21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (2024)

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There’s nothing we love more than entertaining, and when we’re in need of a mouthwatering and showstopping dinner menu, we almost always find ourselves turning to chef Ina Garten for main course recipes. Why? They’re not only delicious and impressive to guests, but they also don’t require the culinary chops of a James Beard Award-winning chef to make.

Related story14 Martha Stewart Recipes That Are Perfect for Spring

“What I’m always looking for is a remembered flavor,” Garten told The Kitchn in 2015 when asked for her best dinner party advice. And as it turns out, many if not all of Garten’s recipes have just that: familiar yet phenomenal flavor. For instance, Garten’s English rib roast may look complicated, but it’s actually an incredibly simple two-step process that leaves you with a juicy, perfectly seasoned piece of meat you can pair with a virtually endless list of side dishes.

So, let us save you all that time flipping through the Barefoot Contessa host’s many, many cookbooks or endlessly scrolling through her website for the perfect main course for your next dinner party. We did the work for you. Ahead, take a look at our favorite Garten recipes that are sure to impress your dinner guests.

  • Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (3)

    What are two things that will never fail to impress a dinner guest? Saffron and risotto. Pair them in this savory-sweet dish that’s made with butternut squash and plenty of Parm.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.

  • Heirloom Tomato and Blue Cheese Salad

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    Sometimes the perfect accompaniment to a rich dinner party meal is a striking salad. Garten’s relies on ripe heirloom tomatoes, so it’s best to keep this recipe on rotation in the summer months.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.

  • Baked Cod with Garlic & Herb Ritz Crumbs

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (5)

    You never know what your guests do and don’t like, so if you want to serve seafood, opting for a mild, flaky white fish like cod is the move. Pair with Garten’s buttery Ritz and panko crumb topping, and dinner is likely to get devoured.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.

  • Baked Rigatoni With Lamb Ragù

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (6)

    If you have guests who are on the pickier side, try this riff on baked ziti. It’s made with a rich lamb ragout (if they’re super picky, swap that for pork or beef), and has all of the classic Italian-America flavors so many of us crave.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.

  • Lobster Pot Pie

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (7)

    Summer comfort food, anyone? That’s the name of the game in Ina Garten’s rich lobster pot pie recipe.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.

  • Truffled Mac & Cheese

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (8)

    Mac & Cheese for dinner, for company, might sound crazy. But when Garten adds luxe ingredients like white truffle butter, cremini mushrooms, sherry, and more, it all starts to make sense.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.

  • English rib roast

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (9)

    For a meal that looks impressive but takes virtually zero work, Garten’s standing rib roast requires just a thick layer of salt and pepper and a couple of hours in the oven.

    Get the recipe at Taste and See.

  • Moroccan lamb tagine

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (10)

    Don’t own a tagine? This Moroccan lamb tagine recipe alone is worth the purchase.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.

  • Filet mignon with mustard & mushrooms

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    Advanced home chefs, this flavorful, decadent filet mignon with mustard and mushroom recipe will test your culinary skills.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.

  • Coq au vin

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (12)

    Coq au vin — chicken braised with wine, lardons, and mushrooms — may be one of the most famous French dishes, but it’s surprisingly not the most difficult dishes to tackle, especially if you carefully follow Garten’s instructions.

    Get the recipe at Feed Feed.

  • Lemon chicken

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (13)

    Garten’s juicy, lemon-infused chicken dish may be a beginner recipe, but it looks and tastes so great, your dinner party guests wouldn’t dare leave you with leftovers.

    Get the recipe from The PKP Way.

  • Chicken thighs with creamy mustard sauce

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (14)

    Picture it: juicy chicken thighs with crispy skin, swimming in a creamy, wine-and-Dijon mustard sauce. Now, make it.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.

  • Pastit*io

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    Pastit*io is a basically Greek lasagna with layers of meat, tomato sauce, pasta, and a creamy bechamel.

    Get the recipe from Vodka & Biscuits.

  • Beef bourguignon

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (16)

    This beef stew is not only easy to make, but it’s also a great comfort food dish to make on chilly nights.

    Get the recipe at The View From Great Island.

  • Brisket with onions & leeks

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (17)

    Purchase six pounds of brisket, sprinkle with salt, wrap it up, refrigerate it overnight; then, roast it for about three-and-a-half hours atop a mixture of onions and leeks.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.

  • Cioppino

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (18)

    Cioppino is an Italian-American fish stew dish that originated in San Francisco with of cod, shrimp, mussels, and scallops.

    Get the recipe at Food Network.

  • 1770 house meatloaf

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (20)

    Food blogger The Food Charlatan described this Garten dish best: “It’s tender, moist, and flavorful. The delectable garlic meatloaf sauce makes it extra fancy and tasty. Pure comfort food.”

    We second that.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa and The Food Charlatan.

  • Herbed pork tenderloins with apple chutney

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (21)

    You can’t go wrong with pork, more pork, and homemade apple chutney.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.

  • Slow roasted spiced pork

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (22)

    Onions, jalapeños, cumin, chipotle Chile powder, and more make this tender, slow-roasted pork downright irresistible.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.

  • Seared scallops & potato celery root purée

    21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (23)

    Carefully follow Garten’s steps to chef’s-kiss worthy scallops, and you’ll leave your guests truly impressed.

    Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.

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21 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table (2024)

FAQs

What is Ina Garten's favorite dinner? ›

The one meal Ina simply couldn't live without is roast chicken. She even cites it as one of the reasons her husband, Jeffrey, proposed marriage in 1968.

What is a good dinner that everyone would like? ›

30 Quick And Easy Dinners Your Whole Family Will Love
  • Slow-Cooker Chicken Tacos. tasty.co. ...
  • Easy Sheet Pan Southwestern Dinner. tasty.co. ...
  • Garlic Broccoli Shrimp Stir-Fry. ...
  • Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa. ...
  • One-Pot Chicken and Mushroom Pasta. ...
  • 20-Minute Beef and Broccoli Noodle Stir-Fry. ...
  • Chicken & Veggie Stir-Fry. ...
  • Baked Spaghetti.
May 6, 2024

Are Ina Garten's recipes good? ›

The Barefoot Contessa's simple, meticulously tested recipes have helped drag me out of every cooking rut I've ever found myself in. Happily for all of us, Garten has shared a number of her recipes (and cooking tips) with Food & Wine.

What was Julia Child's favorite meal? ›

Vichyssoise. Well-known as one of Julia Child's favorite dishes, this chilled leek and potato soup is startling in its simplicity. Aside from the leek, potato, and water, Child's version of the soup calls for barely any additional ingredients.

What fast food will Ina Garten eat? ›

Garten visits In-N-Out Burger whenever she's in California

The veteran cookbook writer avoids fast food (though she enjoys Shake Shack's fried chicken sandwiches on occasion). However, when on the West Coast, often on a book tour, stopping at In-N-Out for a cheeseburger is a tradition.

What food does everyone love? ›

America's Favorite Foods: The 50 Most Popular Foods in America
  • Cheese quesadilla.
  • Sweet potato fries. ...
  • Hummus. ...
  • Pizza margherita. Mizina/Getty Images. ...
  • Chili. Janna Danilova/Getty Images. ...
  • Seaweed salad. Liudmila Chernetska/Getty Images. ...
  • Nachos. VeselovaElena/Getty Images. ...
  • Sesame chicken. VeselovaElena/Getty Images. ...
6 days ago

What is the most loved meal in the world? ›

Here is the top 10:
  • Pizza.
  • Burger.
  • Ramen.
  • Paella.
  • Pierogi.
  • Moussaka.
  • Boeuf Bourgignon.
  • Eisbein.
May 24, 2023

What meal makes you happy? ›

Eggs. Choline found in eggs can help regulate mood and muscle movements and is associated with verbal and visual memory. Other foods that have choline include broccoli, cauliflower, chicken breast, dairy milk, green beans, mackerel, navy beans, pork chops, salmon, shrimp, and tuna.

How do you make a good impression at dinner? ›

Here are a few tips that will help you maintain your professionalism and make a good impression.
  1. Make a good first impression. ...
  2. Give thanks. ...
  3. Mind your manners. ...
  4. Consider the menu carefully. ...
  5. Join the conversation.

How can you make a meal more attractive? ›

  1. Create height on the plate. Chef Daniel England likes to create height as he plates food. ...
  2. Cut meat horizontally. ...
  3. Play with textures. ...
  4. Use contrasting colours. ...
  5. Match food presentation to your restaurant theme. ...
  6. Choose the right plates. ...
  7. Serve smaller portion sizes. ...
  8. Use edible garnishes and decorations.

What is the hardest chef dish to make? ›

1. Consommé Devilish dish: A clear soup made from meat, tomato, egg whites and stock, slowly simmered to bring impurities to the surface for skimming. Techn-eeek: Even some of the most experienced chefs cannot master the complex clarification process required to make consommé.

What baking dishes does Ina Garten use? ›

Ina loves her All-Clad stainless steel cookware and has had some of her All-Clad pans for over 40 years. She loves that it cooks food evenly, keeps the heat and is easy to clean.

What food scale does Ina Garten use? ›

Oxo Good Grips Food Scale

Ina uses this Oxo food scale to keep everything precise — and delicious.

What color lipstick does Ina Garten wear? ›

Rosy Lipstick

Ina uses Clinique Dramatically Different Lipstick in A Different Grape.

What does Ina Garten have for breakfast? ›

But it turns out, even Garten is a creature of habit and has been eating the same, super simple breakfast for decades. What's even more shocking? She makes it in the microwave. Here's why Ina turns to oatmeal for breakfast every morning.

What kind of work does Ina Garten's husband do? ›

Currently, Jeffrey serves as the Dean Emeritus at the Yale School of Management and teaches courses on the global economy. According to his faculty page, prior to joining Yale, he worked for multiple White House administrations, served in the U.S. Army Special Forces and was a managing director on Wall Street.

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