Ina Garten's Favorite Low-Stress Meal To Make For A Party

From her catering background to her noted dinner parties for famous friends, celebrity chef Ina Garten knows how to serve a crowd. In a recent "Ask Me Anything" segment posted on her Instagram account, the Barefoot Contessa responded to a fan's question about her easiest go-to menu when cooking for numerous people.

The answer comes from Garten's 2001 book, "The Barefoot Contessa Parties!" and is a repeat combo of recipes the culinary star prepares often: rack of lamb and orzo with roasted vegetables. "I can make it in my sleep," Garten said in the social media post. "It's absolutely delicious, and it's really easy to prepare."

Both dishes require some prep work but very little labor in the final stages close to serving time, making them ideal hands-off menu options for a host in crunch time. The rack of lamb à la Garten features a modest ingredient list that includes two racks of lamb, kosher salt, fresh rosemary, garlic cloves, Dijon mustard, and balsamic vinegar — but any rack of lamb or crown roast of lamb recipe will work. While it has more ingredients, the roasted veggie dish is nonetheless simple to execute, is primarily make-ahead, and is served at room temperature, allowing the chef to complete it and then leave it until serving time. In fact, prepping your dishes ahead of time is one of Ina Garten's rules for entertaining that you shouldn't break — it keeps the engagement stress-free and allows you to mingle.

When it comes to entertaining, Ina Garten prioritizes putting her guests first and the food second, making the company and the shared time the main event and the food the supporting cast. She has a four-dish rule for better dinner parties and suggests preparing simple dishes you're comfortable cooking and keeping your own stress low, which empowers your guests to feel relaxed because you are. To achieve this low-key, Zen-like state in the midst of hosting a large number of people, she has plenty of other easy go-to recipes under her chef's hat for delicious, decadent dishes that will delight visitors while letting you, the host, breathe easy and focus elsewhere.

Garten favors serving extremely easy hors d'oeuvres at her parties, buying quality ingredients and presenting them elegantly for a classy appearance that belies their fuss-free nature. Just as her regular-rotation finger foods, main dishes, and side dishes leave her in low stress at hostess time, she also has go-to desserts that are similarly low-key to prepare, such as the sweet French classic dessert she makes most often, French apple tart, and her four-ingredient dessert for lazy summer nights, frozen berries with hot white chocolate. Though simple in nature and easy to execute, they have that quintessential Barefoot Contessa gourmet touch that lets guests know, "I'm at an Ina Garten dinner party!"