15 New Year’s Day Dinner Ideas That Look Fancy but Are Secretly So Easy

Protein, grains and veggies unite in this beautiful-looking dinner salad that’s an appetizer, side and entree all in one.

Sauteed eggplant and a simple homemade sauce, stirred with hot pasta in the pan right before serving, makes this dish feel extra fancy.

A classic and foolproof French dinner in less than an hour? Done. Plus, you get to enjoy the extra white wine while the chicken simmers.

Low-key gnocchi is the way to go on a chilly January evening.

Spaghetti night feels a bit pedestrian, so give your meatballs some flair with a batch of polenta instead. No one needs to know it’s ridiculously easy to make.

Six ingredients, 20 minutes, infinite yum. Splurge on the cheese for a higher-quality, even better tasting dish.

The best part of making paella? No stirring. Let this Spanish rice dish simmer as it cooks up into a gorgeous dinner that feeds six.

Almost as easy as ordering pizza, but so much tastier. Feel free to riff on the toppings.

Ten minutes is all you need to make this life-changing spicy noodle recipe. Add a side of sliced cucumbers or steamed broccoli if you want a veg.

You don’t need to start off the year with extra dishes. This one-skillet meal is equal parts sophisticated and cozy.

The baked pasta dish of your dreams has arrived. Consider using a few different kinds of packaged square ravioli to really mix things up.

The crispy skin on these chicken thighs are—*chef’s kiss*—perfection, and the technique is easy to master.

Yep, you can make the three components of this yummy meal in under an hour.

Homemade salsa, as easy as it is tasty, amps up these steak tacos.

It’s filling, it’s fast and if you use the image as inspo to layer the puff pastry, it’s pretty damn fancy too.