Ree Drummond’s 11 Best Brunch Dishes Perfect for New Year’s Day

Ree Drummond loves to kick off the new year with a delicious brunch featuring “a menu of revamped favorites.” The Pioneer Woman says that when you stay up late, you wake up hungry — and New Year’s Day is the perfect opportunity to kick things off right and try “some seriously tasty dishes.” If you’re looking to start the new year with a brunch that’s worthy of a celebration, here are 11 of Ree Drummond’s best brunch meals to try on New Year’s Day.

1. Ree Drummond’s Baked Bagel Egg in the Hole features a decadent Hollandaise Sauce

Ree’s easy five-star recipe for Baked Bagel Egg in the Hole is a fun take on a classic southern breakfast dish that features a decadent hollandaise sauce. You’ll need some everything bagels, salted butter, eggs, kosher salt, and black pepper for the main part of the dish. To make the hollandaise, you’ll need unsalted butter, egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and kosher salt.

The Food Network star puts a unique twist on the dish by garnishing it with smoked salmon, onion, chives, and capers, 

“I made this for breakfast today and it was delicious!!!  I used prosciutto and mozzarella roll-ups instead of the salmon because I didn’t know if we would like that. The hollandaise sauce was so decadent!!!  I will make this again and again!!” one reviewer shared.

2. Awesome Roasted Tomatoes are ‘absolutely delicious’

The Pioneer Woman turns Roma tomatoes into a yummy addition to brunch with her recipe for Awesome Roasted Tomatoes. You’ll need a mixture of olive oil, garlic cloves, kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, fresh basil leaves, and fresh oregano to coat the Roma tomatoes before roasting.

Then, Ree adds an Herb Drizzle made with fresh basil leaves, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh oregano leaves, caper, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

“I followed this to the letter and it was fantastic,” one happy fan wrote. Another added, “Absolutely delicious!” A third shared, “Excellent! My wife who doesn’t like stewed or roasted warm tomatoes LOVED this.”

3. Let your guests build their own Yogurt Parfait

A fun brunch idea, according to Ree, is to set all of the ingredients for a Yogurt Parfait and let your guests build their own. Those ingredients include homemade granola, fresh fruit, and yogurt.

To make the homemade granola crunch, you’ll need oats, chopped pecans, light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, salted butter, and an egg white. The fruit mixture calls for strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Plus granulated sugar and lemon juice. For the yogurt, all you need is whole milk vanilla yogurt, and some sour cream.

4. Walnut Brownie Baked Oatmeal is dessert for breakfast (or brunch)

You’ll need to make Ree’s Walnut Brownie Baked Oatmeal the night before because it needs to sit in the refrigerator overnight. This yummy dish is best served with whipped cream and fresh raspberries, or you can personalize it with whatever is in your fridge. 

Options include pouring whole milk or half-and-half over a warm scoop. Or, for extra sweetness, top a scoop with butter or maple syrup.

“It’s safe to say that anything for breakfast that doubles as dessert will be a crowd-pleaser, so consider this baked oatmeal recipe a guaranteed big hit!” Ree says.

5. Start the new year with Ree Drummond’s Crockpot Breakfast Casserole 

When you make Ree’s Crockpot Breakfast Casserole, you’ll wake up to the smell of warm potatoes and chorizo, fluffy eggs, and cheese. Mix it together the day before, then cook it in the slow cooker on low overnight, so the star of your brunch is waiting the next morning.

“This slow cooker breakfast combines fresh, Mexican-style chorizo sausage with bell pepper, onion, and jalapeño peppers,” the Pioneer Woman explains. “Mixed with plenty of egg, shredded hash brown potatoes, and cheese, it’s the perfect morning meal. A few slices of avocado and a scoop of restaurant-style salsa or pico de gallo add creaminess and bright flavors to the final dish.”

6. Stick to your new year’s resolutions with Breakfast Salad

Start the new year off with a healthy brunch option — a Breakfast Salad. This delicious superfood is loaded with fiber from leafy greens, lean protein from hummus, egg, and yogurt, and healthy fats from olive oil and avocado.

If you cook some hard-boiled eggs ahead of time, this salad comes together in less than five minutes. 

7. Add a pop of color to your brunch table with Cranberry Scones

Cranberries are used in two different ways when you make the Pioneer Woman’s Cranberry Scones. Dried cranberries are folded into the dough, and cranberry juice is reduced to make a pink glaze with powdered sugar and salt. This recipe calls for chilled bits of butter in the dough, so that it melts in the oven and creates steam that makes the scones wonderfully tender.

8. Bring good fortune with Hoppin’ John

Hoppin’ John is a traditional New Year’s Day dish that is said to bring good fortune in the coming year. The recipe includes butter, onion, garlic, green bell pepper, celery, soaked black-eyed peas, chicken broth, a whole ham hock, salt and pepper, cayenne pepper, white vinegar, and white or brown rice. 

Ree recommends serving it with cornbread, fried eggs, and any other brunch recipes your family loves.

9. Bacon Brunch Ring is an all-in-one dish for a big crowd

If you are serving a big crowd on New Year’s Day, a Bacon Brunch Ring is the perfect centerpiece for the table. 

Flaky pastry dough is filled with soft-scrambled eggs, bacon, green peppers, onions, and lots of cheese for an all-in-one dish that everyone will love. Sprinkled with sesame seeds, and baked until it’s golden and crispy, this yummy brunch idea will quickly disappear.

10. Biscuits and Gravy Casserole features an easy shortcut

Inspired by Ree’s Drop Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, this recipe for Biscuits and Gravy Casserole features the easy shortcut of using canned biscuits. You’ll also need large eggs, whole milk, shredded cheddar, kosher salt, and black pepper. Ingredients for the sausage gravy include breakfast sausage, unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, whole milk, seasoned salt, and black pepper.

“Start by cooking sausage and setting it aside, using the drippings to make gravy. Then, layer eggs, cheese, and cooked sausage in a casserole dish, followed by canned biscuits, sausage gravy, more cheese… and bake until toasty and delicious!” writes the Food Network star.

11. Ree Drummond credits a family member for her Sour Cream Pancakes recipe

Ree gives credit to her husband Ladd’s grandmother Enda Mae for coming up with these light and crispy pancakes known as Sour Cream Pancakes. She says they are “pretty much the best pancakes ever. They are “delicious on their own but also great with maple syrup and butter.”

“I love the texture because it’s lighter than regular pancakes and they don’t make you feel so stuffed!” Ree says.

The Pioneer Woman airs on the Food Network.