10 Recipes Every Ina Garten Fan Should Master

Browse through 10 of Ina Garten’s best recipes. Find out her tricks for perfectly roasting potatoes and Brussels sprouts and intensifying the chocolate flavor in her old-fashioned cake.

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Ina Garten's Best Recipes

Whether she’s using fresh herbs from her garden or assembling a beautiful platter for friends, you can bet that Ina Garten has a plan for elevating everyday dishes into craveable traditions. You’ve likely watched as she welcomes fans into her Hamptons home, and been encouraged by her saying “How easy is that?” as she made dishes on Barefoot Contessa. She’s sure to focus on the classics and emphasize using quality ingredients. We’ve rounded up Ina’s best-ever, most-tried-and-true dishes, those sweet and savory favorites that Ina fans should keep in their back pockets for any occasion. Keep reading to get the ultimate collection of Ina’s hit recipes.

Perfect Roast Chicken

Perfect Roast Chicken

Photo by: Tara Donne ©Tara Donne

Tara Donne, Tara Donne

1.  Perfect Roast Chicken: For Ina, roasting a whole chicken requires two key steps: stuffing and seasoning (pictured above). Thyme, lemon and garlic flavor the bird from the inside, while butter, salt and pepper season the skin until golden and crisp. Ina roasts carrots, onion and fennel alongside the chicken for a delicious trio of veggies and a colorful meal.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Cooking Channel Ina Garten Beattys Chocolate Cake

Photo by: Marshall Troy Photography ©2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Right Reserved.

Marshall Troy Photography, 2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Right Reserved.

2.  Beatty’s Chocolate Cake: Famous for its intense chocolatey flavor and old-fashioned presentation, Ina’s cake is perfect to serve at any special occasion. Her secret ingredient is the hot brewed coffee that she adds to the batter for an extra richness. Instant coffee and semisweet chocolate amp up her homemade buttercream that she adds to the cake in whimsical swirls.

Mac and Cheese

Ina Garten's Mac and Cheese as Seen On Food Network's Barefoot Contessa

Photo by: Tara Donne ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Tara Donne, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

3.  Mac and Cheese: You won’t be reaching for the boxed kind again after making Ina’s mac and cheese. She bumps this childhood favorite up a notch by making a bechamel sauce with Gruyère and extra-sharp cheddar cheese. Combine this sauce with fun cavatappi pasta or stick with the classic elbow macaroni. Ina adds sliced tomatoes and breadcrumbs to her cheesy dish for an unexpected twist.

Lemon Bars

4.  Lemon Bars: Tart and sweet, Ina’s lemon bars are the perfect dessert to pack for a picnic or serve for friends. She makes a homemade shortbread-like dough for the crust, and a bright filling with fresh lemon juice and zest. Dust these lemony treats with powdered sugar and cut into triangles for a festive finish.

Brownie Pudding

5.  Brownie Pudding: A hybrid between brownies and pudding, Ina’s dessert is not only molten and decadent, but also easy to make. She adds framboise liqueur to traditional brownie batter for a fruity twist and bakes the dish in a water bath to ensure even cooking. When it's slightly cooled, serve this chocolatey dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Real Meatballs and Spaghetti

FN_Ina Garten Real Meatballs and Spaghetti.tif

FN_Ina Garten Real Meatballs and Spaghetti.tif

©2012, Television Food NEtwork, G.P. All Rights Reserved

2012, Television Food NEtwork, G.P. All Rights Reserved

6.  Real Meatballs and Spaghetti: Ina has a trick for keeping her meatballs, made with a trio of veal, pork and ground beef, moist: She adds warm water. Serve the meatballs and her red wine-tomato sauce over heaps of spaghetti for a delicious meal.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

7.  Garlic Roasted Potatoes: Just like her Brussels sprouts, these potatoes require only a few key ingredients. Ina roasts small red or white potatoes with the basics — olive oil, salt and pepper — until crisp. Freshly chopped parsley and minced garlic add a fragrant and flavorful bite.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Photo by: Tara Donne ©Food Network

Tara Donne, Food Network

8.  Roasted Brussels Sprouts: With just four ingredients, Ina's recipe for Brussels sprouts couldn’t get any easier. Choose a high-quality olive oil, as Ina does, plus salt and pepper for a simple seasoning. Roast until tender on the inside and perfectly crisp on the outside.

Beef Bourguignon

FN_BeefBourguignon

Photo by: Armando Rafael Moutela ©FOOD NETWORK: 2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Armando Rafael Moutela, FOOD NETWORK: 2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

9.  Beef Bourguignon: By sauteing the bacon first, Ina ensures a flavorful base for her stew. She adds beef, mushrooms, onions and carrots for heartiness, and cognac and red wine for richness. Instead of serving in its traditional bowl-and-spoon form, Ina ladles the stew over a grilled piece of Sour Dough or Country bread.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

FN_Ina Garten Baked Shrimp Scampi.tif

FN_Ina Garten Baked Shrimp Scampi.tif

©2012, Television Food NEtwork, G.P. All Rights Reserved

2012, Television Food NEtwork, G.P. All Rights Reserved

10 .  Baked Shrimp Scampi: The beauty of this shrimp dish is that it can be prepped beforehand and baked right before serving. Once baked, it displays a bubbly golden crust.

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