Planning to cook up a romantic meal for two on Valentine's Day? I have created a Valentine's Day Dinner Menu Guide filled with recipes that are sure to impress your significant other - without requiring you to spend your whole day in the kitchen.
Valentine's Day is the second busiest day of the year at restaurants. Only Mother's Day is busier! Skip the loud crowded restaurants and cook a special dinner at home instead. Put some music on, pour some wine, and cook together.
Step 1: Make Dinner at Home Feel Special
You can make dinner at home feel a bit more special by setting the table with flowers and candles. Add a table runner or a table cloth. Break out the silver and your fancy wine glasses.
Another way that a meal at home can feel more celebratory is to start the night by mixing up a cocktail. We usually just sip beer or wine at home, so when I go to the effort of making a cocktail is feels more special since it isn't part of our normal routine.
Making an appetizer is another way to differentiate Valentine's Day dinner from the ordinary dinner at home.
Step 2: Plan a Menu
I included a variety of recipes on this list. Most are so easy that even beginner cooks can prepare them with ease. Some are more advanced or time-consuming. All of these recipes can be scaled to serve just two people.
I think that dessert is essential on Valentine's Day. I included some simple no-bake recipes for two on the list, plus some small-batch desserts since it doesn't really make sense to make a whole cake or pie for two.
If you want to give sweets as a gift, I did include my easy recipe for homemade truffles.
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Valentine's Day Dinner Menu Guide
Create the perfect romantic meal at dinner at home with this Valentine's Day Dinner Menu Guide. I have rounded up a variety of recipes that you can use to make for a special dinner for two!
Cocktails with prosecco just seem fancier. This simple cocktail is sweet and tart.
Moscow mules have been the trendy cocktail for a while now, and this one has a reddish color from the cranberries, making it fitting for Valentine's Day.
You can't go wrong with a classic gin and tonic. Some fresh blood orange juice makes this one pink, and extra flavorful.
These easy to make Italian Croquettes have a crispy crunchy cheese and breadcrumb crust and are filled with Parmesan and Prosciutto.
Blistered shishitos can be served with a wide variety of sauces, but my favorite is this Parmesan Lime Sauce.
This appetizer is easy and elegant. The only cooking involved is simmering the balsamic vinegar until it thickens.
This is a little fancier than bruschetta. These toasts are topped with goat cheese seasoned with rosemary, prosciutto, and honey. It's easy to make just two servings.
Breaded chicken breasts stuffed with spinach and ricotta are easy to prepare and can be paired with a pasta.
This super simple 20 minute pasta recipe can be served as a main dish or a side.
Roast a chicken! It's easier than you might think and roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy is comfort food at its best. Roast chicken comes to mind because I used to work at a chic restaurant in New York City and the roasted chicken sold out every night.
Keep things casual and make pizza! This pizza has a gluten-free zucchini crust, it's easy to make and a fun way to make pizza totally from scratch. You can make a vegetarian pizza, or add any toppings you want.
One pot, 30 minutes, and one seriously impressive main course. First the pork gets covered in a mixture of butter, mustard, shallots, garlic, thyme, and tarragon. Then it's seared and cooked with white wine and mushrooms. It's exceptionally good, and even people who are new to cooking can make this.
This pork tenderloin is filled with a mixture of pears, blue cheese, shallots, and rosemary. It's an incredible combination of flavors, and it takes just 45 minutes of total preparation time.
Risotto is one of those meals that people order at restaurants assuming that it is too hard to prepare at home. But, risotto is so easy to make in just 20 minutes and you can add your favorite vegetables and cheese.
The scent of mushrooms sauteeing in sherry is one of the best cooking smells there is. The active preparation time for this meal is just 20 minutes, and I love the combination of tender chicken in a rich creamy sherry mushroom sauce. I like to serve this over rice.
You can cook steak on the stovepot in under 10 minutes, and the benefit of cooking steak in a pan and not on the grill is that you can turn the pan drippings into a bourbon cream sauce.
One of my favorite recipes, this pasta has a creamy roasted tomato sauce with lots of beef. It's a complete meal and something that is fun to make with someone else.
Lobster is one of those foods that people associate with fancy occasions, which makes it the perfect thing to serve on Valentine's Day. This is my Mom's award-winning Lobster Corn Chowder Recipe.
Steak gets rolled up with a mix of cheese, herbs, and breadcrumbs, seared, and then slow cooked in tomato sauce. This is one of those recipes that looks impressive, even though it's pretty easy to make.
Making a sauce to go along with a steak is an easy way to recreate the steakhouse experience at home. I like to serve this meal with a baked potato, just like the steakhouses do. (Just search this site for Steakhouse Style Twice Baked Potatoes).
It's Valentine's Day, so go big. Make this dessert board and then make your own ice cream sundaes. This is a fun way to celebrate Valentine's Day with friends or family.
I love this recipe because it is a smaller batch recipe. This bread pudding is made with chocolate chip cookies and is great served with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream on top.
The hot chocolate in Italy is magical. It's super thick and rich, almost like warm pudding before it sets up. Learn how to make a homemade hot chocolate mix - it's a great gift!
These heart-shaped ice cream sandwiches with an arrow through them are just so much fun. I used brownies to make the sandwiches, but you could use cookies.
If you want to give food as a gift, this is perfect. You can opt to make chocolate truffles, or to fill the inside with edible cookie dough.
Serve as a dessert or give as a gift. These cookies are made with rich shortbread with cocoa flavor and cheesecake frosting.
This recipe takes just 5 minutes to prepare and it makes two individual mini cheesecakes. I added fresh raspberries on top, but you could use any berries or caramel.
