favorites are: bolognese sauce, a zesty garlic shrimp sauce/curry, and sauteed peppers/onions/potatoes.

The bolognese sauce can include any meats you have or love. We've done it with italian sausages and buffalo meat or with bacon, pork, and ground beef. Just saute the meat first with some rosemary and fennel to get that italian sausage flavor and then add your favorite red sauce recipe and let it cook all day. I always add a bit of cayenne and paprika to spice up the sauce as well.

We often make an asian/italian shrimp and white bean curry with a tomato base; this is one that you can add chilis, cayenne, garlic etc for your desired zesty-ness. It can be eaten by itself or over pasta or bread.

And a side dish of sauteed or roasted sausage and vegetables can be a great filler to add to any of the pastas or sauces.

Try cacio e pepe - pasta with cheese and pepper. You can google an easy recipe online.