Good luck lentil dip New Year's Eve party appetizer recipe (2024)

This Lentil Dip recipe is a hearty, nutritious, and delicious dip recipe that's easy to make and perfect for your New Year's Eve party!

Do you have any New Year's Day food traditions?

My family usually hosts a New Year's Day pajama party open house. It's a great way to kick off the new year with a warm house full of fun friends, laughter, smiles, and yummy food and drinks.

I make firecrackers with fun positive printables inside to start the year off on a healthy, happy note.

New Year's Day food traditions around the world

All around the globe, different cultures have many longstanding New Year's Day food traditions.

• In the Philippines, the favorite lechon (roast pig) is served along with Pancit noodles. The noodles represent long life and good health.
• Southerners in the US traditionally serve black eyed peas along with collard greens to symbolize money.
• In Japan, a New Year's Eve menu usually includessoba noodles to represent long life.

And in Italy, lentils are served after midnight on New Year's Eve or later during New Year's Day. Lentils traditionally represent luck and prosperity.

Good Luck Lentil Dip

For our New Year's Day festivities in the past, I've enjoyed serving this Good Luck Lentil Dip.

It's so simple, yet full of textures and flavors that blend beautifully together. This hearty dip isabsolutely delicious to servealong with tortilla chips, crackers, or slices of baguette.

You just need a few basic kitchen tools to make this yummy New Year's Day recipe!

Stockpot - Use a large stockpot to cook the lentils.

Colander - You'll need a colander/strainer to drain the lentils after cooking.

Mixing bowls - Then you'll need two mixing bowls: one to hold the lentils while they chill in the fridge, and another to mix together the remaining ingredients.

Ingredients for Lentil Dip

You'll need:

• Lentils - You can use almost any lentil that you like. I prefer to use dried green lentils.
  
• Tomatoes - I find that Roma tomatoes work best for this dip, but you can also use San Marzano tomatoes, plum tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes.
  
• Basil - Use fresh basil if you can. Otherwise, you can use 1 tablespoon of dried basil instead.
  
• Garlic - The recipe calls for one clove of garlic, minced, but you can use two if you love garlic as I do!
  
• Salt & Pepper - Start with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper, then feel free to add more and season to taste.
  
• Balsamic Vinegar - The balsamic vinegar adds a slight tangy and tart flavor to the dip.
  
• Olive oil - Use the highest quality, best tasting extra-virgin olive oil that you have on hand.
  
• Lemon juice and zest - Adding both lemon juice and some lemon zest helps balance the dish out with fresh acidity.
  
• Oregano - I love the herbal depth of flavor that dried oregano adds to this lentip dip recipe. You can also use thyme instead, or add a little thyme to add even more complexity of flavor.
  
• Feta - Crumbled feta cheese adds a creamy, tangy component to the dish. If you're dairy-free, you can easily leave this out. Or, try using a favorite dairy-free feta cheese.

More New Year's Day recipes

To round out your New Year's Day festivities, try these easy recipes:

• Champagne Float co*cktails
• Gougere Bites (dairy-free cheese puffs)
• Air Fryer Crab Rangoon
• Filipino Pancit Bihon - noodles for long life!
• Champagne Jello Shots