Date Night Done Right
Need a reliable, totally doable, undeniably delicious arsenal of easy Date Night Recipes? (I capitalized that for emphasis because this is important, you know?) If so – if that sentence made your ears (okay, eyes) perk up a bit – then you’ve come to the right place, friend. I’ve spent a little time combing through the My Kitchen Little Archives, scouring the ranks for the recipes that fit this uniquely distinctive need.
So, whether your date happens to be a new Valentine, your longtime love, or your Mom, this list of recipes practically guarantees that you will have the dining portion of the occasion on lock. From swirly, twirling pastas and the perfect cocktail to a massively popular appetizer and the components of a great in-home steakhouse dinner – the collection of recipes in this post is here to totally make your day. I mean, date.
Be sure to follow along over on Instagram so you don’t miss a recipe!
The Perfect Date Night Cocktail
She’s real pretty to look at. A little sweet, a little sassy. Packs a punch and yet, you can absolutely feel good about bringing this one home to your mama. Yes, loves, I’m talking about my Cranberry Vanilla Old Fashioned.
This drink works particularly well during the winter months, when cranberries and cranberry sauce are easily available, but if you want to make some fun twists on this (very popular) My Kitchen Little cocktail, try replacing the cranberry in the simple syrup with a jam or preserve of your choosing. I LOVE using blackberry jam in place of that cranberry sauce, creating a Blackberry Vanilla Old Fashioned. Or, in the Fall months, try using pumpkin butter in place of the jam or cranberry sauce, creating a TO DIE FOR Pumpkin Butter Old Fashioned.
The vanilla, however is kind of non-negotiable. The flavors of both bourbon and vanilla play so incredibly well together, that the vanilla aspect of this simple Old Fashioned recipe is a crucial one.
For this recipe you will need:
Bitters (I have this set and it’s a great addition to a home bar)
Enter, The Perfect Date Night Appetizer
Our Whipped Feta & Goat Cheese With Hot Honey is the single most viewed recipe on this site to date – it’s been a big hit. It only takes a few simple ingredients and a few simple minutes of prep time to (literally) whip this fantastic date night appetizer up. That hypnotic swirl of hot honey sure does give this fuss free date night starter a real “wow” factor.
Paired with that Cranberry Vanilla Old fashioned, you’ve gotten your date night of to a great start.
For this recipe you will need:
High-speed blender (if you don’t have one already, I use this one and it’s just as good as the super pricey models)
Pasta.
I’d be truly remiss to not point you and your special date night cooking in the direction of some rock-solid pasta recipes. There’s just something sensual, yet also cozy, about a big plate of noodles, piled high on a plate or in a bowl and slicked with a flavor-packed sauce that just screams “date night food!” The perfect combination of laid back and special, all swirled and twirled around the tines of your fork. Cool.
Because picking a favorite pasta recipe, for me, is akin to that whole “like picking your favorite child,” analogy, I will simply present you with three that I tend to make with relative frequency. These three recipes are very popular here on the site, and would make for a perfect addition to any Date Night meal.
Blushing Italian Sausage and Rigatoni Pasta Bake
Unstuffed Shells with Spinach and Artichokes
The Best Bolognese Recipe. Ever.
The Ultimate Pappardelle Bolognese Blushing Italian Sausage & Rigatoni Bake Unstuffed Shells with Spinach and Artichokes
Bring the Steakhouse to Your House
Someday I’ll do the math. But it doesn’t take crunching the actual numbers here to know that, when you prepare the food in your own kitchen, you will kick any steakhouse’s butt in the cost department. The difference can be massive, really. These three recipes that I’m highlighting today not only cost much, much less than whatever your steakhouse bill would be – they also require zero reservations, and are JUST as delicious … if not more so.
A date night out at a swanky (heck, even an un-swanky) steakhouse really does cost a pretty penny, and I think there is something so sweetly thoughtful about working to recreate that experience right in your own home. It makes for one of the best date nights ever, and this trio of recipes stand as the best Steakhouse Date Night dupes we’ve got up our sleeves.
Almost Patatas Bravas (or, The Best Roasted Potatoes)
Feel Like Chicken Instead? We’ve Got You.
The causal no-muss/no-fuss nature of chicken, to me, makes it a great Date Night choice because you will never ever seem like you’re trying to hard, you know? IT’S JUST CHICKEN!! But what we’re going to do here, with this very special, highly effective Sage Brown Butter Chicken Piccata with Creamy Mushroom Pasta is knock some serious socks off.
Sneaky like a ninja and comfortably reliable like a favorite blanket, this chicken piccata recipe is a total stunner. The brown butter and toasty frizzled sage give it extra depth of flavor, and by pairing it with some bouncy, fluffy mushroom-laced pappardelle, you create something truly special – something befitting the occasion of “Date Night.”
Need something super easy yet highly impressive? Enter these Short Ribs.
I could stare at these short ribs all day – they’re so damn good looking sitting in that glossy, sheeny sauce of theirs. These are our Red Wine & Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs and, if I’m being fully honest with you, they might be my favorite recipe to make of all time. Also, fun fact! Wine braised short ribs are Ina Garten’s favorite thing to make as well, so there you go. As if we need more reason to make them!
This recipe is great, and comes together very quickly in one pan. They just need a couple/few hours in the oven to tenderize and get extra, super succulent.
KITCHEN LITTLE TIP
These short ribs (pictured below) are really nice served with some fluffy mashed potatoes, and sometimes when I don’t feel like messing with multiple components of a Date Night Meal, I’ll take some help from the store and grab some mashed potatoes from my supermarket’s deli or freezer section and then doctor them up at home. I add extra butter, cheese and usually some garlic and BOOM! Killer mashed potatoes that you didn’t have to wash, peel, chop, and simmer.
You can also grab a thing of takeout mashed potatoes from a nearby steakhouse or restaurant and then serve them alongside these braised short ribs. The short ribs however, will undoubtedly be better than anything you can order at a restaurant. Trust.
For this recipe you will need:
Great short ribs (I order them from here and freeze until I need them. They’re the best)
The Perfect Date Night Dessert
Molten. Chocolate. Cobbler. I dunno, there’s really just not much more to say about this incredible chocolate cobbler than the simple truth that it is just perfect. It’s all the things you want from a knockout Date Night Dessert: chocolate. gooey. easy. fast. warm. one-pan. no fuss. unbelievably delicious. impressive.
For my money, this is the date night dessert recipe I’d reach for time and time again. It’s a no-brainer and just wows everyone, every time. In fact, I’m not sure what I did before this recipe entered my life. What dessert did I serve on date nights? I honestly can’t recall.
For now, I only have eyes for this Molten Chocolate Cobbler.
For this recipe, you will need:
Here is a ready made pin for you! Simply save it to your “Date Night Recipes” or “Recipes to Try,” boards and you’ll be all set!
