I love going out to eat. No doubt about that. There is something nice about the environment when eating out in a nice restaurant, not to mention the fact that you aren’t the one who has to cook the food or clean up. But sometimes, after eating out, you want to be able to have that dish again, but don’t want to pay the price for that dish at the restaurant. That’s why I like to recreate my favorite restaurant dishes at home and have a whole category of restaurant food recreations here on my blog. Here’s some other restaurant quality dinners you can make at home, sent in by reader Mark Sabel.

Who doesn’t love to have dinner out? We all enjoy a good meal every once in a while made by the professionals. However, there are times when you’re craving a high-quality restaurant meal, but you’re too lazy to make the drive. This is when your cooking chops should come in handy. You can easily make any restaurant meal you’re vying for right in the comfort of your own home. After all, who says you can’t be a professional too?

We’ve gathered the top-rated restaurant recipes that are worth making at home:

BBQ ribs


Going to a rib joint is always a family affair or a fun time after the game with your guy friends. But you can also make your backyard your very own rib joint with just a few simple steps. First off, you need to get a good-quality electric smoker for your home; the company Smoker Guy believes that it’s a great investment because they’re easy to use, easy to maintain, can be left alone to smoke the meat, and they also don’t require much smoking experience for anyone. An electric smoker can easily smoke any meat you want requiring very little attention, including juicy ribs.

Ingredients

• 5 pounds ribs
• 2 pounds hickory wood chips
• For the rub: 2 tbsp. paprika, 1 ½ tbsp. brown sugar, ¼ tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. garlic, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg, 1/8 tsp. ground cloves, 1 tbsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, 2 tsp. cumin.

Directions

• Stir together all the spices in a bowl, then rub the ribs generously with them.
• Place ribs in a roasting pan, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Remove it at least 1 hour before smoking.
• Prepare your electric smoker and set the temperature to 225 F degrees.
• Smoke ribs for 6-8 hours and add a handful of wood chips every 30 minutes for a steady smoking process.
• When done, the ribs will be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Mushroom risotto


Considered to be one of the classiest restaurant meals, making this hearty meal at home would be a delight! It’s the perfect vegetarian meal that anyone who’s not a vegetarian, but a mushroom lover would enjoy! This restaurant-style dish can be simply done at home in minutes; it’s creamy, delicious, and easy to make.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1 ½ cups chopped mushrooms. You can use any kind of mushroom according to your preference.
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme
• A pinch of salt and pepper
• 50 grams parmesan cheese

Directions

• Heat a large skillet, pot, or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the butter and melt.
• Add onion and garlic and sauté.
• Mix in the lemon juice, thyme, salt, and pepper.
• Add wine and stir until it reduces, for about 5 minutes.
• Turn the heat to medium-low, then add the rice and stir for 2 minutes. Then, add in the mushrooms and keep stirring.
• Add the vegetable stock 2 cups at a time.
• Keep stirring and add more stock anytime the rice absorbs it.
• You’ll notice it’s ready when it gets creamy and a sauce has formed.
• It should be served immediately with fresh thyme or parsley as garnish and parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Lemon butter lobster tails


Lobster is the perfect date night meal; you dress up and head out to a fancy restaurant. But you can also create the perfect date night meal at home using this easy recipe. Take your candlelight dinner up a notch with these tender lobster tails that are delicious, affordable, and will make you feel fancy!

Ingredients

• 4 lobster tails
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1 ½ tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 ½ tbsp. olive oil
• Finely chopped parsley
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper

Directions

• Cut through the lobster tail with kitchen scissors and stop at the base. Flip the tail over and crack the ribs in the center to loosen up the shell. Carefully open the shell to release part of the meat and place it gently on top of the shell.
• Stir together the marinade in a small bowl.
• Place the lobster tails in an oven dish or roasting pan, then divide the marinade equally on top of each tail.
• Place cut-up butter pieces on top of each tail.
• Broil the lobster tails on high heat for 10 minutes. It should be ready when the meat is opaque and white in the center, its internal temperature should be around 145F.
• Take the sauce from the pan and combine them with 2tbsp. butter and simmer over low heat. Pour over lobster tails when done.

Chicken tikka masala

This dish is a staple of Indian cuisine, and many enjoy treating themselves with it at a fancy restaurant. But did you know that it’s also very easy to make? You can easily enjoy this flavorful meal at home with just a few ingredients that might already be in your home. This meal is ideal with naan bread, basmati rice, or white rice.

Ingredients

• 3 boneless chicken breasts, cut up into pieces
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. minced ginger
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

• In a bowl, mix together all the spices, lemon, and yogurt. Add it to the chicken as a marinade and refrigerate for one-two hours.
• Stack the chicken on pan with a wire rack and broil for 8 minutes.
• To make the sauce, melt the butter in a pot over medium heat, and sauté the garlic. Add cumin, paprika, salt, then stir in the tomato sauce and cream. Simmer for 20 minutes on low heat.
• Add chicken and simmer for an extra 10 minutes.

Cooking can’t get any better than this! We often go out for tasty meals made by professional chefs, but we can also make these meals in our own kitchen. You won’t crave any of your favorite meals anymore once you figure out how to make a homemade version of it!