I make these 3 easy Ina Garten recipes for Thanksgiving every year, and they’re always a hit with family and friends

In her cookbook “Go-To Dinners,” Garten said her overnight mac and cheese is the “creamiest, crustiest, most delicious mac and cheese.”  

And believe me, she’s not exaggerating.

To make Garten’s dish for four, you’ll need:

8 ounces cavatappi or elbow macaroni3 cups heavy cream2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated1 ½ cups fine fresh white breadcrumbs1 cup sharp white cheddar, grated2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Garten’s mac and cheese couldn’t be easier to assemble — you don’t even need to make a roux. Plus, it requires less than 30 minutes in the oven, so it’s an easy dish to bake right before Thanksgiving dinner.

More importantly, Garten’s overnight mac and cheese is extremely delicious. I love the crunchy breadcrumbs on top, and the sauce is decadent without being too rich. When I made this dish for the first time at Friendsgiving, my boyfriend praised it for being “exceptionally creamy” while a friend said it tasted “like a hug in your mouth.”

It’s my favorite “Barefoot Contessa” mac and cheese recipe, although Garten’s “grown up” mac and cheese is definitely a close second.

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

I wasn’t much of a cook before the pandemic, unless you count warming up frozen food from Trader Joe’s. But when I wanted to contribute something to my family’s holiday menu, this recipe seemed like a good place to start.

Garten’s potato-fennel gratin, which appears in her first cookbook, “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook,” is 100% foolproof.

Plus, it tastes amazing.

“I love to make potato gratin and fennel gratin, so I decided to combine the two,” Garten writes in the recipe’s description. “If you make this in an old French gratin dish, it looks wonderful and can go from the oven to the table with style.”

To make Garten’s gratin for four, you’ll need:

1 pound russet potatoes (2 large ones)1 small fennel bulb½ yellow onion1½ cups Gruyère cheese1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

If you’re trying to make the dish for a larger party, Garten also has a recipe that serves 10.

Garten’s potato-fennel gratin is such a creamy and satisfying dish, with perfectly cooked potatoes and a deliciously cheesy cream thanks to the Gruyère. The sautéed fennel also adds a lovely mild sweetness to each bite.

This is easily one of my favorite holiday side dishes, and it’s so much better than mashed potatoes.

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s potato-fennel gratin here.

Garten included this corn-bread recipe in the republished version of “The Barefoot Contessa” cookbook, calling it the “best corn bread I’ve ever made!”

I decided to try the recipe for the first time before a Friendsgiving party a few years ago, and it was a huge hit.

To make Garten’s corn bread, which serves 10 to 12 people, you’ll need:

3 cups all-purpose flour2 cups whole milk1 cup fine cornmeal (Garten says this makes moister corn bread than medium grind)1 cup sugar½ pound unsalted butter2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten2 tablespoons baking powder

Garten’s brown-butter skillet corn bread is one of my favorite “Barefoot Contessa” recipes of all time. It’s perfectly baked and delectably moist, which is evident the minute you cut the first slice.

The warm, golden hue makes for a stunning centerpiece, and the corn bread just tastes so deliciously fluffy. It’s the perfect blend of sweet and savory, and I can never resist getting seconds — no matter how stuffed I am.

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten’s brown-butter skillet corn bread here.