Dinner Recipes for Two

There's no need to dine out when you crave a classic Caesar salad -- make this rendition at home, with all the bells and whistles.

This no-grain cauliflower dish is surprisingly hearty.

Whole fish (such as this butterflied trout or pink-fleshed arctic char) are as easy to poach as fillets. This recipe works with almost any variety. Serve chilled over greens with horseradish for lunch. For dinner, serve warm with pureed vegetables on the side.

The flavor of the meaty portobello is enhanced with the garlicky kale.

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.

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.

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

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

Steaming fish in a parchment packet in the oven, cooking en papillote as the French call it, yields deeply flavorful results and is a messproof way to cook fillets.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

These thin chicken cutlets take about 5 minutes to cook and make for a hearty match to crisp arugula and curls of parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

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.

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

Citrus and fresh herbs add clean, fresh flavor to the salmon, so you don't need to use much (if any) salt. Cilantro lends zing here as well.

Pitas can be more than just pockets! Let the flatbread shine with this quick and unconventional meatless recipe.

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

Make this soup as mild or fiery as you like -- just choose the jarred salsa accordingly.

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

Instead of the usual roast chicken, why not give game hen the oven treatment? It cooks way faster, and the pan juices make a delicious sauce when combined with Dijon, lemon juice, capers, and fresh tarragon.

This is a simple, hearty soup that can be the centerpiece of weekday lunches.