Our Favorite Barefoot Contessa Recipes

Our family has always loved Ina Garten, and along with our mother, all three of us have full sets of her cookbooks and they are well used as you can see in the photo above. For her most recent book tour for Cooking with Jeffrey, Eloise got us tickets to go in Boston and we all fell even more in love with how no-nonsense she is. It’s safe to say that we have made a majority of her recipes at one point, but we wanted to share a few that we come back to time and time again.

*Recipes and corresponding books are linked below!

Appetizers

• Sun-Dried Tomato Dip - this is a family party favorite (especially with our cousin Ariana!) - completely addictive and best served with Cape Cod potato chips and a veggie platter. It’s also super easy to make! Book: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

• Guacamole -Her recipe is simple and so good - I think it’s because she uses lemon instead of lime. I like to leave the avocado on the chunky side and add a little bit more hot sauce. Book: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook - Eloise

Pasta and Grains

• Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato - this is the perfect party food, especially for a big party. As with many of Ina’s recipes there is a lot of the non-pasta ingredients, so we usually double it, and then add extra pasta to stretch it a little bit if we get nervous about serving everyone (or want the leftovers, which we always do). Book: Barefoot Contessa Family Style - Dinah

• Weeknight Bolognese - the ultimate dinner on a cold winter night! I have made this for girls ski weekends, boyfriends I am trying to impress and also just for myself to store for dinner all week. Book: Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That? - Dinah

• Winter Minestrone Soup - Once the weather cools off, I start making this soup on a regular basis. I like to make it for a lunch party, or I’ll serve it for dinner one night and then have it as leftovers for lunch the rest of the week. If I’m in a hurry, I’ll buy pre-chopped veggies at Trader Joe’s. I also tend to keep the spinach and pasta out of the big pot of soup-instead, I put the cooked pasta and spinach in an individual bowl and then ladle the hot soup on top. This keeps them from getting mushy in the soup if you want to have leftovers for the next few days. Book: Barefoot Contessa Foolproof - Eloise

Main Courses

• Chicken Chili - This is another one that I (Dinah) make regularly and will eat all week for dinner. The ingredients are incredibly simple, mostly just chicken and veggies, so it feels healthy but also is satisfying to eat. I top it with a little bit of grated cheese and will sometimes eat it with tortilla chips if I have them on hand. It also freezes really well! Book: Barefoot Contessa Parties! - Dinah

• Roasted Salmon Tacos - These are a great way to mix up Taco Tuesday with a slightly healthier option. You get crunch from the slaw and creaminess from the avocado. Book: Cooking for Jeffrey

• Grilled Herb Shrimp-Such a quick and easy marinade for when I haven’t made a plan for dinner but need some kind of protein. It’s fresh and herb-y and goes with almost any side. Book: Barefoot Contessa Parties! - Eloise

• Panko Crusted Salmon-One of our mom’s go-to mains and a general crowd-pleaser. Book: Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?

Desserts

• Chocolate Ganache Cake - I nervously made this for the first time when I had been dating someone for about a month. After several stressed out calls to our mom about ingredients (the chocolate syrup tripped me up!), this came together beautifully in my tiny apartment kitchen and definitely impressed when we came home after dinner for cake! It seems much fancier and harder to make than it actually is.  Book: Barefoot Contessa Parties! - Dinah

• Frozen Key Lime Pie-This is Chad’s absolute favorite and I usually make it for his birthday. It’s wonderful for parties because you can make it a few days ahead of time and then it’s ready to go right from the freezer. Book: Barefoot Contessa Family Style - Eloise