Ina Garten Just Shared the Easiest Summer Menu

We love making Ina Garten recipes in our own kitchens, especially light-and-delicious summer dishes like warm lobster rolls or vegetable cole slaw. It seems Garten is always cooking up something yummy on social media, and her famous friends, including Jennifer Garner, get just as excited as we do to follow the Barefoot Contessa’s lead and try the new recipes she posts. What’s more, many of Garten’s recipes are made to be shared, from caprese salad to skillet-roasted chicken and potatoes, making her meals perfect for dinner parties and even your next book club meeting.

In a recent Instagram post, Garten made mention of fans who are reading her 2024 memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, with their book clubs, then making her recipes to eat during the actual book club meeting. (Can we get an invite to these book clubs, please?) “Menus are hard because you have to figure out how all the flavors, textures, and colors go together,” Garten said in her post. “To make it easy, here’s a menu of my recipes that travel well and can be assembled ahead.”

Garten’s ideal book club menu is nothing short of stunning visually. And, with delights like melon and prosciutto (a favorite of famed pianist Liberace, too) and tomato crostini with whipped feta on the table, it’s guaranteed to be pretty tasty. Here’s what’s on Garten’s ideal book club potluck dinner menu.

Snacks and Sips

Garten kicks off her beautiful book club menu with tomato crostini with whipped feta, a dish you can feel good about bringing to your next potluck since tomatoes may reduce the risk of heart disease, prevent cancer and improve eye and skin health. She also recommends a plate of cantaloupe and prosciutto (Garten’s recipe can be found in her cookbook, Go-To Dinners) and a summery cocktail, namely a cosmopolitan made with freshly-squeezed lemon juice, Cointreau liqueur, cranberry juice, vodka and a dash of raw egg white.

Main Course

Once the mingling is over and you’re ready to discuss Garten’s memoir, the celebrity chef recommends grilled lemon chicken satay, a perfect main course for a social gathering because it’s easy to eat, not to mention that chicken is a great source of protein to keep you and your guests satisfied. Next up is Moroccan-inspired couscous with flavorful pignoli nuts and currants, some sheet pan-roasted broccolini and Emily Blunt’s recipe for crisp, English-roasted yukon gold potatoes. It’s a light and delicious dinner that’s perfect for noshing on while chatting with good friends.

Dessert

For the final (and sweetest) course, Garten suggests raspberry crumble bars, filled with yummy raspberry jam, granola and almonds. This sounds delectable to us, especially since raspberries can help boost cardiovascular health and reduce inflammation. Garten also adds some “outrageous” brownies, prepared with two kinds of chocolate, instant coffee and crunchy chopped walnuts (which are great for gut and brain health). For one last sweet treat, Garten says to set out a bowl of Queen Anne cherries on ice for guests to enjoy. Similar to Rainer cherries, Queen Annes have a yellow-to-light-pink coloration and a sweet taste. And, since cherries can do everything from lower inflammation to promote better sleep, they’re not a bad way to end an evening.

This enchanting menu from Garten has us planning our next summer dinner party, book club gathering or ladies’ night, and we can’t wait. From the tasty appetizers to that icy cold bowl of fresh cherries, there’s nothing to not love about this portable, make-ahead entertaining menu.