Eating Pork and Lentils is an Italian tradition and is considered a good luck meal on New Year’s Eve. Every year we celebrate New Year’s Eve with family and friends and always serve a simple dish of lentils and a dish of pasta made with pork sauce, and it’s usually served before the ball drops. Then it’s followed by a toast with a glass of Prosecco or Champagne to bring in the new year!
Never heard of this good luck meal tradition?
In Italy, a traditional New Year’s Eve meal is all about symbolizing abundance, wealth, and good luck. There are specific foods that no Italian would fail to prepare or eat to bring in the New Year.
So join us and experience an Italian New Year’s Eve tradition as you indulge in pork and lentils this New Year’s Eve with some of our favorite recipes to choose from!
We hope you’ll give them a try and bring a little luck in the new year.
1. Lentil Soup: Simple, light, and delicious tasting, Lentil Soup makes a great starter to any meal and is perfect to serve on New Year’s Eve! Loaded with vegetables, lentil soup can be made ahead and reheated minutes before serving.
2. Rigatoni Alla’Matriciana: This tomato sauce is simmered with pancetta (Italian bacon) and onions to give its rich and savory flavors, and it’s usually served over rigatoni pasta. Exceptional flavors! This rigatoni alla’amatriciana is SO good, it’s even addicting!
3. Sausage Bites with Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce:Hosting a gathering? These sausage bites with sweet & sour dipping sauce may just be the ideal thing! Super easy and fun to serve. Make ahead and reheat before serving. These bites will surely be a hit and disappear as soon as they hit the table!
4.Lentil Salad with Sweet Peppers: A refreshing, light lentil salad is served chilled and dressed with a tangy vinaigrette. This lentil salad with sweet peppers is very healthy and makes a colorful and flavorful dish!
5. Sicilian Sausage and Peppers:Made with 5 main ingredients and easy to prepare, Sicilian Sausage and Peppers is a crowd-pleaser and can become one of the best meals for you to serve on New Year’s Eve! Super easy to make and bake. Best of all, this meal is easy on the wallet!
6. Sausage Stuffed Peppers: Delicious stuffed peppers with sweet sausages are easily baked and served. Great for serving as a side dish, or make smaller ones to serve as appetizers!
7. Classic Fettuccine Alfredo with Sausage:This favorite classic is made with already cooked sausages, light cream, butter, and Parmesan cheese, making this fettuccine Alfredo come together in minutes!
8. Honey-Lime Glazed Pork Tenderloin:Pork Tenderloin gets a sweet and zesty glaze loaded with honey, lime juice, zest, and ground cumin. A wonderful combination of flavors and spices makes any pork tenderloin taste delicious!
If you’re entertaining and you want to simplify the appetizers with a stress-free idea, try serving a Charcuterie & Cheese Board, adding a variety of cured Italian meats such as prosciutto, Genoa salami,Sopressata and mortadella along with cheeses and olives.
You might also enjoy a few more recipes, try these…
And Liz’s Pita Pizza – only need to add some cooked crumbled sausage on top and bake for 5 minutes!
Eating Pork and Lentils is considered a good lucky meal for us and we’re sure there are many other traditions around the world that celebrate New Year’s Eve with a special meal.
Please leave a comment and share some of those traditions! We’d love to hear about them!
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To all our family and friends around the world, thank you for another year of sharing our blog with you! Thank you for your friendship!
We wish you all a very healthy and Happy New Year!! Many blessings in the New Year!! …CHEERS!
“Pork and lentils, pork and lentils” … it sounds like it should be song lyrics – although I’m not sure what rhymes with it. In any case, not just the pork and lentils, but all the dishes you show here look absolutely wonderful. Happy New Year!
Thank you Susan for your sincere friendship this past year and for always taking the time to leave a sweet comment! We wish you the very best of happiness and prosperity in the new year!!
This must be where our Southerers got their black-eyed pea version for good luck 🙂 I love lentils and a hearty lentil soup is dinner here occasionally. One of our Italian friends always does a pork roast on New Year’s Day for good luck 🙂 Hope you have a happy, healthy and lucky in the new year ladies!
“Pork and lentils, pork and lentils” … it sounds like it should be song lyrics – although I’m not sure what rhymes with it. In any case, not just the pork and lentils, but all the dishes you show here look absolutely wonderful. Happy New Year!
Lol! Thanks Jeff for your sweet comment, and a very Happy New Year to you too!
Thank you Jeff!! Happy and Healthy New Year!!
I think I’ll be eating a lot of pork and lentils! Always hoping and needing luck! All of these recipes sound so good! Happy New Year!
Thank you so much! Happy New Year Abbe!!
So many delicious ways to welcome the new year. Happy New Year, hope it’s a good one.
Amalia
xo
Thank you Amalia and the same to you!! Blessings in the New Year!!
Happy New Year, Anna and Liz! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes throughout the year!
Happy New Year to you as well and thank you for your friendship this past year!!
What a fantastic roundup of great dishes! Happy New Year to you and your family. Blessings and best wishes!
Same to you Tricia and thanks so much!!
Thank you Susan for your sincere friendship this past year and for always taking the time to leave a sweet comment! We wish you the very best of happiness and prosperity in the new year!!
This must be where our Southerers got their black-eyed pea version for good luck 🙂 I love lentils and a hearty lentil soup is dinner here occasionally. One of our Italian friends always does a pork roast on New Year’s Day for good luck 🙂 Hope you have a happy, healthy and lucky in the new year ladies!