I’m sharing some of mine and Nick’s favorite meals for date night recipes! Valentine’s Day. Do you love it? Do you hate it? The opinion in our household is that, no matter what, it’s a great excuse to take a break and spend some time with your loved ones. Since my family has expanded to include Ben, Nick and I like to have a date night in on Valentine’s Day. It takes away all of the stress of planning, plus you can eat in your PJs if you’d like. Win-win! We’ve actually always stayed in on Valentine’s day.
We cook up one of our favorite date night meals and spend some quiet time together. It is simply glorious. In case this sounds like the kind of Valentine’s Day you’d like to have, you will love these recipes!
- 5 Ingredient crock pot pork roast potatoes recipe – for when date night is also a weeknight, this is a great set it and forget it date night meal. It’s super hearty and since February is always frigid, it’s a great meal for those cold nights.
- White wine garlic chili shrimp, 15 minute dinner – A super easy date night in is made even a bit fancier with this quick dinner recipe. It’s best served with a baguette. Yum!
- Mushroom and wine sirloin steak sandwiches – this dish is extra special to me because it started as a Valentine’s Day tradition. Nick loves to cook this dish and I love to let him 🙂
- Meal delivery for special occasions – If you’ve followed along with me at all, you know I love meal delivery services. I even compared some of my favorites here. Since meal delivery services often assist me in making tasty dinners, I figured why not for Valentine’s Day!? The whole meal in the photo is delicious, BUT the star is the amazing blue cheese butter that I am still dreaming about!
- Balsamic mushrooms with arugula and cheesy polenta – if you’re looking for a recipe for a vegetarian date night, this is the one for you. The medley of mushrooms used is the perfect compliment to the polenta.
- 5 Ingredient chocolate cake for two – No dinner is complete without dessert and this recipe for two is ideal for Valentine’s Day. It is only five ingredients so you probably don’t even need to make a special trip to the store.
- Spinach salad with soft boiled eggs, bacon and a mustard vinaigrette – Nick and I’s favorite salad that makes us feel even a tad fancy.
- Blue cheese mac n’ cheese – when you’re looking for a decadent and romantic dish, try this mac n’ cheese. The best part is that you can enjoy it for many nights to come because the recipe makes quite a lot!
Other recipes you might enjoy:
- 5 Ingredient Pear Crumble For Two
- 5 Ingredient Baked Chicken and Sweet Potatoes for Two
- Steak Fajita Tacos for Two
I’d love to know: what do you cook for special occasions or date night?
Lorena Keech says
Either scallops or shrimp. My husband loves both,
Sweetphi says
Yum, both are so fancy
Steven Epstein says
Potato, Squash, and Goat Cheese Gratin .
Margie Berry says
Hi! I am a sucker for anything Pumpkin all throughout the year with pumpkin cake being my all-time favorite.
Margaret Whittle says
Maine Lobster Tails with a Filet on the side. Spinach salad with homemade garlic croutons and creme brulee for desert, of course
Amy C. says
My family would love steak or salmon and twice baked potatoes for a special meal at home.
Tamara B. says
On special occasions and date nights my husband and I always cook up some of our favorites. During the week we tend to eat very lean & healthy so spoiling ourselves with a delicious meal is always exciting! We’ll cook up crab legs, shrimp, calamari, baked potatoes, roasted asparagus, and olive oil & garlic brushed crusty bread.
Sweetphi says
I love that! And wow do your fancy meals sound amazing 🙂
Linda Bick says
Lobster 🦞crab 🦀 or shrimp 🦐 ! So sweet!
Sweetphi says
Yum to all of those 🙂
Erika Estrada says
My special occasion go-to meal would be pretty much anything with shrimp. I’ve always loved shrimp and finally got better at cooking it properly! I love a nice shrimp with pasta, marinara, pesto scampi, or just straight up coconut shrimp!
Sweetphi says
I love shrimp too, thanks for sharing!
Rebecca S. says
Some kind of fish, usually salmon or halibut.
Sweetphi says
Yum, I love a good seafood dish for special occasions
Minica M says
We like to make beef tenderloin with a creamy mustard sauce. Side dish always varies
Sweetphi says
Oh yum, beef tenderloin sounds like a great special occasion meal!
Amber says
we love pepperoni lasagana or vwggie qirh lasagna with red peppers grewn peppers mushrooms. My husband loves it.
Sweetphi says
sounds amazing!
Tori says
I currently don’t have a kitchen so lately I will cook a lot of chicken because it’s easier and having to use more than one pan on a hot plate is a struggle lol
Sweetphi says
Ha, I’ve been through that! Hang in there.
VICKIE says
Love making salmon with Tom Douglas’s Rubbed with Love for salmon !! Have made it for others and everyone always loves it !! So easy and YUMMY !!
Sweetphi says
Sounds delicious!
Steven Epstein says
Seafood Paella Recipe on an Open Fire
Sweetphi says
Oh wow, that does sound romantic and amazing!
Sara Williams says
Our favorite special meal is one we cook together every New Year’s Eve. It’s Crab Pasta with Prosecco and Meyer Lemon Sauce. Here’s the link if you’d like to try it sometime. It’s AMAZING!
https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/crab-pasta-prosecco-meyer-lemon-sauce
Sweetphi says
That sounds so amazing!
Elizabeth says
My husband and I like to stay in on Valentine’s Day. I’m keeping the tradition of making chicken marsala. We love it and it’s the only time I make it during the year.
Sweetphi says
What a nice tradition, I love that!
Gayle Thom says
I like to make curry for Valentine’s Day.
Sweetphi says
Oh yum, love a good curry dish!
Sharon says
A lamb roast with roasted veggies, and maybe a dessert from the local French patisserie.
Sweetphi says
Oh yum, that sounds amazing!
jberry says
Lamb. Cooking for holidays or crowds, I’ll grill leg of stuffed with garlic & rosemary. “Date night”, slow braised shank or quick seared loin chops. Lamb begs for potatoes, usually smashed red with a sharp flavored cheese & fresh herbs. Veg, whatever is green & in season, brussels sprouts, asparagus, swiss chard…
Sweetphi says
Oh my goodness does that sound good!!
Jeffrey says
I like making homemade pizza for special occasions. My whole family enjoys it and I’ve come to love the process of making the dough and creating strange combinations of toppings.
Sweetphi says
Oh I love that, such a special thing to make for the whole family to enjoy
Wendy B says
A special occasion dinner might be ribs or salmon or a no-meat risotto. Also for 3 different occasions this year, my husband or I made a brown sugar bundt cake.
Sweetphi says
Ok brown sugar bunt cake sounds ammmmmazing, definitely need to make one.
Lisa Burkhart says
Our go to date night dinner is cheese fondue in front of the fireplace with a nice glass of white wine. Dipping warm crusty bread and apples..Yummy. Usually followed chocolate lava cakes..
Sweetphi says
I love that, cheese fondue is one my of faves!
Monica M says
We like to make Beef Tenderloin – it is my favorite (as long as it’s not cooked to long).
Sweetphi says
Agreed, you have to cook it right!
Ashley H. says
Here lately my go-to dish for special occasions has been Carolina pulled pork. It’s about a 36+ hour process between brining and cooking, but it’s well worth it!
Sweetphi says
That sounds SO good, I bet it’s incredible after 36 hours
Kim Henrichs says
I like a good take out swap like homemade orange chicken – and then silly dessert such as ice cream sandwiches.
Sweetphi says
Oh I love that Kim- the other day we had ice cream sandwiches and they were soooo good lol
Susan Craig says
My husband did the cooking for special occasions. He was an amazing cook. I have been teaching myself some plant-based recipes lately. I think your idea of using a meal service is a great one.
Sweetphi says
It sounds like he was a special person, thank you for sharing your comment. And I really do love meal delivery for special occasions, it’s just nice to not have to think about it
Mary W says
When we have guests for dinner or a special occasion, I like to make a menu of dishes that I have never tried. Weird – I know! One that was recently very popular was a new to me dessert. I made double chocolate brownies with chocolate chips and topped it with a cheesecake layer. Some guests even had two helpings and the few brownies left were even better the next day.
Sweetphi says
I’d have two helpings of those brownies, they sound so good
Leanne G says
My husband is better than I am at cooking fancy dinners for date night. He doesn’t follow recipes, but might use one for inspiration.
We weren’t as cold as you here in Eastern Nebraska, but schools were closed Wednesday. The weekend forecast says 40s and maybe 50 degrees! Looking forward to that!
Sweetphi says
Hope you’re staying warm, I sure am looking forward to warmer weather