Valentine's Day Food Ideas: 40 Romantic Appetizer, Dinner, and Dessert Recipes

January 02, 2020
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Oxmoor House
Forget what you've heard: Elegant appetizers, indulgent dinners, and decadent desserts make Valentine's Day is the ULTIMATE food lovers' holiday. We rounded up our best romantic recipes to make this Valentine's Day one you'll never forget. 
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Valentine's Day Food Ideas

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Use our menu to plan a perfectly romantic date night with your Valentine.
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Appetizers

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Kick off your date with bite-sized snacks that come together quickly.

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Spicy-Sweet Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

Spicy-Sweet Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Recipe

In under 30 minutes, you can dress crispy bacon wrapped shrimp in brown sugar, paprika, and smoked red pepper for a dynamically delicious appetizer. This combinatioin of spicy, sweet, smooth, and crunchy will keep you grabbing for more.  

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Melted Manchego Tortas with Romesco and Chorizo

Photo: Andrew Thomas Lee; Styling: Kaitlyn Du Ross    
Melted Manchego Tortas with Romesco and Chorizo Recipe
Spanish flatbreads, or tortas, are a tapas staple. Make these with thin sandwich round halves and a 1 1/4-inch circular cutter. You'll only use 1/4 cup of the romesco, but the remainder makes a great sauce for meats, vegetables, or fish.

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Goat Cheese Poppers with Honey

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Linda Hirst    
Goat Cheese Poppers with Honey Recipe

In addition to being a delicious appetizer that feels special, these Goat Cheese Poppers with Honey make for extra awesome croutons on salads and as "meat" balls for vegetarian pasta dishes.

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Strawberry Bruschetta

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck and Caroline Cunningham
Strawberry Bruschetta Recipe
Usher in the warm days of spring and summer with Strawberry Bruschetta. This refreshing mixture of  nectarine, grape tomatoes, strawberries, and basil are served over baguette slices with slatherings of goat cheese.
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Mini Corn Cakes with Smoked Salmon and Dill Crème Fraîche

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller    
Mini Corn Cakes with Smoked Salmon and Dill Crème Fraîche Recipe
Make these in the morning, and top with salmon and crème fraîche just before your guests arrive. Tight on time? Use store-bought blini instead.

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Brie with Jeweled Fruit Compote

Photo: Johnny Miller; Styling: Sarah Smart
Brie with Jeweled Fruit Compote Recipe

This lovely appetizer is about as quick and easy as it gets--as tasty, too. You don't even need to let the cheese come to room temperature first; the warm fruit that goes on top will soften it up. Serve with crostini or crackers.

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Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta Recipe
Prepare the fig jam for this savory-meets-sweet appetizer up to three days in advance, and store in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature, and assemble bruschetta just before serving. For smaller groups, use half the amount of bread. Leftover jam is great on toast at breakfast.
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Seared Beef Tenderloin Mini Sandwiches with Mustard-Horseradish Sauce

Becky Luigart-Stayner
Seared Beef Tenderloin Mini Sandwiches with Mustard-Horseradish Sauce Recipe
These mini sandwiches are a great beef tenderloin appetizer.  Serving beef tenderloin as an appetizer is an elegant, yet budget-friendly way to enjoy a pricey cut of meat.

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Classic Shrimp Cocktail with Red and Green Sauces

Photo: Jan Smith
Classic Shrimp Cocktail with Red and Green Sauces Recipe
For convenience, make this dish ahead, and refrigerate until time to serve.

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Main Course

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Channel your inner Julia Child with these delicious, indulgent Valentine's dinners.
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Pan-Seared Strip Steak

Charles Masters
Pan-Seared Strip Steak Recipe

This fantastic strip steak is the perfect dinner for date night or any special occasion that deserves something extra delicious on the table. A little butter adds richness and keeps the leaner-than-usual beef moist without adding much in the way of total fat. Don't know how to cook steak on the stove? No worries! Not only is this one of our best steak recipes, it's incredibly easy. However, a word of caution: This recipe is smoky! Keep your exhaust fan on high or cook in a skillet on a hot outdoor grill.

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Seared Flank Steak with Lime-Wasabi Sauce

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller
Seared Flank Steak with Lime-Wasabi Sauce Recipe

Zesty red wine marinade is the key for this super-tender and deeply flavored steak. The longer it marinates, the better.

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Sheet Pan Steak with Blistered Veggies

Time Inc. Video Studio 
Sheet Pan Steak with Blistered Veggies Recipe

We have a saying around here: A good sheet pan dinner is always a winner. And this quick and easy steak and veggie supper is a shining example. It’s a delicious taste of what cookbook author Julie Grimes offers in $10 Dinners: Delicious Meals for a Family of 4 that Don't Break the Bank; grab a copy today for more family-friendly recipes that are equally friendly on your wallet. 

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Classic Mignonette With Fresh Oysters On The Half Shell

Time Inc. Video Studios
Classic Mignonette With Fresh Oysters On The Half Shell Recipe

Mingonette is the perfect balance to the salty and briny oyster. This sauce goes best with cold oysters and a glass of Chardonnay, but it'd also be great stirred into mashed avocado or whisked together with olive oil for a great salad dressing.

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Penne with Spicy Vodka Cream Sauce

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Linda Hirst
Penne with Spicy Vodka Cream Sauce Recipe

Simple and delicious, Penne with Spicy Vodka Cream Sauce is perfect with a simple salad and a glass of red.

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Beef Filets with Pomegranate-Pinot Sauce

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr
Beef Filets with Pomegranate-Pinot Sauce Recipe

This 5-star recipe gives you rich and elegant flavors in just 20 minutes.

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Filet Mignon with Arugula Salad

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr
Filet Mignon with Arugula Salad Recipe

Arugula, a peppery salad green, makes a tasty bed for tender, simply seasoned pan-seared steak.

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Simple Lemon, Shrimp, and Prosciutto Pasta

Jennifer Causey
Simple Lemon, Shrimp, and Prosciutto Pasta Recipe

Salty, umami-packed prosciutto complements the sweet shrimp and tomatoes in this streamlined 20-minute main.

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Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi

Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr
Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi Recipe

Indulge in the flavor of the Mediterranean with plump shrimp tossed with lemon and pepper and served over a bed of orzo.

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Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Burgundy-Mushroom Sauce

Hector Manuel Sanchez
Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Burgundy-Mushroom Sauce Recipe

Everyone will admire these tender spirals of beef filled with creamy spinach and leeks and topped off with a rich mushroom sauce. Rolling and stuffing the meat is easier than it looks.

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Basil-Ricotta Ravioli with Spinach

Caitlin Bensel
Basil-Ricotta Ravioli with Spinach Recipe

Wonton wrappers are the secret to these seemingly from-scratch pasta pillows. Skip the fancy folds; just make sure to seal the ravioli well. The ravioli fare better with a delicate sauce--here, just a drizzle of olive oil and lemon.

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Pork Tenderloin with Mushrooms, Fennel, and Blue Cheese

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
Pork Tenderloin with Mushrooms, Fennel, and Blue Cheese Recipe

This gorgeous main uses just one skillet--first to sear and roast the pork, then to caramelize the fennel and mushrooms. Arugula isn't only for salads; it wilts nicely when sautéed in the pan juices from the pork tenderloin.

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Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce

Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Anna Hampton
Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce Recipe

Smaller tomatoes, like cherry or grape, have brighter, fruitier flavors than larger ones. Look for colorful selections such as the orange Sun Gold and the purple Black Cherry. Cherry tomatoes need only a few minutes in a hot pan before they soften and release their naturally sweet juices. For the best flavor, use fresh shrimp, not frozen, and don’t overcook them, or the shrimp will become tough. Tarragon’s anise notes complement the cherry tomatoes and cream, but you can substitute basil or oregano.

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Skillet Chicken Thighs with Spring Vegetables and Shallot Vinaigrette

Photo: Kelsey Hansen; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson; Food Styling: Anna Hampton
Skillet Chicken Thighs with Spring Vegetables and Shallot Vinaigrette Recipe

This elegant single-skillet meal for two is deceptively easy to make. Ready in under an hour, this skillet chicken dinner includes your protein (perfectly golden-crisp chicken thighs), green veggies (peas and asparagus), a starch (baby Yukon gold potatoes), and a whole lot of vibrant flavor (hello, shallot vinaigrette). A great recipe for anyone cooking for one or two, this easy weeknight chicken dinner is one you’re sure to come back to again and again. 

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Lemon Roast Chicken

Lemon Roast Chicken Recipe

Lunch: Keep hunger pangs away with these healthy and delicious dishes! 150 calories and under. Lose weight the 5:2 way. This healthy chicken recipe is featured in the lunch section of the new 5:2 Starter's Guide to The 2-Day Diet. The book provides a selection of over 100 tasty recipes that meet the daily 500 calorie allotment for the 2 days of intermittent fasting, as required by the 5:2 Diet.

 

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Pasta Aglio e Olio

Greg DuPree
Pasta Aglio e Olio Recipe

A riff on the traditional Italian garlic and oil pasta dish, roasted walnut oil adds an unexpected gentle, nutty flavor. Cool the walnut oil slightly before adding the water to avoid splatters. We think bucatini pasta is the best choice for this dish; however, you also could use whole-wheat spaghetti or angel hair pasta to amp up the dish’s nuttiness. For a protein boost, add sautéed shrimp alongside or atop this dish.

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Foolproof Chuck Steak with Smoky Chimichurri

Photo: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners
Foolproof Chuck Steak with Smoky Chimichurri Recipe

Thought chuck steak was just a meh budget cut of beef? It’s inexpensive for sure, but it’s a far cry from the stew meat you think it is. In fact, chuck steak—unbeknownst to many—boasts rich, meaty flavor akin to a ribeye, and can be just as tender. This easy recipe uses a technique known as a “reverse sear” to deliver perfectly cooked, tender chuck steak every time. The reverse sear is a great, approachable cooking method for those who want a deliciously salt-crusted, medium-rare steak, but don’t have a ton of experience preparing beef. Rather than searing the steak in a screaming-hot skillet on the stovetop and basting until you think it’s done and ready to rest, this hands-off trick entails cooking the steak in the oven until it reaches your desired degree of doneness (a meat thermometer is really helpful here) and then finishing it off with a quick sear just to get a nice, brown crust on the surface. This gentle cooking method not only removes guesswork for a less-experienced home cook, but also involves less intimidating popping and hissing skillet action. Served with a flavor packed chimichurri, this easy chuck steak is just begging to be layered onto charred corn tortillas for steak tacos. 

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Grilled Pork Loin with Blackberry Glaze

Photographer: Helen Norman; Prop Styling: Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns
Grilled Pork Loin with Blackberry Glaze Recipe

"Bone-in pork rack is one of my favorite things ever," says Cassidee Dabney, executive chef at The Barn at Blackberry Farm. "When you make the glaze, cook it down and strain out all the seeds so you have this sticky, unctuous mixture. When the pork fat hits it, it's magic."

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Pasta with Browned Butter, Anchovy, and Kale

Caitlin Bensel
Pasta with Browned Butter, Anchovy, and Kale Recipe

Match the hearty taste of whole-grain noodles with anchovy, red pepper, and pecorino Romano cheese. Lest those flavors get too heavy, brighten with a squeeze of lemon juice.

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Dessert

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While dinner gets the most attention, we all know the final act is the real start of the show.

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Elsa's Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

Photo: Erin Kunkel; Styling: Kelly Allen
Elsa's Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons Recipe

These macaroons are the most delicious we've ever tasted in the Sunset Test Kitchen. The recipe comes from Karen Dannenbaum of Topanga, California, who inherited it from her mother, Elsa, an outstanding cook. Of all the recipes Elsa left behind in her handwritten notebooks, "this was one of her best, and a family favorite," Dannenbaum says. She also included an option for double-dipping the cookies in melted white chocolate over the dark. We loved them as-is, but if you'd like to double-dip, feel free!

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