Planning the perfect date night at home can be both exciting and challenging, but with this curated collection of 35 Delicious Date Night Dinner Recipes, you’re guaranteed to impress and enjoy an unforgettable evening. Aim for a cozy night in with comforting classics or elevate the experience with gourmet dishes that rival a five-star restaurant; this selection has something to suit every palate and occasion. From elegant seafood entrees to indulgent pasta dishes and mouthwatering desserts, each recipe promises simplicity in preparation without compromising on flavor. Discover how effortless and enjoyable date nights can be with these 35 delectable recipes that are sure to become staples in your repertoire.
Gigli Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
If you love Italian food, then my Homemade Bolognese Sauce is a must-try. This classic recipe takes time and patience to prepare but the end result is worth it! When served with Gigli Pasta, which is said to be native to Southern Tuscany, this dish creates a truly unforgettable culinary experience.
Get the Recipe: Gigli Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
Cast Iron Salmon with Maple Dijon Sauce
Easy Cast Iron Salmon with a Buttery Maple Dijon Sauce is the perfect weeknight dinner! This is one of the best cast iron salmon recipes — you’ll have it on the table in just a few minutes and it’s SO good! Sure to be one of your new favorite ways of cooking salmon!
Get the Recipe: Cast Iron Salmon with Maple Dijon Sauce
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Defeat the picky taste buds of your worst salad-hater with this easy Strawberry Spinach Salad. Made with a few fresh ingredients: juicy strawberries, leafy greens, crunchy candied pecans, and salty feta cheese, drizzled with an easy poppyseed dressing, this salad is a serious crowd favorite!
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Spinach Salad
Nutella Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse
This Nutella Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse is deliciously rich and requires no baking! It’s a creamy whipped dessert that’s easy to make and perfect for any celebration. Enjoy it as an individual dessert, a fruit dip, or even as a pie filling.
Get the Recipe: Nutella Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse
Tortellini alla Panna
This delicious Tortellini alla Panna dish is easy to make and features tortellini, one of the tastiest stuffed pastas ever. Purists might prefer their meat-filled tortellini served in hot broth, but it’s also amazing in a creamy sauce. Butter, parmesan cheese and heavy cream really do make a rich and satisfying sauce for the tortellini. Ham steak adds a meaty element to this tasty dish. If you’re looking for a hearty pasta dish that’s ready in just half an hour, this one might be perfect.
Get the Recipe: Tortellini alla Panna
Beef Pinwheels
These Beef Pinwheels, featuring flank steak stuffed with feta, sundried tomatoes, and spinach, are a perfect holiday or special occasion dinner!
Get the Recipe: Beef Pinwheels
White Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce
This White Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce is one of the most delicious yet simple ways to enjoy fish for dinner. The flavors of garlic, butter, and lemon fuse together to create a healthy and mouthwatering meal the whole family will devour.
Get the Recipe: White Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce
Monkfish Curry
Monkfish Curry or any fish curry is a must-make recipe for any fish and spice lover so if you are ready to spice up your dinner let Ramona’s Cuisine introduce you to this South Indian – Srilankan Style Monkfish Curry! We’re talking succulent monkfish fillets taking a delicious dip in a rich, creamy curry sauce that’s packed with aromatic goodness, It is not just any fish curry recipe – it’s one of the absolute best that you can whip up entirely from scratch in just 30 minutes. Yep, you read that right!
Get the Recipe: Monkfish Curry
Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms
Some dishes are so comforting; they’re like a hug from your kitchen. This creamy Vegan Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms is one of them. Delicious, smooth, and satisfying, it’s the perfect meal for a chilly night.
Get the Recipe: Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms
Apple and Brie Stuffed Chicken Breast
This Apple Brie Stuffed Chicken is a surprisingly easy and elegant entree, perfect for date night or company! Tender boneless chicken breasts are lightly seasoned and stuffed with brie and apples and coated with a maple, garlic, and Dijon glaze. Serve with steamed green beans or a nice salad!
Get the Recipe: Apple and Brie Stuffed Chicken Breast
Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
These Fudgy Chocolate Brownies are the ultimate decadent treat. Made with simple ingredients, they are packed with gooey chocolatey deliciousness. The perfect treat to satisfy any chocolate craving!
Get the Recipe: Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
Blackened Steak
This pan seared steak is the perfect weeknight meal that tastes just like you’re eating at your favorite steakhouse restaurant. Blackened Steak has a flavorful savory crust packed full of spices and is so juicy and tender.
Get the Recipe: Blackened Steak
Nobu Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna
Make better-than-Nobu Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna at home! This trendy appetizer features bite-sized crispy rice topped with creamy thinly-sliced avocado, finely-chopped tuna mixed with a delicious spicy sauce, and jalapeños!
Get the Recipe: Nobu Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna
Slow-Braised Lamb Ragu
This Slow Cooked Lamb Ragu features melt-in-your-mouth tender pieces of lamb in a delicious savory tomato sauce, perfect for enjoying with pasta, polenta, or crusty bread.
Get the Recipe: Slow-Braised Lamb Ragu
Smoked Salmon Platter
Create a beautiful Smoked Salmon Platter with this simple, in-depth guide. Learn about the key elements, get the recipe, and make it your own. Kelly Neil created a formula to help you decide exactly what and how much to put on your platter and how to arrange it into a show-stopping summer appetizer.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Salmon Platter
Simple Pumpkin Risotto
This one-pot Creamy Pumpkin Risotto is creamy, comforting, cozy, satisfying, and perfect for entertaining this fall! A naturally vegan, gluten-free meal, perfect for weeknights or the Holidays!
Get the Recipe: Simple Pumpkin Risotto
Cheesecake For Two
This quick small batch Cheesecake for Two is the perfect date night dessert! It’s incredibly creamy, with a classic graham cracker crust, and is ideal for smaller groups.
Get the Recipe: Cheesecake For Two
Creamy Pork Chops
These Creamy Pork Chops are cheesy, garlicky, and herby. Perfect one-pan dinner that’s low-carb, gluten-free, and high-protein. With just 9g of net carbs per chop! Each bite combines the delicious flavors of garlic, basil, and parmesan cheese. All combined through the creaminess and umami flavor provided by the heavy cream and the pork chops.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Pork Chops
Creamy Steak Pasta
Steak in pasta. A divine coupling. This Creamy Steak Pasta recipe is gearing up to be your new favourite pasta dish, especially if you’re looking to spoil that special steak enthusiast in your life. This sophisticated, yet very approachable dish, showcases the perfect blend of comforting ingredients: Chunky pasta, succulent steak slices and a creamy, punchy mushroom and whisky sauce.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Steak Pasta
Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder
Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder is a rich, creamy, soup that’s so easy to make from scratch! This version is loaded with seafood, with bacon and fresh dill added for extra flavor.
Get the Recipe: Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder
Salmon Patties
Easy and flavorful, these gluten-free Salmon Patties elevate any table, and make a delicious appetizer or main dish, especially during the summer, but also anytime of the year. Totally dairy-free too.
Get the Recipe: Salmon Patties
Chicken Thigh Marsala
Juicy and delicious, this Chicken Thigh Marsala is a phenomenal dish. The best chicken marsala is made with chicken thighs as they’re so juicy and richly flavored. The golden brown chicken is served in a sweet, buttery sauce that has dry marsala wine to give it an absolutely delicious flavor. Served with fluffy mashed potatoes or your side dish of choice, chicken thigh marsala makes a truly amazing meal with restaurant-style flavor.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Thigh Marsala
Chocolate Hazelnut Fondue
Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Fondue isn’t just any ordinary fondue – it’s a creamy, dreamy dip with simple plant-based ingredients that come together to create an easy-to-make, luscious treat. Perfect for vegans or anyone who loves a good dip, this fondue invites everyone to plunge their mini pitchforks into a pot brimming with rich, smooth chocolate hazelnut bliss.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Fondue
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta
I love pasta, and once you taste this Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta, it’s going to be your family’s first choice too. This quick creamy vegetarian pasta recipe uses sun-dried tomato pesto and bursts with rich garlic, basil, and cheese! It is conveniently customizable with any veggies to create your own favorite version.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta
Steak and Scallops (Surf and Turf)
Enjoy a classic Surf and Turf dinner at home with this easy Steak and Scallops. Everything–from the filet to the white wine sauce-is made in a cast iron skillet and finished in less than 30 minutes!
Get the Recipe: Steak and Scallops (Surf and Turf)
Strawberry Galette
Strawberry Galette is a simple and impressive dessert in which fresh, sweet, and juicy strawberries are encased in golden, buttery homemade pie crust.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Galette
Lemon Shrimp Pasta with Kale
I love an easy weeknight dinner. This Lemon Shrimp and Pasta recipe is just that — quick, easy, and bursting with flavor! But what’s really special about this recipe for shrimp and pasta is that it’s full of nutrient-rich kale and it’s gluten-free! It also features a larger portion of kale and a smaller portion of pasta, so it’s lighter in carbs and a great source of veggies!
Get the Recipe: Lemon Shrimp Pasta with Kale
Filet Medallions
These Filet Medallions showcase tender beef medallions that are pan seared to lock in all the juices and quickly cooked to perfection. The marinade not only tenderizes the steak but is also the basis to a rich brown pan sauce.
Get the Recipe: Filet Medallions
Gnocchi with Sausage and Sage
This Vegan Gnocchi with Sausage and Sage is a mouthwatering combination of pillowy soft gnocchi, protein-packed crumbled vegan sausage, shallot, and kale. Make this comforting dish in less than 30 minutes for an easy dinner during the week or date night!
Get the Recipe: Gnocchi with Sausage and Sage
Almost Flourless French Chocolate Cake
This Almost Flourless French Chocolate Cake is deceptively easy, yet will make you look like a professional baker! It has a deep chocolate flavor with a light texture that is between cakey and fudgy. Guests go crazy for this impressive dessert which is easy enough for a casual gathering and elegant enough for a special occasion.
Get the Recipe: Almost Flourless French Chocolate Cake
Sous Vide Chilean Sea Bass
Sous Vide Chilean Sea Bass has been one of Chicken Fried Kitchen’s most popular recipes. Cooked to perfection every time, then pan-seared and presented on an island of garlic mashed potatoes and a bed of easily prepared sautéed spinach, surrounded by homemade roasted red pepper sauce.
Get the Recipe: Sous Vide Chilean Sea Bass
Pasta alla Norma
Pasta alla Norma is a wonderfully indulgent Sicilian pasta dish with oven roasted eggplant, cheese and a rich and flavorful sauce. This version has added meatballs to make it more substantial, although those can be omitted for a vegetarian version. This pasta alla norma recipe is from Catania, a city on Sicily’s eastern coast. If you enjoy eggplant Parmesan, you’re going to love pasta alla Norma. If you don’t often buy or use eggplant, try pasta alla norma with meatballs and it will soon become a firm favorite!
Get the Recipe: Pasta alla Norma
Chocolate Walnut Fudge
This Creamy Chocolate Fudge is super tasty and loaded with chocolate, walnut and berries. When it comes to raw desserts, this fudge is a game changer. Despite its complicated look, you don’t have to be a professional chef to make this delicious fudge yourself. Just a few ingredients and 15-20 minutes of your time, after which it goes to the fridge for a few hours to solidify.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Walnut Fudge
Shrimp and Salmon Alfredo
If you’re a fan of both seafood and pasta, you are going to love Shrimp and Salmon Alfredo. This lightened up version is quick and easy, (just 30 minutes!) not to mention creamy and comforting. It’s sure to become a new family favorite.
Get the Recipe: Shrimp and Salmon Alfredo
No-Bake Kinder Cheesecake with Bueno Pieces
This Kinder Cheesecake is sure to be a new favourite! It’s a smooth, creamy, no-bake cheesecake with Kinder chocolate throughout and Kinder Bueno pieces on top. It’s great for birthdays, BBQs or any other occasion!
Get the Recipe: No-Bake Kinder Cheesecake with Bueno Pieces
