Valentine’s Day, which also happens to be my birthday, falls on a Wednesday this year – right in the middle of the week. If you’re trying to pinch some pennies or want to avoid the general craziness of reservations for overpriced meals, make dinner at home!
Hold the expensive steaks, live lobsters, shaved truffles and tiny lamb chops. Pasta is a great for weeknights. Not only is it inexpensive (I can get a pound of dried pasta at my overpriced grocery store in New York City for $1.99), pasta cooks in only a few minutes.
Using my Simple Tomato Sauce made in advance, or your favorite jarred tomato sauce, you can serve your Valentine dinner in under 30 minutes thanks to a meatball shortcut – sausage. I roll sweet Italian sausage into “meatballs” to save time, rather than make them from scratch, and cook them in tomato sauce. Pair it with my favorite winter salad, torn escarole with a simple lemon vinaigrette, and pop open your favorite bottle of bubbly (these days I am loving this sparkling rosé from Portugal). Want to add dessert? Bake cookies! Try Alison Roman’s Salted Butter Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies – the cookies that are breaking the internet. Yes, they’re that good, easy to make in advance and taste delicious with a glass of milk or wine. I’ll be having my cookies with wine.
Below is my weeknight Valentine’s Day dinner for 4. Enjoy these recipes for a cozy night at home with another couple or your kids.
Happy Valentine’s Day from Crate Cooking!
Weeknight Valentine’s Day Dinner
serves 4
Spaghetti and Sausage Meatballs
Escarole with Lemon Vinaigrette
Sparkling Wine