✦ new year’s day · your good luck menu in 4 steps
Happy New Year, friends! I make my Hoppin’ Johns every single New Year’s Day, and together with my creamy bacon bone broth collard greens they’re the two traditional recipes that are close to my heart, symbolizing luck and prosperity for the year ahead.
This page plans your whole New Year’s Day good luck menu in 4 steps, from the lucky foods to the printed menu on your table.
For good luck on New Year’s Day, eat black-eyed peas for coins, collard greens for money and cornbread for gold. A simple good luck menu is Hoppin’ Johns, creamy collard greens and a pan of cornbread, and the Hoppin’ Johns and collards cook together in about 45 minutes.
✦ step 1 of 4
Build your lucky plate
Lots of countries have their own good luck food for the new year, and the Southern version is the one on my table. Tap the foods you want on your table this year to see what each one means, and then add them to your menu.
Your plate is empty right now, so start with the black-eyed peas.
Copied!Pick your dishes
Start with my two New Year’s Day recipes, Hoppin’ Johns and creamy bacon collard greens, and if you’re feeding a crowd, add anything from the spread below them. Tap “+ Add to my menu” on whatever you’re making.
Hoppin’ Johns
Hoppin’ Johns has been a staple in my dad’s family for years, and it’s the dish I make every New Year’s Day for luck and prosperity in the year ahead.
Collard greens
I started making collards for New Year’s because of their rich symbolism, bringing wealth, prosperity and good luck, and this version adds protein and nutrients from bacon and bone broth.
Hoppin’ Johns
This Cajun-inspired dish combines black-eyed peas and dirty rice, delivering a deliciously savory and slightly spicy bowl of goodness.
Ingredients
The seasonings are to taste, and they go in twice, once with the garlic and once with the peas.
Directions
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the bell pepper and onion in avocado oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and seasonings to taste, stirring for another minute.
Stir in the ham and let it cook for 5-10 minutes until crispy on the edges.
Add the rice and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until the rice is cooked.
Stir in the black-eyed peas and add a second round of the same seasonings. Cover and cook on low for another 5-10 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!
Creamy Bacon Bone Broth Collard Greens
This recipe elevates the classic dish with added protein and nutrients from bacon and bone broth, and a little cream and cream cheese at the end make it creamy.
Ingredients (4 servings)
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon, onion and garlic, sautéing until the bacon is slightly crispy.
Add collard greens, butter and seasonings. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, until the greens begin to wilt.
Pour in the bone broth, turn the heat to medium-high and cover the skillet. Let the greens simmer on low for 10 minutes.
Stir in cream and cream cheese, cooking until fully incorporated. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.
Add more for a crowd
If you’re having people over on New Year’s Day, these are recipes from my site that go right next to the Hoppin’ Johns and collards.
Cook it and shop for it
Here’s the order to cook everything in so it’s all hot at the same time, one shopping list for the store, and the shortcuts that take the most off your plate.
Making both at once
These dishes pair beautifully together, so here’s the order to cook them in so everything is hot at the same time. Tap each line off as you go.
The shopping list for both
Both recipes, combined into one list, so you can copy it into your notes app or your grocery delivery order.
Produce
Meat
Dairy
Pantry
Shortcuts that make New Year’s Day easier
None of these change how the food tastes, and every one of them takes something off your plate between the holidays and the first workday of January.
🥬 Buy the bagged collards
Most grocery stores sell collard greens already washed and chopped in a bag, which skips removing the ribs and chopping a whole head by hand. Use about one bag in place of the head of collards.
🧅 Use frozen chopped onion and pepper
A bag of frozen diced onion and bell pepper goes straight into the skillet for the Hoppin’ Johns, so there’s nothing to chop at all.
🍖 Save the Christmas ham
If you have leftover ham from Christmas, chop up 4 oz and freeze it for New Year’s Day, and the Hoppin’ Johns ham is already done.
🌽 Box mix cornbread is totally fine
Grab a box of cornbread mix for the gold on the plate. Premade stuff is a staple in our house right now, and nobody at the table will care.
📅 Put the grocery run on your calendar
This adds a 30 minute “grocery run for New Year’s Day” event to your calendar on December 30, with the whole shopping list already inside it.
✨ Let ChatGPT plan the day
Copy this into ChatGPT (it works on the free version too) and fill in the two blanks, and it plans your whole New Year’s Day around these two recipes.
New Year’s Day good luck menu questions
What should be on a New Year’s Day good luck menu?
A Southern good luck menu has black-eyed peas for coins, collard greens for money and cornbread for gold. Mine is Hoppin’ Johns, creamy bacon bone broth collard greens and a box of cornbread mix, and you can add lucky foods from other countries, like pomegranate, lentils or 12 grapes at midnight.
What should you eat on New Year’s Day for good luck?
In the Southern US, people eat black-eyed peas for coins, collard greens because they’re the color of money, and cornbread because it’s the color of gold. Other countries have their own versions too, like 12 grapes at midnight in Spain, lentils in Italy and long soba noodles in Japan.
What is Hoppin’ John?
Hoppin’ John is a Southern New Year’s dish of black-eyed peas and rice. My Hoppin’ Johns is a Cajun-inspired version with black-eyed peas, dirty rice and ham, and it’s been a staple in my dad’s family for years.
Can I use canned black-eyed peas?
Yes, my recipe uses 2 cans of black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed, so there’s no soaking the night before.
Can I make Hoppin’ Johns and collard greens ahead of time?
Yes, both reheat well on the stove. Get the leftovers into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking and eat them within 3 to 4 days, which is the USDA guideline for cooked leftovers.
How long does it take to make both?
The Hoppin’ Johns take about 45 minutes and the collard greens take about 25. If you start the collards while the rice simmers, both are ready at the same time in about 45 minutes.
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I only do two recipes per week and I try to keep those minimal ingredients and one pan, because planning out five recipes that I have to cook throughout the week just isn’t realistic for us. My Dinner OS is the whole system I use to plan dinner that way.
Whether you’re gathering with loved ones or enjoying a quiet start to the year, I hope this brings warmth and good vibes to your table. Wishing you all a big, bright and beautiful year ahead. Thank you for being here, you mean so much to me!
Love, Erin
