Christmas Prime Rib Roast Recipe: A Delectable, Bone-Healthy Entree for the Holidays

Updated: December 21, 2022

When you have images of a warm, festive holiday dancing in your head, does a showpiece entrée that’s brimming with super savory flavor come to mind? It should!

After all, the holidays beg for the season’s best. And what else says “we pulled out all the stops” more than a succulent prime rib roast? Now I know prime rib roast looks intimidating, but I think you’ll find it’s surprisingly simple to make. 

At no point will you need to call culinary 911. Our easy recipe calls for only six ingredients and takes five minutes to prep. This mostly hands-off recipe has “set it and forget it” written all over it. So you get to impress your guests without the stress!

One of the main reasons why I love this delicious, no-fuss prime rib roast so much is that it’s packed with protein. And when it comes to your bones, protein is especially important. Protein makes up roughly one-third of your bone mass and half of your bone volume.1

Plus, prime rib is rich in phosphorus, zinc, iron, and selenium. Moreover, it’s packed with niacin, vitamins B-6 and B-12. All essential nutrients for healthy bones — making this the easiest, bone healthy Christmas prime rib you’ll ever make.

Your holiday menu is getting ready to get a lot more delicious — not to mention fancy!

Prime Rib Roast Recipe

Christmas Prime Rib Roast Recipe

Note: The secret to selecting the most delectable cut? When ordering your prime rib, ask your butcher for a standing rib roast from the small end of the rib, the fat cap reduced, and to have the fat lip trimmed to 0x0. This will provide fewer pockets of fat and a leaner, still tender, prime rib.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 602 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 4 lb prime rib roast room temperature
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp dry rosemary
  • 1 tbsp dry thyme
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
  • Pat your roast dry, with a cloth or paper towel, to remove excess moisture.
  • Coat roast in olive oil, then rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.
  • Place roast on a roasting sheet lined with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 20 minutes. If your roast is bigger than 4lbs, add an additional five minutes per lb.
  • After 20 minutes, turn off the oven and do not open the door for two hours. If you open the oven, the residual heat will not maintain its temperature and the roast will not cook properly. Trust the process!
  • Remove the roast from the oven and allow it to rest for five minutes before carving. Your roast should have an internal temperature of 130 degrees F out of the oven. This will result in a rested roast temp of 135 degrees — which in terms of beef doneness is on the low end of medium.

Nutrition

Calories: 602kcalProtein: 41gFat: 47gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 140mgPotassium: 512mgVitamin A: 51IUIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

What is Prime Rib Roast

A prime rib roast is a classic roast beef preparation made from the beef rib primal cut. It’s cut from the back of the steer’s upper rib section and consists of six to seven ribs.

What makes prime rib so special? Since the prime rib is a muscle that’s not heavily used, it’s tender, juicy, and extremely flavorful.

How to Cook Prime Rib

Set more than the table — set the stage with a party-perfect presentation featuring our prime rib roast.

Although it’s super simple to make, this roast is filled with an incredible, obsession-worthy flavor — the kind that will keep your guests coming back for seconds and thirds.

Slow to cook and quick to be devoured, this prime rib recipe guarantees a succulent and juicy roast every time. All it takes is a simple mix of aromatics and seasonings to create a flavorful roast that all your guests will love!

And speaking of love, how can you not fall for a recipe that only takes a handful of minutes to prep? This fuss-free beauty makes you get out of the kitchen. So enjoy your company — that’s what you’ll remember most.

Prime Rib Roast Recipe

Discover More Delicious, Bone-Healthy Holiday Recipes

There’s no doubt about it — prime rib roast is the quintessential sophisticated holiday entree. With its remarkable flavor and texture, this restaurant-worthy dish is in a league of its own.

Trust me, when you bring this delectable prime rib roast to the table, it will be clear it’s the star of your meal. So keep everything else pure and simple. And serve your roast with this scrumptious truffled parsnip puree.

A perfect harmony of tastes, this oh-so-savory roast is meant to be paired with the delicate sweetness of parsnip puree. Plus, together these two look almost as good as they taste. Almost.

Now once you’ve served this stunning meal all you need is a dessert that will end the meal on an even higher note. This gorgeous sweet potato cheesecake parfait has good looks, delectable flavors, and is easy to put together.

All our holiday recipes are loaded with antioxidants, protein, vitamins, and minerals. So your bones will love it as much as your taste buds. I’d love to hear what you think about the recipe. So don’t forget to leave a comment and let me know how you enjoyed it!

To learn more about healthy aging and bone health, sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly updates and more tasty, bone-healthy recipes.


References

  1. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 87, Issue 5, May 2008, Pgs 1567S–1570S.

Article Comments

5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Recipe Rating




  1. ERIC MOON

    December 14, 2022 , 8:14 pm

    Do you cover it in tin foil or just put foil on the roasting sheet?

  2. Chelsea Dugas

    December 15, 2022 , 11:33 am

    Hi, Eric!

    The foil is meant to cover the bottom of the roasting sheet, as it saves you from some really messy scrubbing afterwards! No need to cover the roast. Hope this helps and enjoy the recipe! 🙂

    – Chelsea @ AlgaeCal

  3. Karen L Starck

    December 16, 2022 , 5:30 am

    How about the juices for gravy or just to spoon over the prime rib. Are they all cooked up?

  4. Chelsea Dugas

    December 16, 2022 , 7:10 am

    Great question, Karen!

    This recipe results in very little drippings in the pan, as this high-heat searing process maintains most of the juices within the prime rib. Our resident chef, Danielle, says she typically pairs it with a traditional demi glacé made from bone broth and vegetable trimmings. Hope this helps and enjoy! 🙂

    – Chelsea @ AlgaeCal

  5. Paul

    December 17, 2022 , 10:18 am

    when resting do you cover with tin foil

  6. Chelsea Dugas

    December 20, 2022 , 11:56 am

    Hi there, Paul! There is no need to cover the roast, the tin foil discussed in the recipe is to cover the bottom of the baking dish so as to avoid a messy cleanup afterwards! Hope this helps! 🙂

    – Chelsea @ AlgaeCal

  7. Dr. Collins

    December 17, 2022 , 1:28 pm

    I want my prime read cooked medium well. Are the cooking instructions still the same?

  8. Chelsea Dugas

    December 21, 2022 , 7:53 am

    Thanks for reaching out, Dr. Collins! Our resident chef Danielle says she hasn’t tried this method for a medium-well cook. You will have to experiment with it, perhaps remove it earlier than suggested. Danielle provided this as a suggestion: “The only thing I can suggest is to begin the sear at a high heat, turn the oven temperature down to its lowest settable temperature and rely on a meat thermometer until the desired temperature is reached.” Hope this helps and best of luck! 🙂

    – Chelsea @ AlgaeCal

  9. Merrilee

    December 17, 2022 , 4:06 pm

    The recipe says to cook a 4 lb. roast for 2 Hr and 20 min. The directions are the SAME when I click on directions for an 8 lb roast and a 12 lb roast. The recipe should be proof read, as many people won’t figure out that something’s amiss, until it’s too late and their Christmas dinner is ruined!

  10. Chelsea Dugas

    December 21, 2022 , 7:58 am

    Hi, Merilee! The recipe states that if your roast is bigger than 4 lbs, add an additional five minutes per pound. That applies to the initial 20 minutes (for example, a roast of 6 lbs would be 20 minutes plus 5+5 = 30 minutes). the 2 hrs is once you’ve turned the heat off and let it sit in the oven. Hope this helps to clarify! 🙂

    – Chelsea @ AlgaeCal

  11. Janice

    December 19, 2022 , 9:17 am

    Are you placing the roast on the aluminum foil, or covering the roast with the foil? Unclear.

  12. Chelsea Dugas

    December 20, 2022 , 12:44 pm

    Sorry for the confusion, Janice! The aluminum foil is meant to line the roasting dish so as to avoid a messy clean up afterwards! No need to tent the foil over the meat. Hope this helps to clarify and enjoy! 🙂

    – Chelsea @ AlgaeCal

  13. Kellie Sipos

    December 25, 2022 , 2:32 pm

    I followed your directions perfectly. It was a 8 lb roast cooked it at 500 for 40 min, shut oven off and never opened. 2 hrs later pulled it out and it was only 110 degrees

  14. Chelsea Dugas

    December 28, 2022 , 1:01 pm

    So sorry to hear this, Kellie! My experience is that not all ovens cook the same – it is possible in your case a bit more time was required. Please let us know if you have any questions!

    – Chelsea @ AlgaeCal

  15. Julia pascocello

    December 29, 2022 , 9:08 am

    5 stars
    I gave this recipe to my husband, the only cook in the house. He cook it exactly as the recipe said. The prime rib came out superb. We were so amazed. . Just delicious and I have recommended it to all my family and friends.

  16. Shelby AlgaeCal

    December 29, 2022 , 1:07 pm

    Hi Julia!

    Thanks so much for your glowing review! We’re so thrilled to hear that our recipe turned out well, and that you’ve been recommending it to all of your friends and family!

    Of course, if you try any of our other tasty bone-friendly recipes HERE going forward, please do continue to let us know if you enjoy them!

    – Shelby @ AlgaeCal

This article features advice based on cutting-edge research from our industry experts to give you the best possible information to support your bone-building journey.

Lara Pizzorno
MDiv, MA, LMT - Best-selling author of Healthy Bones Healthy You! and Your Bones; Editor of Longevity Medicine Review, and Senior Medical Editor for Integrative Medicine Advisors.,
Dr. Liz Lipski
PhD, CNS, FACN, IFMP, BCHN, LDN - Professor and Director of Academic Development, Nutrition programs in Clinical Nutrition at Maryland University of Integrative Health.,
Dr. Emma Gasinski
PT, DPT, RYT - Physical therapist and certified yoga teacher with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professionals,
Dr. Lawrence (Larry) A. May
MD, FACP, Harvard Medical School Graduate, Physician, Author, Public Speaker - Doctor of Internal Medicine at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center and author of several articles and books, including the widely utilized and best selling medical textbook Primary Care Medicine,