20 Easy Dinner Recipes for a Cozy New Year's Eve Celebration at Home
Enjoy a comfortable night at home this New Year's Eve. These easy dinner recipes will make the night feel special, but will only require 30 minutes in the kitchen. Pair healthy recipes like Panko- & Parmesan-Crusted Baked Scallops and Gnocchi with Truffle Parmesan Sauce with your favorite cocktail or a glass of wine to ring in the new year in a delicious way.
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Panko- & Parmesan-Crusted Baked Scallops
These easy baked scallops have a delightful balance of crunchy, golden-brown topping and tender, sweet scallops. They feel decadent like scallops should, thanks to the tasty lemon-butter sauce. Look for uniform scallops; if they're particularly large, you might need to bake them for more than 10 minutes.
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Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce
The secret to a good cream sauce is always the same: not too much cream or it can be overpowering, masking the more delicate flavors. Here it contains a bountiful amount of mushrooms and is served over chicken breasts.
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Garlic Shrimp with Cilantro Spaghetti Squash
Garlicky shrimp are served on top of buttery, cilantro-flecked spaghetti squash in this quick, healthy dinner recipe inspired by shrimp scampi. Pair with a side of sautéed greens, such as kale, collards or spinach.
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Gnocchi with Truffle Parmesan Sauce
This gnocchi recipe was created by chef Fabio Viviani of Siena Tavern in Chicago. No need for homemade gnocchi when you can dress up store-bought pasta with this special sauce. A bit of truffle oil is the magic ingredient that turns pillowy gnocchi into an extraordinary dish with minimal effort. You can find it in most well-stocked supermarkets near other flavored oils.
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Skillet Steak with Mushroom Sauce
This steak, broccoli rabe and pea dinner is a one-skillet meal that will be on your table in just 25 minutes! The pan drippings combine with mushroom, broth and grainy mustard to make a thick and delicious sauce.
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Chicken-&-Mushroom Marsala
For the best flavor in this classic one-pan chicken dinner recipe use real Marsala wine, not the cooking-wine kind. Serve with mashed potatoes.
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Lobster Ravioli
Who says a quick, easy dinner can't feel luxurious? This lobster ravioli recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make. It's quick enough for everyday, but worthy of a special occasion. Whip up this easy dinner on Valentine's Day or double it and serve it on a busy weeknight for the whole family to enjoy.
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Air-Fryer Fish Cakes
Typically deep-fried, these tasty fish patties get a little zip from sweet chili sauce and fresh cilantro. Any white fish will work, so select what looks freshest at the best price. The squeeze of lime at the end really brings everything together perfectly, so don't skip it.
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Puttanesca Pork Chops
This flavorful pork chop dinner recipe is proof that bold Neapolitan puttanesca sauce can liven up more than just spaghetti. Unlike brined olives like Kalamatas, oil-cured olives have a meatier bite because they're coated in salt then macerated in oil. Look for them on olive bars or with other Italian products. Serve with sautéed broccoli rabe and whole-wheat orzo.
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Brown Butter Seared Scallops
Get perfectly cooked scallops every time with this easy method. Sea scallops (the large ones) are sautéed in butter that turns deliciously nutty as it cooks, to make a super-fast, special dinner. A splash of lemon juice and fresh herbs finish the dish. Round out the menu with sautéed spinach and brown rice or orzo.
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Seared Cod with Spinach-Lemon Sauce
A citrus-laced spinach sauce zests up delicate cod in this healthy fish recipe. If you can find Meyer lemons, use their sweeter juice instead of the regular lemon and orange juices. Serve with roasted cherry tomatoes and zucchini with angel hair pasta.
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Chicken Saltimbocca
This healthy chicken saltimbocca recipe makes an impressive, yet fast, classy dinner. Serve this Italian-inspired chicken with roasted broccoli rabe and creamy polenta to round out this elegant meal.
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Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp with Arugula Salad
This recipe for jumbo shrimp wrapped in thin strips of prosciutto and served on a lemony bed of arugula is a practically effortless dish that's sure to impress your guests. Wrap your shrimp and make the dressing ahead of time, and you'll have dinner on the table even faster. Serve with toasted whole-wheat baguette sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
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Mussels with White Beans & Tomatoes
Cooking mussels may seem intimidating, but here we've made it quick and easy. We've added white beans to turn this classic mussels-in-white-wine-sauce dish into a heartier weeknight meal. Serve with whole-grain crusty bread to sop up the flavorful broth.
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Fish with Coconut-Shallot Sauce
This easy fish recipe with a flavorful garlic, thyme and coconut sauce is perfect for a healthy weeknight dinner. Serve with brown rice, to soak up the creamy sauce, and a green salad with vinaigrette.
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Wine-Glazed Steak
This sirloin steak owes its bold flavor to a tantalizing mix of red wine, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and honey. Try it for a quick 30-minute dinner.
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Mussels with Italian Turkey Sausage, Tomato & Basil
When mussels and turkey sausage meet up with white wine and tomato, pure kitchen alchemy occurs in this quick dinner recipe. The broth that brews at the bottom of the pot will make you feel that a piece of crusty bread (for soaking, of course) is your new best friend.
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Quick Risotto with Shrimp, Corn & Edamame
In this healthy, quick risotto recipe, we use instant brown rice instead of arborio rice, and frozen corn and edamame to speed up the cooking time and add fiber. To get the creamy risotto texture without slow cooking, we stir in cream cheese and Parmesan just at the end of cooking.
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Lemon-Thyme Roasted Chicken with Fingerlings
Fingerling potatoes are small, long, knobby spuds that are shaped like fingers. Look for them in the produce department or at farmers' markets.
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Parchment Packet Baked Tuna Steaks & Vegetables with Creamy Dijon-Turmeric Sauce
How to bake fish perfectly? Wrapping the fish and vegetables in parchment packets creates steam that keeps the tuna moist while it cooks. Plus, it's a fun presentation.