Easy recipes and Date Night Dinner Ideas for endless fun possibilities. These date night worthy recipes are simple to make, gluten-free, and feel special. And don’t miss my tips sections below for ways to make date night in more fun. From dressing up to ‘sweat pants date nights’ and music to keep things flowing, there’s plenty to enjoy at home! And for more inspiration, check out my 15 Easy and Affordable Date Night Ideas.
Over the years, we’ve moved from occasional date nights at home to pretty much every single week. And we’ve figured out a few ways to make it more fun with easy recipes for easy cleanup!
Mostly we stick to the simplest dishes so we can enjoy our night. But there’s also room for a little extra effort classics like homemade lasagna.
We both have our roles, with me doing the cooking and Tyler doing some prep work and cleanup. Finding what works best for your skills will help you get into the swing of being in the kitchen together.
Since life is busy, let’s kick off these date night ideas with my favorite easy recipes. Often we just assemble some sort of Antipasto Platter or Cheese Board.
It’s about the easiest thing you can make with no cooking required. But lately, my favorite thing has been to add some cooked protein and veggies as the center of the cheese board.
From there we add some more ingredients from the recipes below to fill it out.
Currently, in the spring, I’ve been grilling up some chicken and asparagus then adding the rest of the ingredients to my platter or board.
Easy Date Night Dinner Recipes
- Antipasto Platter or Summer Antipasto Platter
- Easy Cheeseboard Date for 2
- Summer Cheese Board
- Air Fryer Ribeye
- Easy Chicken Curry
- Grilled Tuscan Steak
- Easy Spaghetti Sauce
- Roast Chicken & Vegetables
- Oven Baked BBQ Ribs
- California Sushi Bowls
- Coconut Lime Chicken
- Skillet Lemon Chicken Thighs
Indulgent Date Night Dinner Ideas
- Creamy Garlic Chicken (dairy-free opt.)
- Gluten-Free Chicken Parmesan
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken (dairy-free opt.)
- Pizza Chicken
- Pizzadillas
- Grilled Tortilla Pizza
- Instant Pot Pork Ragu
- Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Date Night Pasta Recipes
- Garlic Parmesan Pasta
- Instant Pot Pork Ragu
- Creamy Tuscan Sausage Pasta
- Sausage Broccoli Pasta
- One Pot Gluten Free Mac & Cheese
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
- Creamy Caprese Pasta
- Gluten-Free Lasagna
- Vegetable Pasta Bake
- Chicken Pot Pie Pasta
- Creamy Tomato Pasta
To add a veggie to your pasta dinner, try some options from my Side Dish Recipes, or add a fresh Salad Recipe. My two favorites that go with so many pasta dishes are my Apple Spinach Salad or Strawberry Spinach Salad.
Healthy Date Night Dinner Recipes
- Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Best Baked Garlic Butter Cod
- Lettuce Wrap Burgers
- Fish Taco Bowls
- Grilled Chicken Caprese
- Banh Mi Burger Bowls
- Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken
- Greek Salmon
- Thai Turkey Basil Lettuce Wraps
- Aloha Teriyaki Burger Bowls
FAQ’s
The best option is your favorite thing to eat together. We love a good charcuterie board or antipasto board to share together, plus they’re super easy to make. Pasta is another great option because it feels indulgent and is simple to make.
First, I think that a good mood makes date night dinner special, so pick recipes that are easy enough to make and do not leave a huge mess and you exhausted. Next up, light some candles and have a date night playlist. Try eating outside with candles or romantic stringed lights if it’s warm out.
Choose a Sauce Dinner
- Garlic Butter Sauce + steak/chicken + asparagus/broccoli
- Garlic Parmesan Sauce + pork chops/shrimp + broccoli/roasted carrots
- Cilantro Chimichurri + chicken/shrimp + grilled potatoes & asparagus
- Simple Marinara + 1lb Italian Sausage + 12oz pasta + 4 c chopped spinach
- Basil Aioli + Grilled Protein + Grilled veggies and Grilled potatoes
- Mushroom Cream Sauce + Steak + Sweet Potatoes + Brussels Sprouts
- Creamy Tomato Sauce + Pasta + Chicken + Chopped Spinach
‘Choose a sauce’ is one of my favorite go-to ways to make a super easy dinner for at-home date nights. Rather than making a full recipe, I choose a sauce to pair together with simple protein and veggies.
For instance, choose steak and asparagus and cook them seasoned with salt on the stovetop or grill. Then serve them with the Garlic Butter Sauce pictured above for an easy menu.
This makes a fantastic meal and it couldn’t be any easier. For a romantic dinner idea, add seafood or lobster tails, light candles and turn on your favorite playlist!
Tips & Tricks
- Create a playlist together to listen to during your at-home date nights. We started with an acoustic guitar CD by Tommy Emmanuel, which we listened to when we were dating, and then created more playlists. It’s been a really fun addition to date night. Currently, we enjoy listening to this Tommy Emmanuel playlist on Spotify. (Also, how old do I sound talking about CDs?!)
- Dress up or dress down for at-home date nights. Both ideas are great! Sometimes, we have a dress-up date night; other times, we have a ‘sweat pants’ date night at home. It’s fun to cook your favorite foods and enjoy a night together in your most comfortable clothes. But it is also great to ‘make an effort’ and dress up sometimes too.
- If possible, turn your phones off and hide them out of sight so you can have a ‘focused’ evening.
- Try making one of the more portable recipes, like Antipasto, and taking it to another location. Move your date night from home to a park or anywhere you can sit and eat together. Sometimes, getting out of the house is the key to a great date night dinner. We have many dates on our truck’s tailgate, picnic tables, or pretty much anywhere. Our latest ‘date night dinner’ was spaghetti out of a thermos while skiing in Glacier National Park.
No Recipe Nacho Night
- Oven: 450ºF & line a cookie sheet with parchment. Layer of corn chips with grated jalapeno jack cheese. Bake until bubbly and tips with minced red bell pepper, green onion, and diced cherry tomatoes. Serve with sour cream and my Guacamole recipe.
- This nacho night is our absolute favorite date night with no need for a recipe and it’s the perfect ‘sweatpants date night’!
These recipes are perfect for romantic dinner ideas, Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, or even an easy weeknight dinner together.
I really hope you enjoy these Date Night Recipes! If you do get a chance to make any of these, I’d love to hear from you in the comments on the recipe.