Looking for some great recipes to celebrate your birthday, or that of someone special? We have you covered!
This collection of Birthday Dinner Ideas has a great assortment of dishes to satisfy every palate.
You’ll find fancy seafood dishes, tasty pastas, succulent steaks, fun handheld meals and so much more. Whatever flavors you’re looking for, you’ll find something tasty to cook here on this Birthday dinner ideas list!
Go through all, and see which of these birthday meals are perfect for this special day!
1. Steak Pizzaiola
Seasoned, Seared, Simmered and Smothered… That is Steak Pizzaiola!! Try your steak the old school Italian way. It’s absolutely delicious, and every bite you will make a nod or two to heavenly skies.
2. Clam Linguine (Linguine alle Vongole)
Clam Linguine, or Linguine alle Vongole, is an elegant restaurant quality dish. But don’t be intimidated, it’s super easy to make for your next birthday celebration.
It’s a gorgeous, yet light, pasta in a lemony, garlicky wine sauce.
3. Mediterranean Chicken Skillet
One skillet Mediterranean Chicken Roast. Fresh, healthy and jam packed with amazing flavors!
This is a one skillet meal from stovetop-to oven-to table. You can’t beat the ease and convenience of this one pot meal, as you literally throw everything in a skillet and let the oven do the work for most of the cook time.
4. Beef Tagine (Moroccan Beef Stew)
Beef Tagine is an alluring labor of love that takes hours to slowly cook and simmer. It’s not your regular stew by any standard.
Brimming with sweet and savory flavors, it’s super fragrant as soon as you start making it. Thanks to all the earthy exotic spices like coriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, this stew takes on some amazing flavors from the exotic land called Morocco.
5. Greek Shrimp and Grits (Shrimp Saganaki Grits)
Greek Shrimp and Grits is an incredible fusion of flavors from two great cuisines, halfway around the world from each other.
Plump shrimp in a beautifully flavored tomato sauce, topped with feta and served atop a creamy bed of grits. Great birthday dinner for the seafood lovers!
6. Steak Gorgonzola Flatbread
This Steak Gorgonzola Flatbread not only looks gorgeous (making it a perfect contender for all entertaining and special occasions), this happens super fast. About 20 minute fast…
7. Scallop Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
This Scallop Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes is a perfect birthday dinner idea which is breeze to make in your kitchen. It’s super delicious and easy, in about 20 minutes you have a restaurant quality meal on your table.
8. Jambalaya Soup
Jambalaya Soup! This hearty soup is boldly flavored with great Creole seasoning and is loaded with meats and veggies. It’s a great meal for anyone who loves big flavors.
9. Rasta Pasta
Rasta Pasta! Are you ready for a colorful meal bursting with flavor? Here it is!
This is a creamy pasta loaded with red, green and yellow peppers. You can also top it off with shrimp or chicken. It’s generously seasoned with Jamaican jerk seasoning and finished off with freshly grated parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
9. Tacos Gobernador
How about tacos for your birthday? Tacos Gobernador, aka Governor’s Tacos!! Have you ever bite into these crazy tasty shrimp tacos? They are irresistibly delicious!
10. Country Captain Chicken
If you are curry fan, try this novel curry from the Lowcountry on your next birthday. You will be surprised how flavorful this chicken concoction turns out.
Indian curry meets Lowcountry cooking. Simply known as Country Captain, this is a Southern Icon you may have never tasted.
11. Psari Plaki – Greek Baked Fish with Onions & Tomatoes
Psari Plaki, meaning roasted fish… Greek style! Treat your family with succulent, flaky, buttery fish drenched in the most delicious sauce, baked with Mediterranean flavors.
When it comes out of the oven, all you need to do is drizzle some more olive oil, throw on some fresh parsley, sprinkle some feta, give a side of some great crusty bread and you are all set…
12. Eggplant Parmesan
Try this Italian classic if you are looking for meatless dinner ideas for a birthday meal. It’s the ultimate comfort food, and is so easy to make in your trusty oven.
13. Cajun Shrimp Scampi
Everybody loves their classic scampi, right? Fat, succulent shrimp sautéed in rich buttery, garlicky, lemony sauce with a splash of white wine, and topped with a sprinkling of parsley and parmesan.
It’s perfect in itself! But give it little Cajun twist like this post and you will be amazed at new flavors.
14. Garlic Butter Steak Bites
Take your beef to a new level with these tasty pan seared garlic butter steak bites. Perfectly cooked bite sized morsels of tender steak drenched in garlicky butter.
No slaving over the stove for these, they’re ready in under 15 minutes!
15. Portuguese Mussels (Moules à la Portugaise)
These Portuguese Mussels are as fancy as it gets. A big bowl of mussels drenched in one amazing, out of this world sauce.
It doesn’t have to happen in a fancy restaurant. All you need is a desire to cook something nice for that special someone on their birthday. The best part? You’re not even slaving the whole day in the kitchen…
16. Gorgonzola Portobello Steak Skillet
This Gorgonzola Portobello Steak Skillet is sure to become a new family favorite. It’s a super easy restaurant quality meal that is an absolute flavor bomb!
17. Baked Salmon with Mango Salsa
Treat yourself to this delicious meal on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. This moist, tender salmon has so many different layers of flavors.
Tangy, lemony, buttery salmon flakes with a slight kick from our spice mix rub, combined with vibrant refreshing mango salsa. Every single bite is salmon bliss!
18. Chicken Provençal (Poulet à la Provençal)
Want some fancy dish on your birthday straight from the South of France? Take a peek into my pot…
Beautiful golden brown chicken braised in white wine, nestled between eye catching green and black olives, plump cherry tomatoes, oh-so French shallots, tangy capers along with plenty of garlic and herbs. YUM!
19. Mediterranean Fish with Tomato and Olive Tapenade
Your favorite fish, in a Mediterranean avatar! Imagine a nice chunk of white fish, pan seared and top up with the goodness of this bright delicious tapenade.
This looks and tastes like a gourmet entrée, straight from some fine restaurant. But you will be amazed how quick it all comes together and how little effort it demands.
20. Flank Steak Fajitas
Craving Mexican on your birthday? How about a skillet full of tender, seared to perfection strips of marinated steak?
Of course they are incomplete without vibrant, colorful peppers, some lime, plenty of cilantro and a little avocado.
21. Grillades ‘n’ Grits
Grillades over creamy luscious grits… This quintessential marvel is such a sensation down south that New Orleanians are smitten over a bowlful!
Grillands are Creole in soul, where medallions of meat are pan-fried and then gently braised in a rich tomato based gravy.
22. Surf and Turf Shrimp and Grits
Surf and Turf Shrimp and Grits – We’ve just taken Shrimp and Grits to a whole new level… we’ve made it Surf and Turf! Now that’s some fancy comfort food for your birthday night.
23. Greek Moussaka
Moussaka is an iconic layered eggplant casserole. This Greek version is an amazing comfort food, and is a perfect make ahead dinner for special days..
24. Firecracker Salmon
This Firecracker Salmon is a super easy and super delish meal that must become part of your rotation. It has an amazing Asian sauce and whips up in about 20 minutes.
If you’re looking for a new recipe to really jazz up your salmon, this is it! It’s salty, it’s sweet, and it’s a little bit spicy!
25. Harissa Chicken
Harissa Chicken is a hugely flavorful dish using my new favorite flavor bomb, North African harissa.
This recipe is a one pot wonder with chicken, potatoes, carrots and chickpeas, and it takes only a few minutes of your hands on time.
26. Spanish Clams with Chorizo
These Spanish Clams are simmered with cannellini beans, chorizo sausage and great flavor enhancers. It’s an amazing tapas dish that will easily impress your loved ones.
27. Shrimp Saganaki (Greek Shrimp with Tomatoes & Feta)
Now we are talking some serious flavors in this Greek favorite. Some incredible flavor combo happens when you cook plump shrimp in a garlicky savory tomato sauce and finish it off with salty feta.
Saganaki is something you will see in every little Greek taverna, and it brings joy to everyone’s faces when it comes to the table.
28. Shrimp Creole with Sausage
This Shrimp Creole with Andouille Sausage is a flavor bomb! Plump shrimp and hearty sausage in a great Creole seasoned tomato sauce. If you’re a fan of New Orleans style food, this is the one to try on your birthday for sure.
29. Crockpot Tuscan Chicken
No need to slave in the kitchen on your birthday. This crock pot Tuscan chicken is drenched in a creamy sauce loaded with great Mediterranean flavors. Simply delicious restaurant quality flavors with minimum efforts.
30. Köttbullar (Swedish Meatballs)
These Swedish meatballs are the ultimate comfort food you can make on your special day. Tender, perfectly cooked meat spheres smothered in the most delectable sauce.
31. Ropa Vieja (Cuba’s National Dish)
Ropa Vieja is a TRUE Cuban Classic!! Beloved throughout the generations, this rustic and humble Latin dish is very popular not only in Cuba, but many of its neighboring Spanish speaking countries.
Tender and juicy beef in authentic tomato-wine sauce along with veggies is cooked slow and low for hours till it’s shredded easily by the mere touch of a fork. It’s finished with briny olives and capers to spike the flavors up a notch.
32. Chile Verde
This is another Mexican classic flavors if you craving some ethnic flavors on your special day. Melt in your mouth tender pork chunks in a flavorful, spicy tomatillo sauce.
Keep some tortillas or rice ready for these amazing delicious flavors.
33. Shrimp Fra Diavolo
Shrimp Fra Diavolo – because spicy is Delicious! Spice up your life, embrace this bowl of succulent plump shrimp, tomatoes and a kick of heat… some pasta doused in that sauce or nice crusty bread.
34. Carbonnade Flamande (Flemish Beef and Beer Stew)
Carbonnade Flamande is a super hearty beef and beer stew from Belgium. This is one pot sure to keep you cozy if your special day is in the fall or winter.
35. Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish Garlic Shrimp)
How does a sizzling platter of garlicky, seafoody goodness sound? Grab some crusty bread for sopping and whip up this famous Spanish tapa, Gambas al Ajillo in your very own kitchen!
So there you go, thirty five birthday dinner ideas. They all look so delicious. Which ones caught your eye?
Check out these other great recipe collections!
Steak and Shrimp Recipes
Fish Recipes
Pizza Recipes
Taco Recipes
Meatball Recipes
Comfort Foods
Sunday Dinner Ideas
35 Birthday Dinner Idea Collection
This collection of amazing Birthday Dinner Ideas are perfect meals for you or someone special to celebrate their special day with. We love this easy scallop pasta:
Ingredients
- 6oz pasta
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1lb scallops
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 10oz cherry tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package to your desired tenderness, and drain. While pasta is cooking, continue with remaining steps.
- Pat scallops dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium high heat.
- Once the pan is hot, sear the scallops for 2-3 minutes, flip and sear the other side 1-2 more minutes. Remove the scallops to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and add in garlic and sauté for about a minute.
- Pour in wine and simmer for a few minutes to reduce it.
- Add cherry tomatoes and parsley. Cook for a couple of minutes, until the tomatoes start to soften.
- Toss in pasta and scallops, season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
Get griddling! Try these Blackstone Recipes!
Never miss a recipe!
Join the GypsyPlate mailing list and get easy dinner recipes right in your mailbox. From homestyle comfort food to exotic dishes from around the world.
