Romantic Date Night Meal Ideas for Two
You know what takes the romance out of date night? Over-planning and stress. Especially early on in a relationship, it can be nerve-racking to cook for someone for the first time, turning a romantic date night into a please-don’t-set-the-kitchen-on-fire freakout. But there are so many date-night recipes for two that are easy to cook and allow you to actually spend time getting to know each other or have a nice night away from the kids if you’ve already been together for a while.
Below are six of our favorite date-night recipes for couples that want to cook together without ending the night in a screaming match or with the smoke detector going off.
1. Easy Shrimp Fettuccine Recipe for Two
Pasta evokes romance, probably due to our early impressions from watching Lady and the Tramp long ago. You don’t have to slurp a piece of pasta together, but you can collaborate on this easy shrimp fettuccine recipe for two. It has bright flavors from tomatoes and fresh basil, but a bit of creaminess from parmesan and PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese. Shrimp cooks quickly, so this would be a great weeknight or weekend date-night recipe.
2. Mexican Stuffed Peppers for Two
Spice up your date night with stuffed peppers that are a cinch to make but fun to assemble. This recipe uses ground beef and TACO BELL Taco Seasoning, but if you prefer ground chicken or ground pork, you can also substitute that in easily. They can even be vegetarian if you want to use mushrooms and greens. Just don’t forget lots of cheese!
3. Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Breasts for Two
Wielding a meat mallet on date night could be scary or a funny story to tell later. Pounding the chicken breasts to a quarter-inch thickness is the most advanced part of this recipe — the rest is just filling them with STOVE TOP Stuffing, spinach, roasted red peppers, and cheese. It will get a little messy, but it’ll be worth it.
4. Lasagna Bake for Two
The key to happiness is tiny lasagna; it’s been decided. Making miniature portions of lasagna in ramekins is faster and also makes sure you won’t fight over the best part of lasagna: the crispy, cheesy edges. With this method, you get that crunch in almost every single bite.
5. Cheese-Crusted Beef Tenderloin Steaks
Skip the pricey steakhouse bill and make steak at home! Quick-cooking beef tenderloin (aka filet mignon) can be done in five minutes per side. While you or your partner is making the steaks, have the other person make a side, like creamy mashed potatoes, steamed asparagus, or a green salad. If you really want to impress your sweetheart, make Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes in advance and reheat them as the steak cooks!
6. Parmesan-Crusted Chicken in Cream Sauce
When you say this recipe name out loud, it sounds complicated, but it skips all the usual fussy steps of breading chicken and making a sauce from scratch. Instead of a flour, egg, and breadcrumb coating, the chicken only has to be moistened with water and pressed into cracker crumbs and KRAFT Parmesan Cheese before cooking for about five minutes per side. The cream sauce is made with PHILADELPHIA Chive and Onion Cream Cheese and chicken stock instead of having to babysit cream on the stove. One person can work on the chicken and sauce while the other cooks the asparagus and makes rice. You’ll be on the way to a romantic dinner in just 40 minutes. Plus, you can send yourself and your sweetie to work with a nice lunch the next day, because this recipe makes four servings. Twice the romance!
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