Ina Garten Uses Vinegar To Do More Than Just ‘Wake Up’ Lentil Soup

Ina Garten knows how to properly use vinegar in the recipes she features in her Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. To “wake up” Lentil Soup, the ingredient she turns to is red wine vinegar. But you won’t believe what she can do with balsamic vinegar.

Ina Garten wakes up Lentil Soup with red wine vinegar

Hearty soup and stew season is upon us, and no one does it better than Ina. Her five-star recipe for Lentil Vegetable Soup features green lentils, leeks, and tomato paste. The Food Network star avoids being a one-note dish by adding an acidic ingredient — red wine vinegar. 

Per The Tasting Table, Ina explained that her soup recipe was almost there but was “kind of missing something.” She says she was “not just looking for the flavor and the texture,” but she was “looking for some edge that kind of wakes everything up.”

“I just wandered to the refrigerator and pulled out some red wine vinegar, and added just a splash to the huge pot. And that was it,” Ina revealed.

‘The Barefoot Contessa’ uses balsamic vinegar to make tasty roast beef, a side salad, and a dessert

Red wine vinegar may wake up Ina’s Lentil Soup, but it’s her use of balsamic vinegar that is impressive. To make Balsamic Roasted Beef, Ina uses one tablespoon of aged balsamic vinegar as part of the flavor mixture to roast two-and-a-half pounds of filet of beef, trimmed and tied. The rest of the mixture includes two tablespoons of Dijon mustard, one teaspoon of kosher salt, and one tablespoon of coarsely cracked black pepper.

Ina also uses vinegar in a delicious Balsamic Roasted Beet Salad. From her Foolproof cookbook, the only ingredients you need beyond balsamic vinegar and medium-size beets are good olive oil, Dijon mustard, Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, baby arugula, salted Marcona almonds, and soft goat cheese.

The Food Network star also has a recipe where she uses vinegar for dessert. Her Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar is so easy and delicious, and fans say you won’t believe how great it is.

Ina Garten’s side dish recipes featuring balsamic vinegar

For side dishes highlighting balsamic vinegar, Ina has recipes for Balsamic-Roasted Brussel Sprouts, as well as Broccolini and Balsamic Vinaigrette.

The brussel sprouts are super easy. Simply place them on a sheet pan, dice four ounces of pancetta and add it along with a quarter-cup of good olive oil, a teaspoon-and-a-half of salt, and a half-teaspoon of pepper. Toss with your hands, spread it out in a single layer, and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 to 30 minutes (tossing once). 

Once they are cooked, remove them from the oven and drizzle them immediately with syrupy balsamic vinegar. Toss once again, then serve hot.

For the broccolini, you’ll need Kosher salt, good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, black pepper, and one lemon.

“This is one of my favorite vegetable recipes. It’s easy to make, can be prepared ahead of time, and it’s tasty. Definitely a nice change from standard steamed broccoli with butter. The balsamic vinaigrette went really well with the broccolini. My 7-year-old loved it too,” one happy fan shared.

The Barefoot Contessa airs on the Food Network and discovery+.