Dinner Recipes for Two

Pasta and meatballs in tomato sauce twirl together onto a fork and then dance with your taste buds. All the elements work in concert: The spaghetti is slightly firm in contrast to the tender meatballs, made with beef and pork, and crushed red pepper flakes add fire and spice to the familiar sauce.

For the perfect steak, like this rib-eye for two, be sure to bring the meat to room temperature before grilling and season liberally with salt and pepper. The jalapeno compound butter served with the steak has a rich, subtly spicy flavor. This recipe comes from Martha Stewart's Grilling: 125+ Recipes for Gatherings Large and Small.

A bright salad of crisp lettuces and an assertive vinaigrette is the ideal accompaniment for this rich vegetarian gratin.

We loved this recipe with halibut steaks. You can also make it with salmon steaks or Pacific cod. Serve this healthful, clean-tasting main dish with asparagus; try cooking it in the second layer of the steamer.

The subtle, nutty flavor of quinoa goes well with steamed salmon and Moroccan spices.

A hot, dry skillet cooks shrimp that are lightly coated in mayonnaise to a beautiful golden brown in mere minutes.

Quinoa has a wonderful nutty flavor; here it is blended in a salad with toasted almonds, bell pepper, zucchini, celery, and a lime is squeezed on top.

Try a stone fruit instead of figs and think about this pizza as a dessert.

Top your baked sweet potato with a Swiss chard and onion mix with avocado slices.

Flat-iron steak is a relatively inexpensive cut with great flavor and lots of marbling. It usually comes in one large piece that can be grilled whole like a flank or cut into individual steaks, as it's done here.

What to do with that unfinished can of pumpkin puree? Use it as a rich and creamy way to take a grilled cheese from good to gourmet.

You can cook a whole fish in a flash if you use a wok. In this riff on the classic Chinese-restaurant dish, red snapper and scallions are braised in a fragrant garlic- and ginger-infused oil.

Roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash are the stars of this quinoa-based dinner. Tahini sauce comes in handy.

Protein-packed and so versatile, canned chickpeas are a pantry must-have that can make a meal in minutes. Try this easy idea for serving up these super staples.

For a romantic Valentine's Day dinner or a cozy date night in, serve a pot of this rich, gooey mix of Gruyere and fontina. It's the perfect partner for all kinds of dippers: roasted potatoes, bread cubes and sticks, fennel, apple, salami, you name it.

One generous rib-eye makes the perfect steak dinner for two. Here, it's pan-seared in a cast-iron skillet and finished with a piquant pink peppercorn-and-Meyer lemon butter.

Bake these restaurant-worthy cakes and prepare to be adored.

Try serving this distinctive chicken salad in avocado halves or in an oven-roasted tomato.

Pineapple and coconut rum bring the taste of the tropics north.

This classic combo, with red onion and olives, goes great on your pizza.

This hearty meal is full of clean, flavorful ingredients, including millet, an under-appreciated grain that is more nutritious than rice.

It's a simple dish but it's easy to get it wrong. Here's how to do it right.

Cooking en papillote (or in parchment paper) works well for both fish and chicken.

Stick to two or three toppings for the most delicious pizzas; here, we call for anchovies, onions, and garlic.