Ina Garten Has 5 Different Holiday Menu Ideas — and Each 1 Is a Crowd-Pleaser

Ina Garten knows how to create a perfect holiday experience. She’s a master at entertaining, and her menus can’t be beat. In fact, the Barefoot Contessa has five different menu ideas for the holiday season — and each one is a crowd pleaser.

Ina Garten’s Favorite Holiday Menu

Garten’s “Favorite Holiday Menu” comes from her cookbook Make It Ahead. Which means all of these recipes can be put together in advance. The menu features Slow-Roasted Spiced Pork, Winter Slaw, and Sour Cream Cornbread.

For the main dish, you’ll need to have a conversation with your butcher. The recipe calls for a seven to nine-pound bone-in pork butt with a layer of fat on top. You’ll also need garlic cloves, yellow onion, jalapeño pepper, fresh oregano leaves, ground cumin, chipotle chile powder, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, apple cider vinegar, good olive oil, dry white wine, and lime wedges.

The Winter Slaw features kale leaves, Brussel sprouts, radicchio, lemon juice, good olive oil, good Parmesan cheese, dried cranberries, and Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

For the Sour Cream Cornbread, your grocery list should include unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, Bob’s Red Mill medium-grind yellow cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, whole milk, sour cream, and extra-large eggs.

‘Home for the Holidays’ features a ‘perfect’ main dish

Garten’s menu titled “Home for the Holidays” includes a Sunday Rib Roast with Mustard Horseradish Sauce. On the side, there is Haricots Verts with Hazelnuts and Dill and Potato Celery Root Purée. For dessert, Garten recommends Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger Buttercream.

The Sunday Rib Roast recipe is actually quite easy, and the Mustard Horseradish Sauce is out of this world. All it takes is good mayo, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, horseradish, sour cream, and kosher salt.

“Made this for Christmas.  Everyone said it was perfect,” one happy fan wrote in 2020.

Fans can find Garten’s recipe for Haricots Verts with Hazelnuts and Dill on page 152 of her cookbook Cook Like a Pro. While the Potato Celery Root Purée is on page 163 of Barefoot in Paris.

For dessert, Garten’s Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger Buttercream is from Back to Basics. It takes some kitchen skills, but can easily be made in advance of the holiday.

Ina Garten says a Holiday Breakfast should be special, too

The holidays aren’t just about yummy dinners. Garten also has a menu for an outstanding Holiday Breakfast. It includes Potato Basil Frittata, Turkey Sausages, Bagels, Scallion Cream Cheese, Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Hot Chocolate, and Coffee.

Store-bought is definitely fine for the turkey sausages, bagels, scallion cream cheese, and coffee. Garten’s recipes shine when it comes to the Potato Basil Frittata, Sour Cream Coffee Cake, and Hot Chocolate.

From her Family Style cookbook comes the Potato Basil Frittata, and all you’ll need is a handful of ingredients. The recipe calls for unsalted butter, boiling potatoes, extra-large eggs, ricotta cheese, Gruyère cheese, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, fresh basil leaves, all-purpose flour, and baking powder.

Garten’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake is definitely a keeper, and has become a Christmas morning staple in many households. Finally, the Barefoot Contessa kicks her hot chocolate up a notch with her recipe for Peppermint Hot Chocolate that features full candy canes or peppermint sticks.

Make your Christmas Dinner shine with the Barefoot Contessa’s full menu

For the big show — aka Christmas Dinner — Garten pulls out all the stops. Her menu begins with champagne and Thyme-Roasted Marcona Almonds as an appetizer.

Once again, she includes her Sunday Rib Roast with Mustard Horseradish Sauce as the main dish. But this time, the sides are Scalloped Tomatoes, Potato-Fennel Gratin, and Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms. For dessert, Garten serves up a decadent Raspberry Cheesecake.

Making the appetizer is super easy. It takes just 20 minutes, and all you need is some salted Marcona almonds, good olive oil, minced fresh thyme leaves, kosher salt, and fleur de sel.

The Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms come from Garten’s cookbook How Easy Is That?. And you can even make them ahead of time to free up your kitchen on Christmas Day. Her Raspberry Cheesecake is made from scratch. With a yummy graham cracker crust, a cheesy filling, and a topping loaded with jelly and fresh raspberries.

Ina Garten also has a recipe for an ‘Easy and Elegant New Year’s Eve’

Garten’s New Year’s Eve menu features an easy pasta dish, champagne, and plenty of sweet treats. The Barefoot Contessa advises picking up a bottle or two of your favorite champagne, some Smoked Salmon on Brown Bread, and some Crème fraîche from the grocery store.

For New Year’s Eve dinner, Garten keeps it simple with her Lemon Capellini. She makes it special by adding Caviar, but that’s not a recipe requirement. For dessert, she makes an Apple Crostata (which is topped with the Crème fraîche). The recipe only takes an hour, and it will be a big hit with both kids and adults.

“Absolutely amazing flavor and so easy to make! This is now a must for family gatherings,” one happy fan shared. Another added, “Amazing recipe – prepare exactly as described.  Every time I make it, people ask for the recipe – so much so, that I print it out and bring it with me.  Yeah, that good.”

The Barefoot Contessa: Modern Comfort Food airs Sundays on the Food Network.