20 Date Night Dinner Ideas

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Whether it’s for Valentine’s Day, a special anniversary, a first date, or just a nice surprise – here are 20 Date Night Dinner Ideas that are bound to impress! These romantic recipes are easy to make, look gorgeous and pack in the flavor! From delicious pasta to succulent salmon and much more, one bite from these dishes and love will definitely be in the air!

Table of Contents

1. Tips for date night dinner
2. date night dinner ideas
3. Other date night ideas
4. Full list of recipes

Turn your living room into a top-notch restaurant with these 20 Date Night Dinner Ideas. These recipes are simple to make (they’re also fun to cook together!), and they look like they’ve just come from a fancy restaurant. Win, win! From succulent shrimp dishes to flavor-packed risotto, pamper the one you love with one of these delicious dishes, guaranteed to please the palette!

Tips for date night dinner

1. Know your date’s preferences. It may seem obvious, but when cooking a date night dinner, keep in mind the likes and dislikes of your date. What are their favorite foods and ingredients? Do they have any food allergies or intolerances? Do they love a certain cuisine or chef?
2. Prep ahead. Choosing a recipe that can be prepped ahead of the evening will leave you more time to entertain your date!
3. Choose some simple appetizers that don’t overpower the main dish! When it comes to appetizers, you can keep life simple and delicious with some Tomato Basil Bruschetta or Cucumber Sushi Rolls!
4. Pick short cut pastas for less messy bites. If you’re choosing pasta, instead of long strands of tangling spaghetti or fettuccine, choose penne pasta, orzo, tortellini, or ravioli.
5. Include some foods that are aphrodisiacs for an even more romantic night. These foods include oysters, almonds, basil, and asparagus! 😉

date night dinner ideas

Here are a few romantic recipes to cook up when spending an evening creating and dining on a delicious meal for date night at home.

Best date night pasta

• Baked Feta Pasta – The dish is pretty much hands-off, and all the magic happens in the oven which means more time to spend a romantic evening together.
• Cheese Stuffed Shells – Filled with a creamy ricotta cheese blend and baked with marinara sauce, these stuffed shells are perfect to serve for dinner or as a side dish.
• Pesto Pasta with Chicken – Perfectly charred and seasoned grilled chicken breast paired with a herbaceous pesto pasta. It’s a meal that comes together quickly without losing any flavor. 
• Yogurt Sauce Pasta – This Lebanese spaghetti is simple to make, very flavorful, and comes out creamy and delicious finished with toasted pine nuts!

Romanitic seafood dinner

• Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles – This recipe takes the classic flavor of scampi and toss it with thin zoodles instead of pasta for a light and refreshing seafood date night dinner.
• Garlic Cilantro Baked Salmon – Tender flakey salmon is infused with the best fresh and herby garlic cilantro aromatics. Serve of any type of grain with a fresh squeeze lime.
• Creamy Red Curry Shrimp: So much flavor is packed into this one pot dinner with the most irresistible creamy sauce with a punch of heat to really take it over the top.
• Chili Lime Shrimp – Marinated and pan fried, these succulent shrimps are full of flavor and a quick way to serve a delicious date night meal.
• Honey Lemon Salmon – Glazed with a sweet citrus sauce, this salmon will impress your date with a burst of flavor and warm tender flakes.
• Pan Seared Scallops – Cooking scallops at home is actually easier than you think, and the result is juicy tender pieces of fish that are perfect to toss with pasta.

Chicken dinner ideas

• Chicken Thighs with Couscous – Crispy browned skin and the most delicious and juicy meat, this skillet chicken is cooked in one pan with a filling flavorful couscous. It sounds fancy, but couscous is easy to make and so good.
• Lemon Chicken Piccata – This restaurant quality lemon piccata chicken has a beautifully bright and vibrant flavor that’s made healthier with a few substitutions to the classic.
• Whole Roasted Rosemary Chicken – Roasting a whole chicken in a buttery herb sauce with shallots is such a romantic dinner to make. Serve with roasted potatoes and crisp tender cauliflower for a full meal.
• Baked Balsamic Chicken – The sweet and tangy combination of balsamic and honey bring a new level of flavor to chicken breast. It cooks up tender and juicy and is simple to make.
• Almond Crusted Chicken – Roasted almonds are ground into a breadcrumb size texture and tossed with parmesan cheese to coat these chicken cutlets and cook until crisp and golden brown. 

Vegetarian date night dinners

• Pumpkin Risotto – Creamy with the best pumpkin-y flavor, this is made with just a few ingredients and can be served as a vegetarian entrée or as a side.
• Baked Eggplant Parmesan – Full of the same great flavors you love, this is a lighter version of the classic chicken parmesan full of melty cheese and red sauce.
• Spinach Lasagna Roll ups – Saucy, cheese, and full of spinach and ricotta, this twist on lasagna has a beautiful presentation and taste amazing. A small side salad and garlic bread really rounds this dish out for a romantic vegetarian Italian dinner.
• Vegan Meatballs – What’s better than a plate full of spaghetti in meatballs? This is a classic romantic dinner that’s meat free and delicious.
• Ratatouille – It’s a very hearty dish has a wonderfully light and fresh flavor since it’s loaded with color and and nutrient dense ingredients. The best part is you can make it quickly in one pot!

Other date night ideas

• Shrimp Avocado Salad
• Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
• Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms
• Sautéed Chicken and Mushroom
• Grilled Mahi Mahi with Avocado Salsa
• Tomato Poached Fish
• No Bake Cheesecake Cups
• Nutella Mug Cake
• Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

Full list of recipes

Check out the picture cards for all the recipes listed above. You can click on any of the recipe cards to take you directly to those recipes.

For more similar roundup of recipes, be sure to check out: Valentine’s Day Breakfast Ideas, Recipes with 5 Ingredients or less, 28 Easy No Bake Desserts, 18 Non Boring Salad Recipes, 25 Fresh Spring Recipes,

If you have tried any of these Date Night Dinner Ideas  or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making the recipes. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!