12 of Ina Garten's Best Spring Recipes

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What’s not to love about spring? With fresh florals and warmer temps, everything changes — the weather, our home decor, even what we eat. Out with the heavier, comfort-food dishes (though we’ll still be relying on Ina Garten’s Modern Comfort Food when the cravings hit) and in with fresh, seasonal fruits and veggies, like radishes, asparagus and rhubarb. And who better to turn to than the Barefoot Contessa for the best spring recipes?

Spring is Garten’s favorite time of the year, especially in her garden, where she grows lettuce, chives and so much more. It’s also the time of the year she comes through with plenty of springtime party planning tips, because, as we all know, Easter’s around the corner, meaning family gatherings and plenty of food to keep guests full. 

One of our favorite tips from Garten is to prepare dishes that’ll wow your guests without leaving you with a mess (and a meltdown) in the kitchen, and we have just the dishes that won’t stress you out and are guaranteed to please everyone.

Ahead, we’ve gathered some of Ina Garten’s best spring-time recipes to make for family and friends. 

Crispy Mustard Chicken & Frisée

Bridging the gap between cold-weather comfort food and spring freshness, Garten’s crispy mustard chicken with frisée is hearty but not heavy, thanks to the tangy mustard and wine mix the chicken is dipped in before breading, as well as the bittersweet crisp of the mustard vinaigrette-dressed greens.

Get the recipe from Barefoot Contessa.

Spring Green Spaghetti Carbonara

It might sound sacrilegious, but sometimes spaghetti carbonara is a little heavy for our tastes. But Ina Garten’s spring rendition brightens and lightens things right up, with fragrant scallions, chives, and lemon zest joining a bevy of spring vegetables that balance out the rich sauce.

Get the recipe from Barefoot Contessa.

Herbal Iced Tea

This kid-friendly iced tea is simple to make, thanks to Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger and Red Zinger tea, and gets sweetened with apple juice. It’s the perfect refreshing mocktail for those first warm spring days.

Get the recipe from Barefoot Contessa.

Creamy Chicken Thighs With Lemon and Thyme

If Ina says this recipe is stunningly easy, we’re adding it to our weekly menu STAT. The lemon and thyme provide a powerful burst of spring flavor and the savory chicken thighs provide just the right amount of comfort for those chilly spring nights.

Get the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa.

Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake

Cake for breakfast? Say less. Even though it’s not in the recipe name, this easy breakfast cake also gets a touch of spring from some lemon zest.

Get the recipe from Barefoot Contessa.

Asparagus & Prosciutto Bundles

Asparagus season is between February and June, with April being the peak, so this veggie is a must-have in your spring dishes. This intermediate recipe serves six and is the most decadent asparagus dish you’ll probably ever have, as its co-stars include prosciutto, white truffle butter, and Gruyère cheese.

Get the recipe from Barefoot Contessa.

Raspberry Rhubarb Crostata

Prime rhubarb season runs from April to June, so stock up once it hits the produce aisle. Then, immediately go to work whipping up this rhubarb crostata, which has a fruity filling that includes raspberries and orange zest and juice.

Get the recipe from Barefoot Contessa.

White Pizzas with Arugula

In the early spring and in the fall, arugula is back in season, so why not load up a white pizza with this leafy veggie? Garten’s white pizza recipe is quick and easy, especially if you opt for storebought dough.

Get the recipe from Food Network.

Lamb Stew with Spring Vegetables

On cooler spring nights, a veggie-packed stew is in order. This particular lamb stew is filled with onions, turnips, green peas, potatoes, rosemary, thyme, tomatoes and garlic.

Get the recipe from Food Network.

Spring Green Risotto

With a five-out-of-five star rating and over 160 reviews, this spring green risotto is one of Garten’s most popular spring dishes — and for good reason. With chopped leeks, fennel, Arborio rice, asparagus, and peas, this bowl of risotto doesn’t skimp on the spring veggies.

Get the recipe from Food Network.

Radishes with Butter & Salt

It doesn’t take much to throw together a tasty radish dish. Sometimes, it’s as easy as placing sliced radishes atop buttered French baguette, as this radishes with butter and salt recipe by Garten calls for.

Get the recipe from Food Network.

Salad with Warm Goat Cheese

At your next dinner party, really impress your friends with this refreshing, not-too-filling warm goat cheese salad. It just takes 15 minutes, and you can brag that you made the dressing from scratch.

Get the recipe from Food Network.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

The orzo and veggies, including eggplants, bell peppers and onions, definitely shine in this perfectly balanced dish. Once you toss in the pine nuts, feta, scallions and the light, lemony dressing, you’ll be going in for seconds and thirds and…

Get the recipe from Food Network.

Parmesan Chicken

Considered a fan favorite, this parmesan chicken recipe has a five-out-of-five star review with nearly 550 reviews. The best part? It takes just 30 minutes to make, leaving you with juicy, parmesan-crusted chicken breasts topped with a lemon vinaigrette-dressed salad in the same amount of time it takes to watch and episode of Barefoot Contessa while you cook.

Get the recipe from Barefoot Contessa.

Parmesan Primavera

This parmesan pasta combines all your favorite spring veggies, including peas, bell peppers, and carrots, as well as mint, parmesan and even goat cheese. Drizzled with olive oil, you’ll devour the bowl in one minute flat.

Get the recipe from Food Network.

Strawberry Tarts

Gather the kids for this one because not only is this a dessert they’ll love helping you prepare and decorate with sliced strawberries, but they’ll also love licking the spatula clean of the raved-about cream filling used in this strawberry tart dessert.

Get the recipe from Food Network.

Strawberry Country Cake

Sure, strawberries are pretty much always in season, but this light, flavorful strawberry country cake screams spring. Make it for Easter, make it on a random Sunday — just do yourself a favor and make it.

Get the recipe from Food Network.

In search of more fresh recipes? Giada De Laurentiis has plenty:

Watch: We Tried Ina Garten’s Overnight Mac & Cheese & We Totally Get Why It Broke the Internet

A version of this article was originally published in March 2020.