Valentine’s Day Recipes for Every Meal

From breakfast to dessert, we’ve got your Valentine’s Day menu covered!

Whether you’re celebrating with your significant other, your family or your friends, Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate the ones you love! And, here at The Bookery, food is the centerpiece of most of our celebrations. So, as you prep for the big day, we’ve gathered a few recipes you have to try to make your day extra special.

Breakfast

Looking for a breakfast spread you can serve up with love? Whether you’re prepping a brunch or just pulling together a special meal for your sweetie or kids (or yourself!), we’ve gathered a few ideas we can’t wait to try! 

Heart-Shaped Pancakes

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time for heart-shaped everything, but pancakes seem like the perfect choice. Yes, this recipe from the Pioneer Woman involves chocolate chips and strawberries. Try the recipe.

Valentine’s Day Breakfast Board

Take a charcuterie approach to your V-Day breakfast and make a breakfast board. This one from Two Peas and Their Pod, includes pancakes, mini donuts, berries and fruit, jams, spreads and make-you-own mini yogurt parfaits, but the beauty of this kind of breakfast is you can make whatever you want with whatever you have. Try it out! 

French Toast

French Toast is easy and always a crowd-pleaser. Just make sure you use a good, thick slice of good quality bread (brioche is always nice!) and serve with warmed syrups, berries, whipped cream and whatever you like best. Looking for a simple, tried-and-true recipe? Try Mandy’s. 

Lunch/Brunch

If a special midday meal or brunch is more your speed, we’ve also found a few recipes you may want to serve up. 

Quiche and Salad

A warm slice of quiche and a crispy green salad is a perfect Valentine’s Day midday meal, with the advantage of being pretty simple to pull together. The beauty of a quiche is you can pretty much add in whatever you want (within reason) and as long as the flavors meld, you’ve got a great, easy lunch. Try this recipe we recently shared. 

Marry Me Chicken Soup

Maybe the name says it all — but Marry Me Chicken Soup is sure to be a winner on Valentine’s Day. Featuring sundried tomatoes, cream, rotisserie chicken, cream cheese and Parmesan, this soup isn’t exactly light but it’s full of flavor. Serve with warm, crusty bread and a side salad. Try this recipe from Tricia Manzanero on AllRecipes and let us know what you think! 

 Angry Grandma Pizza

Yeah, the name may not be the best Valentine’s Day idea, but this pizza from the Smitten Kitchen won’t make anyone angry! If you’re looking for a simple lunch offering that’s pretty easy to pull together, this is it! Read our review and get your copy of Smitten Kitchen Keepers by Deb Perelman. (As an Amazon Associate, The Bookery earns from qualified purchases.)

Dinner

Valentine’s Day dinner is a chance to be creative and make something special. While we love a fancy dinner, we’re big fans of recipes for regular people that don’t involve a lot of steps or 15 trips to the grocery store for special ingredients. Plus, we want you to be able to enjoy time with your loved ones, so we’re sharing a few recipes we think will allow you to cook and enjoy quality time with those you love! (And why not make cooking together part of the Valentine’s Day celebration?) 

Pasta Bolognese

Pasta is almost synonymous with Valentine’s Day, so now may be the perfect time to try Maria Hazan’s famous (and famously easy) recipe for bolognese sauce. This version from Laura at a Beautiful Plate makes the recipe even easier. Warning: this recipe needs 3-4 hours of simmer time, so you may want to start well before your dinner time or make ahead. Serve it with your prepared pasta of choice, salad and bread. Try it out! 

Marry Me Chicken

We highlighted the soup version for lunch, but with a name like “Marry Me Chicken,” how could we ignore this recipe on Valentine’s Day? Marry Me Chicken is basically chicken breasts cooked in a sun-dried tomato and cream sauce that can be served with pasta, rice or all on its own. We’re a fan of Taylor Tobin’s recipe for Southern Living. 

Pot Roast and Mashed Potatoes

Yes, there are definitely fancier dishes out there, but pot roast and mashed potatoes are time-honored favorites and the very definition of comfort food. Plus, there are so many recipes and pot roast styles to choose from. Make your trusted recipe or try this one from Southern Living. Mississippi pot roast is a little twist on the favorite, and we shared a recipe (and a full supper menu) here. Enjoy! 

Dessert

Dessert is the real show-stopper on Valentine’s Day, so here are a few fairly simple suggestions from The Bookery to sweeten your Valentine’s Day. 

Chocolate Poke Cake

Chocolate is the real star of Valentine’s Day, and this recipe from the Pioneer Woman is easy to make ahead and enjoy later. You can find the recipe in Ree Drummond’s Super Easy! Cookbook and check out our review here. 

Four Layer Delight

This recipe goes by a lot of names—Four Layer Delight, Chocolate Delight, to name a few—and it’s a Southern favorite. Our recipe, which features a pecan crust, layers of chocolate pudding, a cream cheese mixture and whipped topping,  is one our founder has been making and enjoying for years. Get it here. 

Ina Garten’s Chocolate Cake

If you’re looking for a classic chocolate cake with chocolate icing, look no further than Ina Garten’s famous recipe. Ina calls for a good quality chocolate (which we agree with) but we’ve also made it with name-brand cocoa from the grocery store and it turns out just fine. We’ve also made it with the suggested chocolate buttercream frosting, which is delightful, and with a plain vanilla frosting. Both are delicious, but if it’s your Valentine’s Day dessert, we suggest going with the chocolate! Try it out.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

Looking for something that’s not chocolate? Try these white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars from Sally’s Baking Addiction. There is a little chocolate (in the form of an Oreo cookie crust!) with a white chocolate cheesecake filling and raspberry swirl. There are a few steps to making this recipe, so make sure you set aside enough time to make the raspberry sauce and filling. Check it out. 

What are you serving this Valentine’s Day? Share your menus and favorites in the comments! 

As an Amazon Associate, The Bookery earns from qualified purchases.