It's love at first bite with these romantic Valentine's Day dinners. Elegant scallops, flavorful steaks and impressive pasta dishes will have your sweetheart swooning in no time.

58 Best Valentine’s Dinner Recipes for a Romantic Night In

Broiled Lobster Tail
If you want to go big this Valentine’s Day, make lobster tails. If you’re intimidated, enlist your valentine’s help so you can tackle them together. It’s sure to be a memorable evening.
Salmon Steak
If fish seems too complicated to cook at home, listen up: It doesn’t get easier than this 20-minute salmon recipe. Serve with herbed rice pilaf and old-fashioned green beans for a complete meal.
Marry Me Chicken
The sauce is so good, it may just land you a proposal! This dish tastes like it’s been cooking all day, but it’s actually ready in only 30 minutes.
Steak au Poivre
This classic French dish is perfect for a romantic evening in. It’s decadent and elegant, yet relatively easy to prepare.
Potato Gnocchi
Making homemade pasta is a labor of love, but homemade gnocchi are a breeze. Combine the soft, pillowy dumplings with your favorite homemade pasta sauce to create an elegant dinner.
Parmesan Risotto
Risotto has a reputation for being a tricky dish to make, but this recipe isn’t all that difficult. It just takes a bit of patience and a lot of stirring. The rewards will be huge when you present the restaurant-worthy plate on the dinner table.
Cheese Lover’s Fondue
Fondue is perfect for Valentine’s Day dinner because it’s interactive and intimate, not to mention delicious! This cheesy fondue uses Gruyere and Swiss cheeses, but you can certainly experiment with different melting cheeses.
French Onion Soup
This rich, comforting soup makes an excellent start to any romantic dinner. The onions take up to 40 minutes to caramelize, but the time will be well worth it when you taste your first spoonful.
Best Lasagna
Valentine’s Day often falls on a weeknight, so cooking an elaborate lasagna isn’t exactly practical. Luckily, this lasagna can be made ahead of time, so all you need to do is pop it in the oven.
Beef with Polenta
Serving braised beef over creamy polenta is a major upgrade from a typically meat-and-potatoes meal. My favorite way to serve this hearty dish is with a green salad and a hunk of crusty bread.
Cacio e Pepe
In Italian, cacio e pepe means “cheese and pepper.” So it’s basically a fancy term for buttered noodles. But don’t let that deter you from serving it as a Valentine’s dinner—this dish is as rich and decadent as it gets.
Marry Me Pasta
Pasta is a great choice for a special-occasion meal, especially when it’s as flavor-packed as this recipe. As a bonus, this one-pot meal comes together in about 30 minutes, so you won’t have to spend all evening cooking.
Herb-Stuffed Roasted Cornish Hens
If chicken feels too blah for a special dinner, up the ante with cornish hens. You can even make them in advance! To reheat, bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes.
Merlot Filet Mignon
You’ll only need six ingredients—including a cup of merlot—to pull off this showstopping entree. If you don’t have merlot on hand, readers suggest using cabernet sauvignon or a red blend.
Asparagus-Stuffed Air-Fryer Chicken Rolls
This impressive and elegant stuffed chicken dish looks like it came from a fancy restaurant. Lucky for you and your valentine, it goes from fridge to table in just about 35 minutes.
Cheesy Chicken Parmigiana
This quick and easy recipe for chicken parm comes together in just 25 minutes, with only nine ingredients. There’s some dredging and frying involved, so add extra time for clean-up.
Shrimp Asparagus Pasta
This bright and flavorful feast features asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes and lots of fresh herbs. If you want to get extra ambitious and love a date night activity, try your hand at making homemade pasta.
Heart’s Desire Pizza
What could be more romantic than a heart-shaped pizza? Customize them with elegant pizza toppings, like butternut squash and sage or broccolini and burrata.
Instant Pot Country-Style Ribs
This classic comfort food dish usually takes all day to cook. But thanks to your trusty pressure cooker, it can be ready in 45 minutes.
Cast-Iron Steak
While cooking steak at home might seem daunting, it’s actually pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it. For extra flavor, baste the steak with melted butter and herbs before searing.
Parmesan Pork Tenderloin
If you’re a fan of saucy dishes, one reader recommends doubling the wine, broth and spices for the sauce. Don’t skimp on the grated Parmesan cheese!
Chicken Scampi
Meet shrimp scampi’s low-maintenance cousin. Add lemon pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano and Italian seasoning to give this dish extra zip.
Fettuccine Alfredo
If you’ve only had fettuccine Alfredo at a restaurant, it’s time to make it at home. You’ll only need a handful of ingredients and 30 minutes to pull it together. Pro tip: Grate your own cheese. Freshly grated cheese melts and blends into sauces more smoothly than pre-grated cheese, which includes other ingredients to keep it from sticking together.
Goat Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Chicken
Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket in each chicken breast, then fill with a mixture of spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese and spices. Your Valentine’s Day date will be seriously impressed.
Slow-Cooked Beef Tips
If you’re working on Valentine’s Day, pop the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning and make the homemade gravy right before you’re ready to eat.
Pressure-Cooker Mushroom Pork Ragout
This recipe calls for dried savory, an herb that’s often available in grocery stores. If you can’t find it—or just don’t want to buy a spice you’re rarely going to use—dried thyme is a great alternative.
Bacon-Wrapped Filets with Scotched Mushrooms
For a dinner with “wow” factor, look no further than this entree that’s much simpler than it looks. Plus, it has two surprising secret ingredients to give it some extra oomph: Scotch and ginger ale.
Walnut and Oat-Crusted Salmon
Valentine’s Day dinner doesn’t always have to be indulgent! For the most flavor and nutrition, opt for wild-caught salmon if it’s available at your grocery store. Walnuts and oats add extra omega-3s and vitamins.
Crab-Stuffed Manicotti
Crab, pasta and ricotta cheese join forces to create an unexpected dish that both you and your date will want seconds of. Here are some of our favorite salad recipes to serve with it.
Homemade Ravioli
Homemade ravioli is a real treat, but it does take some time to pull it together. Make sure to leave yourself enough time to let the pasta dough rest, which makes it that much easier to roll out.
Pork and Red Wine Sauce
Before cooking, cut the pork tenderloin into 2-inch slices, then use a tenderizer to flatten into 1-1/2-inch thickness. This will help the pork cook evenly and makes for a beautiful presentation.
Steak Strips with Dumplings
If you can make pancakes, you can make dumplings from scratch. Just mix the ingredients, roll them into balls and drop them gently into the slow cooker.
Moroccan Chicken Thighs
Pitted dates give this Moroccan-inspired recipe a hint of sweetness. If you aren’t a fan of couscous, one reader recommends using quinoa instead.
Stuffed Shells
Comfort food is always the quickest way into our hearts, and cheesy Italian pasta recipes might just be the winner of all things comfort. Turn dinner into a cooking class for two and assemble the shells together.
Simple Herbed Scallops
Take the guesswork out of cooking scallops by baking them in the oven instead of on the stovetop. You’ll know they’re done when the scallops are firm and opaque.
Juicy Air-Fryer Cornish Hens
Cornish hens are just as easy to cook as chicken, but they feel a bit fancier. And because you’re cooking with the air fryer, this dish is quick, healthy and practically foolproof.
Instant Pot Short Ribs
Typically, short ribs take all day to prepare. But thanks to the pressure cooker, the meat will be juicy and tender in no time. Serve it atop a bed of creamy mashed potatoes to soak up the juices.
Garlic & Herb Artichoke Salmon
Lemon zest, green onions, quartered artichokes and garlic-herb spreadable cheese make this dish a winner. You and your beau will be sure to add the recipe to your list of favorites.
Grilled Steak
Garlic, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce make this steak shine. Best of all, the steak cooks outside on the grill, so there are barely any dishes to clean! If the weather isn’t cooperating, you can always cook the steak inside using your broiler.
Smoky Spanish Chicken
This dish calls for baby portobello mushrooms or cremini mushrooms, which are available at most grocery stores. They have a firmer texture and deeper, earthier flavor than white mushrooms. Find more of our favorite mushroom recipes to use up any leftovers in the package.
Plum Pork Spicy Meatballs with Bok Choy and Zucchini
Sweet, salty and spicy flavors combine into one delicious meatball dish. If you can’t find bok choy at the grocery store, substitute spinach or zucchini.
Chicken with Florentine Sauce
The recipe calls for frozen spinach, but you can use fresh too. Just steam it, then squeeze out the excess water before using it in the chicken Florentine, otherwise it might get soupy.
Smoked Salmon Pasta
This smoked salmon entree is customizable based on your preferences. If you want more herbs, add more! Taste it as you go. For ultimate freshnnes, use blocks of Parmesan and feta cheese instead of pre-grated and crumbled.
Basil-Butter Steaks with Roasted Potatoes
If you and your sweetheart like your steaks medium-rare, cook until an internal thermometer reads 135°F. If you prefer a medium-well steak, cook until the internal temperature reaches 145°. The dollop of basil butter on top of the tenderloins makes this dish totally restaurant-worthy.
Tortellini with Sausage and Mascarpone
This dish will be ready and on the table in less time than it takes to get takeout. And because it serves six, you can eat the leftovers the next day for lunch.
Honey Balsamic Chicken
Sweet and savory, this dish feels indulgent but isn’t. With only about 200 calories and 8 grams of fat per serving, you could easily have seconds…or thirds. Add a bit more honey if you like things on the sweeter side.
Coconut Mango Thai Beef Curry
It’s spicy, it’s sweet and it only requires ten minutes of prep time. There’s two hours of hands-off cooking time required, which you can use to get the rest of the meal ready or watch a romantic movie together.
Citrus Coconut Steamed Cod
Sweet chili sauce, fresh ginger, coconut milk, mandarin oranges and soy sauce team up for a flavorful fusion meal that tastes complex, but is so easy to make. Top with cilantro for a pretty garnish and added flavor.
Soy-Garlic Chicken
Ditch the boneless, skinless chicken breasts in favor of the much more flavorful—and surprisingly easy to cook—quartered chicken legs. Add four more ingredients to your slow cooker and dinner will be ready with hardly any work.
Down-Home Pork Chops
If your sweetheart dreams of the pork chops from their childhood, this recipe will bring back all the nostalgia. Beef broth, brown sugar, soy sauce and crushed red pepper flakes are the secret to the mouthwatering sauce.
Tilapia & Lemon Sauce
When we’re craving seafood, a bright, lemony sauce is a must. Here, flaky tilapia is paired with a butter-lemon sauce and slivered almonds. Plate with crunchy sauteed asparagus.
Chicken Paella
This delicious Spanish-inspired dish is a showstopper that looks seriously impressive. While paella does require quite a few ingredients, it’s a complete meal, featuring rice, veggies, chicken and ham.
Tortellini with Tomato-Cream Sauce
Store-bought, frozen cheese tortellini, frozen chopped spinach and a can of diced tomatoes make this recipe simple and easy. It makes six servings, so you can easily enjoy a second helping.
Penne Pasta with Ground Beef
In just 30 minutes, this hearty one-pot meal is on the table and ready to eat. Ground beef, beef broth and Worcestershire sauce make it hearty and extra flavorful.
Special Pork Chops
These pork chops topped with salsa add a pop of bright red color for a festive V-Day dish. Three ingredients make the recipe a cinch to make, but you can always layer in flavor by marinating the pork overnight. Follow our guide to marinating to incorporate all the right flavors.
Artichoke Chicken
Marinated, quartered artichoke hearts and jarred mushrooms are the shortcuts to this flavorful feast. Serve with hot, cooked pasta or flavored rice to make the meal extra special.
Mushroom Pasta Carbonara
This dish calls for mostaccioli pasta, which is a type of penne that’s smooth instead of textured. If you can’t find it in your grocery store, traditional penne or ziti works too.
Steak Diane
This classic dish is made even more tasty with sliced fresh mushrooms and heavy whipping cream. Sprinkle with fresh minced chives—or whatever fresh herbs you have on hand—for a restaurant-quality finishing touch.
Valentine’s Dinner FAQ
What are the best dinner ideas for Valentine’s Day?
One of my favorite Valentine’s Day dinner ideas is steak and lobster (especially when paired together for surf and turf). There’s just something about seafood that screams special occasion! Other good Valentine’s Day dinner ideas include elegant Italian pasta dishes like carbonara, especially if homemade pasta is involved, and gourmet vegetarian options like creamy risotto or roasted vegetables over polenta.
How can I make a romantic dinner for Valentine’s Day?
To set up a romantic night-in for Valentine’s Day, start by planning out your menu. Consider what you and your sweetie like to eat, and prepare an elegant meal around that. Then, set the atmosphere with candles, soft lighting and a romantic playlist. Set out a nice bottle of wine or sparkling water.
How can I make a Valentine’s Day dinner that feels special but isn’t too complicated?
To make Valentine’s Day dinner feel special, choose an easy and romantic dinner recipe that can be prepped in 30 minutes or less. Keeping the prep to a minimum is a great way to make an elegant meal that doesn’t destroy the kitchen! I also recommend making an easy overnight dessert so it will be ready to serve as soon as dinner is finished.