Are you already thinking about your Valentine’s Day plans? We are! Skip the over-priced restaurant menu and cook a delicious dinner for two in the comfort of your own home. We’re dishing up four seriously mouth-watering recipes that’ll make you think twice about making a reservation. These Valentine’s Day dinner ideas will please everyone, from meat-lovers to vegetarians.

Cook a Classic: Beef Bourguignon
Difficulty Level: Moderate

There’s a reason this French dish is a classic. Seared beef, tender vegetables, and rich red wine make it a standout that’s perfect for a romantic dinner for two. We love the addition of Cognac in Ina Garten’s Beef Bourguignon that’ll add a deeper flavor and a little extra heat to Valentine’s Day. Ina starts by cooking bacon (a genius addition!) in olive oil, then searing the cubed beef in the rendered bacon fat and oil. It only gets better from there! This all-in-one-dish doesn’t need a side, but is begging for crusty French bread to soak up the rich, beefy sauce. Yum.

Try A New Twist: Braised Short Ribs
Difficulty Level: Easy

This 5-star Braised Short Ribs recipe from Chef Anne Burrell leans heavily on ordinary pantry and fridge staples, but the outcome is extraordinary! She starts off by seasoning the short ribs and browning them in a large pot. Next, she purees all the vegetables and garlic in a food processor, removes the browned short ribs from the pot, and then adds the pureed veggies to it. In the end, the pot full of ingredients goes into a 375 degree oven for three hours, so make sure you start this one early! Chef Burrell serves these mouth-watering ribs with a side of mashed red potatoes, but we think roasted root veggies would be good too!

Go Vegetarian: Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage
Difficulty Level: Moderate

The starchy winter staple is elevated in this delicious Sweet Potato Gnocchi recipe from Love and Olive Oil. First, they recommend roasting the chopped sweet potatoes for maximum flavor before mashing and mixing them with ricotta, parmesan, and spices. Then the “dough” is rolled into a long rope shape and cut into pieces to make the individual dumplings. Finally, the gnocchi is boiled and finished off in a pan with the brown butter and sage.Y ou won’t miss the meat for a second!

Keep It Budget Friendly: Shrimp Scampi with Linguini
Difficulty Level: Easy

Your Valentine won’t know that you didn’t spend big bucks to make this restaurant-quality dish. Tyler Florence’s Shrimp Scampi with Linguini recipe uses pantry staples along with good white wine and a couple fresh ingredients to make this a winner, winner Valentine’s Day dinner. First he recommends cooking the pasta in boiling, salted water until its al dente. (Don’t forget to stir the pasta when you first add it to keep it from sticking!) Next, the garlic and shallots are sautéed in butter before the seasoned shrimp are added and cooked until pink. Then, everything is taken out of the pot so the lemon juice and wine can happily boil away together. Finally, more butter (of course!) is added and the cooked shrimp are put back in. It’s finished it off with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil!