Ina Garten’s 8 Favorite Winter Dinners
There’s a Barefoot Contessa recipe for practically every occasion. Seasons? The celebrity chef has it covered. Ina Garten’s winter dinners include a variety of comforting dishes for a cold day.
1. Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Garten’s winter dinners, as featured on her official website, wouldn’t be complete without Barefoot Contessa roast chicken. Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic is a variation on Perfect Roast Chicken, one of Garten’s most famous Barefoot Contessa recipes.
As the name suggests, the Food Network star uses a lot of garlic in this recipe. And, yes, it really is approximately 40 cloves.
In true Barefoot Contessa fashion, Garten makes the process easier and less stressful with a simple tip. She puts the garlic cloves in a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds before peeling them.
2. Moroccan Lamb Tagine
A make-ahead Barefoot Contessa dish, this particular recipe featured on Garten’s winter dinner list is made in a dutch oven. The Modern Comfort Food author cooks everything in the same pot before putting it in the oven to bake.
A low and slow recipe, Garten cooks the Moroccan Lamb Tagine in a 300-degree oven for three hours. Once the lamb is tender and the vegetables are cooked she serves it alongside steamed couscous.
3. Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
Garten’s winter dinners also include this vegetarian Barefoot Contessa dish. Just like traditional lasagna, it involves layering ingredients. Except in this variation the Food Network star layers vegetables such as eggplant and zucchini instead of ground beef or turkey.
Cheese lovers rejoice because Garten’s Roasted Vegetable Lasagna features not one but four different types of cheese including ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, and goat cheese.
4. Company Pot Roast
Want a classic Garten winter dinner? Look no further than Company Pot Roast. Once again, the cooking show host opts to use a dutch oven.
Garten sears the meat to seal in all those juices before making a sauce. Nearly three-and-a-half hours later — the recipe’s a serious labor of love — she has a tender, flavorful pot roast ready for a dinner party or a cozy night in.
5. Baked Rigatoni with Lamb Ragu
This Garten winter dinner is celebrity-approved. Jennifer Garner put Garten’s baked rigatoni on her to-make list for the weekend.
And it’s easy to see why. The Barefoot Contessa dish is a different take on classic spaghetti. There are noodles, cheese, and tomato sauce. Served in one dish, it’s an easy recipe to make for a crowd.
6. Penne with 5 Cheeses
Need a dish that everyone will love? This Barefoot Contessa pasta is “always a hit,” according to Garten. The cookbook author once likened it to a grown-up version of macaroni and cheese. But with a few adjustments, and five different kinds of cheese, it becomes a dish that’s fit for any occasion.
7. Slow-Roasted Spiced Pork
Part of a crowd-pleasing make-ahead menu of Garten’s, her Slow-Roasted Spiced Pork is exactly as it sounds. Garten roasts pork in a low oven (300 degrees Fahrenheit) after seasoning it with a paste she makes in a food processor.
The biggest concern with Garten winter dinner? Not letting it dry out. That means adding wine to the pan every two hours or so.
8. 1770 House Meatloaf
Another classic Garten winter dinner is meatloaf. This particular Barefoot Contessa meatloaf recipe includes three different types of meat — pork, veal, and beef — and a four-ingredient garlic sauce.
