15 Italian Vegetarian Date Night Ideas

Italian is a classic date night cuisine. Easy to execute, a range of flavours to choose from. Because it’s such a non-pretentious cuisine that focuses on quality ingredients, there are some really great vegetarian recipes to choose from.

When planning a home-cooked date night dinner, remember to think about the entire experience. Prepare in advance. Consider simple decor like candles and flowers, and what you want to serve your meal on. Eating at a proper table? Dress it up. Eating on the couch for movie night? Consider a non-fussy, stable set-up.

Vegetarian Lasagna

This low-fuss Italian date night meal can be prepped in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer if you want a quick date night meal. Play with cheeses and veggie layers to add complexity. If you choose seasonal veggies to add to your meal, you can also help keep the costs down and ensure your meal is a little more sustainable!

Butternut Squash &
Sun-Dried Tomato

Roasted Veggie Lasagna

Mushroom Lasagna

Pizza

A cute way to get in the kitchen, pizza is a hard meal to mess up if you’re a novice chef. And, who doesn’t like a good slice of pizza? Making personal pizzas is also a great way to share a meal and include a variety of dietary needs.

If you feel like making it fancy, invest in one or two special ingredients and try some unexpected flavour combinations.

The Best Home-Made Pizza Dough

Artichoke, Pesto, & Burrata

Blackberry, Ricotta, & Basil

Date Night Risotto

Need an impressive vegetarian date night meal? I talk about risotto in a few posts, and it’s not difficult to make but it does take a long time. Whichever sauce you choose, make sure you create a little texture diversity from the grain itself.

Creamy Pumpkin Risotto

Risotto with Lemon, Parmesan, & Cheese

Turmeric Risotto

Pasta

Of course, pasta is a classic Italian vegetarian date night meal. There are literally endless ways to dress up a bowl of noodles, so choose to co as simple or as complicated as your heart desires.

If you’re looking to cook with your date, consider making pasta from scratch. It’s not all that difficult, but the dough does need to rest before you roll it out, so give yourselves lots of time.

Mushroom Stuffed Giant Shells

With Greek Yogurt & Caramelized Onion

Baked Gnocchi & Vodka Sauce

Anything Eggplant

This vegetable tends to get a bad rep, but I think it’s because most people aren’t sure how to cook it properly. Generally, if you don’t like bitter, you’ll look for younger fruit.

To improve the texture, cut your eggplant and salt it to draw out extra moisture.