60 Valentine’s Day Dinner Ideas That Feel Fancy (but Not Cheesy)

• Time Commitment: 5 hours and 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: one pan, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4 to 6

The buttermilk brine is a hack all its own, but so is this tip that former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen took from Samin Nosrat. "Since the back corners of the oven tend to run hotter than the center, position the chicken with the legs in the corner," Gillen explains. "That way, the breast meat—which has a tendency to dry—will come out perfectly cooked at the same time as the thighs and drumsticks."

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4

"The most important thing you need to know about searing scallops is that they should be as dry as possible before they go in the pan," Gillen writes. "Pat them well with paper towels before seasoning and cooking, and you'll be rewarded with a caramelized, flavorful brown crust every time." Opt for navel oranges, or mix it up with grapefruit, blood oranges or cara cara oranges.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4 to 6

Pop the mushrooms in the oven while you cook the polenta and dinner is halfway done. Most importantly though, you don't have to stir it nonstop. "To make this a heartier main course, you could top it with a fried egg, or serve it family-style as a side dish alongside a bigger meal like a roast or a braise," recipe creator Erin McDowell suggests.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly
• Serves: 10

Pop quiz: A bouquet of phyllo dough rosettes or a bouquet of long-stem roses? (FYI, there’s only one right answer.) Because the phyllo is brushed with butter and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, it gets crispy on the top but stays fairly soft in the center.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, <10 ingredients, gluten free
• Serves: 6

Risotto feels sophisticated and chic, but it’s actually just as easy to make as regular rice (albeit with a bit more stirring). This one gets jazzed up with a frizzled leek topping that’s *chef’s kiss.* "Because they’re so papery, leeks crisp up faster than onions," McDowell explains. "It seems like a time-consuming step, like caramelizing onions, but it’s actually very quick."

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients, gluten free
• Serves: 4

Intimidated by the thought of cooking shellfish at home? Don’t be. These scallops require just two minutes of cooking per side, and you can easily substitute canned corn for fresh since it isn't in season. Queue up that rom-com, would you?

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: one pan, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 6

Don't tell Julia Child, but McDowell took some shortcuts with this elegant dish to make it doable in under an hour. It's simplified and calls for dry white wine instead of traditional red, but I think she'd give you a pass for Valentine's Day dinner.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

The key to my heart is homemade gnocchi. Luckily, the pasta in this dish only needs five ingredients and nine minutes to come together, so it's basically my Valentine's Day dream come true.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients, high protein
• Serves: 6

It's easy to make, but also has a certain je ne sais quoi that’s ideal for a cozy night in with bae. "Swordfish is good for people who claim not to be into fish," recipe creator Alison Roman writes. "Meaty and juicy with little to no fishy flavor, it looks and kind of tastes like the best chicken breast you've ever had (really!)."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 2

Fact: There's no more surefire way to impress your dinner date than with lobster. To make the task simpler, look for lobster tails in your grocer's fresh seafood section, and you're well on your way to winning over their heart (and stomach).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: one pan, beginner-friendly, gluten free
• Serves: 2

Cooking steak at home doesn’t have to strike fear in your heart. Just turn to your trusty cast iron skillet for guidance. The beef is brought to life even further with a lemony, chimichurri-like herb sauce that you'll want to spoon atop everything you ever eat.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, low carb, high protein
• Serves: 4

Few things are as romantic as an impeccably cooked whole bird. Just ask Ina Garten. (Plus, with just four ingredients, it’s surprisingly simple to pull off.) "Store the extra adobo sauce in the fridge and add a teaspoon to a pot of beans, any stew that needs spice, a batch of hummus or even to grains, like rice or couscous," recipe creator Maggie Battista suggests.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4

When you pull this beautifully burnished chicken out of the oven, you won't be able to stop yourself from swooning. "It's the perfect recipe for a during-the-week meal after a crazy-busy day, although it's just as good on the weekends," recipe creator Dorie Greenspan asserts. "If you've got a crowd coming, double the recipe and use two pans."  

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: one pan, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 4 to 6

Easy? Check. Gorgeous? Double check. And don’t even get me started on how it tastes. The lightly browned lemon wheels, verdant olives and patches of tangy feta cheese are the crowning glories atop this Valentine's Day dinner.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, gluten free, dairy free
• Serves: 4 to 6

Dressed in an effortless, five-ingredient glaze, these lamb chops are begging for their Instagram closeup. "Just throw them on the grill for about eight minutes, and presto, you've got the fanciest party-ready entrée you've ever seen," McDowell raves. Keep the cooking indoors with your trusty grill pan.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

A six-ingredient, 20-minute bowl of pasta is better than a box of chocolates in my book. (But I’ll take the chocolates, too.) "Use a fork to mash the butter, oil and cheese," PureWow food editor Taryn Pire suggests. "Minced garlic would be a nice addition, too. Sub salted butter for unsalted if that's what you have on hand; just go easy with the salt in the next step and taste as you go. The cheese is salty as it is."

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

You don’t have to hop a flight to Provence for a grand, romantic gesture. Just make this rustic seafood stew and serve it with lots of crusty bread. One bite and poof: You and your beau are in the French countryside.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 4

Impossibly juicy, fork-tender duck meat and crispy skin? I didn't think it was possible to have a crush on a meal, but here we are. "It's got a long total time—but most of that is completely hands-off baking in the oven," McDowell assures. "If you buy frozen duck legs, thaw them completely first."

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: high protein, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 6

Craving warm-and-fuzzy feelings? Look no further than this buttery, melt-in-your-mouth Valentine's Day dinner idea. The only thing it's missing is a glass of red wine (and maybe an extra dollop of sour cream).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: one pan, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Traditionally, this hearty Spanish rice dish isn't exactly easy to cook at home…but the recipe developer made a few tweaks so dinner can be foolproof. Most importantly, the seafood was minimized to shrimp and clams for convenience.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: high protein, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

The whole thing goes from fridge to plate in less time than you would have to wait for a table at your favorite restaurant. (Cue the singing cherubs.) You can substitute kale or collard greens for Swiss chard, if you feel so inclined.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
• Serves: 4

Roses are red, tomato sauce too. If you’re eating this vegetarian-friendly pasta, I’m jealous of you. Traditionally, pasta alla Norma is made with ricotta salata (a type of pressed and aged ricotta cheese), but the recipe subs pecorino, which is more widely available. Either will taste delicious.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

If pizza is my first love, potatoes and burrata are both tied for second. Store-bought pizza dough keeps things streamlined. Feel free to swap out the everything bagel seasoning for crushed red pepper flakes, hot honey or fresh herbs.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 48 bites

What's better than mac and cheese? (Hint: nothing.) These baked bites are crispy on top and chewy on the inside, just how you and your picky kids like ’em. Pair them with a glass of wine and a nice salad for a casual-yet-complete feast.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: one pot, <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
• Serves: 6

The best part about this pasta (beyond having just one pot to clean)? Once you've mastered this version, you can customize the mix-ins to your heart's content. I recommend trying spinach or kale, although you can never go wrong with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, <10 ingredients, gluten free
• Serves: 4

Put away your skillet—because a no-fuss, no-mess dinner is exactly what a romantic night in calls for. (After all, washing a sink's worth of dirty dishes isn't the sexiest post-dinner activity.)

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, dairy free, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6 to 8

"I love [avocados] mashed into guacamole, blended into a smoothie and whipped into a salad dressing," McDowell says. "In this recipe, I take my love for the fruit to the next level. It's rich but totally virtuous, and the whole meal takes just 30 minutes to prepare." What’s lovelier than that?

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, vegan, dairy free
• Serves: 4

Cashews and lemon create a cream sauce that doesn’t use any dairy for this way-too-easy-to-eat, vegan-friendly pappardelle. "In this pasta, the sweet, juicy corn kernels paired with the ‘milk’ from the cobs become a perfect cream sauce without using actual cream,” recipe creator Jeanine Donofrio asserts.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, one pan, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 6

This hearty and delicious dish is super simple, but tastes like you spent all day making it for your boo. "I advise cooking [the sausage] according to package instructions in a large skillet while the water boils, transferring it to a plate or cutting board, slicing it into rounds, then picking up at step two in the same pan," Pire writes. "That way, you make the most of all the flavorful drippings left behind, as pictured."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 6

This one begins with store-bought puff pastry (aka the trick to seeming like a fancy chef without any effort) and ends with you enjoying every bite. Feel free to sub cream cheese for ricotta or broccoli and carrots for peas and asparagus.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, gluten free, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

While I'll admit this recipe requires some watchful stirring, I promise the resulting meal is worth the labor—it's flavorful, creamy and oh-so romantic. "Stirring and staying aware of its progress [is] almost meditative for me," recipe creator Joanna Gaines writes.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, gluten free, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Plump, juicy strawberries and expertly cooked lamb chops are tough to beat. "By using the same pan to roast the lamb chops and sear the strawberries, you're using the juice in the berries to deglaze the flavorful fond into the sauce as well as creating one less pan to wash," recipe creator Abra Beren explains. You can use rib chops if you prefer, but loin chops are a bit more flavorful.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 12

You might want to make a second batch of these sweet-and-savory handhelds…they're that good (not to mention really easy to put together). Served with a big salad, this is a meal for the books.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Few things are more satisfying than a plateful of ripe tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese. Paired with a heartier entree on this list, you’ll totally impress your loved one with this seven-ingredient dinner main or side.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, dairy free, gluten free
• Serves: 6

For big, bold flavor, marinate the steak for a full hour before it hits the grill pan. Then, serve it with fresh herb sauce for an extra boost. Most importantly, let it rest for 15 minutes before you slice and serve, so it retains as much juiciness as possible.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: one pan, vegan, gluten free, dairy free
• Serves: 4

This dish, starring squash, bell peppers and zucchini, is traditionally cooked low and slow on the stove, but you'll roast it in the oven to minimize the cooking time. "It's healthy yet hearty, comes together in less than an hour and is très impressive to serve," McDowell notes.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, high protein
• Serves: 4

You only need five ingredients and 80 minutes to pull this stunner off. Color your beau impressed. Even better, this Valentine's Day dinner idea doesn't require much more than butter, lemon and fresh herbs to be transformed into something exquisite.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, sheet pan recipe, high protein
• Serves: 4

Hard to believe it's ready in 40 minutes, right? Leave it to pistachios, garlic, rosemary and cayenne to create a crunchy, flavorful breading that everyone will mmm over. Did I mention it all comes together on a single sheet pan?

• Time Commitment: 5 hours and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, <10 ingredients, high protein
• Serves: 4

Throwing everything in the Crockpot and calling it a day is almost as convenient (and way less expensive) than having a private chef cook your dinner. Just don't tell your boo how easy it was to make your special meal—wink wink.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, gluten free, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

I've never met a sheet pan recipe I didn't like love. This one cooks your protein (read: flaky, tender salmon) and sides in one fell swoop. "If you can't find [romaine hearts] at your grocery store, you can buy regular romaine and strip the outer leaves yourself, or swap for another green, such as endive or even kale," McDowell suggests.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, <500 calories, one pan
• Serves: 6

Meet the creamiest, dreamiest vegetarian bake ever created. It's teeming with tender parsnips, sweet potatoes and butternut squash, plus lots of fresh herbs, Parmesan and Gruyère. I'm betting even picky eaters will have few complaints.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

I love that this Valentine's Day dinner idea offers a taste of spring in the dead of winter, thanks to frozen peas. If you want to look like a pro, make sure you thoroughly dry the scallops before searing them in the skillet to ensure a gorgeous outer crust.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

A 20-minute dinner means you'll have more time for watching romantic movies with your S.O. Because the pork cutlets are thin, they'll cook quickly on the stovetop, so you can get to the fun part of your holiday ASAP.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: one pan, beginner-friendly, high protein
• Serves: 4

Warming ginger, zingy lemon and sweet honey make for the most delectable sticky marinade of all time. This one is ideal if you want to impress but don't feel super confident in the kitchen. If you want to switch things, you can also use chicken wings or pork ribs instead of thighs and drums.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, vegetarian, low sugar
• Serves: 6

How do I love thee, frozen puff pastry? Let me count the ways. In addition to having a cheater's crust, this vegetarian version of a classic is filled with earthy mushrooms and spinach instead of beef for a plant-based twist.

• Time Commitment: 6 hours and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, special occasion-worthy, high protein
• Serves: 6

Nothing says "I love you" like fall-apart-tender beef over herbed mashed potatoes. This slow cooker meal requires some forethought—since it spends six to eight hours cooking on low heat—but the end result is well worth the wait.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, <500 calories, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

If you don't think salad is Valentine's Day friendly, wait until you take a bite. Capers, green peppercorns and Dijon mustard give the dressing all the umami of traditional anchovies *without* actual fish. Add grilled chicken or steak to make it even more filling.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, dairy free, gluten free
• Serves: 4

Steak says fancy, tacos say casual. Give your boo the best of both worlds with these refreshing handhelds. "All steak cuts are made up of parallel-running muscle fibers, and cutting against the grain—across these fibers—eliminates their toughness," McDowell explains. "Once you find the direction the fibers are going on the steak, make your slices perpendicular to them. This way, they're short and as tender as possible."

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
• Serves: 6

Homemade pasta? In under an hour? And it’s gluten-free? It’s true, cauliflower really can do anything. "It's easy to make from scratch and tastes like tender, cheesy pillows of heaven," McDowell claims. Need I say more?

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, vegetarian, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

Trumpet mushrooms are affordable, easy to prepare and an uncanny vegetarian substitute for scallops. Pro tip: Opt for semolina or egg pasta, because the earthiness of whole wheat can overwhelm the mushrooms.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, crowd-pleaser, gluten free
• Serves: 5

If your schedule doesn’t allow for a three-course feast, look no further. Marinate the salmon and cut the veggies while the oven preheats to save time. "Store the prepped vegetables in an airtight container in the fridge for three days," if you'd like to partially make Valentine's Day dinner in advance, recipe creator Danielle Walker suggests.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
• Serves: 8

Pizza is always a good idea, so naturally, I’m making it on the most romantic night of the year. The ingenious hack that makes this recipe so great is using a large store-bought focaccia for the base instead of homemade or store-bought dough.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Why I Love It: one pan, special occasion-worthy, high protein
• Serves: 4

This skillet delight is festive, seasonal and super hands-off. Glazing the chicken in a zingy marinade and roasting it at a high temperature for the last few minutes of cooking guarantees a crackly outer crust that your S.O. will remember forever.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion-worthy, high protein
• Serves: 4

"Melting a pat of good butter over a warm, juicy steak is the ticket to luxuriousness," recipe creator Antoni Porowski writes. "Blend that butter with harissa, the North African chili paste, and in two minutes, you've got an amped-up power player." This restaurant-caliber meal only requires ten minutes of prep and ten minutes of cooking, and the side salad will change your opinion of parsley forever.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4 to 6

Homemade dumplings in 35 minutes? Consider your date wooed. "These tender Polish dumplings are rather like gnocchi," Porowski explains. "They're called leniwe (lazy) because they're made without a filling." Feel free to make extra to sprinkle with breadcrumbs and sugar.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, dairy free, high protein
• Serves: 4

Pork takes a backseat to quick-cooking salmon in this Mexican-inspired dinner (which only takes 40 minutes to prepare, BTW). Think warm ancho chile powder, fresh citrus juices, diced pineapple and pickled onions. It’s special enough for a holiday with the added benefit of being gluten and dairy free.

• Time Commitment: 8 hours and 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Think of this comforting classic as an edible hug. (The mashed potatoes make it twice as romantic, if you ask me.) Let the slow cooker do the heavy lifting for you while you scatter rose petals all over the house and assemble a bouquet...or just loaf on the couch.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, sheet pan recipe, high protein
• Serves: 4

Fancy enough for date night, simple enough to add to your weekly rotation. "My favorite part about this dish is that I can prep everything the morning of, pop it into the refrigerator and bake it before people arrive," recipe creator Elizabeth Van Lierde writes. "It's the most unfussy, delicious meal that will leave everyone asking for the recipe." Serve it with a side of rice or atop a bed of pasta.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, no sugar
• Serves: 5

If you always keep V-Day casual (like, order-a-pizza casual), this 15-minute gem is right up your alley. Have dinner rolls and white rice on hand to soak up all the leftover lemon-garlic butter—you won't want a drop of it to go to waste.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: one pan, special occasion-worthy, low carb
• Serves: 4

This Barefoot Contessa creation is easy enough to prepare on the fly, but still fancy enough to serve for a special occasion. "The chicken thighs are roasted and then nestled in a sauce of onions, leeks and crème fraîche," recipe creator and celebrity chef Ina Garten writes. Make it for your Jeffrey.