Ina Garten’s 10 Best Dishes From ‘Barefoot Contessa Family Style’
Ina Garten‘s cookbook Family Style is a fantastic resource during the holiday season when you’re hosting large get-togethers. But honestly, there are plenty of great ideas for big parties that take place any time of the year. Here are our picks for the 10 best dishes from Barefoot Contessa Family Style.
1. Ina Garten’s East Hampton Clam Chowder is ‘absolutely stunning’
It should come as no surprise that Ina Garten’s recipe for East Hampton Clam Chowder is one of the best you’ll find anywhere. No matter if you use fresh clams or canned, this dish will always be an absolute hit.
“Absolutely stunningly delicious! Thanks, Ina, for another wonderful recipe. You never fail me!!” one fan shared. Another added, “Delicious! Just had a neighbor tell us that the whole neighborhood could smell this as it was cooking and were drooling, just wondering what it was.”
2. Curried Chicken Salad is delicious every time
Garten’s Curried Chicken Salad might just become your go-to chicken salad recipe because it’s both easy and delicious. Ingredients needed are whole chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on), olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, good mayonnaise, dry white wine, chutney, curry powder, celery, scallions, raisins, and salted cashews.
“Delicious every time!! Thank you!” one reviewer wrote. Another shared, “I have made this chicken salad many times over the years! It is fabulous!”
3. Go from the skillet to the oven with ‘The Barefoot Contessa’s’ Oven-Fried Chicken
The Food Network star uses the skillet-to-oven technique with her recipe for Oven-Fried Chicken. As one reviewer noted, this is a great recipe that “makes it easy for those of us who like fried chicken but fear how hard it is to do correctly.”
“It Was Delicious! My New Way Of Frying My Chicken! ?” one happy fan wrote.
4. Easily double or triple the recipe for Penne With Five Cheeses
It doesn’t get much easier than Ina Garten’s recipe for Penne with Five Cheeses. Simply bring five quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot, and combine heavy cream, crushed tomatoes, freshly grated Pecorino Romano, shredded Italian fontina, crumbled Italian Gorgonzola, ricotta, sliced mozzarella, and basil leaves in a large mixing bowl.
Cook the penne pasta in the water, drain, then add the mixed ingredients and toss to combine. Divide into ceramic gratin dishes, dot with butter, and bake until brown and bubbly.
5. Ina Garten puts her own spin on a Southern dish with her Chicken Stew With Biscuits recipe
Garten is known for making her delicious recipes in her Hamptons barn, but sometimes she surprises us with Southern dishes like her Chicken Stew with Biscuits.
For the stew, you’ll need whole chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on), olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, homemade chicken stock, chicken bouillon cubes, unsalted butter, yellow onions, all-purpose flour, heavy cream, carrots, frozen peas, frozen onions, and fresh parsley.
Garten’s classic biscuit recipe calls for flour, baking powder, kosher salt, sugar, unsalted butter, half-and-half, fresh parsley, and an egg mixed with water to make an egg wash.
6. A famous Mac and Cheese recipes
The Food Network star has a number of Mac and Cheese recipes for different occasions, but this one is perfect for larger crowds. You’ll need Kosher salt, vegetable oil, elbow macaroni or cavatappi, milk, unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, Gruyère cheese, extra-sharp cheddar, freshly ground black pepper, nutmeg, fresh tomatoes, and fresh white breadcrumbs.
7. Provencal Tomatoes might be the best tomatoes you’ll ever eat
Ina Garten’s Provencal Tomatoes are super easy to make and fantastic for serving at large gatherings. But they are so good, your guests could get obsessed.
“How this recipe hasn’t been given all 5-star reviews is simply beyond me. These are honestly the best tomatoes I’ve ever eaten, and I would eat them every day if I could! I have made them for Thanksgiving, dinner parties, and just for my boyfriend and me, and I’m just obsessed with them,” one happy fan wrote. “This dish is one of my most favorites in my repertoire, and I will continue to use it over and over again.”
8. The crust, filling, and topping are all homemade in the Raspberry Cheesecake recipe
Everything in Garten’s recipe for Raspberry Cheesecake is made from scratch, but don’t be intimidated! The ingredient list is actually quite limited. For the crust, you’ll need graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and unsalted butter. To make the filling, you’ll need cream cheese, sugar, extra-large eggs, extra-large egg yolks, sour cream, grated lemon zest, and pure vanilla extract.
To make the optional topping, Ina’s recipe calls for red jelly such as currant, raspberry, or strawberry, and fresh raspberries.
9. One of Ina Garten’s most-famous holiday desserts is her Flag Cake
One of the Barefoot Contessa’s most popular desserts on social media is her Flag Cake because it looks so good in pictures. For the cake, you will need a generous amount of butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, pure vanilla extract, flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, and baking soda.
To make the icing, you’ll need even more butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and pure vanilla extract. For the red stripes, the recipe calls for three half-pints of raspberries. For the blue background in the star field, you’ll need two half-pints of blueberries.
10. Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins are ‘absolutely amazing’
Another show-stopping dessert (or breakfast) from Family Style is Garten’s recipe for Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins. It’s an easy dish that takes less than 40 minutes to make, and the results are simply “outstanding.”
“Absolutely AMAZING!!! I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect! It made around 16 muffins, and they are delicious, not overly sweet! Serving at dinner tonight! :)))),” one happy fan shared.
“Loved this recipe! Easy to follow and it filled 16 muffin cups perfectly. I served with honey butter as the muffins themselves are not overly sweet (and that’s a good thing!),” another added. A third wrote, “Outstanding! Just like Ina.”
The Barefoot Contessa airs weekly on the Food Network and is streaming on Discovery+.
