Ina Garten has a whole catalog of fantastic summer recipes, but which are the best? We think we found them. From salads to seafood and citrus-based dishes to light garden pastas with fresh vegetables, here are our picks for the 11. Barefoot Contessa recipes that are perfect for summer.
1. Ina Garten’s Tomato Crostini With Whipped Feta Is A ‘Foolproof’ Summer Recipe
Garden’s Tomato Crostini With Whipped Cream Feta is a nice starter that comes from her infallible cookbook. It features a homemade whipped cream made from feta and cream cheese.
The recipe also calls for olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, chopped shallots, minced garlic, red wine vinegar, heirloom or cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, baguette slices, and toasted pine nuts.
2. Making Summer Garden Pasta couldn’t be easier
It doesn’t get any easier – or tastier – than Garten’s Summer Garden Pasta† Combine cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for about four hours.
When you’re ready to eat, boil a pot of water with a splash of olive oil and some salt. Add angel hair pasta and cook al dente for about three minutes. Finally, drain the past and add it to the bowl with your cherry tomato mixture. Serve in large bowls topped with Parmesan cheese.
3. A chilled shrimp salad is the perfect recipe for a hot summer
Another quick and easy recipe is: Garten’s Shrimp Salad† It only requires a handful of ingredients — kosher salt, lemon, shrimp, mayo, Dijon mustard, white wine, freshly ground black pepper, chopped fresh dill, red onion, and chopped celery.
Just cook your shrimp in salt and lemon water for about three minutes – until the shrimp is barely cooked. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining ingredients together in a bowl and mix with the shrimp. You can serve this dish right away or keep it in the fridge for a few hours.
4. Don’t change the Caesar Club Sandwich
Reviews for the Barefoot Contessas Caesar Club Sandwich make it clear that nothing needs to change. You start by frying chicken breast rubbed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. While that’s in the oven, put some pancetta on a baking sheet and toast it.
Then finely chop garlic and parsley in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice, and mayonnaise and process until smooth Caesar dressing. Cut a ciabatta bread in half horizontally and toast in the oven, cut side up. When the bread is ready, spread the Caesar dressing on each piece and add arugula to the bottom piece. Then add sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan cheese, crispy pancetta and sliced chicken breast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with a final layer of arugula and the top slice of ciabatta.
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5. Break out the grill for Blue Cheese Burgers this summer
Garden’s Blue Cheese Burger patties are made with a mix of ground chuck and ground sirloin steak, plus steak sauce, egg yolks, salt, and pepper. When you make the patties, the Food Network star says to press a thin slice of butter into the top of each until the meat coats it completely.
Once the burgers are cooked to the desired temperature on the grill, let them rest while grilling the buns cut-side down. To make your burger, put a patty and some blue cheese on each bun and top with arugula and tomato.
6. Ina Garten makes a BLT even more delicious by adding lobster
Take your BLTs to the next level with the Barefoot Contessas Lobster BLTs† To make four sandwiches you will need half a pound of cooked lobster meat, four slices of thick-cut Applewood smoked bacon, half a cup of Hellmann’s mayo, a quarter cup of Heinz ketchup, a tablespoon of sweet relish, salt and pepper, two ripe Hass avocados and the juice of a lemon.
The final ingredients in the recipe are eight slices of good white baker’s bread (lightly toasted), four large leaves of butter lettuce and four slices of ripe red tomato.
7. Old-fashioned potato salad is an easy side dish to make
The only ingredients you need for this beginner Old Fashioned Potato Salad recipe includes small red potatoes, kosher salt, mayo, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, fresh dill, black pepper, celery, and red onion.
Start by boiling the potatoes until they are almost cooked through, then let them steam for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon, whole wheat mustard, dill, salt and pepper in a bowl.
When the potatoes have cooled, cut them into quarters and place them in a large bowl. Add enough dressing to moisten, then add the celery and red onion plus a little more salt and pepper. Finally, toss well and put in the fridge.
8. Pasta, pesto and peas are the perfect addition to a summer cookout
Van Garten’s Parties! cookbook is coming Pasta, Pesto and Peas recipe. Cook some fusilli and bow tie pasta in boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes, until each pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta, put it in a bowl with some olive oil and let it cool to room temperature.
The pesto mixture is made in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. You will need pesto, spinach, lemon juice and mayo. Once that’s pureed, add it to the cooled pasta. Then mix Parmesan cheese, peas, pignolis, salt and pepper. Stir it well and season to taste.
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9. The fresh corn salad won’t disappoint
The Barefoot Contessas Fresh Corn Salad has hundreds of five-star reviews from satisfied fans, proving you can’t go wrong with this easy and delicious side dish.
“Great recipe that did not disappoint. I have had great success with Ina’s recipes. How easy is that?” one lucky fan wrote. Another added, “We look forward to this recipe every summer when fresh corn is available.”
10. Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp is the ultimate summer dessert
Garten’s recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp comes from her cookbook How easy is that?. If you have access to fresh rhubarb and fresh strawberries — plus some freshly squeezed orange juice — this recipe is a must. The only way to serve this ultimate summer treat is warm with a side of vanilla ice cream.
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11. Make Ina Garten’s Flag Cake for your 4th of July party
Another delicious dessert from Garten with fresh fruit is her flag cake, which is perfect to serve on Independence Day. The red stripes are made with raspberries, while the white stripes are made with a creamy icing. The blue background for the icing stars is made with blueberries.
The kitchen tools needed include a baking sheet, an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, a rubber spatula, toothpicks and a piping bag with a star tip.
The Barefoot Contessa airs on Sundays on the Food Network.
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