31 New Year's Eve Recipes for Intimate At-Home Celebrations During the Pandemic

Welcome the New Year with this extra-special main course that comes together in under half an hour. Seared chicken cutlets nestle in a skillet with polenta, marinara sauce, and plenty of mozzarella cheese.

Looking for an elegant side dish for a smaller New Year's Eve celebration? Try this simple recipe, which lets sweet broccolini shine. It's sautéed with thinly sliced garlic, dried Italian chiles, and lemon.

End your New Year's Eve celebration with individual chocolate pudding cakes, which are perfect for serving in COVID times to a small group of your closest loved ones.

Accessorize butter lettuce with fresh herbs including parsley, oregano, and fennel fronds in this salad recipe worthy of a special occasion. All of the greens are tossed with a creamy dressing made from buttermilk, crème fraîche, and lemon juice.

Hosting a smaller group than usual for New Year's Eve this year? Serve these poached pears—which cook with the zest and juice of an orange, cinnamon, saffron, and vanilla bean—with a saffron whipped cream for an extra-luxurious dessert.

Make use of winter greens like kale in this petite salad, which is perfect for serving two to four people on New Year's Eve. Thinly sliced apple, celery, celery leaves, and grated Parmesan cheese garnish the leaves along with a classic Dijon vinaigrette.

This showstopper of a dessert is made with two layers of chocolate—a chocolate wafer cookie crust and an indulgent mousse made with bittersweet chocolate and milk chocolate. It's topped off with a perky espresso whipped cream that perfectly complements the chocolate.

End 2020 on a high note with this spectacular chicken recipe for New Year's Eve. Serve bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts with a hearty, autumnal stuffing made from torn ciabatta bread, grapes, and plenty of herbs.

Cozy up with this baked pasta dish for a small group on New Year's Eve. It makes use of easy ingredients like store-bought gnocchi, pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, and chicken broth for a simple, satisfying meal.

While steamed mussels often feel like a dish that is best enjoyed seaside, hearty white beans and spicy chorizo instantly bring it into winter territory.

Looking for an individual dessert that you can safely serve to a small group on New Year's Eve? These mini Bundt cakes—which get flavor from pistachio extract, orange-flower water, and coarsely chopped pistachios—are just right.

If there's one fish that denotes a special occasion, it is certainly sea bass. Here, we've dressed up the buttery, flaky fish with vermouth, capers, butter, and plenty of tender herbs.

Serving pasta for New Year's Eve may not feel particularly special, but this version certainly is. Spaghetti is twirled in a flavorful sauce made from red wine, pancetta, shallots, garlic, and Pecorino Romano.

This simple Mediterranean seafood recipe is nothing short of spectacular for New Year's Eve. Shrimp is tossed in an herb mixture made from lemon zest, saffron, garlic, fresh parsley, and oregano. It's then baked with plenty of olive oil and feta cheese until cooked through and bubbly.

You don't need to spend all day cooking a New Year's Eve dinner for it to be special. In under one hour, pork tenderloin, kale salad, and roasted sweet potatoes become a delectable meal.

Celebrate New Year's Eve during the pandemic with this haute take on a humble, comforting dessert. Our version calls for short-grain rice, which is starchy and will help to make the pudding even creamier.

There's no heavy cream needed in this alfredo-inspired pasta dish for a small New Year's Eve gathering. Instead, the sauce is made with an egg yolk, starchy pasta water, butter, and Parmesan cheese.

Bitter greens like escarole and dandelion greens, avocados, shaved celery, and fennel bring bright green color to this spectacular side salad that will serve a small group for New Year's Eve.

Lamb is the ultimate special occasion meat, which is why this recipe—which comes together in just over an hour—is perfect for serving to your closest loved ones on New Year's Eve.

If you're hosting a smaller celebration this year, you don't need to go all out for dessert. These individual fudge bites are easy to prepare but make a big impact.

Tart persimmons are at their peak in winter. Pair them with mixed chicories such as endive or radicchio for a seasonal side that will shine on New Year's Eve.

This one-pan dinner can serve as an appetizer or main course for a small New Year's Eve gathering. Mix ground pork with crushed fennel seeds and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for the meatballs; they're seared in a cast-iron skillet, then finish cooking with marinara sauce, bell peppers, and plenty of mozzarella cheese.

Pomegranates are at their peak in winter, so let their tart flavor and vibrant red-purple hue shine in this marvelous trifle that will wow your quarantine pod. Whipped cream and toasted coconut are just the right festive, finishing touches.

In just 45 minutes, this colorful fish recipe will give you a taste of summer—even in the middle of winter. Cod is sprinkled with harissa seasoning and cooks along with bulgur, tomatoes, and sautéed zucchini for a healthy, nourishing meal.

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks braise in a combination of rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and bay leaves for a savory main course.

Green cabbage is filled with a combination of long-grain white rice and ground beef chuck for a hearty main course for New Year's Eve.

Cozy up with a bowl of this flavorful soup made with homemade basil-garlic pesto and turkey meatballs. You can make the meatball base in advance, which leaves you plenty of time to spend with your closest loved ones.

Upgrade your pasta dinner for an extra-special New Year's Eve. Hearty, colorful rainbow Swiss chard takes center stage alongside raw almonds and lots of Pecorino Romano.

Gather 'round the table and dig into this one-skillet cookie with a small group on New Year's Eve. It's best served warm (with ice cream on top, of course).

Don't hide the color or flavor of bright red radicchio. Instead, accent it with a simple lemon-mustard vinaigrette that's packed with fresh mint leaves for a fragrant contrast.