The Top 15 Romantic Dinner Ideas for Valentine's Day 2022
Valentine's day is quickly approaching, and you shouldn't be surprised to find yourself cooking dinner for your special someone in your own home since a study by the National Restaurant Association shows 17% of restaurants are permanently closed due to Covid-19. Furthermore, reservations have been canceled due to concerns about the Omicron variant since New Year's Eve.
Whether you like Valentine's Day or not, there's something special about spending it at home with your significant other, especially if you're both cooking romantic meals for each other. On February 14th, make something delicious for you and a loved one without thinking about whether or not it's an aphrodisiac. When you cook up these gourmet dinners for Valentine's Day, you'll have nothing but good food and even better company.
Is it love in the air... or is it the aroma of these dishes cooking?
While the CDC recommends "picking up curbside meals" or "having food delivered" as the safest way to enjoy and support restaurants and bars, you don't have to limit yourself to takeout. So if you're wondering, "what to make for Valentine's Day dinner," then you're in the right place.
To help you plan your special evening, we have created a list of all of the best Valentine's Dinner ideas. We're talking fresh seafood, tender chicken, premium meats, hearty pastas, and more! It would help if you didn't stress when you make these meals. After all, it's just dinner.
We do hope, however, that you will use this holiday of love to slow down, perhaps have a glass of wine, and enjoy the delicious meal you prepared. Only the most delectable, unique, and romantic dishes will qualify for Valentine's Day dinner recipes.
Here Are 15 Romantic Valentine's Day Recipes Worthy of a Chef's Kiss
Heart-Shaped Lasagna Bundt
This heart-shaped lasagna is filled with red meat sauce that oozes out when you slice it, making it the perfect Valentine's Day dinner, regardless of whether you love or hate the holiday. It will feed ten people, so share the love this Valentine's Day with the entire family.
Get the recipe for Heart-Shaped Lasagna Bundt
Surf and Turf Steak and Lobster Tails
A surf and turf dish combines seafood and red meat. Beefsteak with shellfish, such as lobster tails, crab legs, or prawns, is the most common combination. Fresh lobster tail and tender ribeye steak with a delicious garlic butter sauce make for a fancy, restaurant-quality surf and turf that's super easy to make—a definite favorite of Valentine's Day dinner ideas. Try it with our South African Lobster Tails for a next-level dining experience.
Get the recipe for Surf and Turf Steak and Lobster Tails
Easy Crab Cakes
Crab cakes began as a popular dish in Maryland and Virginia but spread across the country. There are only seven ingredients in this easy but delicious crab cake recipe, and it's a piece of cake to make! It includes chunks of juicy crab meat, savory seasonings, and breadcrumbs.
These bad boys can be fried, baked, grilled, or broiled. The result will be crab cakes crisp on the outside and tender and flaky on the inside.
Get the recipe for: Easy Crab Cakes
Lamb Chops
This delicious lamb chop recipe serves two people and includes a homemade sauce that will make anyone drool. With rich lamb, fresh spices, and full flavors, your significant other will be begging for this every night of the week. Make your Valentine's Day dinner a ten out of ten by serving it with wine and garlic bread.
Get the recipe for: Lamb Chops
Absolutely Perfect Filet Mignon
If you want to wow your date, filet mignon is the way to go. Its fancy-sounding name alone makes an impression. This filet mignon is pan-fried and baked in fresh garlic, rosemary, and thyme-infused butter. Each bite will have a crisp, browned, flavorful outer layer with a moist and tender interior.
You'll love how the herbs counteract the beef's unctuousness. It's a common entree in many fine dining establishments, so you'd think it necessitates some culinary skill. Surprisingly, it isn't that difficult to make.
Get the recipe for the Perfect Filet Mignon
Lobster Bisque
Lobster bisque is a rich, creamy soup filled with sweet, buttery lobster tails. It's a delicious and addictive bisque that'll make your taste buds tingle. Lobster bisque is the ultimate appetizer. This velvety lobster bisque is a great starter, lunch portion, or a fancy and romantic dinner for two. Most importantly, it's surprisingly easy to make and takes less than an hour.
Get the recipe for Lobster Bisque.
Marry Me Chicken
Marry Me chicken is a dish that will make you say "yes!" after just one bite. Bacon, chicken, and sun-dried tomatoes are all featured in this pasta dish. No one can resist the sauce's incredible richness and creaminess. If you're thinking about proposing to your companion, this recipe, together with unconditional love, could be the ticket.
Aside from being unbelievably tasty, we like how simple this dish is to prepare! It only takes about 30 minutes to prepare and cook your romantic dinner. Try it with veal or duck instead.
Get the recipe for Marry Me Chicken.
Caviar Hearts
Caviar with sour cream, creme fraiche, or cream cheese makes a pretty and romantic little hors d'oeuvre. Perfect for a romantic evening at home on Valentine's Day. There is no tastier, more glamorous, easier hors d'oeuvre or first course than red caviar hearts for Valentine's Day or any day.
All you have to do is: Choose from salmon, tobiko, beet-colored whitefish roe, lumpfish, or capelin for your red caviar. Serve with a glass of rosé Champagne for the perfect pairing.
Get the recipe for Caviar Hearts
Lobster Mac and Cheese
Sure, mac 'n cheese is a typical, low-cost weekday meal. But it only takes one simple addition to make it fancy. Put some sweet lobster chunks in there, and presto! You'll have a delectable romantic dish that will make you giddy. It is a creamy macaroni dish with two types of cheese and plenty of lobster meat, baked to golden brown perfection.
A rich and decadent main course or side dish that is sure to please!
Get the recipe for Lobster Mac' n Cheese
Beef Wellington
This Beef Wellington recipe is a lavish tender and juicy beef tenderloin or filet mignon wrapped in a soft, buttery pastry with a layer of mustard, mushroom duxelles, and prosciutto that's baked until golden brown. Beef Wellington is decadent meat with an eye-catching presentation that's sure to please your date this Valentine's Day.
That isn't the easiest recipe on the list, but it isn't difficult either. And what was the result? This beef Welly is legendary!
Get the recipe for Beef Wellington.
Braised Lamb Shanks
These simple, delicious Braised Lamb Shanks melt in your mouth with incredible flavor. It's the perfect, cozy dinner at home for Valentine's Day! And these look stunning, too! Our favorite thing about this recipe is that it takes a while to cook. Shanks are the lower portion of the lamb leg.
Bone-in, this cut of meat is best suited for low and slow cooking methods, such as braising or stewing. Thus, you can start this recipe ahead of time, have a little appetizer, and before you know it, they'll be done!
Get the recipe for Braised Lamb Shanks.
Pan-Fried Ribeye Steak
Why would you waste money on low-cost ingredients if you're trying to recreate a fine dining experience? This is the best time to splurge & indulge a little, and dinner for two has never been easier, thanks to this 15-minute dish. You really can't believe how good this ribeye steak is until you prepare it in your own kitchen.
The lemon and pepper seasoning makes it a perfect way to say, "I love you." Serve it up alongside roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a salad, and your sweetheart will love you for it.
Get the recipe for Pan-Fried Ribeye Steak.
Maple-Baked Salmon
Salmon cooked at a low temperature until medium-rare has a silky texture and a flavor that makes it a festive centerpiece. This simple dish, which takes less than half an hour to prepare, is ideal for a special evening at home. The glaze is sweetened with maple syrup, and the whole mustard seeds in Dijon add a savory note.
Even though salmon is naturally fatty, a dollop of mayonnaise thickens the glaze and helps it stick to the fish. The herbaceous aroma of cilantro stems baked into the sauce and tender leaves, sprinkled on top, brightens the dish. This recipe is a keeper, just like your special valentine!
Get the recipe for Maple Baked Salmon.
Spicy Pesto Cheese Baked Rigatoni
Step up your dinner game with this drool-worthy Rigatoni pasta baked in a creamy, spicy tomato pesto vodka sauce! This recipe serves eight people, but if you like pasta, we recommend making the entire recipe even if there are only two of you. It's delicious and looks lovely on any table...plus, who doesn't enjoy a good baked pasta?
With Italian chicken sausage, plenty of cheese, and a zesty pesto sauce, you'll want to eat this for days.
Get the recipe for Spicy Pesto Cheese Baked Rigatoni
Smoked Salmon and Caviar Bundles
If your significant other enjoys caviar, we have a solution for you. For centuries, caviar has been regarded as a decadent treat. Just in time for Valentine's Day, here's a decadent little treat you can make and serve at home that will transport you to your most extravagant restaurant experiences.
It's inspired by the beggar's purse, a signature appetizer at the Quilted Giraffe, an influential New York City restaurant from the 1980s. The beggar's purse consisted of a generous portion of Beluga caviar, and sour cream spooned into the center of a crepe, which was then gathered and tied with a chive bow.
The resulting small bag with pleats at the top resembled a purse, but the contents were far from beggarly. It was rich in every way. On this special evening, give your partner the most captivating and luxurious dining experience you can.
Get the recipe for Smoked Salmon and Caviar Bundles.
Don't forget the dessert! Chocolate Heart Doughnuts.
Need a sweet way to end a romantic evening? Whether it's Valentine's Day or not, making it sweet with these quick and easy doughnuts is a must-have for the month. These easy at-home doughnuts are deliciously simple and satisfying.
Stuffed with whipped Nutella and dusted with sugar, these are delicious at any time of day. Best served with gourmet coffee or cocoa and because this recipe makes 12 servings, you can easily cut it in half or thirds to make enough for two people.
Get the recipe for Chocolate Heart Doughnuts.
There's one table where you don't have to make a reservation on Valentine's Day: yours!
If you're planning a romantic night-in with your sweetheart, these decadent dishes will make your meal feel just as memorable as if you were dining out. With Valentine's Day approaching and a slew of restaurant reservations canceled due to Omicron, there's no better time than now to put your culinary skills to the test. Cooking a meal at home is more personal and, yes, more affordable.
Making a nice Valentine's Day dinner for your significant other is a romantic and memorable way to celebrate love this year. So sharpen your knives, roll up your sleeves, and get ready to cook! Whatever candle-lit-couch recipe you've got planned for February 14th, we've made it simple to impress your sweetheart with a filling, flavorful meal for two!
Kolikof Caviar & Gourmet World-Class Fine Foods
Kolikof Caviar & Gourmet offers customers the most prestigious selection of fine foods. From the finest caviar to the most elusive lobsters, our distinguished customers can rest assured that the products in our carefully curated collection are sourced from the cleanest, most pristine sources on the planet.
Salmon, lobster, crab, specialty seafood, Japanese and Australian Wagyu beef, Spanish Ham, and cheeses are among the other gourmet foods available. Every item is meticulously sourced and hand-selected by the owner, Jim Miller.
Have you tried any of these Valentine's Day dinner recipes yet? Please share on social media with the hashtag #kolikof.
