19 Special Valentine’s Day Dinners You Can Make at Home
There’s something extra special about a homemade Valentine’s Day dinner—no overpriced restaurants, no rush, just you, your favorite person (or people if it’s a family affair), and a delicious meal made at home. Splurge a bit on some special ingredients if you can – it’s a great excuse to cook something different.
Fresh Oyster Champagne Mignonette
Fresh oysters, champagne, blood orange juice, and fresh basil are all you need for this delicious dish! It’s light, special, and so so festive, perfect for your Valentine’s menu. Head to the fish market for high-quality oysters.
Get the Recipe: Champagne Mignonette.
Shrimp Linguine
Shrimp linguine with lemon garlic breadcrumbs is perfect for a special dinner. This shrimp and linguine starts with a base of chewy linguine, is topped with buttery garlic shrimp, and finished with crunchy garlic breadcrumbs for big-time flavor and texture in each bite.
Get the Recipe: Shrimp Linguine.
Air Fryer Crab Cakes
Air Fryer crab cakes are crispy and delicious and ready in minutes! They are the perfect item for your fancy menu and you can have them on the table in just ten minutes. Whip up a simple caper aioli for serving.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Crab Cakes.
Bay Scallop Linguine
Think chewy, al dente linguine, tender and sweet bay scallops, a simple garlic butter sauce, and a crunchy bread crumb and pine nut topping . Not only is this scallop scampi delicious, but it’s also easy to make!
Get the Recipe: Bay Scallop Linguine.
Antipasto Board Appetizer
Prefer to nibble your dinner? This antipasto platter is made for sharing. With artichokes, olives, tomatoes, cheese, and deli meats, this spread has something for everyone at a party. You can add your favorite meats and cheeses to this platter to make it your own.
Get the Recipe: Antipasto Board Appetizer.
Air Fryer Lobster Tail
Special meals are the perfect time to go all out for dinner, so why not have something super special like lobster tails? Believe it or not, this is my favorite way to cook lobster tails! Easy, quick, and always special.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Lobster Tail.
Date Night Gnocchi
Date night gnocchi looks beautiful and tastes amazing and it only takes 30 minutes to prepare. Butternut squash, chicken, fresh kale, and gnocchi with a creamy alfredo sauce to top it all off. Your family will love this tasty dish!
Get the Recipe: Date Night Gnocchi.
Smoked Salmon Dip
Smoked salmon, fresh dill, red onion, cream cheese, and of course plenty of cold smoked salmon are combined for a delicious and savory salmon dip that everyone is sure to love. Serve it with an assortment of crackers. It’s light, bright, and always a hit.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Salmon Dip.
Instant Pot Coq au Vin Blanc
This Instant Pot recipe can be on your dinner table quickly and it’s delicious too. Traditionally coq au vin uses a red wine, but trading it out for white wine gives it a beautiful flavor that you are going to love. Serve the juicy, tender chicken over easy smashed potatoes for a special meal at home.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Coq au Vin Blanc.
Seafood Paella with Mussels, Shrimp and Chorizo
Traditional Spanish paella is a must-have when visiting Spain. This is a flavourful seafood paella with mussels, shrimp and chorizo.
Get the Recipe: Seafood Paella with Mussels, Shrimp and Chorizo.
Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin
This delicious dish is easy enough to make that it could be a weeknight dinner, but it is also “fancy” enough to pull out for special occasions. This juicy, pork tenderloin served over a creamy polenta with roasted cherry tomatoes is BIG on flavor without a lot of effort.
Get the Recipe: Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin.
Lobster Risotto
This easy lobster risotto recipe has rich lobster flavor, chunks of lobster tails, and perfectly cooked rice for a dreamy date night meal that you are sure to fall in love with. Serve it with an easy veggie side and a glass of wine (or NA wine) for a fancy meal you can make yourself.
Get the Recipe: Lobster Risotto.
French Onion Soup
There is nothing like French onion soup! This recipe makes it at home, the easy way. You will love the rich base, complete with plenty of melted cheese over the top. You can have this on the table in just an hour for a great dinner any night of the week.
Get the Recipe: French Onion Soup.
Black Truffle Pasta
Black truffle pasta is an elegant and simple vegetarian dish that you can have on the table in a matter of minutes! The pasta sauce is actually a cashew cream sauce. It gets a lot of big flavor by adding truffles to this pasta dish.
Get the Recipe: Black Truffle Pasta.
Smoked Salmon Vol au Vents
Puff pastry shells stuffed with mustard, cream cheese, and smoked salmon make a delicious appetizer or main dish for your New Year’s Eve dinner! They are so tasty and you can make enough, even for a crowd in just a few minutes with a handful of ingredients.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Salmon Vol au Vents.
Easy Lemon Risotto
You are going to love this creamy, risotto that is just bursting with fresh lemon flavor. This elegant dish is perfect for serving alongside roast chicken, your favorite steak, or even lobster tails. Asparagus would make a tasty side dish to go along with this meal!
Get the Recipe: Lemon Risotto.
Cioppino
Cioppino is actually a fancy way of saying fish stew, but a dish this delicious needs a fancy name! Lobster tails, mussels, shrimp, and fresh fish filets come together with a few other ingredients for an amazing meal. Serve with a fresh loaf of bread for dipping!
Get the Recipe: Cioppino.
Bucatini Cacio e Pepe
Bucatini Cacio e Pepe is a delicious dish that is pretty humble in its prep and ingredients but always feels special and delicious. It’s worthy of a date night at home but is also incredibly simple to make.
Get the Recipe: Bucatini Cacio e Pepe.
Sheet Pan Crab Legs
You can cook your crab legs quickly and easily on a sheet pan in your oven. You can serve these crab legs as an appetizer or a main dish and it is sure to be a dish that everyone loves!
Get the Recipe: Baked Crab Legs.
