21 Recipes to Celebrate the Start of 2021

January 01, 2021
Credit: Jacob Fox

Celebrate the new year with these healthy and flavorful recipes. These sweet and savory recipes are a mix of tried-and-true favorites and new, exciting ideas that we’ll be eating all year long. From Air-Fryer Chicken Parmesan to Creamy Potato-Carrot Soup and Flaky Apple Pie Bars, you’ll love these fun and delicious recipes.

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Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

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Though a chicken cutlet may be a chicken breast cut in half, this recipe shows how to make chicken cutlets with double the deliciousness. A jar of sun-dried tomatoes does double duty for this healthy dinner recipe. The flavorful oil they're packed in is used to sauté the chicken, and the tomatoes go into the cream sauce.

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Panko- & Parmesan-Crusted Baked Scallops

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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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Melting Potatoes

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The name for these spuds hints at their creamy interior. Roasting these melting potatoes at high heat ensures they get crunchy on the outside. Then, adding a little broth at the end allows the potatoes to absorb the liquid, making the insides extra moist.

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Creamy Potato-Carrot Soup

Credit: Fred Hardy
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In this sweet and savory potato and carrot soup, carrots and apple lend the sweet notes, while potato and half-and-half add a savory counterpoint and a layer of creaminess. The bay leaf gives it a depth of flavor. Top this simple soup with celery leaves and a drizzle of half-and-half.

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Flaky Apple Pie Bars

Credit: Jacob Fox
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Grab your box of puff pastry for these easy and delicious apple pie bars.

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Air-Fryer Chicken Parmesan

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An air fryer is a great way to enjoy chicken Parmesan with much less oil. A 5- or 6-quart air fryer fits two chicken breasts perfectly to get that signature crispy crust. (A smaller air fryer will work too, but you may have to overlap the breasts a little.)

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Spinach & Artichoke Dip Pasta

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If you've ever wanted to make a meal out of warm spinach and artichoke dip, this creamy pasta is for you. And here's what's almost as good as the flavor of this comforting dish: the fact that this healthy dinner takes just 20 minutes to prepare.

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Mug Brownie

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You might want to keep a copy of this recipe in the pantry beside the cocoa for those moments when you crave a chocolaty treat. Cook this fudgy brownie in a mug in the microwave and it's ready in less than a minute!

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Cajun Shrimp

Credit: Jennifer Causey
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This Cajun shrimp recipe is as quick and easy as it gets. It's spicy and buttery, with a kick of lemon and fresh parsley to round out the flavors. The shrimp get a nice char on one side, then finish cooking in butter so the texture remains tender.

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Air-Fryer Mozzarella Sticks

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These crispy air-fryer mozzarella sticks taste like your favorite mozzarella sticks without the fuss of frying and with much less oil thanks to the magic of your air fryer. The crust is crispy and the cheese inside is ooey-gooey—perfect for dipping in marinara.

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Tuna Melts with Roasted Bell Peppers

Credit: Jacob Fox
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Making your own roasted red peppers is so simple, plus it cuts down on the sodium compared to jarred peppers—giving you more room to add other flavorful ingredients, like mustard, without making the dish too salty.

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Crispy Baked Catfish

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This baked catfish has a crispy cornmeal coating with a hint of spice from the Cajun seasoning, while the interior stays flaky and moist. Serve with tartar sauce, lemon wedges or your favorite hot sauce and with a green salad on the side.

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Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

Credit: Jennifer Causey
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These not-too-sweet mini desserts combine the flavors of peanut butter cups and chocolate cake. Quinoa flour adds protein and makes these gluten-free, but feel free to substitute white whole-wheat flour instead.

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One-Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta

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This chicken Parmesan pasta uses the one-pot pasta method to cook your noodles, chicken and sauce all in one skillet for a fast and easy dinner with minimal cleanup. Finish the dish under the broiler to achieve a delicious melted cheese crust.

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Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots & Broccoli

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In this easy and healthy dinner recipe, sweet and savory baked honey-garlic chicken thighs come with a side of veggies that cook on the same sheet pan as the chicken. The honey-soy-garlic marinade for the chicken does double duty as an irresistible sauce to drizzle over everything. Lining your baking sheet with foil will protect your pan from the sticky honey-soy-garlic sauce, so cleanup will be a breeze too. If you can't find small carrots, cut medium carrots in half lengthwise.

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Air-Fryer Beignets

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
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Classic beignets are deep-fried, but not these! The air fryer gives these beignets a healthier twist by using less oil to achieve the crispy exterior and soft chewy inside that makes this South Louisiana specialty so mouthwatering.

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Easy Spicy Salmon Cakes

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Looking to add some interest to an easy dinner recipe? Five-spice may be your new best friend. What is five-spice powder? A mixture of these five spices: cinnamon, clove, fennel, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns. (There are regional recipes in China that include more spices, including white pepper, nutmeg and orange peel.) It adds a distinct warm flavor to these healthy salmon cakes.

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Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry

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To make this 20-minute vegan curry even faster, buy precut veggies from the salad bar at the grocery store. To make it a full, satisfying dinner, serve over cooked brown rice. When shopping for simmer sauce, look for one with 400 mg of sodium or less and check the ingredient list for cream or fish sauce if you want to keep this vegan. If you like a spicy kick, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce at the end.

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Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

Credit: Jennifer Causey
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These baked Buffalo chicken wings hit the oven, not the fryer, saving on fat and calories. Just like the original Buffalo wings, these baked Buffalo wings are coated in a tangy, spicy sauce and served with carrots, celery and your favorite creamy dipping sauce.

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Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken

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This rich-tasting but better-for-you creamy chicken soup has a delicious chicken pot pie feel to it. We call for rotisserie chicken to streamline your prep time--look for a nice big one with lots of breast meat on it. Pair this comforting and easy soup recipe with a green salad, or, if you're really hungry, a grilled cheese sandwich.

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Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

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his recipe takes oatmeal cookies up a notch with its cinnamony, buttery, delicious take on a much-loved classic dessert.

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