Skip the crowded restaurants and create an intimate evening at home with these five plant-based dishes that prove romance tastes better when you make it together.
Add VegOut to your Google News feed. 
There's something about cooking together that no restaurant can replicate. The shared space, the collaborative rhythm, the way conversation flows more easily when your hands are busy. Marcus and I discovered this years ago when we stopped trying to secure impossible Valentine's reservations and started creating our own traditions at home.
These five dishes have become our go-to rotation for romantic evenings. They're impressive enough to feel special, approachable enough that you won't spend the whole night stressed over a hot stove, and delicious enough to make you wonder why you ever fought for a table at an overpriced restaurant.
What would it mean to reclaim this holiday as something you create rather than something you consume?
1. Mushroom bourguignon with herbed mashed potatoes
This is the dish that converted Marcus from a "vegan food is fine, I guess" skeptic to a true believer. The secret is patience. You want those mushrooms deeply caramelized, almost crispy at the edges, before you add the wine. Use a bold red, something you'd actually want to drink, and let it reduce until the kitchen smells like a French countryside fantasy.
A mix of cremini, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms gives you layers of texture and earthiness. Pearl onions, carrots, and fresh thyme round out the stew. Serve it over creamy mashed potatoes whipped with olive oil and roasted garlic. The whole thing feels like a warm embrace on a cold February night.
Start this one about two hours before you want to eat. It's mostly hands-off simmering time, perfect for opening that second bottle of wine and catching up on each other's weeks.
2. Seared king oyster scallops with lemon risotto
King oyster mushroom stems, sliced into thick rounds and scored in a crosshatch pattern, develop an uncanny resemblance to seared scallops when cooked properly. High heat, a touch of oil, and don't move them until they release easily from the pan. That golden crust is everything.
The risotto underneath should be luxuriously creamy, brightened with lemon zest and a splash of white wine. Stir in some nutritional yeast at the end for that subtle cheesy depth. A scattering of fresh chives and a drizzle of good olive oil finishes the plate.
This one requires attention. Risotto doesn't like to be ignored. But there's something meditative about the stirring, the gradual addition of warm broth, the slow transformation from separate ingredients into something silky and unified. Take turns at the stove. Talk about your dreams for the year ahead.
3. Stuffed bell peppers with walnut meat and romesco
Walnut meat has become a staple in our kitchen. Pulsed walnuts with cumin, smoked paprika, and a touch of soy sauce create something savory and satisfying that works beautifully as a filling. Mix it with cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, and plenty of fresh cilantro.
Roast the stuffed peppers until they're tender and slightly charred at the edges. The romesco sauce, made from roasted red peppers, almonds, and sherry vinegar, adds a Spanish flair that elevates the whole dish from weeknight dinner to special occasion worthy.
Choose peppers in different colors for visual impact. Red, orange, and yellow create a stunning presentation that looks like you spent hours on plating when really you just picked the prettiest vegetables at the market.
4. Pasta with truffle cream sauce and crispy sage
Truffle oil gets a bad reputation because people use too much of it. A light hand transforms a simple cashew cream sauce into something that tastes like you should be paying forty dollars a plate. Soak raw cashews, blend them silky smooth with garlic and a splash of pasta water, then finish with just a teaspoon of truffle oil.
Crispy sage leaves, fried for thirty seconds in olive oil until they shatter at the touch, add an herbal crunch that contrasts beautifully with the rich sauce. Use a long pasta like tagliatelle or pappardelle to catch every bit of that luxurious coating.
This comes together in under thirty minutes, making it perfect for those Valentine's Days when you both worked late and still want something that feels celebratory. Sometimes romance is about ease as much as effort.
5. Chocolate lava cakes with raspberry coulis
Yes, dessert counts as dinner when it's Valentine's Day. These individual cakes, with their molten centers and intense chocolate flavor, are far easier to make than their reputation suggests. The key is high-quality dark chocolate and not overbaking. Pull them from the oven when the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly.
A simple raspberry coulis, just frozen raspberries simmered with a touch of maple syrup and strained, cuts through the richness perfectly. Add a scoop of coconut vanilla ice cream if you want to go all out.
Make the batter ahead and refrigerate it in the ramekins. When you're ready for dessert, let them come to room temperature for fifteen minutes, then bake. The anticipation while you wait for them to emerge from the oven is part of the experience.
Final thoughts
The best romantic meals I've ever had weren't in Michelin-starred restaurants or trendy spots with month-long waitlists. They were in our kitchen, music playing softly, Marcus chopping vegetables while I stirred something on the stove, both of us present in a way that's hard to achieve when you're performing for a server or conscious of the couple at the next table.
What would it look like to approach Valentine's Day as an opportunity for connection rather than consumption? These recipes are just starting points. Adapt them, simplify them, make them yours. The real magic isn't in the food itself but in the intention behind it.
