14 Recipes for a Low-Key (But Impressive) Valentine's Day Dinner

This classic cheese fondue from chefs Bruce and Eric Bromberg includes Jarlsberg, Emmental, Gruyère, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus just the right amount of kirsch. It's creamy, gooey, and perfectly balanced. As a bonus, it only takes one step and 30 minutes to make.

This creamy, savory pasta dish comes together in just one pot—there's no need to boil the pasta separately. A combination of savory sautéed mushrooms and gently sweet leeks combine with cream, lemon juice, and white wine to create the rich sauce. Feel free to switch up the herbal flavor by adding tarragon instead of dill.

The bulk of time spent making this recipe is allowing the flank steak to marinate for two hours (or longer, if you want to get a head-start the morning you plan to eat it). After that, you simply discard the marinade, rub the steak with olive oil, and give it a quick broil. Voila! Your London broil is done. It looks especially elegant served on a platter with sprigs of fresh herbs, and for side dishes, go with buttery baked potatoes and a crisp lettuce salad.

Dinner doesn't get simpler or more elegant than this pan-roasted chicken. To make it, cut a whole chicken into eight pieces, then roast it with grapes, garlic cloves, and sprigs of rosemary to yield crispy-skinned chicken in a schmaltzy pan sauce that begs for a crusty piece of bread.

A life-changing bowl of noodles definitely feels appropriate for Valentine's Day—and it only takes 30 minutes to make. Butter, egg yolk, and starch enrich the soy broth, dressing chewy udon noodles in a silky sauce inspired by Hetty McKinnon's visit to Udon Shin, a restaurant in Tokyo's bustling Shinjuku ward. Sharp black pepper and scallions break up its deeply savory edge with light spice and fresh flavor.

A whisk and a sharp knife are all you need to make this fast-fix, flavor-bomb salad of bitter greens, crunchy pepitas and pomegranate seeds, juicy kumquats, and salty cheese. A quick soak in vinegar softens the texture and flavor of the shallot so it adds a mellow onion flavor but doesn't overpower the dressing. Leave the salty, tangy crumbles of ricotta salata on the larger side; they add creamy balance to the dish.

In 35 minutes, you can have this cozy, wintry meal ready to go. Chef Erick Williams recommends thick cuts of salmon for this recipe; they cook quickly while remaining juicy and tender and are well balanced by the sweet, gingery glaze. If delicata or acorn squash aren't available, substitute six cups of peeled and diced butternut squash.

Easy? Check. Minimal ingredients? Check. Versatile? Check, check, check. This polenta recipe is about as low-fuss as it gets—just boil broth, season it, whisk in the polenta off the heat, cover the pot, and walk. away. That's it! And then 45 minutes later, all that's left for you to do is whisk in cheese and butter and pick your toppings. You can do a fried egg, roasted mushrooms, sautéed shrimp, or anything you'd like, really. It's a great blank canvas for an elegant, simple meal.

For a little heat—both in temperature and flavor—try this quick stew, packed with firm tofu, fresh ginger, shredded Napa cabbage, zucchini, and more. It pairs perfectly with a fresh, raspberry-scented Beaujolais like Domaine Jean-Claude Lapalu Beaujolais-Villages Vieilles Vignes.

This grilled cheese is certainly opulent—it's packed with Gruyère and Taleggio cheese, as well as briny capers and sweet strawberry preserves—but it's also easy to make. In classic grilled cheese fashion, you just assemble, cook, and serve.

This sheet-pan meal requires a little prep-work—you have to cut up ingredients like the baking potato and bacon—but once that's done, all you have to do is get the ingredients on the sheet pan and slide it in the oven. In just 45 minutes, dinner is done.

Pasta-wise, it doesn't get much more simple than cacio e pepe—this recipe from former Food & Wine editor Marcia Kiesel calls for just five ingredients. To make it, cook the pasta, drain it (be sure to save a little pasta water), and return the pasta to the pot. Add in the pecorino cheese, unsalted butter, pepper, and reserved water, tossing everything together until it's evenly mixed. With a final hit of salt, you're ready to serve.

Another sheet pan hero, this elegant, simple meal only calls for seven ingredients, and it's done in less than 45 minutes. Using Herbes de Provence, a blend of spices including lavender, thyme, and fennel, adds a lot of flavor to the seasoned butter in one shot.

How does pizza for date night sound? Although this Alsatian choucroute garnie–inspired pizza does require a little more effort than ordering out, it's still pretty easy. Don't let the two hour total time discourage you—you have to let the dough rest for an hour and a half at room temperature while you heat up the oven. (And yes, you can totally use store-bought dough). Then, you roll and stretch out the dough, put on the sauce and toppings, and bake. That's it! A few minutes later, a savory, colorful pizza will emerge. If you'd like, take the meal to the next level by pairing the pizza with a substantial, spicy Alsace white like Hugel & Fils Gewürztraminer.