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Johnny Miller
Make New Year's Eve at home feel special with a meal that's worthy of the occasion. It's the last dinner of the year, after all, and it should feel festive. We've gathered New Year's Eve dinner ideas perfect for small groups—celebratory dishes that are easy on the cook, from one-pot dinners to quick yet luxurious pastas and elegant fish dishes. Finish the night with make-ahead desserts that deliver a grand finale. Chill the bubbly, line up the cocktails, and let this collection handle the rest of your dinner plans.
Sirloin Steak With Spinach and Onions
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Steak is the star here. We love this dinner for the steak and because it’s worthy of an occasion but also easy to cook. It’s all made in one pan and is on the table in just 40 minutes.
Mushroom Risotto With Spring Herbs
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Jason Donnelly
A hearty, plant-based dinner that’s worthy of a celebration. This risotto is topped with fresh herbs, and is finished with a generous serving of Parmesan.
Martha's Warm Chocolate Pudding Cakes
Finish your New Year's Eve dinner with these individual chocolate pudding cakes served warm from the oven. You can make them a day ahead and refrigerate. Then, bake them when you sit down to dinner, and they'll be ready at dessert time.
Broccolini With Peperoncini
Looking for an elegant side dish for your New Year's Eve celebration? Try this simple recipe in which broccolini is sautéed with thinly sliced garlic, dried chiles, and lemon.
Baked Chicken Legs With Chickpeas, Olives, and Greens
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An easy one-pot dinner means minimal clean-up, just what you need on New Year's Eve. Even better, this hearty meal bakes in the oven, so it doesn't need tending. It's a marvelous marriage of flavors, including Aleppo pepper, chickpeas, olives, hearty greens like spinach or kale, and thyme, coriander, and orange.
Poached Pears With Saffron Whipped Cream
Elegant, delicious, and luxurious, these poached pears are cooked with the zest and juice of an orange, cinnamon, saffron, and vanilla bean. They're served with a saffron whipped cream for a decadent finishing touch.
Stacked Butter Lettuce Salad
Butter lettuce gets royal treatment with this careful preparation. Each individual leaf is dressed with a ginger-lime-yuzu vinaigrette, atop fresh avocado.
Chicken-and-Polenta Puttanesca Melts
Welcome the New Year with this cozy main course that comes together in under half an hour. Seared chicken cutlets nestle in a skillet with polenta, marinara sauce, and plenty of mozzarella cheese.
Kale-and-Apple Salad
Use hearty greens like kale in this winter salad. Thinly sliced apple, celery, celery leaves, and Parmesan cheese garnish the leaves along with a classic Dijon vinaigrette.
Mile-High Triple-Chocolate-Espresso Mousse Pie
This showstopping dessert has three layers of chocolate. There's a chocolate wafer cookie crust, a bittersweet chocolate mousse, and a milk chocolate mousse. It's topped off with espresso whipped cream that perfectly complements the chocolate. And you can make this stunner a day ahead and refrigerate until the party starts.
Walnut-Stuffed Chicken Roulades
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End the year on a high note with this spectacular chicken recipe. Butterflied chicken is filled and rolled with a mushroom-walnut mixture, then coated in a crispy crumb layer before roasting.
Red Wine Pasta
If you're serving pasta for New Year's Eve, may we suggest this party-ready version? Spaghetti is twirled in a flavorful sauce made from red wine, pancetta, shallots, garlic, and Pecorino Romano.
Rice Pudding With Sea Salt-Caramel Sauce
A haute take on a humble, comforting dessert that's not to be missed. Our rice pudding is made with short-grain rice, which is starchy and makes the pudding even creamier. And that sea-salt caramel sauce is divine.
Pork Tenderloin With Kale Salad
Colorful and festive, this healthy meal pairs baked pork loin with kale, quinoa, and roasted sweet potatoes (which cook alongside the meat). And, it's ready in less than an hour.
Drunken Mussels With Chorizo and White Beans
Mussels cooked in white wine is a bistro favorite that's quick and easy to make and also a little different from your usual dinner at home. Our recipe has a Spanish accent, with chorizo and white beans bringing extra flavor and heft to the table.
Mini Pistachio Bundts
Serving individual desserts is a fun way to make your New Year's Eve dinner feel fancy. These mini bundt cakes are just the thing; they're moist and fragrant with pistachios and orange-flower water.
Sautéed Black Sea Bass With Capers and Herb-Butter Sauce
We've dressed up buttery, flaky sea bass for the holiday with vermouth, capers, butter, and plenty of tender herbs. It's a 25-minute entree that looks and tastes like restaurant fare.
Chicken-and-Gnocchi Bake With Broccolini
Cozy up with this baked pasta dish on New Year's Eve. It makes use of easy ingredients, including store-bought gnocchi, rotisserie chicken, and chicken broth for a simple, satisfying meal that feels special.
Herby Shrimp-and-Feta Bake
Johnny Miller
This Mediterranean-inspired seafood recipe is another simple but spectacular dish that's just right for New Year's Eve. Shrimp are tossed in a herb mixture made with lemon zest, saffron, garlic, fresh parsley, and oregano. Then they're baked low and slow with plenty of olive oil and feta cheese.
Cream-Free Shrimp Alfredo
This celebratory shrimp pasta tastes indulgent but isn't too rich. There's no heavy cream needed for this take on Alfredo. Instead, the sauce is made with an egg yolk, starchy pasta water, butter, and Parmesan cheese.
Radicchio Salad With Chopped-Lemon Dressing
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Justin Walker
Radicchio is a wonderful cold-weather green that can add fresh crunch to your table in the middle of winter. Its bitterness is tempered by a lemony vinaigrette.
Pepper-Crusted Lamb With Roasted Vegetables
A bistro-style entrée that's easy to make at home using supermarket ingredients. The meat is seared on the stovetop, then finished in the oven—where those irresistible roast potatoes and broccolini are cooking. There's a red wine pan sauce that brings everything together.
Easy Fudge Bites
These individual fudge bites are easy to prepare but make a big impact—they're sure to go fast.
Persimmon, Beet, and Citrus Salad
Persimmons are at their peak in the winter. Pair them with roasted beets and sweet citrus for an unusual and delicious salad.
Pork-Meatball Skillet Bake
This one-pan dinner can serve as an appetizer or main course for a small New Year's Eve gathering. The meatballs are quick to make with ground pork, crushed fennel seeds, and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. They're seared in a cast-iron skillet, then finish cooking on the stovetop in marinara sauce with bell peppers. Slices of Italian bread are tucked into the skillet and everything is topped with mozzarella cheese before it takes a quick trip under the broiler.
Pomegranate-Coconut Trifle
This magnificent trifle is sure to delight. Pomegranates are at their peak in winter, and their unique flavor and color shine in this make-ahead dessert. Whipped cream and toasted coconut are just the right festive, finishing touches.
Skillet Cod With Bulgur, Zucchini, and Tomatoes
See out the year with this healthy, nourishing meal that comes together in just 45 minutes. Cod is sprinkled with harissa seasoning and cooks along with bulgur, tomatoes, and sautéed zucchini for a delicious one-pan dinner.
Vinegar-and-Garlic-Braised Chicken
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks braise in a combination of rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and bay leaves for a flavor-packed main course.
Stuffed Cabbage With Beef and Rice
For a hearty main course for New Year's Eve, it's hard to beat stuffed cabbage. Green cabbage is filled with a combination of long-grain white rice and ground beef chuck and cooked in an easy tomato sauce. Swap the beef for ground pork for an equally delicious dinner.
Turkey-Pesto Meatball Soup
Cozy up with a bowl of this flavorful soup made with homemade basil-garlic pesto and turkey meatballs. You can make the meatball base in advance to streamline the prep on New Year's Eve.
Swiss-Chard and Almond Pasta
A colorful vegetarian pasta that makes a delicious New Year's Eve dinner. Rainbow Swiss chard takes center stage with almonds and lots of Pecorino Romano playing supporting roles.
Chocolate-Chip Oat-Coconut Skillet Cookie
A giant gooey chocolate-chip cookie is a dessert everyone will want to dig into. Adding oats and coconut to this classic only makes it better. Served warm—with ice cream on top, of course.
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