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

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

We thought this recipe tasted just like Cheez-It crackers but with the consistency of a biscuit. These could be a pre-meal crowd-pleaser at your Thanksgiving gathering.

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's chipotle cheddar crackers here.

We first made Garten's brown-butter skillet corn bread for Friendsgiving, and it was the biggest hit on the menu. 

The corn bread — which serves 10 to 12 people — has a gorgeous golden-brown hue, making it the perfect centerpiece at the Thanksgiving table. 

Garten's corn bread also tasted deliciously fluffy and moist, with a salty and crunchy crust and delightfully sweet filling. No one could resist getting seconds, and the leftovers still tasted just as fresh on the second and third day. 

The recipe was also super easy. It's no wonder the brown-butter skillet corn bread has earned a permanent spot in our holiday cooking repertoire. 

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

We love making — and ranking — Garten's pasta recipes, and this overnight mac and cheese is among our favorites. 

Garten calls this recipe the "creamiest, crustiest, most delicious mac and cheese" that she's ever made. It features cavatappi or elbow macaroni, heavy cream, Gruyère and sharp white cheddar cheeses, nutmeg, breadcrumbs, and plenty of butter. 

This mac and cheese is the perfect make-ahead dish. We first made it the night before Friendsgiving and just threw it in the oven when the party started. It was ready in less than 30 minutes and made a big day of cooking much less stressful. Plus, it's extremely delicious. 

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

Whether you're looking to keep the main dish low-lift this year, or you find out you're in charge of cooking turkey the day before Thanksgiving, we think this recipe should be your go-to. 

This dish was easy to put together and doesn't require the same amount of time and prep as cooking a full-size bird, which makes it ideal for last-minute chefs. 

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's herb-roasted turkey breast here.

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

Even if you're not making Garten's turkey breast, you should pull out this part of the recipe and add some bright, citrusy, fresh-herb flavors to your otherwise rich plate. 

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's lemony, herby turkey rub here.

Garten's Parmesan smashed potatoes, which serve six to eight people, feature red potatoes, unsalted butter, half and half, sour cream, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

This dish blew us away. The potatoes were delightfully thick, deliciously creamy, and packed with tons of flavor thanks to the salty Parmesan and subtly sweet potatoes. One friend even said it was the best mashed potatoes they've 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 hosting. 

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's parmesan smashed potatoes here.

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 gorgeous when they came out of the oven, and were an instant crowd-pleaser. They had a deliciously crispy exterior that gave way to a perfectly warm and creamy middle, and the rosemary added a burst of surprising flavor to the dish.

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

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's rosemary roasted potatoes here.

Garten's potato-fennel gratin recipe appeared in her very first cookbook, "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook."  It only requires a few main ingredients: russet potatoes, one small fennel bulb, yellow onion, Gruyère cheese, and heavy cream. And it's so comforting. 

Garten's gratin is deliciously creamy and satisfying thanks to the Gruyère, and the potatoes are perfectly cooked. The fennel also adds a lovely mild sweetness that cuts through the saltiness of the cheese.

Better yet? You can even make it ahead. 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. 

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

What makes these cookies special is that they're super thin and ripple out from the middle to the edges. This wrinkly effect is due to Garten's tip for banging the pan on a counter or stovetop several times throughout the baking process. 

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

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's giant crinkled chocolate-chip cookies here.