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We know your schedule is busy because ours is too. That’s why I’m sharing this No Fuss Romantic Italian Dinner Menu And Easy Italian Butter Recipe. I’m sharing the menu complete with the short shopping list. Bonus, it’s a budget friendly romantic dinner for two!
Sometimes we just need a nice quiet dinner at home to enjoy the company of our someone special. Don’t you agree? You never know what might happen when the mood is just right! My husband and I decided we needed to create that moment for ourselves recently after our schedules had kept us a little too busy.
Use what you already have to create the mood
We decided to create our own romance with a nice Italian dinner under low lighting on our deck. I further set the mood with a bright red tablecloth, a pair of cloth napkins and an oil lamp. I also slid our chairs closer together. Don’t go out to buy anything, just use what you have. Because we dined al fresco on a breezy night the oil lamp was much nicer to use than candles.
After settling on our menu, my hubby and I grabbed our shopping list and headed out to Kroger as we began our mangia experience together. Mangia is an Italian term meaning “to eat” or to make dining an event. Dining events don’t have to only happen in restaurants!
Free printable menu and shopping list just for you because we want you to have your own mangia.
Click here for printable menu and shopping list
After a quick trip through the produce department for the salad, we saw the perfect bread in the bakery. Then we headed over to one of our favorite sections in the grocery store, the Bertolli frozen dinners section.
Are you surprised by how many Bertolli frozen dinners there are to choose from? Kroger has them on sale right now which is a bonus! Go here for a closer look at the many Bertolli frozen dinner options. Which one is your favorite?
As you can see, the lasagna looks homemade! Let me be the one to tell you, it taste as good as it looks! I love to darken the top layer of cheese on my lasagna. Do you?
Now let me just say this, a good Italian meal is not complete without bread and some Italian butter. That is why I’m sharing this easy recipe so you can make your own Italian Butter.
Easy Italian Butter Recipe
Although I included these ingredients on the printable shopping list, check your pantry, you probably already have all the ingredients you need for this Easy Italian Butter Recipe.
- ½ tsp. oregano
- ½ tsp. basil
- ½ tsp. rosemary
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
- 3-4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, preferably Robust
- Mix all of the dry spices together in a bowl.
- Crush the garlic and add to the dry spices.
- Mix well to blend.
- Place about 2 Tbsp. of the mixture onto a small saucer.
- Pour the olive oil into the dry spices and swirl the saucer to blend the spices with the olive oil.
- Serve and enjoy!
Did you notice that my hubby and I shared one dish of Italian Butter? That might be the real reason I slid our chairs closer together.
Find Bertolli items at some of the lowest prices of the year in a Kroger or Kroger banner store near you. Kroger banners include Fred Meyer, Smiths, Frys, Dillions, King Soopers, City Market, and QFC.
Shirley Wood
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joylovefood says
What a delicious and easy romantic meal idea, especially when enjoyed out on the deck, al fresco dining is the best! Thanks for sharing at What’d You Do This Weekend?!
JESS44903 says
I LOVE Italian Butter. 🙂
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says
Ooh, that Bertoli Lasagna looks fantastic! What a lovely idea for a romantic dinner. I have some oil lamps and lanterns around…might be kind of fun. 🙂 Italian Butter, just one great reason to scootch chairs closer together. LOL
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Shirley Wood says
😉 Oil lamps are awesome for mood lighting. We had such a nice time, we are planning on another al fresco date on the deck when the weather warms up a bit. Bertolli frozen dinners are always in our freezer. My personal favorite is the Shrimp Scampi.
Tina says
What a great dinner for two. Using the Bertolli Frozen Dinner make clean up a breeze too! There would not be as many dishes to clean up afterwards.
Shirley Wood says
You are a woman after my own heart. From the container the lasagna baked in straight to the dishes, serving plate not needed! Easy clean-up 🙂
Erin @ Stay At Home Yogi says
YUM! That Italian butter looks amazing and it’s there’s much more time for romance if you use a frozen meal 😉
Cristine says
I like your suggestion of Italian butter – flavored butters are super easy yet really amp up the flavor. To add to the romance, I would add a bottle of wine to pair with dinner
Jennifer B says
This lovely and romantic dinner looks SO good and easy to pull together too. I think I will try this for a special dinner with my husband.
zan says
Wow, sounds like such a lovely evening. I used to do stuff like this when my husband was not working so late and when we had no kids. I am pinning this recipe – we love bread and this Italian butter with the spices and olive oil- yum! I think I have everything on hand. I might just make this today because I was thinking of making my husband some Italian sausage with some bread. He loves that!
Rebecca Bryant says
Yep it’s official I am hungry now. That italian butter looks so good with the bread, I must admit I’m a sucker for anything italian.
Maggie says
I love that you guys planned a semi homemade dinner that had products that were readily available at the store! All of us have busy schedules and homemade food is definitely the way to go. However, with limited time, meals like this are both homemade and quick to prepare! I’m definitely going to try the Italian butter!
Alli says
Semi-homemade meals are right up my alley! I’m always on the lookout for products that will help me make a delicious meal in a short amount of time. And I love a good Italian dipping sauce for bread! Yum – I’ll be making this soon.
Ashley @irishred02 says
I make a similar Italian butter as well. Everything looks tasty you can’t beat a good Italian dinner!