Whether you’re serving a roasted rack of lamb or silky, rich pasta, a romantic dinner for two can make an ordinary evening a little more special. Go big with pan-roasted lobster or steak frites, or try your hand at homemade pizza. For a special holiday, anniversary, or a spur-of-the-moment surprise, add these romantic dinner recipes to your arsenal; you’ll come back to them time and time again.
Petite Beef Wellington
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
You know love is in the air when these Wellingtons are on the menu. The single-serving format feels especially extravagant; a higher ratio of crackling puff pastry and earthy mushroom duxelles envelops juicy roast beef to delight your guest of honor.
Mussels with Saffron Aïoli, Yellow Tomatoes, and Roasted Fingerlings
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
Liz Mervosh saturates briny mussels in a thin, marinara-like sauce made from grated yellow tomatoes, cumin, and piment d’Espelette, a French chile. Herb-coated fingerling potatoes are oven-roasted until tender and served alongside a garlicky aïoli with pops of floral saffron as a luscious dipping sauce.
Coq au Vin Blanc
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Priscilla Montiel
Made with dry white wine and vermouth, this lighter version of the original is still incredibly indulgent thanks to bacon lardons and a silky butter sauce that coats the mushrooms, onions, and chicken. Prep the chicken and vegetables a day in advance to ease your day-of workload.
Slow-Roasted Salmon with Citrus-Olive Relish
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Silky, slow-cooked roast salmon fillets are adorned with a bright, briny citrus-olive relish for a sophisticated dish that takes just under an hour to prepare. Serve it over a bed of couscous or another grain to soak up all the juices from the relish.
Mushroom Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter
Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Homemade ravioli are filled with fresh and dried mushrooms enveloped in a creamy blend of ricotta and mascarpone, then coated in a rich brown butter sage sauce for this stunning dish. Drizzle a touch of truffle oil into the filling to add even more depth of flavor.
Pan-Roasted Lobster with Chive Beurre Blanc
Justin Walker
“Be sure to serve the lobsters on a warmed large platter so the beurre blanc stays hot,” says Mary-Frances Heck. “I love to line the platter with hot cooked linguine before topping it with the roasted lobsters and lemony sauce. The pasta soaks up some of the sauce and makes for a decadent second course once all the lobsters have been eaten.”
Steak Frites with Black Garlic Butter
Victor Protasio
Nothing says romance like a perfectly cooked steak and crispy fries. This one with black garlic butter is matchmaking material.
Pork Chop au Poivre with Red Wine–Shallot Sauce
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Give bone-in pork chops the steak treatment with this riff on the classic French au poivre preparation. Here, we use a blend of peppercorns to impart floral and vegetal notes; be sure to grind them à la minute for the freshest flavor.
Seafood Fra Diavolo
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
For our take on this devilishly delicious Italian-American dish, we cook littleneck clams and mussels in a mixture of tomato paste and white wine, which lends briny notes to the spicy, tart sauce. Plump shrimp add a touch of sweetness and echo the cascatelli’s signature trough shape and ruffled edges.
Cola-Braised Short Ribs with Risotto
Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Nothing is cozier than a Dutch oven filled with braised, fall-off-the-bone tender short ribs served over risotto. Here, the classic wine and stock braising liquid gets a surprising addition from cola, balancing the savory notes with a touch of complex sweetness to create a smooth, rich sauce.
Salad of Pink Radicchio, Citrus, and Mushroom Bagna Cauda
Gentl & Hyers
Melted anchovies and porcini mushroom powder lend a savory depth to nutty brown butter bagna cauda, yielding a powerhouse sauce that’s perfect for drizzling over this pretty pink salad.
Proposal Chicken Parmesan
Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Nicole Hopper / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Tasty enough to garner a marriage proposal, breaded and fried chicken cutlets are blanketed in mozzarella and served over a delectable sun-dried tomato cream sauce.
Steak Tartare with Smoked Oyster Aïoli
Greg DuPree
A mix of flatiron and rib eye steak gets tossed with olive oil and a punchy charred leak gremolata for this succulent tartare. It’s served with crisp rye toasts and an easy-to-make smoked oyster aïoli that adds muscle and brightness.
Soppressata Pizza with Calabrian Chiles and Hot Honey
Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
Fiery Calabrian chiles add heat and a distinctly fruity flavor to this Italian pie featuring soppressata, a dry-cured pork salami. A drizzle of hot honey on the finished pizza mirrors the flavors of the chiles while adding a touch of sweetness.
Caramelized Onion and Bread Soup with Brûléed Blue Cheese
Greg DuPree
Stilton cheese and oloroso sherry add depth and layers of flavor to this vegetarian rendition of traditional French onion soup. Notes of toasted nuts and fruit compote in the sherry pair well with caramelized onions, and its briny acidity cuts through the richness of the cheese.
Rack of Lamb with Mustard-Shallot Sauce
© Kate Mathis
A rack of lamb is the right move for a special dinner for two, as it’s the perfect portion of meat to split and works with almost any side dish.