39 Special Recipes for a Valentine’s Day Dinner at Home

There are a lot of ways to celebrate your special someone: a box of chocolates, a nice bottle of wine or a swoon-worthy dessert, for example. Trying to get a dinner reservation for February 14th at the most popular restaurant in town? Not so much. Luckily, you don’t need to go out to have a memorable meal. From low-key options like a heart-shaped pizza for two to fancy appetizers, lobster tails and steak—your perfect dinner for two is completely doable with a little bit of planning and the right recipes. No matter how you choose to celebrate, this adorable lasagna is a must! It takes a bit of time to pull off but it’s not difficult to assemble as long as you have a heart-shaped Bundt pan. Pair it with a bottle of red and a good movie for a cozy date night—or serve it as a pasta course as part of a larger Valentine’s Day menu. Either way, you’re sure to fall in love.

Wine and dine with an elegant and polished lobster wellington, sure to impress any date. Seasoned spinach and mushrooms balance the natural sweetness of the lobster and the pastry adds a nice, buttery note.

Turn up the heat with Skillet Hot Honey Chicken and Brussels Sprouts—a sweet-and-spicy one-pan wonder made for sharing. Golden, tender chicken and caramelized sprouts bring the flavor and the romance to your table.

Briny olives, capers and tomatoes bring bold Mediterranean flavor to this quick and vibrant Cod Puttanesca, perfect for a weeknight romantic dinner with flair.

A chicken dish so good, everyone will want to propose to you after trying it! Well, we can't guarantee that, but we can guarantee it's easy to make and feels like a special-occasion dish. There are many renditions of this one-skillet meal on the internet. For our unique take, we amp up the sauce with shallots and dried oregano, then finish the dish with slivers of fresh basil for a pop of color and flavor. Serve with spaghetti or any pasta you have on hand for a delicious meal in just 30 minutes.

We developed this elegant flambéed steak recipe to make just two servings — perfect for a special Valentine’s Day meal or date night. Steak Diane is a classic dish that rose to popularity in the 1940s and 50s, especially in New York City. Steak was pounded and then a pan sauce was made with Worcestershire, mustard and shallots. In Manhattan restaurants it became popular to flambé the cognac added to the sauce, making it a dramatic dish to cook tableside. Over the years more ingredients were added, including mushrooms, tomato paste and cream. The result is luxurious and decadent. We added instructions for making a quick side of buttery green beans so the whole meal can be on the table in just about 30 minutes.

Valerie's lobster bisque makes for an elegant start to any special dinner for two.

Start the night off right with toasty, golden, spinach-topped crostini — perfect for pairing with a nice bottle of wine.

We’re taking the guesswork out of getting juicy, buttery, perfectly cooked scallops on the table with a surprising technique: air frying! Quickly marinated in lemon and garlic, these flavorful sea scallops cook in just 4 minutes and come out seared on the outside and meltingly tender inside. A quick salad of shaved fennel, sweet cherry tomatoes and peppery arugula makes for a dinner for two that’s sure to please!

Date night just got a lot easier — and less expensive. Here's a traditional surf-and-turf dinner with all the sides, but without the steakhouse prices or any complicated prep. Using just one sheet pan makes it a quick cleanup.

Keep things vibrant and flavorful with this perfect-for-two baked seafood and rice dish.

It only takes 8 ingredients and 25 minutes to make this special occasion-worthy dish. Want to save even more time? Look for shrimp that's already deveined when you shop at your local seafood counter.

Giada De Laurentiis proves that risotto is easier to make than you think. Her recipe calls for red wine for a robust flavor, and she adds frozen peas right at the end for freshness.

With just about 300 5-star reviews, Ina's steak recipe is doable for even beginner cooks. The secret is simple: start out with quick sear and finish the steaks in the oven with a pad of butter over the top. She serves the steaks with a Roquefort-chive sauce, which sounds fancy, but only requires three ingredients.

These simple roasted oysters are guaranteed to make your Valentine's dinner feel extra special.

Who knew that sliced mushroom, bacon, arugula and parmesan could make a delicate and delicious dish to rival any appetizer from your favorite fancy restaurant?

The perfect start to a beautiful meal? Thin slices of prosciutto, melted brie and sweet apricots on tiny pieces of baguette.

Crispy pancetta gives this salad a pleasant unctuous quality, and a tart red wine vinaigrette balances out the richness with acidity.

Katie makes an impressive lobster dinner easy with her spicy pasta dish. Serve as a stand-alone main course — or alongside steak for a new twist on surf and turf.

If your vision of the perfect Valentine's Day meal includes bottles of crisp white wine and an effortlessly elegant main, these mussels are for you. They require minimal time and ingredients — but feel just like something you'd order at a nice restaurant.

Gnocchi is the perfect dish if you want to cook together on Valentine's Day. You don't need a ton of ingredients and, no matter what the little potato dumplings look like, they'll taste delicious!

With a few little tricks, you can transform a regular pepperoni pizza into a special heart-shaped treat. We take a few shortcuts, like store-bought pizza dough and sauce, so that it comes together quickly, but don't worry, we won't tell anyone it wasn't a labor of love.

This rich, creamy pasta is perfect for a Valentine's dinner for two...if you're both garlic lovers (and you're not dating a vampire!). Otherwise, enjoy it on your own with the rest of that bottle of wine you just opened and avoid the Valentine's hype.

Cozy and comforting, Ina's gratin is always a hit (300+ reviewers can't be wrong!). Pro tip for a seamless date night: Put the dish together ahead of time and start with some light apps while the gratin is in the oven. Then you can play the "Oh this? It's nothing." card when you execuse a perfectly timed dinner.

Ree's linguine with clam sauce is both light and creamy, thanks to a white wine-based sauce and a healthy helping of freshly shaved Parmesan!

Ree's romantic dinner offers up fancy steakhouse taste to the dinner table when you've only got weeknight time.

Planning to start your Valentine's Day meal with wine and appetizers? These bite-zize arancini with a creamy dipping sauce make the perfect choice.