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Valentine’s Day Meal Plan

Robyn Stone

Published Feb 11, 2026

Skip the crowds! This Valentine’s Day meal plan features steak or scallops, easy sides, decadent desserts, and shopping list. Ready in under an hour. Updated for your 2026 Valentine’s Day celebration.

Valentine’s Day Meal Plan - 1
  • Appetizer
  • Main Dish
  • Sides
  • Desserts
  • Prep Timeline
  • Valentine’s Day Meal Plan Variations:
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Valentine’s Day Meal Plan
  • How to Save Your Own Favorite Recipes
  • Create an Account and Save Recipes
  • Save and Customize Weekly Meal Plan
  • Shopping Lists

Appetizer

Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe - Strawberry Spinach Salad topped with an easy Poppy Seed Dressing makes for a beautiful and delicious spring and summer salad recipe. Perfect for parties, picnics, and get-togethers! Always a crowd favorite. - 2

Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe

Main Dish

Cast iron skillet with a butter-basted ribeye steak topped with rosemary. - 3

Skillet Ribeye Steaks Recipe

Seared scallops and asparagus on a white platter. // addapinch.com - 4

Seared Scallops Recipe

Sides

roasted asparagus recipe with asparagus lying on brown board. - 5

Simple Oven Roasted Asparagus Recipe

Two air fryer baked potatoes with butter, salt, and pepper in an air fryer basket. - 6

Air Fryer Baked Potato Recipe

Desserts

I’ve included options for your Valentine’s Day desserts, choose your favorites!

Valentine’s Day Meal Plan - 7

Chocolate Mousse Recipe

Valentine’s Day Meal Plan - 8

Chocolate Cake Hearts Recipe

Platter filled with chocolate covered strawberries. - 9

Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe

Stack of the best brownies on a marble countertop with a white background. - 10

The Best Brownies Recipe Ever

Skinny Chocolate Fondue | ©addapinch.com - 11

Skinny Chocolate Fondue Recipe

Photo of a stack of three peanut butter bars with a layer of peanut butter filling topped with a layer of chocolate on a dark background. - 12

Peanut Butter Bars Recipe

Prep Timeline

  • Day before: Make mousse (or other dessert), roast asparagus (to reheat), prep salad dressing.
  • 1 hour before: Set table, bake potatoes.
  • 30 min before: Cook steak/ scallops, plate dessert.
  • Total active time: About 45 minutes (depending on which dessert chosen).
Graphic for Valentine's Day Meal Plan. - 13

Valentine’s Day Meal Plan Variations:

Vegetarian: Make mushroom “steaks” or Alfredo pasta.

Lighter: Grilled salmon with same sides and dessert options.

Yes! This plan is designed for minimal stress on February 14. Prepare the chocolate mousse or cake hearts up to 2 days in advance (store covered in the fridge). Make the salad dressing and chop veggies the day before. Roast the asparagus earlier in the day and reheat gently. The active cooking time stays under 45 minutes.

The plan includes flexible options: Choose seared scallops instead of skillet ribeye steaks (both pair beautifully with the sides). For a vegetarian twist, swap in grilled portobello “steaks” or a creamy mushroom pasta—check my related recipes for easy swaps.

Absolutely—it’s far cheaper than dining out (often $100+ per couple). Expect $50–$80 total, depending on steak/scallop quality and local prices. Use the printable shopping list to shop sales, and opt for frozen scallops or smaller ribeyes to save more.

Use what you have: Dim the lights, light candles (even tea lights), scatter rose petals from grocery-store roses, play a soft playlist, and fold napkins into hearts. A simple white tablecloth or placemats elevate it instantly.

Most elements adapt easily: Use gluten-free soy sauce if needed (though minimal here), skip dairy in sides if desired, or swap potatoes for cauliflower mash. The asparagus and scallops/steak are naturally low-carb/gluten-free. Desserts like chocolate-covered strawberries are flexible too.

Double or triple the recipes—they scale perfectly. The steak/scallops cook in batches if needed. Turn it into a small gathering with added appetizers.

It’s great for couples and family-friendly too. Kids often love the steak (cut into smaller pieces), potatoes, and chocolate desserts. Add heart-shaped cutouts to the food for fun, or serve them a simpler version.

Store cooked steak/scallops wrapped in foil in the fridge (up to 3 days). Reheat gently in a low oven or skillet to avoid toughness. Sides like asparagus reheat best in the microwave or air fryer. Desserts keep well for 2–3 days.

It’s more intimate (no crowds or rushed service), customizable to tastes/allergies, cost-effective, and lets you control timing so the focus stays on each other—not waiting for a table.

Valentine’s Day Meal Plan

How to Save Your Own Favorite Recipes

We have created a Recipe Collections Tutorial as a guide. It is so easy to save your favorites, but this guide makes it even easier.

Create an Account and Save Recipes

Simply create an account and Save your favorite recipes!

Save and Customize Weekly Meal Plan

Once you have created your free account, you can save this meal plan to your personal recipe collection. If there is something else you’d rather have one night, swap out the recipes with your favorites!

Shopping Lists

Once you have your meal plan how you like it, you can create your Shopping List by clicking on the shopping cart in the top right corner. Make sure each recipe you plan to make for the week has a check beside it, and then click the shopping cart in the top right corner a second time to generate the Shopping List. Now, you can edit, save, share, print, and regenerate your Shopping List. How neat is that?

Please let us know if you have any questions so we can help you!

Happy Valentine’s Day! Robyn xo