Cooking Techniques 10 Classic Ina Garten Recipes to Make All the Time The Barefoot Contessa will save you from your cooking rut. By Maria Yagoda Maria Yagoda Instagram Twitter Maria Yagoda is a senior editor at Food & Wine, where she has worked for five years, specializing in restaurant and travel coverage. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 18, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Whenever I grow tired of the same three or four dishes I make every week, I turn to Ina Garten. The Barefoot Contessa's simple, meticulously tested recipes have helped drag me out of every cooking rut I've ever found myself in. Happily for all of us, Garten has shared a number of her recipes (and cooking tips) with Food & Wine. Here are a few of our favorite Garten recipes for you to make when you're feeling uninspired, or really any emotion. Like the Contessa herself, these dishes are timeless. Amazon’s Secret Outlet Dropped 4,000+ Kitchen Sales Before Black Friday, but These Are the 15 Best NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Tabbouleh with Roasted Chicken This hearty dinner is wonderful with Garten's simple roasted chicken, but she also graciously gives us permission to use store-bought or rotisserie chicken for those nights we don't want to turn on the oven. Get the Recipe: Tabbouleh with Roasted Chicken Double-Chocolate Layer Cake "This is the most fabulous chocolate cake that I've ever made," Garten told us when we first ran this recipe in 2007. We are inclined to agree. Get the Recipe: Double-Chocolate Layer Cake French Lentil and Vegetable Soup This soothing soup recipe from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook is a classic, plain and simple, and you probably already have all the ingredients you need to make it. Get the Recipe: French Lentil and Vegetable Soup Crudités Platter "Americans tend to think of crudités as fresh vegetables served in a basket with a dip," says Garten. "But they can also be served neatly arranged on a platter and drizzled with vinaigrette, as I present them here." Get the Recipe: Crudités Platter Crusty Baked Shells and Cauliflower Cheesy, crunchy, and deeply decadent, this cauliflower-packed baked pasta dish is a marvelous way to sneak in the vegetables you didn't feel like eating. © Christina Holmes Get the Recipe: Crusty Baked Shells and Cauliflower Country Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream Garten says she likes to double this recipe and make two cakes at the same time: one to serve right away and a second to freeze for later. Get the Recipe: Country Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Pastry Croutons This creamy soup from Garten's cookbook Modern Comfort Food is the perfect vehicle for leftover Thanksgiving turkey or rotisserie chicken. Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas Get the Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Pastry Croutons Grilled Halibut with Tomato and Caper Sauce I make the sauce a couple of days ahead, so then when it's time to grill the fish, there's only a couple minutes between prepping and eating. Get the Recipe: Grilled Halibut with Tomato and Caper Sauce 4-Ingredient Vinaigrette Garten posted the super-simple salad dressing on her Instagram a while back, and I have since memorized the proportions. Simply whisk together a quarter cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, half a cup of "good olive oil," one teaspoon of kosher salt, and half a teaspoon black pepper. Get the Recipe: 4-Ingredient Vinaigrette Sautéed Asparagus with Sugar Snap Peas This quick, two-ingredient side dish could not be easier. Get the Recipe: Sautéed Asparagus with Sugar Snap Peas Modern Spins on Classic Julia Child Recipes Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit