The only way to ring in the New Year is with an epic New Year's Eve Dinner. Whether you are hosting a big dinner for family and friends, craving a carb-heavy meal to give you energy for a night out, or staying in to watch the ball drop, I've got the perfect meal for you. So if you are wondering "what to make for dinner on New Years", then you are in the right place. We are sharing over 40 of our most popular and best New Year's Eve dinner ideas including fancy recipes (hello lobster, scallops, and steak!), whole roast chicken, comforting pasta, seafood recipes, vegetarian dinner ideas, and more!
Best New Year's Eve Dinner Ideas
Surf and Turf Steak and Lobster Tails
Fancy, restaurant-quality surf and turf is super easy to make with fresh lobster tail and tender rib-eye steak with a delicious garlic butter sauce. This is one of my go to New Year's Eve dinner ideas when I want to impress.
Easy Chicken Parmesan (Parmigiana)
Easy chicken parmesan (parmigiana) with crispy breaded chicken, tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella and parmesan cheese. The best comfort chicken dinner for New Year's Eve.
Creamy garlic shrimp is a delicious, quick and easy 15-minute meal (including prep!) that you need to include in your weeknight dinner meal plan or for a fancy New Year's Eve dinner.
Better than the steakhouse, the best tender and juicy ribeye steak with a perfect seared crust is garlicky, buttery and packed with so much flavour. Serve with a side of Brussels Sprouts for a delicious New Year's dinner idea.
Creamy Chicken Roulade with Spinach and Mushrooms
Give your chicken breasts an upgrade by stuffing them to make fancy, juicy chicken roulade with spinach and mushrooms topped with a creamy alfredo sauce. Serve it over spaghetti alfredo with spinach and mushrooms.
Fettuccine alfredo is a classic Italian pasta dish that is rich, creamy, and delicious. Plus, it comes together in less than 15 minutes! One of the easiest New Year's Eve dinner ideas!
Easy, garlicky and buttery grilled shrimp boil with prawns, corn, baby potatoes and sausage, seasoned and tossed with parsley takes just 20 minutes to cook. Throw some whole potatoes on the grill too and serve this with some BBQ Chicken Stuffed Baked Potatoes.
Southern Black Eyed Peas (Hoppin' John) is classic comfort food that is hearty, delicious, flavorful, and comforting. Serve it on New Year's for good luck.
Instant pot whole chicken with gravy is tender, juicy, and flavorful. It's the fastest way to cook a whole rotisserie chicken for dinner in just 40 minutes.
Creamy Parmesan (No Wine) Risotto
Creamy Parmesan (No Wine) Risotto is a rich, creamy, and comforting classic Italian dish that may be intimidating but is actually quick and easy to make.
Garlicky, buttery, and perfectly seared scallops take less than 10 minutes to prep and cook. It's the easiest fancy, restaurant-grade meal to make at home and one of my favorite New Year's dinner ideas.
Thai Turkey Meatballs in Coconut Curry
Thai turkey meatballs in coconut curry are the perfect weeknight dinner when you want something delicious, healthy, flavorful, and satisfying.
Osso Buco - coming soon!
This delicious garlic and herb-crusted rack of lamb is tender, juicy, and flavourful. It is surprisingly quick and easy to make at home in about 30 minutes.
Quick and easy, creamy lemon chicken piccata is a simple and delicious 30-minute meal made with tender chicken breast in a light lemon sauce with capers. One of my favorite summer dinner ideas. You can also try Creamy Lemon Parmesan Chicken.
Sticky and sweet, easy honey garlic glazed salmon is one of the best salmon recipes and easiest New Year's dinners. Ready in under 25 minutes!
Easy creamy ham and potatoes au gratin is a great way to use leftover ham from Christmas with tender sliced potatoes and a cheesy béchamel sauce. The best comfort food.
Butternut Squash Carbonara Pasta
If you like traditional carbonara, you are going to love creamy butternut squash carbonara pasta with Parmesan, bacon and sage. The best fall comfort food.
Glazed Honey Balsamic Pork Chops
Quick and easy, glazed honey balsamic pork chops are tender and juicy, seared in thyme and coated with a honey balsamic sauce. Make it in under 30 minutes.
Cheesy Tortellini and Sausage Bake
Quick and easy, cheesy tortellini and sausage bake is a delicious 30-minute dinner packed with flavour. A family-favourite comfort food for busy weeknights.
Apple Cider Chicken with Butternut Squash
One of my favourite chicken recipes is quick, easy, one pan apple cider chicken with butternut squash, apples, and thyme, cooked in an apple cider sauce. Serve this fall meal in just 40 minutes. Don't forget some crusty bread to soak up all that juice.
Yellow curry mussels are the epitome of delicious seafood - creamy, spicy, and savory. This flavourful one pot dish is quick + easy to make in 25 minutes.
Stuffed Butternut Squash with Wild Rice
Healthy, hearty and wholesome butternut squash with wild rice and mushrooms is an easy cozy vegetarian dinner or side dish for fall. It pairs so nicely with a juicy roasted turkey breast and nutty green beans.
Quick and easy mascarpone pesto pasta is the tastiest creamy pasta dish you'll ever make in under 15 minutes. It's the best weeknight dinner.
Sheet pan lamb chops with vegetables are healthy and delicious, easy to make, and easier to clean up. Perfect for busy weeknights or a holiday dinner.
Honey Glazed Roast Pork with Vegetables
Easy one pan honey glazed roast pork is moist, tender, and juicy, coated with an irresistible honey glaze and packed with potatoes, green beans and apples.
Greek salmon is delicious, flaky, and tender. This healthy oven-baked salmon is packed with Mediterranean flavors and is ready in just 20 minutes.
Instant pot turkey breast is the most tender and juicy turkey you'll ever try. It's so easy to make in the pressure cooker and requires little prep.
Chicken marsala in creamy mushroom sauce is a quick and easy 30-minute chicken dinner that is pure comfort food goals. A total crowd favourite.
Flaky, oily, and tender, miso black cod (or sablefish) packed with delicious Asian flavours is an indulgent meal that's as healthy as it is delicious.
Creamy Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Hearty and creamy tortellini soup with sausage, spinach and kale is total comfort food in a bowl. Make this flavourful one pot meal in under 30 minutes.
One Pot Spanish Chicken and Rice
Packed with flavour, real ingredients and vibrant colours, one pot Spanish chicken and rice is the perfect no fuss, no clean up weeknight meal.
Quick easy spaghetti bolognese with a rich, thick, delicious and flavourful meat sauce is a family favourite ready in 30 minutes. Best weeknight dinner.
This hearty classic meatloaf with a caramelized glaze will nourish your body and soul. Feed the whole family with a simple yet flavourful classic.
Roasted Balsamic Chicken with Cranberries
If you're scrambling to figure out dinner with less than 30 minutes on hand, this sweet and tangy roasted balsamic chicken with cranberries will save the day. Serve with some creamy mashed potatoes or garlic mashed cauliflower.
Turkey Tetrazzini with Spinach
Creamy turkey tetrazzini with spinach is a simple, easy and delicious pasta recipe that is comforting, creamy and cheesy. The recipe used turkey, but you can easily substitute it with leftover chicken or a storebought rotisserie chicken instead.
Ground beef meat pie with a flaky puff pastry double crust pie is filled with ground beef cooked with vegetables and seasonings. The ultimate comfort food.
Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken
Easy Dutch oven whole roast chicken with the crispiest golden skin is juicy, tender and succulent and packed with flavour. Just takes 15 minutes to prep.
New Year's Eve Dinner Tips
- Plan your menu ahead of time. You can prepare some of these recipes in advance, and store them in an airtight container for a few days at room temperature or longer in the refrigerator. Some can even be made much further in advance and frozen, according to recipe directions.
- Prep your ingredients. If you aren't able to make something completely in advance, then prepare as much as you can ahead of time, whether that is chopping ingredients, making a sauce, or assembling the dish and storing in the refrigerator until it's ready for the oven. Anything that you can prepare in advance will make things go much more smoothly on New Year's Eve.
- Set the table. Take out the decorations, fancy plates, mugs, flatware, placemats, and napkins to make New Year's Eve dinner special. If you have time, set the table early so that you don't have to worry about it later.
More Popular Dinner Ideas
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- 40 Best Pasta Recipes
- 60 Best Chicken Recipes
- 25 Best Ground Beef Recipes
- 40 Best Shrimp Recipes
- 60 Chinese Takeout Recipes
- 30 Best Mexican Recipes
Did You Make Any of These New Year's Dinner Recipes?
Please leave a comment and rating below, and let me know what you thought of this round up of the best New Year's dinner recipes we have to offer. Be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.
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PrintRecipe
40 New Year's Eve Dinner Ideas
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Over 40 best New Year's Eve dinner ideas including fancy lobster and steak recipes, roast chicken, pasta dinners, seafood recipes, vegetarian dinners, and more!
Ingredients
Check individual recipe for full ingredients list ranging from:
- lobster
- scallops
- chicken
- steak
- salmon
- fish
Instructions
- Pick a recipe (or more) that you want to make.
- Gather and prep the ingredients.
- Make the recipe according to recipe instructions.
Notes
Plan your menu ahead of time. You can prepare some of these recipes in advance, and store them in an airtight container for a few days at room temperature or longer in the refrigerator. Some can even be made much further in advance and frozen, according to recipe directions.
Prep your ingredients. If you aren't able to make something completely in advance, then prepare as much as you can ahead of time, whether that is chopping ingredients, making a sauce, or assembling the dish and storing in the refrigerator until it's ready for the oven. Anything that you can prepare in advance will make things go much more smoothly on New Year's Eve.
Set the table. Take out the decorations, fancy plates, mugs, flatware, placemats, and napkins to make New Year's Eve dinner special. If you have time, set the table early so that you don't have to worry about it later.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Various
- Cuisine: Various
Nutrition
- Calories: 360
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