5 easy and delicious Ina Garten dishes you need to make this summer

Business Insider

30-06-2025

Garten has delicious dishes for every season, and some of my favorite "Barefoot Contessa" recipes are perfect for summer. They can be enjoyed every month of the year, but I think you'll especially love them during the sunny season.
From a cake that makes grown men weep to a pasta that will remind you of Italy, these are Garten's best summer dishes.
Garten's breakfast cake is a stunning centerpiece, and it tastes even better than it looks. Every bite is super moist thanks to the ricotta and sour cream, and I love how the sweetness of the blueberries pairs with the zingy and bright lemon zest. I had my mom test it since Garten said it was perfect for Mother's Day, and she was a huge fan."This was superb," my mom declared. "I give it a 10/10."I loved how easy it was to make Garten's cake, and it still tasted incredible the next day. I've since made it for friends at a brunch party, and everyone couldn't get enough of it.Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake here. And stay tuned for more "Barefoot Contessa" breakfast dishes to come.
I loved Garten's watermelon cosmo even more than the original. To make four of Garten's watermelon cosmos at home, you'll need: 4 cups diced red watermelon 6 ounces good vodka (Ina recommends Grey Goose) 3 ounces Cointreau or triple sec 2 ounces freshly-squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes) 4 large mint sprigs, for garnish Before you start, Garten recommends throwing some martini glasses in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill them.I didn't have any martini glasses on hand, so I used wine glasses instead. I also found that 15 minutes in the freezer still did the trick.
I always love serving a salad that's full of color, and Garten's Greek orzo salad has plenty. The pop of red from the bell pepper, the fresh green from the arugula, and the bright purple from the onion all worked together to make a beautiful plate. My parents definitely looked impressed as I brought the salad to the dinner table. But would it taste as good as it looked?
My parents, who immigrated to the US from Greece, couldn't get enough of Garten's recipe. The orzo soaks up so many delicious Mediterranean flavors that are familiar to any Greek — the salty chunks of feta intertwining with the rich Kalamata olives, the crisp bell pepper and red onion dancing together, that pop of fresh lemon brightening every bite. Even though there were so many different components to the salad, everything was perfectly balanced. The light and refreshing salad is also really easy to make and still tastes great the next day. It's perfect for a barbecue side, or a main dish on a hot summer night (my dad recommends pairing it with some grilled meats or fish). My parents have already whipped up Garten's Greek orzo salad a couple of times since our last taste test, and I'm not surprised. The lovely dish tastes like something we would've eaten while watching the turquoise waves of the Aegean Sea during our summer trips back to Greece. "Ina must've been Greek in one of her previous lives," my mom declared.
Garten's summer garden pasta takes full advantage of tomato season. Garten's summer garden pasta is one of her simplest, and yet it has some of the richest flavors of any that I've tried. While the "Barefoot Contessa" star's dish only has five main ingredients — angel hair, Parmesan cheese, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and basil — it has one very important step. You need to soak the tomatoes, garlic, and basil in olive oil for four hours.
Garten's summer garden pasta is one of my favorite "Barefoot Contessa" recipes. I could honestly eat Garten's olive-oil tomatoes as a snack every day. And even though I usually love heavy red-sauce pastas, these tomatoes were able to carry the entire dish on just the strength of their intense and rich flavor. You also can't beat how pantry-friendly this dish is. I almost always have tomatoes and basil in my kitchen, making Garten's summer garden pasta an incredibly easy dinner staple. This is one "Barefoot Contessa" dish I know I'll be returning to time and time again. Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's summer garden pasta here.
I was a cooking novice when the pandemic began, and it was Garten's recipes that first helped me get comfortable in the kitchen. I also hadn't tried baking anything for years. So I couldn't believe how fun and easy it was to make Garten's delicious mocha chocolate icebox cake, which she once proclaimed was so good "it makes grown men weep." I've wanted to make more "Barefoot Contessa" desserts ever since, and I knew the next one had to be Garten's most famous chocolate cake recipe.
Garten's cake is ridiculously good. The layers have a satisfying, rich, buttery taste, and the cookies and mocha whipped cream go well together. There are also chocolate chips in almost every bite — who doesn't love that?Since no baking is required, Garten's mocha chocolate icebox cake is also perfect for those super-hot days when you don't want to turn on your oven. Plus, the recipe is easy enough to make with the family, but thanks to all those layers, it still looks impressive on the dinner table.I'd recommend this cake for just about anything — a birthday party, special dinner, or just because.Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's mocha chocolate icebox cake here.