Ina Garten Has 7 Different Turkey Dishes Sure to Please Any Thanksgiving Guest
Ina Garten says that she likes to keep things simple at Thanksgiving. The Food Network star known as The Barefoot Contessa recommends choosing “a few fabulous recipes you know well that your guests will absolutely love.”
Of course, the star of the menu should be a delicious turkey. But, not everyone can roast a bird for hours on the actual holiday. With that in mind, Ina has seven different turkey meals that are sure to please any Thanksgiving guest.
1. Ina Garten’s Perfect Roast Turkey is bathed in butter, lemon, and thyme
If you prefer a traditional turkey with all the fixins’ — and you have the time to roast a bird — Ina’s Perfect Roast Turkey should be your go-to recipe. This turkey is bathed in butter, lemon, and thyme and roasted for two-and-a-half hours until the skin is crispy golden brown.
“First time we ever made this was on Thanksgiving and was delicious from the very start! The flavor is just right for a night with candlelight. Love the crispy skin and perfectly roasted flavor. This turkey truly is perfect!” one reviewer shared.
For this recipe, you’ll need unsalted butter, lemons, fresh thyme leaves, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, a 10-12 pound fresh turkey, a large bunch of fresh thyme, a Spanish onion, and a head of garlic.
2. Prepare your main dish in advance with Make-Ahead Roast Turkey
Cooking a turkey on Thanksgiving can be an extremely stressful task. Then, you have to carve it at the last minute and keep it hot. If all of this won’t fit into your holiday schedule, Ina has a recipe option for Make Ahead Roast Turkey that allows you to carve it in advance and arrange it on a platter with a layer of gravy. This method keeps your turkey moist, delicious, and hotter for much longer.
This recipe uses a technique called dry brining, where you sprinkle the bird with herbs and salt several days before cooking and let it sit in the fridge. This will make the skin dry and translucent, and the salt will penetrate the meat to add flavor.
When the bird comes out of the oven, the skin is extra crispy and the meat is extremely moist. And, since you’re making it advance, you have time to carve it up before serving and cover it with Ina’s homemade Turkey Gravy with Onions and Sage — which is also part of this recipe.
3. Roasted Turkey Roulade is perfect for small gatherings
If your Thanksgiving celebration is a smaller gathering — and you don’t need a big bird — Ina’s recipe for Roasted Turkey Roulade could be just what you’re looking for. This intermediate recipe takes about three hours from start to finish, and the turkey is packed with cranberry, sausage, and fig stuffing.
Ingredients needed include dried figs, cranberries, Calvados or brandy, unsalted butter, diced onions, celery, pork sausage, fresh rosemary leaves, toasted pine nuts, herb-seasoned stuffing mix, chicken stock, an extra-large egg, salt, pepper, and one whole turkey breast, boned and butterflied.
4. Ina Garten’s ‘Accidental Turkey’ is the ‘best’
Ina’s Accidental Turkey recipe comes from her Foolproof cookbook, and it’s another classic turkey recipe that uses a dry brine. The only ingredients you’ll need are kosher salt, minced fresh rosemary leaves, a 12-14 pound fresh turkey, a large yellow onion, lemon, sprigs of fresh thyme, freshly ground black pepper, and unsalted butter.
“Best turkey ever. So easy and incredibly moist. Seriously… guests commented ‘best turkey I ever made,'” one reviewer shared. Another added, “I used to wet brine my turkey, never again. This turkey came out moist and perfectly seasoned. I like that you can tweak it any way you want with seasonings.”
5. Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter is a ‘Barefoot Contessa’ fan favorite
Ina is known for her love of truffle butter, which is why she created a turkey recipe that highlights one of her favorite ingredients. Her Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter is a simple recipe from her cookbook titled How Easy Is That?. The only ingredients you need to make it besides a 12 to 14-pound bird and white truffle butter is kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, a large bunch of fresh thyme, a large onion, a whole head of garlic, and good olive oil.
“By far, the most delicious turkey I’ve ever made, and to top it off was how easy it was to make! No more searching for a better turkey recipe for me,” one fan shared. Another said, “Best turkey ever!!!! Juicy, flavorful. This is my go-to roasted turkey recipe now. Everyone agreed. Truffle butter for the win!”
6. Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast is a ‘showstopper’
Another recipe from How Easy Is That? Is Ina’s Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast. This is another option that works well for small gatherings, and it takes just 25 minutes of prep time before you pop it in the oven for a couple of hours.
To make this dish, you’ll combine garlic, mustard, herbs, spices, olive oil, and lemon juice to make a paste. Then, you’ll spread half of the paste directly on the meat and the other half on the skin. After pouring some dry white wine into the bottom of the roasting pan, you’ll roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown.
“We make it almost every year for thanksgiving and we do the recipe with a whole turkey — it is always a showstopper,” one fan shared.
7. Ina Garten’s Tuscan Turkey Roulade is ‘Modern Comfort Food’ for Thanksgiving
Ina’s most recent turkey recipe comes from her cookbook Modern Comfort Food, and it’s called Tuscan Turkey Roulade. Unlike the third entry on our list, this version doesn’t have any stuffing. Instead, a boneless, skin-on turkey breast is layered with sauteed onions, sage, fennel seeds, rosemary, grated butter, and prosciutto. Then, it’s rolled and tied with twine, rubbed with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt and pepper.
“Ina’s recipes always come out perfectly and this one was no exception. Delightfully moist turkey with delicious flavors permeating every bite,” one fan commented. Another shared, “Fun to make, a good alternative to a whole turkey for Thanksgiving.”
The Barefoot Contessa airs on The Food Network and is available to stream on discovery+.
