20 Dinner Ideas for Two That Your SO Will Love

Written by Michael Matthews

Mango Fish Tacos for Two

Tacos are one of the best quick meals because you can build them like a sandwich. Start with any type of tortilla, choose a delicious filling, and then pile on condiments like salsa.

You can even add cheese like shredded mozzarella or crumbled cotija. Yet sometimes assembling all those parts can seem like a lot of work, and it’s not worth it if you’re feeding just a couple people.

That’s part of the beauty of fish tacos. The tilapia filling is easy to pan-fry, and all there is to slice up are mango, red onion, and jalapeno for the salsa.

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Chicken Souvlaki with Homemade Tzatziki

If you’re tired of eating chicken breast the same way every night, switching up the format will remind you just how delicious it is.

These juicy chicken skewers are marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, and honey. And the best part of cooking for two is you’ll often have leftovers to repurpose for tomorrow night’s dinner.

Turn the chicken souvlaki into pita sandwiches with tzatziki, or use the meat as protein for a Mediterranean salad.

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Maryland Crab Cakes for Two

Unless you live on the coast, crab doesn’t exactly jump to mind as a quick and easy dinner. But pick up a can or two of jumbo lump crab, and you can be eating an incredible seafood dinner for two in under a half hour.

They’re a cinch to make as long as you don’t mind getting your hands dirty because, once mixed, the crab cakes get formed into shape and rolled in cracker crumbs. After that, the broiler will do the rest of the work.

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Porterhouse Steak with Whiskey Mushroom Sauce

Think big by picking up a thick-cut porterhouse steak, and you’ll have plenty of meat to feed two hungry carnivores. There might even be leftovers, which can be thinly sliced for a salad or steak sandwich to take for an incredible home-cooked lunch.

To prepare, season with salt and pepper, and about 15 minutes later, rub with cooking oil. Sear the steak in a skillet about five minutes per side, and then transfer to the oven for the final five minutes – maybe a little more if the porterhouse is extra-thick.

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Spice-Rubbed Pork Chops

Aside from the actual pork chops, you’ll need just five pantry staples to get this entrée on the table. And since you’re cooking small chops in a pan on the stove, dinner can be on the table in about 20 minutes.

For a quick side dish to pair with the pork, steam some veggies or roast them in the oven. This easy entrée would also be good with rice or quinoa, which can be cooked in broth for more flavor.

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Skillet White Lasagna for Two

Lasagna is awesome when you have a hungry group of people on hand because it’s made in a big baking dish with 10 or 12 servings. But what about when you’re craving pasta and don’t have so many mouths to feed?

Scale it down to a skillet, and you can make a smaller lasagna in just 20 minutes. You don’t even need a pot of water to boil the noodles.

Cook the chicken (or other ground meat) first, and then add veggies. Water and milk go right into the pan so the lasagna noodles can simmer until tender. This is still a lot of food, so you’ll have lasagna for two plus leftovers.

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Loaded Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese

When you’re starving and don’t actually want to cook, sandwiches are an awesome standby. But you can do one better than a basic grilled cheese without too much extra work, especially if you keep pre-sliced veggies in the fridge for lazy meals.

Then it won’t take any more time to upgrade your sandwich with bell pepper, mushrooms, and pepperoni so it tastes like pizza.

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Spicy Beer Shrimp

For a quick dinner that’s easy to scale down, shrimp is an awesome protein to use. Yet you can only have shrimp stir-fry every so often before the excitement of cheap seafood wears off.

This is prepared in a large skillet with a sauce, like stir-fry, but the flavor profile is completely different. Instead there’s a rich tomato sauce with beer, sweet chilies, and – for an extra kick – as much cayenne pepper as your taste buds can handle.

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Banana-Avocado Wrap

Think a simple wrap filled with fruit can’t make a filling meal for two?

It’s essentially an upgrade on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and it takes as little effort to assemble. Yet by replacing the strawberry jam or grape jelly with two fresh fruits – both known for delivering big on nutrition – it’s a wholesome meal.

This isn’t going to give you as much protein as a wrap stuffed with meat, but there is peanut butter for good measure. To lower the macros by 100 calories and over 10 grams of fat, make a spread with PB2 and water or almond milk. With avocado in the wrap, you won’t notice the absence of real peanut butter.

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Mom’s Meatloaf for Two

If you only get a craving for meatloaf once in a blue moon, chances are you don’t want to be stuck with leftovers.

It’s actually easy to freeze – whether you want to stash the whole thing away before cooking, or set aside individual portions once it’s finished – but even then, the frozen meatloaf need to be thawed and reheated within a few months.

Save your freezer space, and make this meatloaf for two instead. You don’t even need a loaf pan for this one. Shape two small loaves, and place them in a shallow baking dish to get them in the oven.

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Healthy BBQ Chicken Pizza

Homemade pizza can be a great weeknight meal, but it’s harder to pull off in a hurry if you’re feeding a big crowd since you’ll need several pies. However, one pizza is perfect when there are only two people at the dinner table.

The quickest shortcut to make pizza yourself is picking up a premade dough. But this recipe foregoes the usual crust altogether for an easier, low-carb alternative.

To make the cauliflower crust, start by lightly frying the cauliflower until it’s tender yet crisp. Let cool, and then blend it with eggs, cornmeal, and seasoning. Spread the mixture out on a pizza pan, and bake until it begins to brown.

That’s when the crust’s ready for the toppings, and then it goes back in the oven until the mozzarella is melted.

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Baked Asiago Chicken Tenders

Making dinner at home doesn’t get much easier than this. It’s so simple and healthy, you’ll never buy frozen chicken tenders again.

In fact, you can make a big batch of these and keep them in the freezer, so you can prepare just one serving for yourself, two servings, or more depending on how many people are hungry in the house.

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Thai Beef Stir Fry

Stir-fry is the ultimate quick dinner, but too often we stick with recreating Chinese takeout at home. This one is infused with Thai flavors instead, and yet you don’t need to pick up specialty ingredients.

If you can’t find them fresh lemongrass or lime leaves nearby, substitute a couple teaspoons of dried lemongrass, a small bay leaf, and 1/4 tsp. of lime zest.

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Shakshuka for Two

For comfort food that comes together quickly using a few standby ingredients, try shakshuka.

The dish is popular throughout North African countries like Tunisia, Libya and Morocco, yet uses flavors that are familiar worldwide like garlic, paprika, cumin, and cayenne.

Shakshuka is an excellent brunch because it’s made of eggs poached in a rich tomato sauce, but it’s also a fantastic dinner when you don’t need a large meal yet want to eat like a king.

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Spicy Tuna & Potato Stew

If you’re cooking a big pot of stew and don’t have many people around the dining table, you can always freeze the leftovers. But what if you’re out of space, or you don’t even know if you’ll like the new recipe enough to want to eat more later on?

Try a stew for two, and you can always scale up the ingredients in the future after you fall in love with these unique flavors.

This Korean dish is one for the fish lovers with a can of tuna – plus anchovy stock, fish sauce, or both. To focus more on the spicy tuna flavor, make a less full-bodied stew by simply leaving those things out and preparing it with water.

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Pecan-Crusted Tilapia

Any kind of fish makes a great dinner for two because it cooks quickly, doesn’t take many extra ingredients, and is often easier to pick up in smaller quantities from the meat counter. Plus, it’ll put less of a dent in your wallet.

After dipping the tilapia in egg and the paprika-pecan coating, these fillets bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until the fish becomes tender and flaky. Make a quick side salad while the tilapia cooks, or take even less work out of dinner by oven-roasting green beans at the same time.

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Green Eggs & Potato Skillet for Two

This recipe is for a potato hash, but it’s way more than an afterthought sitting next to bacon and pancakes on your breakfast plate. This is a whole meal – and healthy too – with red potatoes, Brussels sprouts, spinach, and avocado.

These green eggs don’t have any ham, yet it can definitely benefit from some if you’re in a meat-eating mood. Cook bacon in the skillet before getting started on the veggies, and it’ll be cool enough to crumble by the time everything’s ready to eat.

As a bonus, you can use the bacon drippings in the pan and leave out the butter.

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Lamb & Chickpea Chili for Two

This is a bowl of chili unlike what you’ve had before. Rather than being rooted in cowboy culture, this stew uses chickpeas, lamb, and harissa for a Moroccan adaptation. Yet there’s a mix of ground turkey and lamb to add bold flavor while keeping it lean.

Although standard chili powder can be used in this recipe, add harissa if you can get your hands on some. It’s a paste made from roasted chili peppers, plus spices like cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds.

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Hot Smoked Salmon with Chili Salsa

Craving smoked salmon but don’t have a big backyard for a smoker? This recipe from Jamie Oliver will teach you how to quickly prepare smoked salmon in your kitchen, and you won’t need any new cooking gadgets.

Instead, recycle a lidded metal tin like the kind that once stored cookies or popcorn. If you’re trying this indoors, be sure to keep a window open or create another way to funnel the smoke outside.

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Roast Chicken for Two

You don’t need a whole family to feed just to enjoy a roast chicken. This classic Sunday supper can become a dinner for two when you start with a small bird, about two to three pounds.

If you’re used to eating a huge serving of protein, there will be plenty. And if you’re in the mood for a smaller portion, save the rest for leftovers. Extra meat can be shredded for a barbecue sandwich. Or slice the chicken breast up the next day to top a salad.

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