Steak is a great choice for a Valentine’s Day dinner at home. If you want to skip crowded restaurants (or missed out on a reservation), I’ve listed a few steak recipes below that make it easy to cook something impressive without making it complicated.
1. Reverse-Seared Steak
Reverse searing delivers edge-to-edge doneness and a deeply browned crust with minimal hands-on work. Since most of the cook time is hands-off, you have plenty of time to prep sides for a relaxed Valentine’s Day dinner. For an extra-rich finish, top it with garlic-herb compound butter right before serving.
Best Cuts: Ribeye, Filet Mignon, NY Strip, or Porterhouse (1 1/2 to 2 inches / 3.8 to 5 cm thick)
Cook time: About 1 hour total for a 2-inch / 5 cm steak cooked medium-rare
GET THE RECIPE2. Sous Vide Steak
Sous vide cooks steak evenly from edge to edge with almost no gray band and takes much of the guesswork out of hitting your preferred doneness. The wide serving window makes it easy to time the rest of a Valentine’s Day dinner, but the method takes several hours and requires a sous vide setup.
Best Cuts: Ribeye, Filet Mignon, NY Strip, Porterhouse, T-Bone, Picanha, Flat Iron, Denver, Tomahawk, or Cowboy Steak (ideally 1.5 to 2 inches / 3.8 to 5 cm thick)
Cook Time: About 2 hours 20 minutes for a 1.5-inch / 3.8 cm steak or 3 hours 35 minutes for a 2-inch / 5 cm steak, plus the final sear
GET THE RECIPE3. Forward Seared Steak
Forward searing gets you a dark, deeply browned crust and an evenly cooked center in about half the time of reverse searing. The gray band beneath the crust is slightly thicker than with a reverse sear, but the shorter cook makes this method especially well suited to thick, well-marbled steaks and large bone-in cuts.
Best Cuts: Ribeye, Filet Mignon, NY Strip, Porterhouse, Cowboy, or Tomahawk (at least 1 1/2 inches / 3.8 cm thick; 2 inches / 5 cm or more is ideal)
Cook Time: About 30 minutes total for a 2-inch / 5 cm steak cooked to medium-rare
GET THE RECIPE4. 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) Thick Steak in a Pan
Pan searing is the quickest way to cook a thin steak and still get a well-browned crust in just a few minutes. The downside is a very small margin for error, since a 1/2-inch steak can go from medium-rare to overcooked quickly over high heat. It’s a good Valentine’s Day option when you want something fast and straightforward, especially with the sides prepared ahead of time and optional compound butter for a richer finish.
Best Cuts: Ribeye, Flat Iron, Skirt, Flank, Filet Mignon Medallions, or Ribeye Cap (about 1/2 inch / 1.3 cm thick)
Cook Time: About 3 minutes in the pan, plus preheating and resting
GET THE RECIPE5. Chimichurri Steak
Chimichurri steak pairs juicy, savory beef with a fresh, garlicky, slightly tangy herb sauce that cuts through the richness of the steak. It works with a wide range of cuts and tastes just as good pan-seared or grilled, making it an easy way to bring bold, fresh flavor to a Valentine’s Day dinner.
Best Cuts: Outside Skirt, Flank, Flat Iron, Ribeye, or NY Strip (about 1 inch / 2.5 cm thick)
Cook Time: About 5-10 minutes, depending on the cut and cooking method
GET THE RECIPEWhat Are Some Good, Simple Sides to Serve with Steak?
Here are a few good, simple sides that pair perfectly with steak:
Classic, Foolproof Steak Sides
These always work, are easy to prep ahead of time, and don’t steal attention from the steak.
- Mashed potatoes
- Baked potatoes
- Roasted baby potatoes
- Pan-fried potatoes
- Thick-cut steak fries
- Thin French-style steak fries
Note
Potato sides work well no matter how you cook the steak. If you’re using a fast, high-heat steak-cooking method like classic pan-searing, it’s best to prepare the potatoes first, set them aside, and then cook the steak. Since pan-seared steak cooks very quickly, the potatoes will still be warm by the time you’re ready to serve. Doing it the other way around (cooking the steak first) almost always leads to a cold steak by the time the potatoes are ready, especially if you’re making baked or roasted potatoes.
The good news is that once the potatoes are cooked, they’ll stay warm for about 30 minutes without any reheating. That gives you plenty of time to sear the steak and serve everything hot.
Simple Vegetable Steak Sides
Light, quick, and great for balance.
- Roasted asparagus
- Garlic green beans
- Broccoli (roasted or steamed)
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Spinach with garlic
- Zucchini slices
Light, No-Cook Steak Sides
Great when you want to keep things simple or more elegant.
- Simple green salad
- Tomato salad
- Arugula with lemon
The Bottom Line
Instead of spending money on an expensive dinner out for Valentine’s Day, you can use that budget to buy a high-quality cut of steak and cook it exactly the way you like. For thicker, well-marbled steaks, I highly recommend the reverse-sear method. If you’re more comfortable cooking in a pan, forward searing or classic pan-searing are both great options. The key is planning your sides ahead of time so everything is ready to serve warm.
In most cases, I recommend cooking the sides first, setting them aside, and then focusing on the steak. Most sides hold heat well or are easy to gently reheat right before serving. Steak is different; it doesn’t reheat well and overcooks easily, which is why it’s always best served fresh, right after resting.
