Fun Meals To Make As A Couple
Add some zest to date night at home by making a meal together as a couple. Cooking a meal together can be fun and fulfilling for couples.
If you are looking for ways to enjoy more bonding time together with your special someone without breaking the budget, cooking a meal together is a great way to do that. You might also enjoy setting a pretty table before you cook. That way you can enjoy the fruits of your labor together in a romantic setting.
What is fun to cook as a couple? Pretty much anything you are willing to try is the answer. This list of date night recipes to make together includes entrees, a few desserts, and some side dish suggestions at the end.
Cooking Together: A Guide for Couples
First: Plan the menu
Choose a dish you both enjoy or be adventurous and choose a new recipe you would both like to try. The important thing at this step is to be agreeable with one another.
Divide cooking duties
Decided who will be cooking the main dish and who will be making the side dishes. Whichever one of you do the majority of cooking in your home, you may want to encourage your cooking partner to cook the main dish. Be adventurous and let them explore a new skill.
Shop for ingredients
It is time to go shopping for any ingredients you do not already have at home. Go grocery shopping for this meal together, it is part of the experience. Make a list, then check off anything you already have at home before you go.
Stay together in the grocery store. Sometimes I tend to be in such a hurry, that I go grab things and meet my hubby back somewhere to speed up the shopping process. Don’t do that. The whole purpose of this date is to spend quality time together.
Time to cook
Divide up your workspaces and start cooking. Be sure to schedule the timing of the oven use as per cook times for all the delicious recipes on your menu. Look for little ways to be helpful to each other. This is not a competition. This is a bonding date night at home.
One thing you can do is be open to allowing your partner to taste testing to see if you need to adjust your seasonings. Another little thing, help each other do food prep. I always help my husband peel shrimp when he is cooking Shrimp Fried Rice. We stand side-by-side and chat away.
Serve the food
Just for fun, present each dish with a description to each other as you set the table with your feast. If you have ever watched a cooking competition show on television then you know how each cook describes all the details they intended to achieve with their recipe. Do that just for fun.
Table setting ideas
Here are a few tablescape ideas that my husband and I have enjoyed through the years when we cooked meals together.
This Valentine’s Table is very simple, nothing fancy. I generally do not go out and spend money to set a pretty table. Use what you have and be creative.
We dined Al fresco when I created this Lemon Tablescape on our back porch. It was a nice cool early summer evening.
Do you own any vintage dishes? I took out my vintage rose dishes for this super simple Valentine’s tablescape. Layering the table with a tablecloth and placemats helps to create the mood. On this table, I used two tablecloths.
This list of fun dinner ideas for couples includes palatable pasta, succulent seafood, savory beef, and even a comforting casserole. I have included some copycat recipes from favorite date night restaurants.
Bon appétit!
15 Fun Meals To Make Together
- Homemade Shrimp Scampi is better than going to an expensive restaurant. This recipe is ready to eat in about 30 minutes.
2. You won’t believe how easy it is to make a Faux Prime Rib dinner. Eye of Round roast cooked with this trick comes out just right.
3. Pizza is always a good meal to share. Homemade pizza is fun to make together.
4. This Chicken Parmigiana recipe is made from scratch, browned then baked with a rich tomato sauce, and served on a bed of spaghetti noodles.
5. Stuffed Beef Tenderloin is that special occasion meal worth the extra effort. Serve this delectable version, of Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Beef Tenderloin for a romantic dinner at home.
6. This stovetop Italian Crusted Salmon recipe is ready to eat in about 20 minutes. Only 4 ingredients in this succulent seafood dish.
7. Chicken Marsala is a popular Italian restaurant dish you can make at home with this easy recipe. A creamy sauce made with Marsala wine and mushrooms is the star of this dish.
8. If a simple Italian dish like Lasagna is more to your liking, you will love this easy recipe.
Serve with deli-sliced French loaf bread and this copycat Carrabba’s Italian butter on the side.
9. This Shrimp Penne Pasta dish includes lemony roasted shrimp and vegetables with an optional pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Everything is doused in a delectable combination of seasoning and spices.
Serve your restaurant-quality pasta dinner in vibrant pasta bowls like these to set the mood.
10. Rosemary and Pecan Covered Roasted Pork Chops with Homemade Plum Sauce. Cook this gourmet dinner in your kitchen in under one hour.
11. Skip the Mexican restaurant and make your favorite Three Meat House Special copycat recipe at home. A combination of spices with beef, shrimp, and chicken on a bed of rice with white cheese.
Fun dishes like these will add flair to your dinner for two.
12. No Bake Chicken Saltimbocca with Prosciutto made with chicken cutlets. This recipe simplifies an old favorite for a quick stovetop dinner.
13. Pan-seared grouper With Lemon-Thyme Sauce. You can serve pan-seared grouper with a simple garden salad or make homemade mashed potatoes if you like. It’s a restaurant-quality meal full of flavor you can make at home.
14. Bacon Wrapped Herb Butter Pork Loin is tender and moist. There is a tiny little trick to crisping the bacon included in this recipe.
15. Make this easy Copycat Olive Garden Salad for a meal on the lighter side or serve it as a side dish. Dressing recipe included.
1. Learn How to make Chocolate Strawberries in your own kitchen with our step-by-step guide including need-to-know tips for success. No special tools are required.
2. Our Classic Strawberry Shortcake recipe includes homemade sweet biscuits, macerated fresh strawberries, and made-from-scratch whipping cream.
3. Hot Fudge Sauce is the only way I can think of to make ice cream any better. Making your own Hot Fudge just takes it to another level! A very simple, easy, and quick recipe. Pour it over ice cream.
4. A made-from-scratch classic Cherry Cheesecake no-bake dessert. It’s the perfect dessert to serve in a small wide-mouth Mason jar for special occasions.
Pineapple upside-down cake is only one layer, baked in the iron skillet. This moist, tasty cake is the perfect dessert for two.
Side Dish Recipes
Make any of these side dish ideas that go well with most meals.
- Best Homemade Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze
- Baked Stuffed Potatoes with Mushrooms & Onions
- Stovetop Grilled Cabbage Steaks with Bacon
- Basil Grilled Tomatoes
- Parmesan Roasted Spaghetti Squash Easy Recipe
- Easy Cheesy Spicy Roasted Cauliflower Recipe
- Pecan Glazed Green Beans
Make romantic dinners at home for special occasions like anniversaries, birthdays, and Valentine’s Day. Cooking together is a great way to spend quality time, chatting and reconnecting.
If your idea of a date night out is a nice Italian restaurant or maybe a Mexican restaurant, I have you covered with recipe ideas you can make at home together.
Save these stay-at-home date night meal ideas and start making plans now. You can do one recipe per week or one per month. It depends on how often you date your mate.
What is your favorite meal to make with your sweetheart? Tell me in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Give us some more ideas.
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