5 easy and delicious Ina Garten dishes you need to make this summer
From a cake that makes grown men weep to a pasta that will remind you of Italy, these are Garten's best summer dishes.
Garten's breakfast cake is a stunning centerpiece, and it tastes even better than it looks. Every bite is super moist thanks to the ricotta and sour cream, and I love how the sweetness of the blueberries pairs with the zingy and bright lemon zest. I had my mom test it since Garten said it was perfect for Mother's Day, and she was a huge fan."This was superb," my mom declared. "I give it a 10/10."I loved how easy it was to make Garten's cake, and it still tasted incredible the next day. I've since made it for friends at a brunch party, and everyone couldn't get enough of it.Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake here. And stay tuned for more "Barefoot Contessa" breakfast dishes to come.
I loved Garten's watermelon cosmo even more than the original. To make four of Garten's watermelon cosmos at home, you'll need: 4 cups diced red watermelon 6 ounces good vodka (Ina recommends Grey Goose) 3 ounces Cointreau or triple sec 2 ounces freshly-squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes) 4 large mint sprigs, for garnish Before you start, Garten recommends throwing some martini glasses in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill them.I didn't have any martini glasses on hand, so I used wine glasses instead. I also found that 15 minutes in the freezer still did the trick.
I always love serving a salad that's full of color, and Garten's Greek orzo salad has plenty. The pop of red from the bell pepper, the fresh green from the arugula, and the bright purple from the onion all worked together to make a beautiful plate. My parents definitely looked impressed as I brought the salad to the dinner table. But would it taste as good as it looked?
My parents, who immigrated to the US from Greece, couldn't get enough of Garten's recipe. The orzo soaks up so many delicious Mediterranean flavors that are familiar to any Greek — the salty chunks of feta intertwining with the rich Kalamata olives, the crisp bell pepper and red onion dancing together, that pop of fresh lemon brightening every bite. Even though there were so many different components to the salad, everything was perfectly balanced. The light and refreshing salad is also really easy to make and still tastes great the next day. It's perfect for a barbecue side, or a main dish on a hot summer night (my dad recommends pairing it with some grilled meats or fish). My parents have already whipped up Garten's Greek orzo salad a couple of times since our last taste test, and I'm not surprised. The lovely dish tastes like something we would've eaten while watching the turquoise waves of the Aegean Sea during our summer trips back to Greece. "Ina must've been Greek in one of her previous lives," my mom declared.
Garten's summer garden pasta takes full advantage of tomato season. Garten's summer garden pasta is one of her simplest, and yet it has some of the richest flavors of any that I've tried. While the "Barefoot Contessa" star's dish only has five main ingredients — angel hair, Parmesan cheese, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and basil — it has one very important step. You need to soak the tomatoes, garlic, and basil in olive oil for four hours.
Garten's summer garden pasta is one of my favorite "Barefoot Contessa" recipes. I could honestly eat Garten's olive-oil tomatoes as a snack every day. And even though I usually love heavy red-sauce pastas, these tomatoes were able to carry the entire dish on just the strength of their intense and rich flavor. You also can't beat how pantry-friendly this dish is. I almost always have tomatoes and basil in my kitchen, making Garten's summer garden pasta an incredibly easy dinner staple. This is one "Barefoot Contessa" dish I know I'll be returning to time and time again. Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's summer garden pasta here.
I was a cooking novice when the pandemic began, and it was Garten's recipes that first helped me get comfortable in the kitchen. I also hadn't tried baking anything for years. So I couldn't believe how fun and easy it was to make Garten's delicious mocha chocolate icebox cake, which she once proclaimed was so good "it makes grown men weep." I've wanted to make more "Barefoot Contessa" desserts ever since, and I knew the next one had to be Garten's most famous chocolate cake recipe.
Garten's cake is ridiculously good. The layers have a satisfying, rich, buttery taste, and the cookies and mocha whipped cream go well together. There are also chocolate chips in almost every bite — who doesn't love that?Since no baking is required, Garten's mocha chocolate icebox cake is also perfect for those super-hot days when you don't want to turn on your oven. Plus, the recipe is easy enough to make with the family, but thanks to all those layers, it still looks impressive on the dinner table.I'd recommend this cake for just about anything — a birthday party, special dinner, or just because.Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's mocha chocolate icebox cake here.
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I tried Ina Garten 's easy, summery tomato feta pasta salad recipe. The dish came together quickly, and I found it more flavorful than other pasta salads I've tried. I loved the briny taste, and my leftovers held up for several days. As a chef, I've always loved Ina Garten's classic, riffable recipes — they're easy to recreate at home, and they're usually a hit with guests. I've also been looking for a simple side dish to bring to summer cookouts and picnics, so when I found Garten's tomato feta pasta salad, I had to give it a try. Here's what happened when I tested the dish out for myself. Spoiler alert: I'll be adding it to my recipe rotation. The ingredients amp up umami more than other pasta salads I've tried. The recipe calls for short-cut pasta, black olives, feta cheese, and two kinds of tomatoes: fresh and sun-dried. It's key to use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, as they're more tender and flavorful than the dry variety. As for the pasta shape, Garten recommends fusilli, which has a corkscrew-like shape that soaks up extra dressing. After trying out the recipe, though, I'm confident any short-cut shape will work. The olives (Garten recommends Kalamata), tomato, and feta all bring major umami to this summertime dish. The salty, briny mix-ins give the salad a distinctly Mediterranean taste that felt a little unusual, but I preferred it to the typical mayonnaise-dressed pasta salad. The noodles and mix-ins are tossed in a dressing made with more sun-dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, olive oil, capers, and garlic. The preparation is quick and easy. As is the case with every good pasta-salad recipe (in my opinion, anyway), it's not overly complicated or time-intensive to prep the ingredients. While I boiled a big pot of salted water for the pasta, I chopped the fresh tomatoes, sliced the olives, and diced the feta and sun-dried tomatoes. Garten calls for diced whole tomatoes, but I used cherry tomatoes and simply sliced them in half for the same effect. The dressing calls for a food processor, but it's possible to make it without one. The best way to make this pasta- salad dressing is with a small food processor. You could also try an immersion blender or pitcher-style blender, but expect to spend some time scraping down the sides. By whizzing more sun-dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and capers in a food processor, I was able to break down the capers and tomatoes to maximize their flavor output. I ended up with a fairly smooth, reddish dressing that was thin enough to coat every nook and cranny of the pasta. If you don't have any blade-loaded countertop appliances, give everything a fine chop and a good stir. The dressing won't be as smooth and creamy as Garten intended, but your pasta will still benefit from the flavor-packed ingredients. I dressed the pasta while it was still hot from the stove. My pasta finished cooking in the time it took to prepare the dressing. Although Garten recommends letting the noodles cool first, my pasta-salad-making experience has taught me that tossing hot noodles in an oily, salty dressing maximizes flavor. Warm pasta readily absorbs flavors better than after it cools. I tossed the cooked pasta, salty mix-ins, and dressing together in a large bowl. I then let the pasta cool to room temperature before finishing the dish with Garten's recommended chopped fresh parsley and a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan. Here, I made sure to add the cheese after the salad cooled so it wouldn't all melt into a gooey mess. Instead, the Parmesan coated the noodles to hint at the creamy, rich dressing many of us associate with pasta salad. This version, however, is big on savory flavors and pops of briny, chewy sun-dried tomatoes along with juicy, sweet fresh ones. I loved that the dish felt lighter than a mayo-drenched salad but just as satisfying. The oil-based dressing holds up well, too. I doubled the recipe, and my household of two enjoyed pasta for several days. I'm glad I found this recipe right before cookout season — I'll be bringing this easy, crowd-pleasing dish to every summer occasion this year.
