Ina Garten's 18 Best Comfort Food Dishes

Ina Garten — the Barefoot Contessa to those who know and adore her — is the doyenne of modern American cooking. Her amazing combination of elegance and ease has bewitched even the most stalwart of us over the years, teaching the novices while also teasing the most uptight home chefs into a more carefree, liberated way of cooking. Having published more than a dozen cookbooks, Garten has covered nearly every question you could have about eating. 

Not only does she know her way around a kitchen, but Garten is also truly encouraging when it comes to making things easier. Sure, a fabulous, blow-out dinner party is a rite of passage, but what about all those weeknights in between? If you're looking for some quick and easy, yet still truly comforting, comfort meals from the queen of deliciousness, check out our list. From breakfast cakes to veggie-packed dinners to dessert, we've got you covered. 

A pile of fluffy mashed potatoes screams comfort food and the addition of a few scrummy sausages just ups the ante. There are probably as many ways to make this delicious British dish as there are types of sausage, but if you're new to the bangers and mash game we suggest you start with Ina. Not to take anything away from the Brits, obviously, but you might have better luck sourcing ingredients if you're trying this dish stateside.

In Garten's recipe, you're really just cooking a few premade sausages and accompanying them with some suberbly-flavored mashed potatoes. The addition of crème fraîche and 3 types of mustard (dijon, whole-grain, and powdered) will give you the creamy potatoes you crave that will also stand up to those meaty sausages. Serve with your favorite veggie for a truly tasty and easy dinner.

Comfort breakfast? A bowl of steel-cut oats or a kale smoothie just won't cut it here. If you have a houseful of guests or even just your always-hungry kids, Garten's blueberry ricotta breakfast cake will appeal to anyone who likes something a little more akin to dessert first thing in the morning. And the sweetly bursting berries are only part of the appeal here. The secret to the moistness of this divine breakfast cake is a few creamy ingredients that keep the cake from becoming too dry.

Garten uses both ricotta and sour cream to help add loads of tenderness, while a pinch of lemon zest keeps things from getting too cloying. Both of those creamy ingredients will help the cake to stay delectable and moist for a few days after it's baked. And don't worry about having to serve this just for breakfast, either — even the Barefoot Contessa herself admits that it makes a pretty delicious dessert.

A more upscale version of everyday brownies, this brownie pudding still lands on our list of comfort foods because chocolate is always craveable and delicious. And don't even think about substituting oil for the butter in this recipe, the Countess has very firm opinions on that particular infraction. Add a scoopful of vanilla ice cream and you're all set. The difference with this particular recipe is that the filling is guaranteed to be gooey — these aren't your regular school bake sale brownies, darling.

Rather, it's more scoopable than sliceable. The molten interior, reminiscent of chocolate lava cakes, and the crispy exterior, just like all the best brownies, combine to fantastic effect — add a scoop of ice cream and watch this beauty disappear. The recipe calls for a little bit of fruity booze but feel free to experiment with whatever flavors you're drawn to. Perhaps something coffee or vanilla flavored, or double down with a chocolate-flavored liqueur for maximum decadence.

Here it is, the recipe that you've been waiting for. Comfort food to end all comfort food, there's nothing more American than a big, beefy serving to satisfy those cravings for Mom's best dinner ever. But what if you're on your own, without Mom's help? Fear not, Ina Garten has your answer, as the queen of the most elegant comfort food. Perfection comes from her extra steps of flouring and searing the beef before roasting, which adds both flavor and richness to the dish.

Adding flour to your roast might seem like too many extra steps to bear but hear us out. Sure, you can just chuck that roast in the oven, covered with onion soup mix, and hope for the best. On the other hand, you can follow Contessa's instructions and come out with a winner every time. The flour will add density to the juices, making it easier to create a thick gravy, while searing the meat beforehand will only add flavorful caramelization to your finished pot roast.

Looking for something comfort-worthy but without a ton of mashed potatoes or pasta? Garten's crispy lemon Parmesan chicken is coated in a crunchy pile of breadcrumbs but, instead of being piled on top of pasta, she serves it with freshly dressed greens on top. This simple salad pairing is still a perfectly acceptable comfort food dinner, without all the carbs and heaviness. But if you crave a pile of al dente pasta on the side, knock yourself out.

The dressing that Garten adds to the salad also adds a touch of brightness to the crispy chicken. Made with just lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, it's also super easy to customize. A handful of pinenuts wouldn't go astray here, nor would a few shavings of firm cheese. Not only that, this dish is awfully easy to make, giving you a quick and satisfying meal with little effort.

Here's a quick and easy dish for those looking for something lighter and brighter. A big bowl of orzo (the small and silky rice-shaped pasta) mixed with tons of roasted veggies, feta cheese, a zingy lemon vinaigrette, and pine nuts for an overload of flavor and texture. While Garten cites this recipe as her favorite side dish, we think that it makes a pretty great light summer meal, right out of the fridge.

If you want to amp up the protein quotient in your bowl, feel free to add a few chunks of roasted chicken or grilled beef. In the winter, Garten likes to serve this dish alongside a lovely, tender rack of lamb. When serving this in the summer, make sure to add a handful of whatever fresh herbs you have on hand — basil or thyme works exceptionally well, but anything green and herbaceous will do, adding freshness to every bite.

Sure, we can admit that roasted salmon tacos might not seem like a comfort meal for some. But some of us definitely recall those pre-packaged Taco Tuesdays when our families got together and piled a few fragile corn tortillas full of shredded cheese, iceberg lettuce, and seasoned ground beef. Now that you're an adult, you might want to expand your homemade taco horizons.

We're not even going to push cilantro-heavy topping on you — even Ina Garten herself hates cilantro — but we are going to tell you that tacos can be a super quick and comforting food. A sweet mixture of roasted salmon, topped with a zippy coleslaw full of cabbage, dill, and cucumber makes for a filling, yet fresh, dinner. All nostalgia aside, these flavorful tacos aren't like the ones of your youth. Full of tangy flavor, they'll not only upgrade Tuesdays, but they'll also satisfy your current cravings.

There aren't too many things to say about a comfort food like a big old pot of rice, especially when it's been upgraded with white wine, saffron, and chunks of sweet squash. Top all that deliciousness with shavings of Parmesan and there isn't much to complain about.

If this saffron risotto seems like a little too much work for something that's supposed to bring you comfort, we have a few tips from Garten herself. First, use a decent peeler on that squash (or just bust buy pre-peeled butternut, we won't judge) so you're not wasting loads of tasty flesh. Next, roast your squash cubes, rather than boiling them, for the best flavor. Finally, add your stock slowly. Risotto has a reputation for being finicky when it comes to stirring, but it's really for a good reason. Add liquid too quickly and the arborio grains won't cook as quickly on the interior as they do on the outside. And that will leave you with soupy rice with a hard, undercooked inside.

Our final dish is easily one of America's most loved comfort foods. Yes, meatloaf. Garten's version is lighter and maybe more flavor-packed than the meatloaf of your youth, so we urge you to give it a try. Not only is Garten's recipe a cinch to make, but it also has loads of flavor from an incredible special ingredient — a bag of pork rinds (yep, you read that right). So add that to your grocery list and get ready to enjoy absolutely exceptional comfort food.

Aside from the addition of crunchy delicious pork rinds, Garten's other piece of advice for presenting an impeccably comfortable dinner? Let that meatloaf rest, darling. Garten says that the biggest meatloaf mistake you can make is serving it as soon as it comes out of the oven. Pull it out, cover it with foil, and give it a good 10 minutes to rest. All those juices will redistribute, giving you a uniformly juicy interior.