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I made 12 easy Ina Garten pasta recipes and ranked them by deliciousness

I’ve made many of Ina Garten’s pasta recipes, including her weeknight bolognese.

  • Ina Garten has published many pasta recipes, and I’ve made 12 from her repertoire so far.
  • Her mac and cheese is creamy and comforting, while her lemon pasta is ready in 10 minutes. 
  • But Garten’s easy and rich penne alla vodka takes my top spot. 

From a comforting mac and cheese to the quick pasta, pesto, and peas, you’ll find a variety of pasta recipes spread across Ina Garten’s 13 cookbooks and her Barefoot Contessa site

I started cooking Garten’s recipes after I spent a day following her quarantine routine in May 2020. At the height of the pandemic, it was often her pastas that I turned to for simple but comforting dinners. 

I’ve now made a dozen of Garten’s pasta dishes. Some are vegetarian and take almost no prep, while others are loaded with meat or cheese and are a little more complex. 

Here’s how they all stack up. 

In 12th place is Garten’s broccoli and bow ties pasta.
Garten’s broccoli and bow ties has a lovely bright sauce.

The sauce is made with just lemon zest, butter, olive oil, and minced garlic, which all work together to give the dish a burst of flavor. The sharp Parmesan cheese also adds a nice hint of richness. 

While I loved how bright and healthy this dish tasted, I would soon discover other “Barefoot Contessa” pastas that were far more memorable. 

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s pantry-friendly pasta here.

Taking the 11th spot is Garten’s simple three-ingredient lemon pasta.
Garten’s lemon pasta works great as a side dish for a dinner party.

There’s not much depth of flavor in Garten’s three-ingredient pasta. I whipped up her dish for a dinner party, and my friends agreed that it worked better as a side. 

“The pasta had me mad at myself for every time I’ve bought a $20 pasta limon from a restaurant when it’s so simple to make,” my friend Tyler said. “But if we were just having the pasta on its own, I would have been a little disappointed because it wasn’t anything too special.”  

I would serve Garten’s lemon pasta alongside her incredible “Outrageous” garlic bread, which goes well with just about everything — and would give this meal some more flavor and heft.  

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s three-ingredient lemon pasta here.

Garten’s spring green spaghetti carbonara takes the 10th spot.
Garten’s carbonara features asparagus, scallions, and two types of peas.

I was pleasantly surprised by this pasta, which I think is perfect for spring or summer. The carbonara sauce is creamy without being too heavy, and it’s balanced perfectly with the fresh flavors from all the veggies.

The pancetta also adds a nice crunch and savoriness to the pasta — I only wish there had been more of it!

I served the dish to my parents, who both loved it as well. My dad called it “light and lemony,” while my mom thought it’d be ideal for a barbecue. 

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s spring green spaghetti carbonara here.

In ninth place is Garten’s comforting baked rigatoni with lamb ragù.
Garten’s baked rigatoni is super comforting but takes quite a bit of work.

The rich sauce has that comforting, traditional Italian taste thanks to the carrots and other vegetables, and the rigatoni noodles are perfect for capturing a nice helping of ragù with every bite. 

I made this dish for a group of friends who definitely thought the pasta was worth the wait. 

“The dish reminded me of a cross between Bolognese and a baked ziti!” my friend Sara said. “Definitely a labor of love but, to someone not cooking, highly worth it!” 

My sous chef Zach also loved the taste, although he didn’t agree that it was worth the extra effort in the kitchen. 

“As Prue would say on ‘The Great British Bake-off,’ it was worth the calories — but I wouldn’t say it was worth the time,” he said. “While it was definitely fun cooking it, I think you could genuinely make a dish that was 90% as good with just focusing on the ragù and broiling the pasta, versus fully baking it.”

Next time I make this dish, I’ll be taking Garten’s tip to make the ragù a day in advance — which you can refrigerate before baking and serving. 

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s baked rigatoni with lamb ragù here.

Garten’s rigatoni with sausage and fennel takes the eighth spot.
Garten’s rigatoni includes sweet Italian sausage, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese.

Garten’s rigatoni with sausage and fennel has a gorgeous golden color, and there’s a comforting richness to it that I didn’t expect. The rigatoni noodle perfectly captures the delicious meaty sauce, and I thought the sweetness of the sausage helped balance the saltiness of the Parmesan. 

While I think this pasta is perfect for cheese lovers, it may be too rich for some. I’d recommend using a quarter cup of Parmesan first and tasting the sauce before adding more. But I love that Garten’s rigatoni is a one-pot dinner, and I think it’s perfect for cold days when you need something super comforting. 

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s rigatoni with sausage and fennel here.

In seventh place is Garten’s “grown-up” mac and cheese.
Garten’s “grown up” mac and cheese has so much depth of flavor.

The cheese sauce is velvety, the bacon is smoky, and the blue cheese adds a satisfying kick of tang. Garten’s “grown up” mac and cheese is comforting yet unexpected, and sure to be a crowd-pleaser on any dinner party or holiday menu. 

I made Garten’s “grown up” mac and cheese for my family before our last Thanksgiving dinner, and everyone loved this cheesy and satisfying dish. But surprisingly, this isn’t even my favorite Barefoot Contessa mac and cheese.

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s “grown up” mac and cheese here. 

 

Garten’s overnight mac and cheese takes sixth place.
Garten’s overnight mac and cheese is creamy and decadent.

Garten’s mac and cheese needs just 25 minutes in the oven, and it comes out a beautiful golden-brown color. 

The dish also stole the show at my Friendsgiving (as did Garten’s incredible corn bread). The breadcrumbs gave each bite a nice crunch, and the sauce was creamy and decadent without overpowering the pasta. 

And since you can make it a day or two ahead, Garten’s overnight mac and cheese is perfect for a dinner party where you’ll be juggling quite a few things — or a quick but easy dish to delight everyone at a potluck. 

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s overnight mac and cheese here.

Garten’s favorite weeknight pasta rounds out the top five.
Garten’s weeknight pasta includes San Marzano tomatoes and Italian pecorino cheese.

There’s a rustic charm to Garten’s weeknight pasta that took me right back to Cotenna, one of my favorite Italian restaurants in New York City. 

I loved how the rich pancetta paired with the earthy basil and Chianti, and the dish had a subtle sweetness from the San Marzano tomatoes that delighted my taste buds. The red pepper flakes gave each bite a nice kick, and the pasta looked lovely on the plate. 

Overall, I was really surprised by how elevated Garten’s dish tasted despite the very minimal prep and effort. I’ll definitely make this pasta again. 

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s favorite weeknight pasta here.

Garten’s favorite summer pasta takes the fourth spot.
Garten’s recipe includes marinating the tomatoes and basil in olive oil for four hours.

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.

Making the top three is Garten’s creamy (and dreamy) five-cheese penne.
There are five different cheeses in Garten’s comforting penne dish.

The penne turns into a beautiful golden color after baking it in the oven for 17 minutes, and there are inviting chunks of mozzarella poking out from the top. 

I initially expected that five different cheeses — along with all that butter and cream — would be way too heavy. But Garten’s penne strikes the perfect balance of being rich and soothing without being overwhelming. 

I can’t wait to make this dish the next time I need a really comforting meal again. 

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s five-cheese penne here.

My second favorite “Barefoot Contessa” pasta dish is Garten’s weeknight Bolognese.
I would make Garten’s weeknight Bolognese during any season.

The weeknight Bolognese has the comfort of Garten’s five-cheese penne and the richness of her baked rigatoni but with far less work in the kitchen. 

It’s a modern twist on a classic, and Garten’s little tweaks all work perfectly together. The orecchiette shells catch some of the sauce in every bite, and the freshly grated Parmesan cheese melts beautifully into Garten’s warm sauce. 

Garten’s recipe has so much flavor, but it’s also far less heavy than some of her other pastas on this list. I’d happily make the weeknight Bolognese on any night of any season. 

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s easy weeknight Bolognese here.

Taking the top spot is Garten’s penne alla vodka, which tastes as amazing as it looks.
Garten’s penne alla vodka is the perfect winter comfort dish.

It took me over a year to discover a “Barefoot Contessa” pasta I loved more than the weeknight Bolognese, but Garten’s penne alla vodka changed everything. 

The dish looks absolutely stunning on the dinner table and tastes even better. The vodka sauce is creamy and smooth, and Garten’s trick of roasting the tomato sauce in the oven infuses each bite with so much depth and flavor.

While you’ll need some extra time, Garten’s easy penne alla vodka doesn’t require too much effort. It’s the perfect dish when you need to make an impressive dinner but can’t spend too much time doing extra prep. And when it’s super chilly, this dish will bring you tons of comfort.

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s penne alla vodka here.

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https://www.businessinsider.com/ina-garten-easy-pasta-dishes-recipes-ranking-2021-5