NYE Party Recipes

NYE Party Recipes for a Tasty Celebration

Are you looking for a few New Year's Eve party recipes to add to this year's celebration? While you can't go wrong with tried-and-true New Year's appetizers, you can also expand your repertoire from passable light bites to a full, sit-down meal. Proof that New Year's Eve party recipes aren't all nibbles and sweets, these dinner ideas are sure to set your table with flavor and help you end the year on a delicious note.

Lemony Capellini with Caviar

Simple to make yet decadent and richly flavored, this Food Network recipe is the epitome of elegance. This meal serves 12.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds capellini
• 1 pound melted butter
• 4 lemons, zested and juiced
• 10.5 ounces caviar, salmon roe, or soy pearls
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground white pepper
• Olive oil, as needed

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil before adding the capellini and cooking until it's al dente.
2. Drain the pasta quickly, allowing a little water to remain in the pot.
3. Return the pasta to the pot and toss it with melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and ground white pepper.
4. Arrange the pasta in single servings on your plates. Top with a large spoonful of caviar, garnish with a little extra lemon zest, and serve.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

Looking for a special, flavorful meal that you can "set and forget?" This slow cooker dinner from Carlsbad Cravings is ideal for serving with noodles for dinner or as a New Year's Eve appetizer — in that case, put the meatballs on toothpicks.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs

• 4 pounds ground beef
• 44 crushed saltine crackers
• 2/3 cup minced onion
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the sauce

• 2 14-ounce cans whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 4 tablespoons vinegar
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• 3 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

Directions:

1. Combine all meatball ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and form into 1-inch balls.
2. Place on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. While the meatballs brown, add all sauce ingredients to a bowl.
4. Transfer the meatballs to the slow cooker, topping with the sauce. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring halfway through.

New Year's Eve Desserts

Whether you're serving appetizers only or a full meal, it's always nice to end the evening on a sweet note. If you're short on time, consider buying premade goodies like cream puffs and mini eclairs.

Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding

Serve this rich pudding in your favorite dishes or use it to fill shot glasses or tiny bowls for a one- or two-bite treat that's as passable as your favorite New Year's appetizers.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 6 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups hazelnut spread
• 1 cup raw hazelnuts
• 4 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. Combine the cornstarch, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a saucepan.
2. Pour the milk into the saucepan slowly, and cook it over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Whisk it constantly until it's bubbling and thickened.
3. Take the saucepan off the heat, and whisk the chopped chocolate into the mixture in four batches. Stir until it's smooth between each addition.
4. Whisk the vanilla into the pudding.
5. Add the hazelnut spread to a bowl. Pour one cup of the warm pudding on top, and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
6. Add the rest of the warm pudding and stir well.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic, allow it to cool, and chill for several hours before serving. Sprinkle chopped raw hazelnuts on top of the pudding for garnish.

Peppermint Meringues

If you prefer something a little lighter, these tasty little morsels are the perfect one-bite treat. The peppermint is a refreshing palate cleanser, too.

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions:

1. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a low simmer.
2. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl except the peppermint extract.
3. Place the bowl over the simmering water, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is airy.
4. Remove the bowl from the water. Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the mixture for about 10 minutes until it forms stiff peaks.
5. Add the peppermint extract and whisk for 30 seconds.
6. Add the mixture to a resealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off.
7. Squeeze the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in small, cone-shaped dollops.
8. Bake the meringues for one hour at 250 F. Turn off the oven, vent it, and allow the meringues to stay in the oven for 90 minutes to continue drying.