Southern New Year’s Menu perfect for celebrating the first day of the new year! Said to bring money, luck and prosperity in the new year!Â
A Southern New Year’s Menu always includes certain dishes, at least around my house. For as long as I remember, pork, greens, and peas have been part of the New Year’s Day menu in my family. Said to bring good luck for the coming year, it is definitely a tradition I enjoy sharing with my family. Here are some of my favorites to ring in the new year.
Southern New Year’s Menu
Warm Brie with Honeyed Fruit Compote
This warm brie with a honeyed cranberry walnut compote makes a quick, easy and delicious start to any meal!
Pork Roast
Pulled pork is perfect for serving on New Year’s Day and pulled pork from this pork roast couldn’t be easier. Or more delicious. This recipe uses the slow cooker and is about as easy as recipes can be. Hey, I guess that’s luck right there!
If you are looking for something a little bit more traditional for the main item on your menu, you’ll love this Cola Glazed Ham. It’s a favorite.
Turnip Greens
We love turnip greens and collards around my house. They are a definite family favorite and my grandfather always said they represented money on New Year’s Day. You better believe I forced myself to eat them as a little girl that one day of the year. Now though, they are one of my favorite dishes any time of the year.
You can easily cook them low and slow on the stove all day, or just pop them into the slow cooker and let it do all the work for you. If you are looking for something even quicker, these Spicy Skillet Turnip Greens are always a hit. If turnip greens and collard greens aren’t your favorites, you can always switch it up and have brussels sprouts or cabbage.
Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas are said to represent coin or change for the new year if eaten on New Year’s Day. Of course you can cook them the traditional way on the stove with bits of pork for flavoring or toss it all into a slow cooker for slow cooker black eyed peas and let it work it’s magic.
Mashed Potatoes
You just can’t have a traditional New Year’s Day meal without including a big bowl of fluffy mashed potatoes. You can easily omit the roasted garlic from this recipe if you prefer, but oh my goodness are they too incredible to miss! Talk about deliciousness!!!
Southern Buttermilk Cornbread
There’s nothing like Southern Buttermilk Cornbread to go with the main players of a New Year’s Day meal. Light, fluffy and just the perfect partner to make sure you don’t miss a bit of the goodness from the black eyed peas or turnip greens. Oh my goodness!
Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs just round out this New Year’s Day menu completely. You can serve them as an appetizer if you prefer, but I love them as a side dish to enjoy alongside all of the other traditional goodies.
New Year’s Day Desserts
I love citrus anytime of the year, but especially when it is fresh in the winter. This Lemon Pound Cake is bright and cheerful and perfect for a dessert to welcome in the new. This cake can easily be made ahead for an easy-breezy New Year’s Day. Of course, a traditional Banana Pudding is always a great dessert for the big day and one of true comfort!
What are your favorites to serve on New Year’s Day? I’d love to know!
Love ya,
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2014.
Hi,
I enjoy your site so much, your food always looks so good. Thanks for sharing, really enjoyed how you shared about your handsome son and wonderful husband. Nice to hear about your love for him and how prayer guides you. I enjoy trying your wonderful recipes out. Thanks again
Have a very Happy New Year
Linda
Your note means so much to me, Linda. Thank you for taking the time to share this with me. I truly appreciate you!
Happy New Year to you too!
Robyn xo
Happy New Year to all from Georgia. I think all states and families have their own traditions and they are all Great! My family has collards, black eyed peas, corn bread and ham.
Looks Delicious!!! I think all your subscribers are all ready to come to your house! LOL!!!
Hey Robyn. Happy New Years! I have to make a correction. We here in the south don’t have turnip greens for New Years, we have cabbage. It is suppose to promote good luck to have cabbage, black eyed peas and corn bread. I don’t eat turnip greens or cabbage so I guess I’m out of luck LOL. But gimme the black eyed peas with bacon tossed in all day long!!
This is Shannon, and we here in the South always do have collard or turnip greens. Have never had cabbage.
Shannon, I am from the state of Louisiana, deep south. Tradition states the black-eyed peas bring luck and only eat cabbage because it represents money and if you eat the cabbage you will always have a dollar bill in your purse or wallet.
Got to love those Southern traditions and New Year superstitions, right, Chris?! Happy New Year! 🙂
I’m from southern Oklahoma and my menu includes black eyed peas and hog jowl, pork chops, sauerkraut and wieners, turnip greens, cornbread, and banana pudding. We just can’t wait.
Sounds delicious, Debby! Happy New Year! xo
When I lived on the East Coast of Canada, many folks ate roasted or stewed rabbit for New Year’s Day, representing as a symbol of renewal and hope.
When I lived in another area the traditional fluffy mashed potatoes had charms hidden in it: (a coin for prosper, a ring predicting a marriage, a tiny little diaper pin to predict a coming baby, a button for assurance of remaining a batchelor, a spool for spinster, a heart for love, a cross for Faith). I don’t remember all of the charms but it you could easily make your own. It was all in fun and adults and children both enjoyed it.
The fun didn’t end there. Dessert was a money cake for wealth. Tightly plastic wrapped coins were slid into the cake before icing it.
We just use party crackers and fortune cookies now at our New Year’s Day dinner.