Finish 2020 with 5 Tasty Weeknight Meals

Let's end 2020 with comfort food like chicken noodle casserole, a healthy and fresh vegetable soup made with Freekah, and Hoppin' John for good fortune.

By
Marta Rivera
Marta Rivera
Marta Rivera
Marta has 25 years of experience in the food service industry and has been developing recipes for 3 years. She is the author of Taste & See Cooks: Recipes to Inspire, Equip and Enjoy.
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Updated August 24, 2021
Marta Rivera
"What's For Dinner?" with a casserole dish filled with Chicken Noodle Casserole pictured behind the caption.

The end is in sight, friend! I have never wanted to end a year as much as I have wanted to end 2020.

I’m going to fall back on all of the superstitions, rituals, and plain old prayers I know to will 2021 into being a good year for everyone.

I’m starting off the week with comfort food in the form of Chicken Noodle Casserole, filling in the middle with Freekeh Vegetable Soup and Spring Rolls, and then ringing in the New Year with Hoppin’ John, a Southern meal intended to bring prosperity and wealth.

I’m hoping these recipes will bring a bit of unity as we eat our way around the world and the cultures that make up our country.

I, and the rest of the Simply Recipes family, wish you and yours a very happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

  • Chicken Noodle Casserole

    Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole in a white baking dish with a silver spoon.
    Sally Vargas

    To save time, use a store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of roasting it at home. I’m sure all of us have a comforting memory tied to chicken noodle soup. This chicken noodle beaut has zero condensed cream of anything in it. A comfort meal totally made from scratch sounds like the best way to wind down the year nobody knew was coming.

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  • Freekeh Vegetable Soup

    A dutch oven with vegetarian soup with freekeh along with a ladle and two bowls.

    If you're looking for something fresh and healthy this recipe by, Adeena Susman is it. This soup is loaded with vegetables and features freekeh, a smoked, cracked wheat prized by Arabs and Israelis alike, and now, by me and my family.

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  • Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

    Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
    Lisa Lin

    Lisa Lin’s spring rolls were a running joke in my family in 2020. I made them for my husband and he instantaneously fell in love with them. All subsequent outings to any Chinese restaurant ended with his proclaiming, “Well, they’re not better than Lisa Lin’s.” There were some great memories in 2020, and most of mine involved food.

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  • Huevos a la Mexicana

    Huevos Mexicana
    Elise Bauer

    It’s breakfast for dinner again! I don’t know why Brinner is such a thing for me. Maybe it’s because it turns the expected on its head, or maybe because it’s just easier than trying to whip up a three-course meal after a long day of work. Whatever it is, this is definitely a nod to the military for me. It takes me back to our time stationed in El Paso, TX. I can’t help but eat it and send good thoughts of safety and health to our Service men and women (and their families, too).

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    Continue to 5 of 6 below.

  • Hoppin' John

    Hoppin John
    Elise Bauer

    In the South, black-eyed peas are eaten to (hopefully) bring good fortune in the coming year. I’m going to eat my fill because I definitely need all of the good fortune I can get. Steamed white rice for the peas and a slice of skillet cornbread is the best (read: tastiest) way I know to bring in 2021. I wish you and yours a very Happy New Year!

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  • Weekend Baking: Eggnog Pound Cake

    Eggnog Pound Cake
    Elise Bauer

    Use up the last of the holiday eggnog in this moist, cranberry-studded pound cake. Double down on the eggnog theme by topping a warm slice of cake with a scoop of Eggnog Ice Cream, then you can tuck into that resolution list.

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