‘Barefoot Contessa’: 2 Easy Ina Garten Recipes That Are Perfect Side Dishes for Spring
Ina Garten knows how to plan a delicious menu to entertain friends and family, but the Barefoot Contessa star also makes it a priority to keep her recipes simple. Two of her favorite go-to side dishes are so easy and delicious, you’ll want them in your meal planning rotation for spring.
Ina Garten shared 2 side dishes from 1 of her ‘all-time favorite menus’
Garten shared her Easter menu in an April 1 Instagram post, which featured two side dishes perfect for entertaining.
“My classic Easter dinner: rack of lamb, parmesan roasted asparagus, and orzo with roasted vegetables! (The secret is how easy it is to make!!),” she wrote in the caption. “Plus coconut cupcakes you can decorate with jelly beans! Who wouldn’t love that?!! Happy holiday everyone!”
While demonstrating how to make her parmesan roasted asparagus recipe on the Barefoot Contessa cooking show, Garten shared that the vegetable can be served as a “very simple first course.”
“The myth about vegetables is the smaller they are, the better they are, but I really think asparagus that are thicker have so much more flavor,” she explained. “And oddly when you roast them, I think they’re tenderer than those pencil-thin asparagus.”
Garten’s orzo pasta salad recipe is full of delicious flavors and can be easily assembled for serving a crowd.
Ina Garten’s recipe for easy parmesan roasted asparagus is a simple side
Garten’s parmesan roasted asparagus recipe is a simple vegetable side dish that can be easily pulled together for any menu. (The recipe is available on the Food Network website.)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds fresh asparagus (about 30 large)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 lemons cut in wedges, for serving
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Peel the bottom ½ of the stalks if they’re too thick, then place them on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle on salt and pepper, tossing everything together to coat the vegetables. Make sure the asparagus are placed in a single layer on the pan.
Roast the vegetables for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parmesan, returning to the oven for another minute to melt the cheese.
Ina Garten’s orzo with roasted vegetables is a delicious side salad
Garten’s orzo with roasted vegetables recipe is a pasta salad that’s full of flavor. “I roast all these vegetables at very high temperature and they get really sweet and delicious and then mix them with orzo, which is a rice-shaped pasta, lemon vinaigrette, feta, fresh basil,” she explained on Barefoot Contessa. (You can find the recipe on the Barefoot Contessa website.)
Ingredients
- 1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
- 1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
- 1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ pound orzo or rice-shaped pasta
- 4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
- ¼ cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted
- ¾ pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
- 15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne
Dressing ingredients
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
- ⅓ cup good olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
After chopping the vegetables, lay them on a sheet pan and drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the vegetables for 40 minutes, turning once to evenly cook.
Cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain the pasta and place it in a serving bowl, then add the roasted vegetables. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour it over the orzo and vegetables.
Once the salad has slightly cooled, add the scallions, pine nuts, feta, and basil and toss together.
