I don’t know about y’all, but Valentine’s Day has got to be our least favorite holiday to go out to eat. Restaurants are packed, a lot of them serving pre-set menus with mediocre food. We always prefer to prepare a delicious home-cooked meal together. It’s honestly a lot of fun, more romantic and quiet, and way cheaper! Here are a few of our favorite recipes for date night in.
Spicy Seafood Pasta with Vodka Sauce
Recipe linked here. This is probably the most popular recipe on the blog and for good reason, it’s delicious. Will impress any date, trust us.
Pair with: A light red wine, such as Pinot Noir
Spicy Ahi Tuna Poke
Recipe linked here. We developed an obsession for poke after visiting Maui. This a simple recipe that can be adapted to your liking.
Pair with: Any bubbly!
Homemade Pappardelle with Beef Ragu
Recipe linked here. Recommend setting aside several hours for this (maybe better for a weekend Valentine’s Day celebration), but it’s well worth it and will be so memorable.
Pair with: Big red wines such as Barolo, Amarone, or a Bordeaux
Mole Chicken Tacos
Recipe linked here. Nothing better than a spicy, chocolatey sauce to set the romantic tone for the evening! Mole is such a unique sauce, and this is a super easy recipe for those looking for a special meal on a time crunch!
Pair with: Your favorite beer or margaritas!
Pork Tenderloin with Kale and Bourbon Apple Gastrique
Recipe linked here. Another great option for those celebrating on a weeknight and wanting something tasty but not time intensive.
Pair with: A whisky based cocktail (Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour, etc)
Artichoke, Goat Cheese, and Roasted Tomato Pasta with Scallops
Recipe linked here. Sorry not sorry for all the pasta recipes! Can you tell how much we love pasta yet? This is a super fun and unique combination of flavors!
Pair with: Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
Homemade Pizza
Recipe linked here. We LOVE making our own pizzas – so much fun to get creative with toppings. We include the recipe to make your own dough (which can be done ahead), but Trader Joes sells a pretty good premade, uncooked dough that works great too!
Pairs with: EVERYTHING. That’s the best part about pizza. Beer, wine, cocktails, whatever sounds great to you!
Homemade Gnocchi with Bolognese Sauce
Recipe for Gnocchi here and for Bolognese Sauce here. Gnocchi are one of those things that seem a lot more complicated than they really are! They only have a few simple ingredients are pretty easy to make, plus super fun to do together!
Pairs with: A big red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, or Bordeaux
Hope this gives you some ideas for a great Valentine’s Day meal at home. Cooking has always been our favorite date night and Valentine’s Day is no exception.
Happy cooking!