Food and Recipes Dinner Make Every Night Date Night with These Romantic Dinner Ideas for Two By Southern Living Editors Updated on July 29, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis When you think of date night, the image that comes to mind probably involves a low-lit restaurant, sleek white plates, and tasteful candles. While we always love a night out, spending date night at home can be just as special. In fact, we believe that there's no date more special than cooking together, and we're making it easy with these simple dinner recipes for two. From Cowboy Steak to Fresh Salmon Cakes with Buttermilk Dressing, these recipes are built to impress—and best of all, you won't be spending hours in the kitchen preparing. We've got one-pot wonders and slow-cooker hacks so you can share an excellent meal with your loved one any night of the week. These dishes are built to be balanced main courses, with proteins matching vegetables, starches, and grains. Pair these entrées with a shareable appetizer—homemade Pimiento Cheese, anyone?—and a decadent dessert, like individually-portioned Molten Red Velvet Cakes, because sometimes you just can't share everything. Every night can be date night with these easy, delicious dinners for two. 01 of 20 Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak Hector Sanchez Recipe: Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak If you're celebrating a special occasion, split this indulgent cowboy steak with a loved one. There probably won't be any leftovers. 02 of 20 One-Pan Hot Honey Chicken and Rice Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: One-Pan Hot Honey Chicken and Rice Hot honey brings the heat and the sweet to this easy one-pot chicken-and-rice dinner. 03 of 20 Easy Shrimp Scampi with Basil Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Easy Shrimp Scampi with Basil Shrimp is such a quick-cooking shellfish, it's easy to accomplish for a weeknight dinner. Use the shrimp to top a dish of linguine and you've got a sophisticated dinner for two. 04 of 20 Easy Catfish Tacos with Slaw Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Easy Catfish Tacos with Slaw We'll never stop raving about the combination of crispy oven-fried fish with cool, acidic cabbage slaw, all wrapped up in a corn tortilla blanket. 05 of 20 Shrimp Boil Vegetable Bowls Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Shrimp Boil Vegetable Bowls If you grew up spending your summers around picnic tables, selecting your dinner from a big pot of Cajun-seasoned seafood, these easy shrimp boils are a great way to indulge in your nostalgia. 06 of 20 Teriyaki Salmon Bowls with Crispy Brussels Sprouts Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Teriyaki Salmon Bowls with Crispy Brussels Sprouts Cook this salmon in your slow cooker for a fuss-free date night dinner that checks all the food group boxes. 07 of 20 Fresh Salmon Cakes with Buttermilk Dressing Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Fresh Salmon Cakes with Buttermilk Dressing Fresh salmon fillets may be good, but these salmon cakes channel the spirit of crab cakes in a beautiful way. Serve with a generous spoonful of buttermilk dressing to add a creamy tang. 08 of 20 Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese You can never go wrong with this oh-so-comforting childhood staple. Serve with a grilled cheese and save the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. 09 of 20 One-Pan Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Mushrooms, and Collards Greg DuPree Recipe: One-Pan Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Mushrooms, and Collards This elegant pasta comes together in one pan, seriously minimizing the clean-up. Use that extra time to whip up something for dessert. 10 of 20 Honey-Mustard Salmon with Vegetables Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Honey-Mustard Salmon with Vegetables We bake our honey-mustard salmon with baby red potatoes and sugar snap peas, but you can swap out the sides for anything you'd like. 11 of 20 Chicken a la King Southern Living Recipe: Chicken a la King Spoon this chicken-pot-pie-esque mixture over fresh biscuits for a comforting entrée. Anything left over from these deconstructed pot pies can be easily saved. 12 of 20 Chicken-Tortellini Salad with Basil Vinaigrette Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Chicken-Tortellini Salad with Basil Vinaigrette Tossed with arugula and shredded chicken, this tortellini salad is best served cold—and may even taste better the next day. 13 of 20 Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos Crank up the slow cooker in the morning and return home to fragrant pulled chicken ready for taco assembly. 14 of 20 Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Jennifer Causey Recipe: Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Chicken thighs are some of the easiest parts to cook, and they develop a beautiful golden crust in the Instant Pot. 15 of 20 Baked Caprese Chicken With Green Beans and Corn Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Baked Caprese Chicken With Green Beans and Corn This recipe delivers a beautiful upgrade to boring chicken breasts. Plus, the whole meal comes together on one sheet tray. 16 of 20 One-Pan Garlic-Butter Shrimp with Orzo Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: One-Pan Garlic-Butter Shrimp with Orzo The shrimp cooks right along with the buttery, garlicky orzo for a scrumptious one-pot meal that even novice cooks can pull off. 17 of 20 Sheet Pan Flank Steak, Greens, and Yukon Gold Fries Greg DuPree Recipe: Sheet Pan Flank Steak, Greens, and Yukon Gold Fries Steak supper, but make it simple. This sheet pan version is a great starter recipe for those who aren't so confident grilling meat. 18 of 20 Shrimp Étouffée Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Shrimp Étouffée This elegant Louisiana classic is sure to wow your sweetheart. 19 of 20 Seared Scallops with Lemon-Herb Rice Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Seared Scallops with Lemon-Herb Rice Making you this elegant scallop dish might just be the most romantic thing your partner does all year. 20 of 20 Lemony Baked Cod, Potatoes, and Artichokes in Parchment Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Lemony Baked Cod, Potatoes, and Artichokes in Parchment Visit a fancy French bistro from the comfort of your own home with this elegant fish dish. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit