26 Date Night Dinner Ideas For Anyone Whose Love Language Is Cooking
Maybe you're looking for a Valentine's Day dinner to make at home or perhaps you're just trying to spice up a future date. These extra-special recipes call for fairly simple and accessible ingredients, and they're manageable regardless of your cooking skills. But best of all: they look and taste worthy of a special occasion.
1.Roasted Honeynut Squash Risotto
Roasted honeynut squash, cayenne, and maple syrup are the perfect flavor trifecta for this creamy risotto, which works as a main dish or special side.
Recipe: Roasted Honeynut Squash Risotto
2.Lightened Up "Marry Me" Chicken
If food is your love language, this recipe won't disappoint. This decadent chicken dish is typically made with heavy cream, but this lightened-up version calls for coconut milk, nutritional yeast, shallot, plant-based butter, and sun-dried tomatoes.
Recipe: Lightened Up "Marry Me" Chicken
3.Whipped Ricotta Toast with Marinated Tomatoes
Nothing says "I love you" like a creamy cheese spread.
4.Garlic Butter White Wine Shrimp Linguine
You don't need fancy ingredients to whip up a pasta that feels extra decadent: a blend of cream, butter, chicken broth, dry white wine, and Parmesan cheese do the trick here, especially when paired with shrimp as a more affordable protein.
5.Pork Chops with Creamy Mustard Sauce
These five-ingredient pork chops come together in no time, but they taste like you've been cooking for hours.
Making restaurant-style crispy rice at home is easier than you might imagine! The trick is preparing your rice in advance — you can even make it a day ahead and leave it in the fridge overnight.
Recipe: Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
7.Slow Cooker Pork Ramen Bowls
Ramen night in? You bet. This savory, umami-packed ramen comes together with the help of your handy-dandy slow cooker.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Pork Ramen Bowls
Transport yourself to warm summer days by the seashore with this easy linguine alla vongole.
Recipe: Easy Linguine with Clams
9.Pasta Pomodoro With Chicken and Goat Cheese
Keep this pasta dish vegetarian by leaving out the chicken or swap in some extra veggies like eggplant or mushrooms.
10.Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Sage
This hearty, vegetarian dinner is perfect for keeping warm and cozy on a chilly winter night. Pair it with a full-bodied red wine and voilà.
You can use any flaky white fish for this recipe, like cod, halibut, or more affordable flounder. It takes about half an hour and is simmered in a one-pan savory and bright tomato sauce.
Recipe: Fish Puttanesca
You could use any pasta or rice in place of orzo for this Greek-inspired recipe, but the beauty is that it comes together in a single pan.
Recipe: 30-Minute Shrimp Orzo
13.Creamy Lemon Ricotta Gnocchi with Pistachio Pesto
If you're feeling ambitious, make this delicious pistachio pesto from scratch. But if you're pressed for time, any store-bought pesto sauce will still taste excellent.
Date night calls for something out of the ordinary. Spice up your dinner rotation with this pescatarian take on piccata. A thin white fish fillet (like flounder) is the perfect choice.
Recipe: Flounder Piccata
The tender, Asian-inspired steak and miso sauce really steal the show here. You can swap in whatever veggies you like best, and for maximum cost savings, turn to a more affordable (but still delicious) cut of steak (like flank or skirt steak).
Recipe: Miso Marinated Steak Bowls
16.Crispy Chipotle Sweet Potato Tacos with Lime Crema
If you're looking for a meatless meal to sweep that special someone off their feet, these crispy sweet potato tacos are a sure thing.
Mussels may seem like an intimidating (and expensive) dish to get right, but I promise they are so wildly easy and cheap to make in your own kitchen. Just prepare the broth, toss in the mussels, and they'll open as they simmer.
Recipe: Red Thai Curry Mussels
18.Baked Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs
Easy enough for a weekday dinner but impressive enough for a special occasion, this baked spaghetti squash and meatballs is cozy, cheesy, and so satisfying.
19.Garlic Butter Creamed Spinach Salmon
This one-skillet, 30-minute recipe is seriously impressive, yet it's quick and requires minimal clean-up. A real win-win.
20.Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu Pasta
Looking for a hands-off date night dinner that you can set and forget? This low-maintenance beef ragu is the one. It calls for chuck beef, which is super affordable and gets extremely tender in the slow cooker.
Start with skirt steak marinated in a tender mixture of orange and lime juice, soy sauce, olive oil, and vinegar. Then, serve it with a homemade herb sauce for drizzling.
Recipe: Chimichurri Skirt Steak
22.Ina Garten’s Cioppino Seafood Stew
This Italian seafood medley may look fancy, but the ingredients are more unfussy than you'd think. Grab a bunch of seafood and simmer it all in a tomato-based stew — you can keep things more wallet-friendly by opting for more cost-efficient ingredients, like shrimp, mussels, and an affordable white fish.
23.Lamb Kofta
These tender lamb koftas are warmly spiced, super comforting, and the ideal protein to serve alongside all your favorite accompaniments — warm pita, creamy hummus, and a punchy herbed salad highly recommended (though not required).
Recipe: Lamb Kofta
24.Orzo Carbonara With Crispy Prosciutto
It's like Italian carbonara with a twist. Instead of burrata, you can top this dish with a spoonful of creamy full-fat ricotta to keep things budget-friendly.
25.Six-Ingredient Baked Eggplant Parmesan
This six-ingredient eggplant parmesan is breaded and baked rather than fried, but it still tastes so indulgent.
Made with cubed, marinated salmon, avocado, and any of your favorite sushi-inspired garnishes, these seafood and rice bowls are both fun and tasty.
Recipe: Easy Salmon “Sushi” Bowls