The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on everyone’s social life; you can’t hang out with your friends, can’t go outdoors to play a sport, and neither can you enjoy a nice meal with your significant other.
However, being stuck at home doesn’t mean that you have to skip on date night. You can make some delicious date night recipes at home. You will put more effort into a homemade meal, which will be appreciated by your partner.
So, get ready to impress your partner with an amazing and delicious meal because here are four of my favorite Date Night recipes that will match up with any fancy restaurant. Keep reading to learn more.
The best beef ragu you have ever had:
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
- Extra-virgin olive oil (2 tbsp)
- Chuck roast (2 lb, cut into cubes)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Yellow onion (1, chopped)
- Garlic (5 cloves, thinly sliced)
- Fennel seeds (1/2 tsp)
- Red pepper flakes (1/4 tsp)
- Tomato paste (2 tbsp)
- Red wine (1/4 tsp)
- Whole peeled tomatoes (1 can)
- Thyme (3 sprigs)
- One bay leaf
- Balsamic vinegar (2 tsp)
- Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Take a large stockpot and place it over medium-high heat. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Season the meat with some salt and pepper, and sear in the olive oil until browned on all sides. Set the beef aside.
- Now, heat the remaining olive oil as well and cook the onion until soft and translucent. About 6 minutes should be enough. Throw in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and fennel seeds and cook for another minute until it becomes fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste to the pot, and cook for a couple of minutes. Now add some wine to deglaze the pot and scrape the bottom to get the brown bits of meet off.
- Then, throw in the can of whole tomatoes, some water, thyme, and a bay leaf along with the seared beef. Season with some pepper and salt, and bring the heat down. Cover the pot, and let the ragu simmer. Keep stirring occasionally, and let it go for at least 2 or 2 ½ hours.
- At this point, the meat should shred easily, and the tomatoes should have formed a paste. Use a wooden spoon to mash the tomatoes and chicken a little bit and serve with some pasta.
Tuscan chicken pasta
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
- Spaghetti (12 oz.)
- Extra-virgin olive oil (1 tbsp)
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3 pieces, about 1 1/2 pounds)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Bacon (6 slices, thick-cut)
- Garlic (2 cloves)
- Diced tomatoes (2 cups)
- Baby spinach (3 cups)
- Heavy cream (1/2 cup)
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1/3 cup)
- Fresh basil (for garnishing)
Instructions:
- Take a large pot, add some water, a pinch of salt, and the pasta. Let it boil until al dente. Reserve some pasta water
- In a large skillet, heat the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sear on both sides until golden brown on the outside and cooked through. About 8 minutes on each side will be enough. Thinly slice the chicken breasts. Check out some home meat slicer reviews, to find a high-quality meat slicer.
- Now cook the making until crispy and drain on the paper towel—Reserve half of the bacon fat from the skillet.
- Now add in the garlic, spinach, and tomatoes, and cook for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and then throw in the heavy cream, reserved pasta water, and some parmesan cheese. Simmer the sauce for about five minutes and then remove it.
- Add the cooked pasta and chicken to the sauce and toss thoroughly, garnish with some basil leaves before serving.
Lemon pepper chicken:
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour (1/2 cup)
- Lemon pepper seasoning (1 tbsp)
- Lemons (2)
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb.)
- Extra-virgin olive oil (2tbsp)
- Chicken broth (1/2 cup)
- Butter (2 tbsp)
- Garlic (2 cloves, minced)
Instructions:
- Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.
- While the oven is heating up, take a medium-sized bowl and whisk the lemon pepper seasoning, and zest of one lemon with the flour—season with some salt.
- Toss the chicken breasts in this mixture until it is thoroughly coated
- Now heat the oil in a large skillet and sear the chicken breasts for about 5 minutes on both sides.
- Add the butter, broth, lemon slices, and garlic to the skillet and place it in the oven for about five minutes.
- Spoon the sauce on top of the chicken and serve with some chopped parsley sprinkled on top.
Cajun butter steak:
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
- Low-sodium soy sauce (1/2 cup)
- Extra-virgin olive oil (1/3 cup)
- Lightly packed brown sugar (1/4 cup)
- Bourbon (1/4 cup)
- Whole-grain mustard (2 tbsp)
- Cajun seasoning (2 tsp)
- Garlic (2 cloves, minced)
- Fresh thyme leaves (1 tsp)
- Thick sirloin steak (2 lbs.)
- Butter (2 tbsp)
Instructions:
- Take a large bowl and mix the olive oil, brown sugar, cajun seasoning, mustard, bourbon, thyme, garlic, red pepper flakes, and soy sauce. Separate about one-third of the mixture to use a glaze for the steak and toss the steaks in the remaining marinade. Let the steak sit in the mixture for around 4 hours for better flavor
- Fire up your grill, or place a grill pan over high heat. Take the steak out of the marinade and season with salt and pepper on all sides. Now grill the steak until it is charred on both sides, and a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the steak registers around 130 degrees F
- Remove the steak from the grill and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
- While the steak is resting, prepare the glaze by pouring the reserved marinade into a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer on low heat until it is thickened. Now, mix the mutter and take the saucepan off the heat.
- Pour the glaze over the sliced steak to ramp up the flavors.
