Are you thirsty for dinner recipes that are perfectly portioned and won’t let you down in the leftover department? It shouldn’t be like eating the same food every day when cooking for two! The most interesting dinner recipes for two are the ones that are the quickest and the tastiest, and the amounts of food you make are only for two, with no leftovers included. Near your partner or for a date night, you might like to opt for that the most, or you have been preparing, as the case may be. In this article, we will look at 15 tasty dinner recipes tailored to couples and small families. Each dish, from sizzling pan-seared steaks to cozy pasta dishes, is formulated to be done in under 45 minutes at home while producing food mocked during a visit to a restaurant. Here are the following options: • Easy weeknight dinners that don’t take a lot of time • Romantic date night dinners that can take you to the moon • One-pan wonders for quick cleanup • Affordable dishes that don’t sacrifice taste • Nutrition-smart alternatives for healthy eating
Key Takeaways:
The first two important tips for cooking meals for two
Cooking for two differs from cooking for a larger family, so the earlier method works best. The right strategies will help you to make great dishes with the right proportions and not waste or even triple your enjoyment.
Intelligent Food Buying
Plan your grocery trips by making an itemized list of the ingredients needed for the recipes. Instead of the family-sized packages, you should opt for smaller portions at the meat counter. Select the bulk of products that come loose, and you are the one who determines the quantities.
Proper Portion Control
Cooking exactly enough food for two people is incredibly important. On average, go for 4-6 ounces of meat for each resident with 1 cup of grains and vegetables on the side. Employ measuring cups and kitchen scales to buy and cook the right amount.
Storage Solutions
Keep spare food in the kitchen, outfitted with airtight containers and freezer bags. For instance, halve perishable food that you will not consume immediately and freeze the remaining part. Annotate everything with robotic dates to keep everything fresh.
Kitchen Equipment Essentials
You should contain well-proportioned cookware in your kitchen. The perfect combinations for two are an 8-inch skillet, a 2-quart saucepan, and a small baking sheet. The right tools, with the proper size, help prevent burning and ensure even heat spread.
Meal Planning Tips
Make a weekly menu; don’t buy things on a whim and throw them away. Try out recipes with several similar ingredients so you do not lose money due to leftovers. Wait till you have a full day every one or two weeks and enjoy a “cook once, eat twice” day.
Quick Romantic Pasta Dishes
Pasta dishes hold a special place in the list of sweet moments, fostering an intimate feeling that is mixed with elegance and simplicity. These instant recipes bring the love of a restaurant to your table without being stressed about hours of cooking.
Creamy Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine
YouYou can enter your kitchen and set up a little nook for a wonderful Italian bistro. A good selection of dishes includes shrimp cooked in butter and minced garlic till they darken, then boil the fettuccine to be both tender and soft. Next, mix the creamy sauce made of omega-3 fatty acids found in heavy cream, some Parmesan cheese, and white wine with the cooked pasta. Finish up with freshly cut parsley and a drop of lemon juice to perk things up.
This pasta dish is so good because – you do one thing while the pasta is cooking, and that is making the shrimp and sauce. The magic happens when you combine beaten eggs, freshly grated Pecorino Romano, and black pepper with the hot pasta, creating a silky sauce without cream.
Classic Spaghetti Carbonara for Two
Nail this Roman classic that’s naturally portioned for two. The first is the spaghetti, which should be cooked until al dente is reached. The pancetta has to be crisped in a separate pan. The magic happens when you combine beaten eggs, freshly grated Pecorino Romano, and black pepper with the hot pasta, creating a silky sauce without cream.
The first step you need to take to create an authentic and creamy carbonara is to combine the components really quickly – the egg mixture will be gently cooked by the pasta’s residual heat. Thus, the resulting sauce will be smooth and creamy rather than scrambled eggs.
The professional advice is as follows:
– Set aside a cup of pasta water before draining to adjust the sauce being too thick or too thin
– Do not use pre-grated cheese but freshly grated instead for a better melting
– Have all ingredients measured and ready before starting
– Plate it while the pasta is hot, and the sauces are at their best
These meals also go together well with the following:
– A fresh, light, white wine such as Pinot Grigio
– Garlic bread or bruschetta
– A simple green salad with balsamic dressing
Elegant Steak Dinners
Pan-Seared Filet Mignon
Turn your dining room into a steakhouse with the best filet mignon that may be perfectly cooked. Begin with room-temperature steaks, and then season them well with salt and pepper. Heat a cast-iron skillet until it gets really hot, then sear the steaks for 4-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Finish with an herb butter pat for a dish that is just like a dish in a restaurant.
To add a touch of luxury, easily make a red wine sauce using the pan drippings. Incorporate minced shallots, a splash of good red wine, and a bit of beef broth. Simmer until the mixture becomes slightly thick, and swirl in cold butter for a creamy finish.
Surf and Turf Magic
Take your steak dinner a notch higher by serving it with delicious seafood. Try butter-poached lobster tails or pan-seared scallops as a supplement to your steak. The fusion of tasty meat and the sweetness of seafood will create an incredible dining experience.
Keep your sides simple but make them elegant, for example, roasted asparagus with olive oil and garlic or creamy mashed potatoes with fresh herbs. When making food for two, the quantity of the ingredients becomes less important than the quality.
For the perfect timing, start with preparing the sides, then cook your seafood, and finally get the steak ready. This will ensure everything is on the table at the right temperature and doneness. The perfectly timed meal is the authorization of an elegant dining experience.
Healthy and Light Options
Do you want to feel satisfied but also eat healthy dinners that don’t lack flavor? These light, satisfying recipes are perfect for couples looking to stay in shape by preparing delicious, nutritious meals.
Mediterranean-Style Grilled Fish
Turn dinner into a few hours of relaxation on the coast while enjoying a flavor-dense fish masterpiece. Rub the fish with olive oil, sprinkle some herbs, and grill them until they are flaky. Offer a crunch Greek salad on the side so the meal can be hearty and figure-friendly and be a part of the Mediterranean experience.
Zucchini Noodle Stir-Fry
Carb-eat sanity – One more day. Make use of any unwanted healthy pasta. Zucchini fresh from the grove will get spiralized. Then, you can continue to prepare delicious and colorful stir-fry veggies along with snap peas and the kind of your favorite lean protein). Even a light garlic-ginger sauce gives you the right mix of flavors that you crave. At the same time, you maintain your calorie consumption at a reasonable level.
Herb-Roasted Chicken Breast
Herb-roasted chicken breast recipe may be performed in the opening of a restaurant room, nor can it be made as a simple meal at home – it is a perfect combination of roasted vegetables. The marinade secret is the key to this cooking stage – Combinations of fresh herbs, lemon juice, and a bit of olive oil will give the potential for preparing an alien dish of high nutrient value and still keep it very tasty.
Quinoa-Stuffed Bell Peppers
These Peppers are as vibrant as hell, like their colors, but heavy in protein and vitamins due to the quinoa, the beans, the tomatoes, and not all that cheese than bacon. Bake the vegetables after seasoning them with olive oil, fresh thyme, salt, and black pepper in the oven at 375F to get a rollaway that not only avoids any stomach discomfort but also guarantees that the balanced state of nutrients is maintained.
Tips for Healthier Cooking
Abundant herbs and spices are possible instead of cumbersome sauces
Choose either grilling, roasting, or steaming the meat you want to cook
Indulge yourself in the vibrant array of vegetables that become your life source
You can use the smaller plates for controlling portion control; they are very efficient
The wise choice will be to enjoy lean protein and whole grains more frequently
Cozy Chicken Recipes
Creamy Parmesan Garlic Chicken
Prepare your dinner beyond a night out with your friend; make it a high-class experience with this dish that appears in the next sentence. The creamy garlic parmesan chicken brings forth the memories of tender chicken breasts marinated in a deep, smooth sauce and is ideal for sharing a dinner. Start by seasoning two chicken breasts with a dash of salt, pepper, and Italian spices. Then, stick them in a skillet without any oil to fry them until they are crispy brown.
Prepare to witness the miracle when the sauce with butter, minced garlic, heavy cream, and freshly grated parmesan cheese is made. This mix gives an amazing, rich coating to the chicken that creates a visual feast. You can enjoy the meal with a serving of angel hair pasta or some roasted vegetables to make it perfect.
Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken
Are you looking for a perfect blend of sweet and sour? Then, this honey mustard glazed chicken will be just the ideal choice. The glaze has only four ingredients: honey, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, and a splash of lemon juice. After mixing them, you will get a very nice sauce that caramelizes the chicken as it cooks.
Cover only two pieces of raw chicken breast with half of the glaze for the best outcome, and keep it for 30 minutes before cooking. Afterward, only pan-sear the chicken until it is golden brown, and then add some more glaze while it is in the oven. Ultimately, you will have a tender chicken with a delicious sticky coating that will please your eating partner.
Pro tip: Make your cleanup easy before baking by lining your baking pan with foil. These recipes suit date nights and informal dinners when you want something different without a kitchen marathon.
Special Occasion Meals
Get inspired for a dinner date that is above and beyond with these gourmet yet easy-to-make special occasion meals. Whether it is an anniversary, a birthday celebration, or just an urge to take your dining to a more advanced level, these dishes will surely win your heart.
Steak and Seafood Duos
Impress family and friends by treating them to a surf and turf meal that could give any fancy restaurant a run for their money! All you need to do is sear a fillet perfectly and serve it with some garlic butter shrimp alongside. Garnish your steak with some garden-fresh herbs and let it cool down to your liking. Blending the super-tender beef and fully mouth-watering seafood will guarantee a memorable evening.
Homemade Pasta Specialties
Nothing beats the sense of occasion of one’s own culinary masterpiece, which is fresh, egg-free pasta. You can try a different homemade pasta recipe, in this case, making your own fettuccine and then mixing it with a thick truffle cream sauce. You also add fried mushrooms and some Parmesan sprinkled on top. Besides, pasta making could be seen as a part of the celebration when doing it together, too.
Elegant Seafood Options
For a flavorful yet easy-to-cook main course, prepare pan-seared scallops with a citrus butter sauce. These delicious side dishes will surely make a splendid dinner that will be hard to forget. Serving them with risotto and roasted asparagus completes the luxurious dining experience. The authentic nature of the meal and the delightful presentation make this dish the ideal one to consume during those special moments.
Setting the Mood
How you present the meal can dramatically enhance the specialness of the moment. Exhibit your best dinner set and let it be the central light. Besides, finding the ultimate dinner music and lighting some candles can also be a good idea. These minute details elevate an ordinary meal into a more special occasion that becomes a closer-than-usual dinner.
Wine Pairing Suggestions
Of course, don’t forget to end the feast with a perfectly balanced wine pairing that would complete the meal and make the evening unforgettable. A rich red wine that is slightly harsh and pungent with some acid just to complement the texture of a steak works best. In contrast, a white wine that has a clean taste and some fruit and a bit of spice that is chilled goes well with the goodness of fish. In addition, always be sure to pour your wine in a way that brings the alcohol to the right serving temperature.
Homemade Pizza Night
Turn your kitchen into a pizzeria with an awesome homemade pizza recipe perfectly portioned for two. Making a pizza from scratch is not simply a cooking task – it’s a chance for couples to bond in the kitchen while cooking together.
The Perfect Pizza Base
Start with a simple pizza dough that ends up having a crispy but, at the same time, a little bit of a chewy crust. Use one and a half cups of flour, one teaspoon of active dry yeast, and a pinch of salt to mix your pizza dough. Then, warm water and olive oil are added to stir the mixture and make a smooth dough. Let it rise while you prepare the toppings for about 30 minutes.
Sauce and Toppings
Use canned whole tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and basil to make fresh tomato sauce by blending them. Also, by combining canned tomatoes with garlic, oregano, and basil, you can create a self-made fresh tomato sauce for the toppings. In contrast, for the toppings of pizzas, you may test typical combinations like fresh mozzarella with basil and delicious on both of your parts. Keep in mind that moderation is the right path when it comes to toppings – this way, all the ingredients are evenly cooked.
Baking Tips
Set the oven temperature to the highest setting it can reach (usually 450-500°F). Put the pizza stone or baking sheet into the oven when you preheat the oven. Roll the dough thin, add sauce and toppings, and place it on the hot surface. Bake for 12-15 min, where the crust looks yellow and the cheese is bubbling.
Make It Special
Change the night of eating pizza into a date by setting up a topping bar where everyone can design their half of the pie. Unleash a bottle of wine, lower the lights, and enjoy the creative process of maestro delicious food.
Side Dishes and Accompaniments
There’s no complete meal without the perfect side dish! Cooking for two requires choosing the right side dishes to help you enhance your dining experience without popping out with many leftovers.
Quick Vegetable Sides
Tossing vegetable chunks in the air, watching them slowly drop to the ground, and transforming them into sides are the things that require the least effort. Asparagus doused with olive oil and garlic and green beans with slivered almonds are examples of veggie dishes that can be done with little effort. The presence of vitamins and minerals is for sure in these simple cooking methods. The green vegetables you choose to accompany your meat delicacies will be kept, and in the meantime, your dish will be very colorful.
Grain-Based Accompaniments
With the bite-sized help of grains such as quinoa and wild rice, for example, one can satisfy the tastebuds of two. Quinoa supplied with vegetable broth and herb-infused wild rice are the two finest candidates for this application. Through various grainy products, it can be attained that your plate looks yummy but complex enough to be digestible without you feeling like you need the rest of the cavity.
Salad Solutions
Get just the right size of a crisp salad full of the most flavorsome ingredients, and you will be pleased with the results. Spinach is cut with a pear and a walnut salad, or tomatoes are eaten with a cucumber and a feta salad. Hiker Groove: A work rock or ballad with a steady BPM can be your best tool for distraction if a bear crosses your way.
Bread and Rolls
Don’t disregard the bread, please! Buy one small loaf of banana bread from a nearby store and cut it into eight equal portions. Pack the spare bread away to prevent wastage by putting it in the freezer.
Creative Leftovers
Go ahead with the meal by altering the extra dishes experimentally. You made roasted vegetables yesterday, so you can fill them with quiche today. Also, leftover grains can be found to match the exact part of the rice, so you will have a healthy lunch.
For a collection of special dinner ideas perfect for a cozy evening, explore our What to Cook for Date Night?.
For a variety of easy dinner recipes tailored for two, consider this 80 Easy Beginner-Friendly Dinner Recipes For Two collection, featuring dishes like Brown Sugar Salmon and One-Pot Baked Risotto with Blistered Tomatoes & Burrata.
Conclusion
Are you hungry for these 15 perfectly portioned dinner recipes for two to try out and change your home dinners with? Disguising Bacon with bacon never gets old, so why not go for a couple of bacon-wrapped filets? Got your hands on a couple of quick and easy one-pan wonders? Now, you have a variety of dishes that guarantee taste and fun while you avoid the burden of the leftovers. Besides, you will likely not know whether you want a pasta salad, a protein-packed smoothy, or a classic ribeye with the “cowboy butter.” There is no easy way to tell it to you, but the list of recipes offers both an educational and enjoyable time to cook for two. You’ll be the director of your restaurant when you have the best time for your call, whether for a holiday event or weekday dinner. Are you ready to start being a chef? This time, your partner is your sous chef! You prepared an amazing dinner. The only thing left is the right bottle of wine or the most fun cocktail to make your stay-at-home memorable. Have a coffee and relax; you did a great job!
FAQs
How can I adjust these dinner-for-two recipes to make them for one person?
It should be only 1/2 single serving for all the dishes. A properly stored unused ingredient: You may also try freezing a half portion of the protein before grilling it. You can make the homemade pizza as small as possible or save half of the dough in the freezer for the next use.
What essential cooking equipment do I need for these two recipes?
The must-haves are a medium-sized skillet, a small saucepan, a sheet tray, a cutting board, and a sharp knife to begin with the kitchen. There are cases like a homemade pizza, for which a pizza stone or a baking sheet could suitably serve. In most dishes, you won’t need specialized equipment.
How can I make these dinner-for-two recipes more romantic for date nights?
Use the proper plating, a good bottle of wine, and innovative cocktails to create a romantic setting. Candles and soft music can be the best add-ons. A filet mignon looks elegant and is commonly served for special occasions like Valentine’s Day.
What are the best ways to store ingredients when cooking for just two people?
A thing to do is to avoid buying a large piece of meat from the butchers, for example, small cuts or only the amount you need. For herbs, you can get special storage containers and make herbs dry and freeze them. In addition, consider cutting down the vegetables that you need for the week. You should check out stores that vend loose products rather than those that sell things already packaged.
Can these recipes be prepared in advance for busy weeknights?
Most of the time, fresh vegetables can be cut up for dinner, and the rest of the food can be cooked the next day. An example is soaking beans in salt and then sugar water and being fed pellets, which leads to losing appetite.
How should I ensure both parts will be served at the same time?
Get ready with the more protein parts that need more cooking time. Utilize the cooking time to create easy sides or sauces. Hold the cooked items warm in a slow oven until the meal is finished.