Ina Garten is the queen of simple Thanksgiving. Here are 9 recipes we think should be on your menu this year.

• We love Ina Garten’s recipes, especially when it comes to the holidays.

• And we tested lots of appetizers, sides, and entrees that would be perfect for Thanksgiving.

• Here are Garten’s best holiday recipes, from cornbread and mac and cheese to turkey and potato gratin.

Ina Garten is the queen of holiday hosting and we think some of her recipes deserve a place on your Thanksgiving table.

From one-pot chicken meals to legendary chocolate cakes, we’ve tested dozens of Garten’s recipes in our kitchens.

But when it comes to which dishes to include in your holiday feast, we think these nine recipes should fit the bill.

Garten says her homemade appetizer is a batch of chipotle cheddar crackers, and we agree they can be a hit.

When it comes to appetizers, the Barefoot Contessa says she likes to prepare one item and then buy the rest. In October 2022, she told Bon Appétit that her go-to homemade dish for this purpose is a batch of chipotle cheddar crackers.

Garten says she keeps a log of the cracker dough in her freezer. This way, even if she has a few surprise guests over for drinks, she can bring them out and bake a few if needed.

We thought this recipe tasted just like Cheez-It crackers but had the consistency of a cookie. These could be a crowd-pleaser before dinner at your Thanksgiving gathering.

You can find the full recipe for Ina Garten’s chipotle cheddar crackers here.

Garten says this brown butter cornbread is the best she’s ever made, and we think the same way.

For Friendsgiving, we pan-baked Garten’s Brown Butter Cornbread for the first time, and it was the biggest hit on the menu.

The cornbread — which serves 10 to 12 people — has a beautiful golden brown hue, making it the perfect centerpiece on the Thanksgiving table.

Garten’s cornbread also tasted deliciously fluffy and moist, with a salty and crunchy crust and a wonderfully sweet filling. No one could resist the refill and the leftovers still tasted just as fresh on the second and third days.

The recipe was super easy too. It’s no wonder that pan-baked brown butter cornbread has earned a permanent spot in our holiday cooking repertoire.

Find the full recipe for Ina Garten’s Brown Butter Cornbread here.

Garten’s Overnight Mac and Cheese is the perfect make-ahead meal.

We love making and reviewing Garten’s pasta recipes, and this overnight mac and cheese is one of our favorites.

Garten calls this recipe the “creamiest, crispiest, most delicious mac and cheese” she’s ever made. It contains cavatappi or elbow macaroni, cream, Gruyère and sharp white cheddar cheeses, nutmeg, breadcrumbs and lots of butter.

This macaroni and cheese dish is the perfect make-ahead meal. We made this for the first time the night before Friendsgiving and just threw it in the oven when the party started. It was ready in under 30 minutes and made a big day of cooking much less stressful. Plus, it’s extremely tasty.

You can find the full recipe for Ina Garten’s overnight mac and cheese here.

And her easy turkey breast recipe could save your last-minute meal.

Whether you’re looking to go easy on the main dish this year or you’re responsible for preparing turkey the day before Thanksgiving, we think this recipe should be your go-to.

This dish was easy to make and doesn’t require the same amount of time and preparation as cooking a large bird, making it ideal for last minute cooks.

You can find the full recipe for Ina Garten’s herb-roasted turkey breast here.

This Wet Rub from Garten’s Turkey Recipe is worth making even if you’re not cooking the main dish.

This quick marinade was our favorite part of the turkey breast recipe. You can use the extra rub to season green beans, season potatoes, or even serve it as a general dipping sauce for the table.

Even if you’re not making backyard turkey breast, consider taking this part of the recipe out and adding some bright, citrusy, and fresh herbal flavors to your otherwise rich plate.

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s Lemony Herb Turkey Rub here.

Garten Parmesan Mashed Potatoes is a fun twist on a Thanksgiving classic.

Garten’s Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, which serves six to eight people, is made with red potatoes, half-and-half unsalted butter, sour cream, and freshly grated Parmesan.

This dish blew us away. The potatoes were wonderfully thick, deliciously creamy and full of flavor thanks to the salty Parmesan and subtly sweet potatoes. A friend even said it was the best mashed potatoes he had ever tasted.

And the recipe is incredibly easy and quick. After giving the potatoes some time to just sit on the stove, we barely had to do five minutes of work. It’s another great make-ahead dish from the Queen of Hosts.

You can find the full recipe for Ina Garten’s Parmesan Mashed Potatoes here.

And Garten’s Roasted Rosemary Potatoes are the easiest Thanksgiving side dish.

If you’re looking for something a little more classic, we recommend trying Garten’s Rosemary Roasted Potatoes instead.

The recipe only requires a few basic ingredients: small red and white skinned potatoes, garlic, olive oil and fresh rosemary leaves.

The potatoes looked great when they came out of the oven and were an instant crowd pleaser. They had a deliciously crispy exterior leading to a perfectly warm and creamy center, and the rosemary gave the dish a surprising burst of flavor.

With so many dishes to juggle on the menu, Garten’s recipe is a great way to get delicious potatoes to the table with as little effort as possible.

You can find the full recipe for Ina Garten’s rosemary fried potatoes here.

But if you want to try our favorite potato dish, Barefoot Contessa, you have to make Garten’s Potato and Fennel Gratin.

Garten’s potato and fennel gratin recipe appeared in her very first cookbook, “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.” Only a few main ingredients are needed: russet potatoes, a small fennel bulb, yellow onions, Gruyère cheese and cream. And that’s it So comforting.

Thanks to the Gruyère, Garten’s gratin is wonderfully creamy and filling, and the potatoes are perfectly cooked. The fennel also adds a nice mild sweetness that cuts through the saltiness of the cheese.

Even better? You can even make it further. Garten says her gratin can be cooked the day before and reheated for 30 minutes—perfect if you want to save some time on Thanksgiving.

You can find the full recipe for Ina Garten’s potato and fennel gratin here.

As for dessert, we think these giant chocolate chip cookies are definitely impressive.

What’s special about these cookies is that they are super thin and form waves from the center to the edges. This wrinkling effect is due to Garten’s tip to hit the pan on the counter or stove several times during the baking process.

These cookies were both sweet and salty and their texture was a combination of crunchy, flaky, crunchy and gooey. The finished product was worth it.

Find the full recipe for Ina Garten’s Giant Crunched Chocolate Chip Cookies here.

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