Say goodbye to 2020 and ring in 2021 with these single serving and small batch New Year's recipes.
Finally, it's time to bid farewell to a crazy year and to get ready to have the best year ever. Here, you'll find several easy recipes that are perfect for celebrating a brand new year.
Why These Recipes Work
- They're all single serving recipes so you won't have too many leftovers to deal with.
- If you're celebrating with a small group, you might find these recipes to be perfect amount for your gathering.
- Each of these recipes for New Year's day are easy to make and don't require fancy ingredients.
Each of the easy New Year's recipes are accessible by clicking the link for each recipe and then going to the bottom of the specific recipe’s page.
What To Eat On New Year's Day
According to tradition, certain foods eaten on New Year's Day are thought to bring "good luck" to those who enjoy them. Being from the Southern United States, these items are ones we enjoy each year.
- In the south, black eyed peas are traditionally served on New Year's Day. The peas symbolize prosperity. They are said to deliver good luck because they resemble little coins. The swelling of the peas when cooked symbolizes our wealth expanding in the coming year.
- Cabbage leaves are considered a sign of prosperity. The leaves are said to resemble paper money.
- The color of cornbread is said to resemble gold and eating cornbread is thought to bring you spending money in the new year.
- Pork is often enjoyed on New Year's day because pigs root around with their snouts moving in a forward direction which symbolizes progress for the coming year.
- For dessert, consider making a bundt cake or donuts. Any cake or dessert that is made in the shape of a ring signifies a "full circle" of luck for the year ahead.
Your New Year's Menu (Choose Your Favorites)
Black Eyed Peas For One
Cornbread For One
Easy Unstuffed Cabbage Roll For One
Easy Pork Tenderloin For One
Black-Eyed Pea Hummus
Small Batch Ham and Cheese Scones
Mini Carrot Cake
Small Batch Red Velvet Donuts
Expert Tips
- Plan your menu as soon as you can. This way you can gather the ingredients you need for the recipes you make early and not have to search for items that may be out of stock at the store.
- Read through the recipes you'd like to make to determine which ones can be made ahead of time so that you are not cooking everything all at once.
- If you're cooking for just you this year, bring out the nice linens and use the good plates. You are special and worth it!
Frequently Asked Questions
With each recipe, I reference the baking dish or bowl I use and often provide a link to purchase it from Amazon in each recipe post. The size of the dish used in the recipes at One Dish Kitchen is very important. The recipes are developed and tested using the dish that is recommended. That being said, other similar sized dishes can work well too.
The baking dish I use most often is a 5x5-inch baking dish. It holds about 1.5 cups. I also use a slightly larger version that I have had for years which holds about 2 cups. You don't have to spend a lot of money on your baking dishes. I have found Le Creuset as well as other brands at Home Goods, Target and Amazon.
One thing to remember, if you use a much larger baking dish for the recipes featured, the cooking time will be different than listed in the recipe and the results may not be the same.
For a list of the baking dishes we use and recommend, visit our Bakeware Page.
My family has a great New Year’s Day dinner that is perfect for one or a whole family. It’s a broiled sandwich called a Lone Eagle. Take two slices of bread and butter them. Lay down a slice each of ham and turkey (frozen leftunders are great for this), and add a slice of tomato. Close the sandwich, then butter the top of it and add a slice of cheese. Run under the broiler until the cheese melts, then cut in two and serve. It’s so good you won’t want to wait until 1 Jan to make it again.
Thanks for your recipes, I love to cook, but I ‘m defeated sometimes by the quantity of food recipes make, yours’ are perfect, I tried a lot of them and they taste just as good as they look.