Want to turn Valentine's Day into a special occasion with a pasta dinner? There are so many delicious Valentines pasta dinner ideas, and happily, most are quite easy to make.
Whether you are a meat-lover or follow a flexitarian, vegetarian, or vegan diet, there's a pasta recipe to suit you. Perfect for a Valentine's family dinner or a romantic date night, so skip the dinner reservations!
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Valentine's Day Pescatarian Pasta Recipes
These pasta dishes are for the seafood lovers out there! Combining pasta with luxurious smoked salmon, shrimp, crabmeat, or scallops is the height of delicious.
Penne al Salmone
Treat yourself with this Penne al Salmone featuring luscious smoked salmon tucked into a delicate creamy sauce.
Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Pasta
Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Pasta is perfect for spring: sauteed fresh asparagus tossed with pasta, creme fraiche, lemon juice, and cold-smoked salmon.
Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes, Feta, and Olives
This easy shrimp pasta recipe is a great weeknight meal and features delicious greek-inspired flavors of fresh tomatoes, feta cheese, and black olives.
White Wine Shrimp Pasta with Arugula
Make this White Wine Shrimp Pasta for a simple but elegant meal any night of the week. Seafood and arugula team up and pack a powerful nutritional punch in this pasta recipe.
Seafood Pasta Puttanesca
A heartier version of a classic, Seafood Pasta Puttanesca is flavored with capers, olives, & a hint of spice. Plus amazing seafood.
Black Squid Ink Pasta (Spaghetti Al Nero Di Seppia)
Black squid ink pasta (also known as spaghetti al nero di seppia), coated in the best rich and briny white wine sauce with juicy prawns/shrimp. Ready in just 30 minutes, this one is swift yet impressive and worthy of any occasion.
Lobster Fettuccine in Herbed Cream Sauce
This Lobster Fettuccine in Herbed Cream Sauce is a restaurant-style dish that’s perfect for a celebratory dinner but easy enough for a delicious weekend meal.
Creamy Prawn Linguine (The Best)
Garlic prawn pasta, an irresistibly creamy recipe that’s full of flavour and looks incredibly succulent. Despite its gorgeous looks, this recipe is so easy to make!
Linguine with Clam Sauce Recipe
This Linguine with Clam Sauce feels fancy, but is made from simple pantry staples that won’t break the bank.
Valentine's Day Vegan and Vegetarian Pasta Recipes
No need to eat meat or fish to have a delicious pasta dinner. Try these Valentine's Day pasta recipes if there's a vegetarian or vegan eater in your life!
Lemon Mascarpone Pasta
This lemony Mascarpone Pasta has a deliciously easy sauce that coats the pasta in creamy goodness. Arugula, garlic, and red onion add flavor and texture.
Zucchini Mushroom Pasta
This Zucchini Mushroom Pasta dish is packed with savory sautéed vegetables, and topped with a decadent ball of burrata cheese. Summer in a bowl!
Morel Mushroom Pasta in Parmesan Cream Sauce
Mushroom lovers, this recipe is for you. We take tender, earthy morel mushrooms and pile them on a bed of pasta covered in a garlicky Parmesan cream sauce with a sprinkling of fresh herbs and a kick of citrus. Every decadent bite of this morel mushroom pasta is comfort food at its finest.
Creamy Vegan Tomato Pasta
Creamy vegan tomato pasta that's quick and easy to make, you can have it ready in under 30 minutes! It's made without dairy and it’s nut-free, so no cashews. It's a great vegan dinner recipe to make on busy weeknights.
Creamy Tahini Pasta
Easy, rich, and creamy vegan tahini pasta that’s nut-free, dairy-free, and can be gluten-free. The garlicky lemon tahini pasta sauce comes together quickly so it’s an excellent meatless dinner to serve on busy weeknights (you can have the whole dish ready in under 30 minutes!).
Lemon Pasta without Cream (Lemon Capellini Recipe)
Recreate Ina Garten's lemon capellini with just 4 ingredients in 15 minutes. This garlic lemon pasta recipe is perfect served as the main entree or side dish.
Pink Pesto Beet Pasta
Pink Pesto Beet Pasta is a naturally bright pink pasta recipe made with balsamic roasted beets, beet greens and beetroot pesto. And when served with heart shaped beets this stunning beet pasta sauce recipe is the perfect recipe for Valentine’s day!
Creamy Coconut Milk Pasta Sauce (Vegan)
This simple coconut milk pasta sauce is creamy and rich with a velvety texture and lots of flavorful spices.
Valentine's Day Meat-Lovers Pasta Recipes
These pasta dishes feature chicken, steak, turkey, and more for a hearty meal your family will love.
Chicken & Penne alla Vodka Sauce
Penne pasta, a rich vodka sauce, with chicken to give this one-dish meal a protein boost. You wouldn’t think a little vodka would make much difference, but it does. Simple pureed tomatoes are transformed with the addition of heavy cream and vodka.
Short Rib Pasta
This holiday season, you’ll want to cozy up with this short rib pasta recipe! It is absolutely perfect for entertaining a small group for the holidays.
Lamb Ragu Pasta with Red Wine from Dineen Vineyards
Ground Lamb Ragu Pasta features a richly flavored pasta sauce tossed with rigatoni. Excellent paired with a red wine blend.
CHICKEN CAPRESE PASTA BAKE
Chicken Caprese pasta bake is loaded with tomatoes, spinach, basil, and other savory ingredients. Perfectly cheesy and drizzled with a balsamic glaze.
Blackened Chicken Alfredo Recipe
This Blackened Chicken Alfredo may look fancy but it’s really easy to make and uses simple ingredients.
Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe
Spaghetti Carbonara is a classic Italian pasta dish made with spaghetti, pancetta, egg yolks, freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and cracked black pepper.
Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Are your taste buds ready for this one? Marry Me Chicken Pasta is a totally swoon worthy dish, where chicken and pasta are enveloped in the most amazing creamy sauce.
Prosciutto Pasta
Prosciutto Pasta is an elegant pasta recipe made with prosciutto, peas, and Parmesan cheese.
Creamy Steak Pasta Recipe (With Mushroom and Whisky Sauce)
Our Creamy Steak Pasta recipe is gearing up to be your new favourite pasta dish, especially if you're looking to spoil that special steak enthusiast in your life.
Tips for Making Pasta
Now that you've found a recipe, here are a few tips for a foolproof pasta dinner:
- Use plenty of water in your saucepan, and salt it well (you should be able to taste the salt in the water)
- Once you have added your pasta, stir well. Then come back a minute or two later, and stir again. This helps prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan as it cooks.
- If you're cooking the noodles first, then adding them to a skillet to reheat with a sauce, cook those noodles to just past al dente. That way they won't overcook when you heat them up with the sauce.
- Always reserve about a ½ cup of pasta water before draining your pasta. The starch in the pasta water helps adhere the sauce to the noodles when you combine them.
Making Pasta Dinner into a Meal
Wondering what to serve with your Valentines pasta recipe? You certainly can't go wrong with some Baguette Garlic Bread on the side, as well as a Simple Side Salad.
If you have a relatively simple pasta dish, you can pair it with a more complicated salad like this Apple Arugula Salad or this Pear Gorgonzola Salad to turn it into a special meal.
Also, you'll need a dessert to end the meal. What about this easy Almond Flour Chocolate Cake? Or these White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies? For a special Valentine's Day dessert, how about trying a classic Crème Brûlée?
No matter which pasta dinner you choose, you are sure to enjoy a delicious Valentine's Day meal that rivals a fancy restaurant.
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