20 Valentine's Day Side Dishes to Complete Your Romantic Dinner for Two
These recipes will make your meal extra special!
There's no better declaration of love than a home-cooked meal made from the heart. That's why whipping up a special Valentine's Day dinner for your sweetheart is one of the most romantic ways to celebrate the holiday. There's something so cozy and intimate about savoring a spread of delectable dishes over candlelight at your kitchen table, especially on a day when fully booked restaurants and expensive prix fixe menus are the norm. As you plan your menu, you'll probably consider popular picks like a roast chicken, a seared filet, or a creamy pasta dish, but no February 14 spread is complete without an abundance of sides to round off your plate!
From wholesome vegetable side dishes to hearty starches, these Valentine's Day sides will make your homemade dinner for two extra delicious and especially memorable. Ahead, you'll spot a diverse selection of roasted vegetables like crispy Brussels sprouts and sautéed green beans and seasonal salads like a classic Caprese and a citrusy mix, all of which will add color and nutrients to your specially curated meal. You’ll also discover plenty of potato recipes, from baked to scalloped, and other grain-based add-ons, such as pasta salads, rich risottos, and gooey mac and cheese bakes. To top it all off, you’ll definitely want to feature a bread basket filled with buttermilk biscuits or parmesan popovers. Although many of these recipes yield more than two servings, you can always half the ingredients or simply stick to the instructions and enjoy leftovers throughout the week! Whichever Valentine's Day sides you select, they'll certainly be made with love!
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
As if potatoes couldn't get any tastier, these scalloped spuds are loaded with heavy cream, shredded cheese, and warm seasonings for the ultimate comfort-food. This Valentine's Day side will perfectly complement a baked ham, roasted pork chops, or a decadent steak.
Get Ree's Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes recipe.
Parmesan-Herb Popovers
Show your significant other how much you care this Valentine's Day by putting these parmesan-herb popovers on the table. After they puff up in the oven, they'll come out light and airy on the inside and crispy and golden on the outside. Each bite you take will nearly melt in your mouth!
Get Ree's Parmesan-Herb Popovers recipe.
Candied Carrots
Candied carrots will bring the most beautiful pop of color to your plate. Since you'll simmer them in a medley of brown sugar, butter, and vinegar, the root veggie becomes soft and tender, and the sweet sauce turns into a caramelized glaze. The best part? This Valentine’s Day side will be ready to devour in 20 minutes!
Get Ree's Candied Carrots recipe.
Winter Citrus Salad with Feta
Can't narrow it down to just one veggie for your love-filled dinner? With this winter salad, you won't have to! This Valentine's Day side is brimming with fresh, in-season produce, such as juicy blood oranges, crunchy radicchio, and crisp little gem lettuce, and the cubed feta, roasted pistachios, and plump dates take it up a notch!
Get Ree's Winter Citrus Salad with Feta recipe.
Mushroom Risotto
If spending Valentine's Day with a heaping scoop of rich, creamy risotto sounds right up your alley, you must prepare this mushroom-flavored version! Warm, buttery, and cheesy, this slow-cooked recipe is cozy enough for winter yet indulgent enough for a special holiday celebration.
Get Ree's Mushroom Risotto recipe.
Baked Sweet Potato
An essentially hands-off Valentine’s Day side that strikes the perfect balance between simple and flavorful is baked sweet potatoes. To churn out this recipe, all you have to do is poke the spuds with a fork, plop them onto a baking sheet, brush them with oil, and pass them off to your oven. Loading on toppings is another optional step, but it's totally worth the extra minute!
Get the Baked Sweet Potato recipe.
Roasted Asparagus
Roasted asparagus is such a versatile Valentine's Day side: Serve it with salmon and quinoa for a healthy meal or steak and risotto for a heartier medley. Since these roasted spears come together in 15 minutes and call for just four ingredients, the only time-consuming step is trying to figure out what to pair them with!
Get Ree's Roasted Asparagus recipe.
Broccoli Caesar Salad
Make your meal one for the books by putting a unique spin on a classic Caesar. Instead of coating romaine hearts in the creamy, tangy dressing, swap in roasted broccoli, paired with crunchy croutons and shaved parmesan, of course. With this Valentine's Day side, you won't make Caesar salads the same ever again!
Get the Broccoli Caesar Salad recipe.
Pull-Apart Garlic Bread
If you're prepping any sort of pasta dish for Valentine's Day, garlic bread is a must. While you could always opt for garlic knots, why not switch things up with a pull-apart version? This recipe is drenched in garlic butter and dusted with parmesan, and you'll have a lot of fun grabbing a roll or two!
Get the Pull-Apart Garlic Bread recipe.
Macaroni and Cheese
Serve up a side of nostalgia for Valentine's Day with this incredibly gooey mac and cheese bake. The macaroni is mixed with a creamy cheese sauce and baked with more cheese on top for a doubly cheesy dish. Since it'll keep in the fridge for up to three days, this Valentine's Day side will deliver unending comfort!
Get Ree's Macaroni and Cheese recipe.
Sweet Potato Salad
For a Valentine's Day side that's jam-packed with texture, flavor, and nutrients, this warm sweet potato salad reigns supreme! In addition to roasted sweet potatoes, the bed of arugula is tossed with crispy bacon, toasted pecans, creamy goat cheese, dried cranberries, and a sweet-yet-tangy dressing.
Get the Sweet Potato Salad recipe.
Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries
Lean into the punchy shades that color this loved-up holiday by topping balsamic-glazed Brussels sprouts with chewy dried cranberries. Not only will this Valentine’s Day side dish taste divine, but it’ll basically double as Valentine's Day décor!
Get Ree's Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries recipe.
Skillet Cornbread
A thick slice of cornbread will make your at-home Valentine's Day dinner extra cozy. This one is baked in a cast-iron skillet, so it'll come out of the oven looking golden and crispy. For an ultra-comforting meal, savor this dense dish with pulled pork or fried chicken and creamed spinach.
Get Ree's Skillet Cornbread recipe.
Crispy Potatoes Halves with Cilantro Garlic Sauce
Roasted potatoes are never a bad idea. And when they're drizzled with a zesty, slightly spicy cilantro-garlic sauce and served alongside a beautifully roasted prime rib, they become utterly irresistible!
Get Ree's Crispy Potatoes Halves with Cilantro Garlic Sauce recipe.
Caprese Salad
If Italian cuisine is the name of the game for your at-home date night, a traditional Caprese salad is essential! Stacks of sliced tomatoes and mozzarella that are drizzled with balsamic and garnished with basil will transport you to Europe without leaving your kitchen table.
Get Ree's Caprese Salad recipe.
Garlic Green Beans
With five minutes of prep, five minutes on the stove, and six ingredients, this veggie side will be such a breeze to make for your dinner date! Despite its simplicity, these green beans are brimming with flavor from the garlic, butter, salt, and pepper.
Get the Garlic Green Beans recipe.
Buttermilk Biscuits
Nothing beats the sheer simplicity of buttermilk biscuits! These ones are perfectly flaky, buttery, and airy, and they'll taste incredible whether you dip them into a heart broth, soak them in a tangy tomato sauce, or simply top them with a dollop of butter.
Get the Buttermilk Biscuits recipe.
Italian Pasta Salad
Pasta salads aren’t just reserved for summer get-togethers! Loaded with cherry tomatoes, salami, mozzarella, parmesan, olives, bell peppers, and onions, this Valentine's Day side idea is light and refreshing yet simultaneously hearty and savory. If you’re opting for a Mediterranean-inspired meal, this pasta dish deserves a spot on your plate!
Get the Italian Pasta Salad recipe.
Spinach Casserole
Looking for exciting new ways to doctor up your greens on Valentine's Day? Throw spinach in a casserole dish with a boatload of cheese and a coating of fried onions and panko breadcrumbs, and you'll accomplish your mission! After a few bites of this heavenly side, you won't want to prepare spinach recipes any other way!
Get the Spinach Casserole recipe.
Baked Beans
For a down-home Valentine's Day side that's straight Southern comfort food, consider an age-old staple: baked beans. Red beans are coated in a sweet-yet-savory sauce made with barbecue sauce, brown sugar, mustard, green pepper, and onion, and they're then topped with greasy strips of bacon.
Get Ree's Baked Beans recipe.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Marry Me Chicken
Strawberry Sweet Rolls
Garlic Butter Steak Bites
