With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s the perfect opportunity to impress your partner with a romantic meal for two. So many of us are opting to stay at home this year and just enjoy each other’s company, and with restaurant-quality recipes like the ones below, there’s no need to leave the house for dinner. Pick one of the delicious recipes listed here, which cater to a wide range of tastes, and set yourself up for a candlelit date night at home that you’ll remember for years to come.
Romantic and Delicious Valentine’s Day Dinner Ideas
1. Red Wine Quinoa on Wilted Spinach, with Potatoes and Tahini Dressing
Exceedingly Vegan offers a stunning vegan-friendly main course that will impress vegans and non-vegans alike. It’s a great alternative to a steak night and is assembled to look just like something you would order at a restaurant. There’s a super easy hack that you’ll enjoy using to create these individual round portions for dinner. Simply use an empty plastic bottle and cut it with scissors or a Stanley knife before packing in the quinoa to create a compact round shape to serve.
2. Chicken, Mushrooms, and Squash with Lemon Cream over Orzo
In just thirty minutes, you’ll have this delicious chicken, mushroom, and squash dish ready to serve, and you’ll even have time to spare to create a quick berry and pound cake trifle for dessert! Sweet Pillar Food shares these simple recipes, which are ideal for cooking after a busy day at work or if you want to enjoy more time together instead of prepping, cooking, and cleaning away in the kitchen all night. To make things quicker and easier, you’ll want to choose boneless chicken thighs, so they will be nice and speedy to cook. Combined with white or Cremini mushrooms, squash, shallot, Orzo, lemon, and heavy cream, you’ll have a flavor-packed Mediterranean dish that is sure to be enjoyed!
3. Moules Marinières with Home-Cooked Oven Chips
Moules are one of my favorite dinners for a special occasion, and this recipe from Woman & Home will transport you to Europe and vacations of the past. It’s perfect for Valentine’s Day and takes about one hour to cook, so it doesn’t take up too much of your evening in the kitchen. The best thing about this dish is the creamy white wine sauce, which flawlessly finishes off the moules.
4. Shrimp and Gnocchi with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
Combining two of my favorite date night foods, this recipe from Damn Delicious mixes together fresh shrimp and gnocchi in a creamy garlic parmesan sauce. You’ll enjoy light gnocchi covered in heaps of sauce and then seasoned with parsley and black pepper before serving. For the garlic parmesan cream sauce, you’ll simply combine butter, garlic, flour, chicken broth, thyme, dried basil, half and half, and parmesan, and the best thing about this recipe is that it only requires fifteen minutes to prep and fifteen minutes to cook.
5. One-pan Cheesy Spaghetti Pie
For a warming comfort food dish that can be cooked in just one pan, you’ll love this cheesy spaghetti pie. Half Baked Harvest shares this vegetarian-friendly meal that uses a whole jar of tomato sauce and is topped with heaps of cheese. You’ll have plenty of leftovers for the following day and will both be left feeling satisfied with this simple yet delicious meal.
6. Strawberry Ravioli with Balsamic and Basil
What’s better than a pink dinner for Valentine’s Day? This is one of the most unique and romantic options you can find on our list today, and the pink-colored ravioli will steal the show of any Valentine’s date night. While it may look like an incredibly fancy dish that you’d find in a restaurant, in fact, the ravioli cases only require four ingredients to make; strawberries, water, flour, and eggs. You’ll fill them with ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and garlic, for a homemade pasta dish from A Beautiful Mess that will wow your partner.
7. Pan-Seared Scallops With Lemon-Pepper Asparagus And Mixed Greens Salad
In just forty minutes, you’ll be able to create this unforgettable dinner that looks like it’s was just taken straight out of a restaurant’s kitchen. This is a simple recipe designed to serve two people and is accompanied by a fresh mixed greens salad. Even if you aren’t the most experienced chef, you’ll enjoy preparing this meal which has easy to follow instructions. Thanks to Fetty’s Food Blog, you’ll be able to create a fresh and tasty dinner that will make the perfect centerpiece for your night.
8. Fig, Gorgonzola, and Chicken Ravioli
Our list wouldn’t be complete without at least one heart-shaped dish, and this cute recipe from My One Hundred Year Old Home creates light-pink, heart-shaped ravioli. You’ll use chopped beets to color the pasta, which adds a natural and subtle effect. To create the coloring, you’ll simply add boiling water to the chopped beets and strain the juice. Packed with fig, gorgonzola, and chicken, you’ll enjoy a substantial and meaty dish that’s perfect for a romantic celebration.
9. Lobster Crepes
After Orange County shares this dish that will be an unexpected surprise for your partner, who will never be able to guess what you are cooking! It’s a unique and comforting dish that packs lobster into Spanish style crepes. For the finishing touch, you’ll add white sauce and cheese on top before baking everything in the oven for twenty minutes or until the cheese is golden. Finish with a sprinkle of minced chives and serve with your favorite fresh vegetables on the side.
10. Winter Walnut Pesto Pasta
For a warming winter pasta dish, try out this recipe from Natural Comfort Kitchen. This is a simple one-dish dinner for two people, so you can prepare it quickly and enjoy your time away from the kitchen. There’ll be plenty of food left for the next day, so you’ll love having the leftovers for lunch! If you are short of time, buy a good store-bought pesto, and try and find one with a unique flavor combination. You can also choose to use homemade pasta or artisan dried pasta for an extra special meal.
11. Valentine’s Day Filet Mignon with Sour Cream and Chive Mash
In my opinion, one of the best options for meat-eaters for a date night is filet mignon with potatoes on the side. Home Chef shows us how to make this recipe, which comes with a red wine-chocolate bordelaise, green beans, and a creamy chocolate mousse to finish off your meal. In just thirty to forty minutes, you’ll have a complete meal ready to serve. This simple yet filling main course and dessert will be sure to impress your date with your kitchen skills.
12. Simple Herb-Roasted Chicken with Root Veggies
With less than thirty minutes of prep time required, So Fresh N So Green offers us a simple meal that’s ideal for entertaining this Valentine’s Day. Whether you are dining as a pair or inviting other couples to join you, you’ll appreciate the large portions you can enjoy from this chicken dish that will serve six to eight people. If it’s just the two of you, you’ll appreciate the leftovers for the rest of the week. Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s suitable for a wide range of dietary requirements, including the Whole30 and Paleo plans, as well as gluten-free and grain-free diners.
13. Beef Wellington for Two
You won’t believe this rich beef dish takes less than thirty-five minutes to both cook and prep, but thanks to Joanie Simon, you’ll not only spend minimal time in the kitchen, but you’ll also create the perfect-sized meal for the two of you to share. This easy beef wellington combines filet mignon, mushroom ragout, and store-bought puff pastry. If you do use thicker cuts of meat, you might want to bake them for a little longer than the recipe states, unless you enjoy a very rare beef dish.
14. Bruschetta Chicken
This recipe from Tried and Tasty is simple to make yet is absolutely packed with different ingredients and flavors. You’ll love the bruschetta topping for the chicken, and each bite of this dish is filled with fresh ingredients and bursting with flavor. The best thing about this recipe is that it takes just fifteen minutes to both prep and cook and is a low-calorie dish, so you won’t feel too guilty about serving a rich dessert afterward.
15. Everything Bagel Crusted Salmon
For anyone in your life who loves salmon, try out this recipe from Good Housekeeping this Valentine’s Day. The everything spice blend takes your salmon to a new level, with its combination of garlic, onion, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and salt, adding heaps of flavor to your roasted salmon. To serve, add crunchy fennel on the side, which is tossed with parsley, cilantro, fennel fronds, and scallions. You’ll love how incredible this dish looks on your plate, yet it takes only twenty-five minutes to prepare and cook.
Whichever one of these dishes you choose to cook for your partner this Valentine’s Day, you are bound to impress them with your culinary skills and creativity in the kitchen. With meat, fish, vegan and vegetarian dishes to choose from, there really is something for everyone on this list to offer you the perfect stay-at-home romantic date night for two.