41 New Year’s Dinner Ideas to End the Year Right
December 31st is your last opportunity to cook something epic—until next year, of course. Still, this is the time to go all out with our best New Year’s Eve dinner ideas. From savory starters, like party-ready dips and one-bite delights, to crowd-friendly mains, like pot roasts and extra-special pasta dishes, these New Year’s recipes are primed to send out the old and usher in the new.
Hosting a dinner party? Go for a one-pot entrée, like vermicelli chicken or mushroom bourguignon. Attending a friend’s fête? It is absolutely appropriate to bring a slow-cooker full of cocktail meatballs. Cozy night in? Bone-in pork chops make an excellent dinner for two. No matter how you celebrate, these fun bites will get the party started and keep it rolling late into the night. But first, pour yourself one of our best New Year’s Eve cocktails. Cheers!
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Linden Elstran1/41Jammy Brie Galette
Choosing the perfect appetizer to kick off your New Year’s dinner can be stressful. That’s where this easy (like, really easy) galette comes into play. Upgrade a sheet of frozen puff pastry with creamy brie and your favorite fruit jam for a low-effort, high-reward bite.
Photograph by Peden + Munk, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic3/41Sheet-Pan Spinach Lasagna
Swap the casserole dish for a sheet pan to make a quicker, easier, and highly shareable version of everyone’s favorite comfort-food staple—or go old-school with our traditional lasagna.
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Food Styling by Micah Morton, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness4/41Rosemary and Dried Cherry Pork Chops
Photography by Emma Fishman. Food Styling by Alison Attenborough. Prop Styling by Summer Moore.5/41Peppery Antipasto Skewers
Laura Murray6/41Shrimp Scampi
Ring in the new year with a classic. This shrimp scampi gets an extra punch of garlicky flavor from a short marinade before cooking. It makes an easy appetizer or a great addition to a buffet-style dinner spread.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams7/41Chicago-Style Pigs in a Blanket
Alex Lau8/41Roast Beef Tenderloin With Garlic and Rosemary
Nothing says “it’s holiday season” quite like a beautiful beef tenderloin placed at the center of the table. If you’re hosting a dinner party for the ages, this dish needs to be on the menu.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li9/41Roast Fish With Cannellini Beans and Green Olives
This is one of those dinner recipes that looks like a ton of work, but is secretly very easy. It relies on pantry staples like canned beans and olives, so all you have to do is pick up the fish and pop the Champagne.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Gerri Williams10/41Creamy Giardiniera Dip
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Food Styling by Micah Morton, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness12/41Mushroom Bourguignon
With tender short ribs, hearty vegetables, and rich broth, traditional beef bourguignon is about as good as winter dinners get. But why should meat eaters have all the fun? Packed with nearly three pounds of mixed mushrooms, this vegetarian-friendly, umami-loaded version is ready for a party.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro14/41Marinated Mozzarella and Peppadew Peppers
PHOTO BY ALEX LAU, FOOD STYLING BY REBECCA JURKEVICH, PROP STYLING BY KALEN KAMINSKI15/41Slow Roast Beef
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Erica Lutz16/41Gambas al Ajillo
Host a Spanish-style New Year’s Eve party, complete with a tapas spread and a big pitcher of vermouth sangria.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Anderson, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka17/41Brothy Seafood Chowder
Want to know the secret to really good seafood chowder? Homemade fish stock. Simmer fish bones, some root vegetables, white wine, and plenty of aromatics together for just under an hour. Add diced Yukon gold potatoes, your favorite white fish, and juicy Sun Gold tomatoes to turn that versatile stock into a pot of warm, brothy chowder.
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Erica Lutz18/41Stacked Muffuletta Salad
If there’s any time to lean into maximalist cooking, it’s on New Year’s Eve. This towering salad, layered with all the flavors of a muffaletta sandwich, is whimsical, fun, and flavorful.
Photo by David Loftus19/41Eggplant Roasted in Satay Sauce
For a high-impact vegetarian party main, roast a few eggplants whole, then douse them in nutty, aromatic satay sauce.
Photo by Taylor Peden and Jen Munk / Courtesy Clarkson Potter, Random House20/41Strip Steak au Poivre
Marcus Nilsson21/41Lobster Fra Diavolo
If you’re going to serve a pasta dish at your New Year’s Eve party, it might as well include lobster. A duo of chopped Calabrian chiles and crushed red pepper flakes gives this dish serious heat.
Photograph by Andrew B. Myers, Food Styling by Micah Morton, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness22/41Swedish-Style Turkey Meatballs
Alex Lau24/41Miso- and Mayo-Marinated Short Ribs With Spicy Sauce
If you’re used to long-braising short ribs, this recipe takes a much speedier approach. Lean on condiments you already have in your fridge and pantry (think: miso paste, mayonnaise, and rice vinegar) to build big flavor quickly. The resulting dish is definitely party-worthy.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman25/41Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Alex Lau27/41Potato Blinis
Inspired by a Thomas Keller recipe, these petit pancakes are the ideal base for caviar and sour cream or smoked salmon and crème fraîche.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Megan Hedgpeth28/41Oxtail and Red Wine Stew
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou29/41Roast Chicken Legs With Lots of Garlic
It’s easy to think of chicken as the center of your weeknight dinner rotation. But this fragrant, garlicky dish highlights an underutilized cut—the legs—for a showstopping main course.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, styling by Judy Mancini37/41Swordfish Steaks With Olive-Pistachio Sauce and Potatoes
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Megan Hedgpeth38/41Ham Hock and White Bean Stew
The ham hock in this stew lends a rich, smoky essence that flavors the beans from the inside out. It’s a fun twist on the tradition of serving black-eyed peas with ham hocks and collard greens on New Year’s Day for good fortune. So save some for tomorrow too.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski40/41Pineapple-Glazed Ham
This 1950s-style rendition of baked ham might make you temporarily forget you’re turning the calendar forward, not back. But once you taste it, all juicy and lacquered with a spicy, vinegary glaze, you won’t care what century it is.
