26 Date-Night Dinner Ideas For Anyone Whose Love Language Is Cooking

The key to the heart is through the stomach.

Maybe you're looking for a Valentine's Day dinner to make at home, or perhaps you're just trying to spice up a future date. These extra-special recipes call for fairly simple and accessible ingredients, and they're manageable regardless of your cooking skills. But best of all: They look and taste worthy of a special occasion.

1. Roasted Honeynut Squash Risotto

Little Spice Jar / Via littlespicejar.com

Roasted honeynut squash, cayenne, and maple syrup are the perfect flavor trifecta for this creamy risotto, which works as a main dish or special side.

Recipe: Roasted Honeynut Squash Risotto

2. Lightened-Up "Marry Me" Chicken

Healthy Little Peach / Via healthylittlepeach.com

If food is your love language, here's a recipe that won't disappoint. This decadent chicken dish is typically made with heavy cream, but this lightened-up version calls for coconut milk, nutritional yeast, shallot, plant-based butter, and sun-dried tomatoes.

Recipe: Lightened-Up "Marry Me" Chicken

3. Whipped Ricotta Toast With Marinated Tomatoes

Half Baked Harvest / Via halfbakedharvest.com

Nothing says "I love you" like a creamy cheese spread.

Recipe: Whipped Ricotta Toast With Marinated Tomatoes

4. Garlic Butter White Wine Shrimp Linguine

Pinch of Yum / Via pinchofyum.com

You don't need fancy ingredients to whip up a pasta that feels extra decadent: A blend of cream, butter, chicken broth, dry white wine, and Parmesan cheese does the trick here, especially when paired with shrimp as a more affordable protein.

Recipe: Garlic Butter White Wine Shrimp Linguine

5. Pork Chops With Creamy Mustard Sauce

Tastes Better From Scratch / Via tastesbetterfromscratch.com

These five-ingredient pork chops come together in no time, but they taste as if you've been cooking for hours.

Recipe: Pork Chops With Creamy Mustard Sauce

6. Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice

Cooking With Ayeh / Via cookingwithayeh.com

Making restaurant-style crispy rice at home is easier than you might imagine! The trick is preparing your rice in advance — you can even make it a day ahead and leave it in the fridge overnight.

Recipe: Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice

7. Slow Cooker Pork Ramen Bowls

Dishing Out Health / Via dishingouthealth.com

Ramen night in? You bet. This savory, umami-packed ramen comes together with the help of your handy-dandy slow cooker.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Pork Ramen Bowls

8. Easy Linguine With Clams

Damn Delicious / Via damndelicious.net

Transport yourself to warm summer days by the seashore with this easy linguine alla vongole.

Recipe: Easy Linguine With Clams

9. Pasta Pomodoro With Chicken and Goat Cheese

Plays Well With Butter / Via playswellwithbutter.com

Keep this pasta dish vegetarian by leaving out the chicken or swapping in some extra veggies like eggplant or mushrooms.

Recipe: Pasta Pomodoro With Chicken and Goat Cheese

10. Polenta With Wild Mushrooms, Garlic, and Sage

Feasting at Home / Via feastingathome.com

This hearty vegetarian dinner is perfect for keeping warm and cozy on a chilly winter night. Pair it with a full-bodied red wine and voilà.

Recipe: Polenta With Wild Mushrooms, Garlic, and Sage

11. Fish Puttanesca

The Modern Proper / Via themodernproper.com

You can use any flaky white fish for this recipe, like cod, halibut, or more affordable flounder. It takes about half an hour and is simmered in a one-pan savory and bright tomato sauce.

Recipe: Fish Puttanesca

12. 30-Minute Shrimp Orzo

Julia's Album / Via juliasalbum.com

You could use any pasta or rice in place of orzo for this Greek-inspired recipe, but the beauty is that it comes together in a single pan.

Recipe: 30-Minute Shrimp Orzo

13. Creamy Lemon Ricotta Gnocchi With Pistachio Pesto

The Original Dish / Via theoriginaldish.com

If you're feeling ambitious, make this delicious pistachio pesto from scratch. But if you're pressed for time, any store-bought pesto sauce will still taste excellent.

Recipe: Creamy Lemon Ricotta Gnocchi With Pistachio Pesto

14. Flounder Piccata

Skinny Taste / Via skinnytaste.com

Date night calls for something out of the ordinary. Spice up your dinner rotation with this pescatarian take on piccata. A thin white fish fillet (like flounder) is the perfect choice.

Recipe: Flounder Piccata

15. Miso Marinated Steak Bowls

The Defined Dish / Via thedefineddish.com

The tender, Asian-inspired steak and miso sauce really steal the show here. You can swap in whatever veggies you like best, and for maximum cost savings, turn to a more affordable (but still delicious) cut of steak (like flank or skirt steak).

Recipe: Miso Marinated Steak Bowls

16. Crispy Chipotle Sweet Potato Tacos With Lime Crema

Half Baked Harvest / Via halfbakedharvest.com

If you're looking for a meatless meal to sweep that special someone off their feet, these crispy sweet potato tacos are a sure thing.

Recipe: Crispy Chipotle Sweet Potato Tacos With Lime Crema

17. Red Thai Curry Mussels

Chew Out Loud / Via chewoutloud.com

Mussels may seem like an intimidating (and expensive) dish to get right, but I promise, they are so wildly easy and cheap to make in your own kitchen. Just prepare the broth, toss in the mussels, and they'll open as they simmer.

Recipe: Red Thai Curry Mussels

18. Baked Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

How Sweet Eats / Via howsweeteats.com

Easy enough for a weekday dinner but impressive enough for a special occasion, this baked spaghetti squash with meatballs is cozy, cheesy, and so satisfying.

Recipe: Baked Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

19. Garlic Butter Creamed Spinach Salmon

Half Baked Harvest / Via halfbakedharvest.com

This one-skillet, 30-minute recipe is seriously impressive, yet it's quick and requires minimal cleanup. A real win-win.

Recipe: Garlic Butter Creamed Spinach Salmon

20. Slow-Cooked Shredded Beef Ragù Pasta

Recipe Tin Eats / Via recipetineats.com

Looking for a hands-off date-night dinner that you can set and forget? This low-maintenance beef ragù is the one. It calls for chuck beef, which is super affordable and gets extremely tender in the slow cooker.

Recipe: Slow-Cooked Shredded Beef Ragù Pasta

21. Chimichurri Skirt Steak

Grand Baby Cakes / Via grandbaby-cakes.com

Start with skirt steak marinated in a tender mixture of orange and lime juice, soy sauce, olive oil, and vinegar. Then serve it with a homemade herb sauce for drizzling.

Recipe: Chimichurri Skirt Steak

22. Ina Garten’s Cioppino Seafood Stew

Foodie Crush / Via foodiecrush.com

This Italian seafood medley may look fancy, but the ingredients are more unfussy than you'd think. Grab a bunch of seafood and simmer it all in a tomato-based stew — you can keep things more wallet-friendly by opting for more cost-efficient ingredients, like shrimp, mussels, and an affordable white fish.

Recipe: Ina Garten’s Cioppino Seafood Stew

23. Lamb Kofta

A Cozy Kitchen / Via acozykitchen.com

These tender lamb koftas are warmly spiced, super comforting, and the ideal protein to serve alongside all your favorite accompaniments — warm pita, creamy hummus, and a punchy herbed salad highly recommended (though not required).

Recipe: Lamb Kofta

24. Orzo Carbonara With Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata

Half Baked Harvest / Via halfbakedharvest.com

It's like Italian carbonara with a twist. Instead of burrata, you can top this dish with a spoonful of creamy, full-fat ricotta to keep things budget-friendly.

Recipe: Orzo Carbonara With Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata

25. 6-Ingredient Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Cooking for Keeps / Via cookingforkeeps.com

This six-ingredient eggplant Parmesan is breaded and baked rather than fried, but it still tastes so indulgent.

Recipe: 6-Ingredient Baked Eggplant Parmesan

26. Easy Salmon “Sushi” Bowls

Minimalist Baker / Via minimalistbaker.com

Made with cubed, marinated salmon, avocado, and any of your favorite sushi-inspired garnishes, these seafood and rice bowls are both fun and tasty.

Recipe: Easy Salmon “Sushi” Bowls