The Best Recipes from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Updated October 2026 Ah, Barefoot Contessa Parties! … the cookbook Ina has declared her favorite multiple times, saying, “I just love its basic, simple, easy-to-make recipes.” And honestly, it makes sense. This is the book that taught me how to entertain, reinforced that organization is the real secret to success, and most importantly, gave me permission to embrace #storeboughtisfine ethos when having people over. I have a feeling I’m going to get A LOT of flak for where this one landed on the full ranking of Ina’s cookbooks, but hear me out. There isn’t a single Ina book with an average recipe rating below 4.28, so at this point I’m fully splitting hairs. The recipes in Parties! are stellar. I just don’t personally love menu-themed cookbooks. The book is organized around full entertaining menus, which is incredibly helpful if you’re planning a brunch, dinner party, or holiday meal from start to finish. But for the way I cook, I found it harder to casually open the book and get…