11 Classic Ina Garten Recipes to Make All the Time

The Barefoot Contessa will save you from your cooking rut.

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.

01 of 11

Sautéed Asparagus with Sugar Snap Peas

Sauteed Asparagus with Sugar Snap Peas

Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by  Gabe Greco

This quick, two-ingredient side dish could not be easier.

02 of 11

Grilled Halibut with Tomato and Caper Sauce

Grilled Halibut with Tomato and Caper Sauce

Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Gabe Greco

This is a simple dish that Ina Garten makes for summer parties. The sauce can be made well in advance, and the fish grilled at the last minute. 

03 of 11

Country Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

Country cake with strawberries and whipped cream

Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Gabe Greco

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.

04 of 11

4-Ingredient Vinaigrette

A salad with vinaigrette dressing and a glass of water.

SylviePM / Getty Images

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.

05 of 11

Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Pastry Croutons

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas

This creamy soup from Garten's cookbook Modern Comfort Food is the perfect vehicle for leftover Thanksgiving turkey or rotisserie chicken.

06 of 11

French Lentil and Vegetable Soup

French Lentil and Vegetable Soup
Sarah Crowder

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.

07 of 11

Crusty Baked Shells & Cauliflower

Crusty Baked Shells & Cauliflower
© Christina Holmes

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.

08 of 11

Tabbouleh with Roasted Chicken

Tabbouleh with Roasted Chicken

Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Gabe Greco

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.

09 of 11

Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Double-Chocolate Layer Cake
Quentin Bacon

"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.

10 of 11

Coq au Vin

Ina Garten's Coq au Vin

Food & Wine / Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Priscilla Montiel

Ina Garten’s version of the classic French stew is perfect for a fall weeknight dinner or a cozy dinner party.

11 of 11

Outrageous Brownies

Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies

Food & Wine / Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Priscilla Montiel

Ina Garten adds instant coffee and chopped walnuts to these fudgy brownies, which were a longtime favorite at the Barefoot Contessa store.

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