If you want to celebrate the birthday of a family member or close friend with a dinner party at home, we’ve rounded up the best birthday dinner ideas to honor your special guest. In fact, we think these birthday dinner recipes just might be an even more delicious and special way to celebrate than going out to dinner at a restaurant. Whether the guest of honor loves seafood, requested a pasta dish, or wished for a steak dinner, there’s a birthday dinner idea on this list to make their birthday wishes come true.
From Million Dollar Spaghetti to Pan-Seared Flank Steak to Crab-and-Bacon Linguine and more, you can’t go wrong with any of these birthday dinner ideas. Once you’ve selected the perfect main, make sure to whip up a birthday cake for serving after dinner.
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Million Dollar Spaghetti
With a name like Million Dollar Spaghetti, you know this cheesy pasta casserole has to be good, and worthy of a birthday celebration. Round out the meal with a loaf of homemade garlic bread.
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Seared Scallops with Lemon-Herb Rice
Scallops shine on their own, so we simply season them with a little salt and pepper, followed by a pan-sear. The herby rice serves as a light yet flavorful base that doesn’t outshine the beauty of the scallops.
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Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak
Use our recipe as a guide to cook up a bone-in rib-eye even better than what you can order at a restaurant. A preheated cast-iron skillet is the secret to the perfect sear.
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Easy Chicken Parmesan
We use jarred sauce in this recipe to save time, but you can make the meal even more special by using your homemade recipe if you prefer. Garnish with fresh basil for an extra special touch.
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Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
Impress everyone at the birthday dinner by serving up a whole roasted chicken with vegetables.
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Crab-and-Bacon Linguine
This impressive linguini comes together in just 45 minutes, but we recommend serving it immediately. You’ll use 1/2 cup of white wine for the recipe and can serve the rest alongside the finished dish.
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Mississippi Roast
You won’t be disappointed to let your slow cooker take care of the main dish with this 7-ingredient roast recipe. You can work on preparing the cake and sides while it cooks.
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Lemon-Rosemary-Garlic Chicken and Potatoes
The trio of lemon, rosemary, and garlic give this roasting pan dinner plenty of flavor. We recommend serving with crusty bread to soak up all of the extra pan sauce.
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Air Fryer Steak
You don’t have to fire up the grill to serve delicious steak. Your air fryer and a homemade herb butter will do the trick.
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Beef Enchiladas
You’ll know enchiladas are ready to come out of the oven when the cheese is bubbling. Whip up homemade guacamole and a corn salad while the enchiladas cook to complete the birthday meal.
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Roasted Beef Tenderloin
A birthday celebration is the ideal occasion to invest in this tender cut of meat. Just one tenderloin will feed 8 to 10 people.
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Pasta with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce Recipe
We bet you wouldn’t guess that this impressive pasta dinner comes together in just 25 minutes. For the special occasion, make sure to use fresh shrimp instead of frozen.
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Our Best Lasagna
Our best lasagna includes both ground sirloin and ground sausage on the ingredient list. And of course, plenty of cheese.
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Chicken Lombardy
Think of this elegant chicken dinner as a cheesy version of chicken marsala. Halving and pounding the chicken does add a little extra time, but ensures each piece will cook evenly.
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Baked Pork Tenderloin
Add a salad and bottle of red wine to the table to complete this pork tenderloin dinner.
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Shrimp Étouffée
Don’t let the name of this dish fool you into thinking it’s too fancy to cook up at home. With this recipe, you can serve up the classic Louisiana dish in just over an hour.
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Smothered Pork Chops
Not only are these bone-in pork chops smothered in a mushroom gravy, but our Test Kitchen also shares plenty of tips in this recipe to ensure they’re tender and don’t dry out while cooking.
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Chicken Alouette
Originally published in 1991, this chicken recipe has remained popular with our readers over the years. Of course, we can see why. What’s not to like about chicken that’s wrapped in a puff pastry with creamy, herby cheese?
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Pan-Seared Flank Steak with Herb Sauce
A sauce made with fresh herbs and a cast-iron skillet elevates flank steak into a crowd-pleasing meal. Choose steaks that are uniform in thickness for the best results.
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Chicken Scallopini
If you want to make a special birthday dinner but are short on prep time, this 30-minute chicken dinner is a good choice. Serve it over noodles to complete the meal.
