Barefoot Contessa, 78, ends four-year wait with a 'barely cooking' book
- Oct 21, 2026
One of America's best-loved TV cooks, 78, has a new cookbook out. And her big idea is that you should barely cook.
The book landed on shelves on Tuesday, October 20, four years after her last one.
"It's not easy to make something simple and delicious," she said when she announced it in March, according to Parade.
The cook is Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, and the book is Simply Ina.
It's her 14th cookbook, with 85 recipes, published by Clarkson Potter.
Shortcuts are the whole point
Garten has repeatedly said the book is about "barely cooking," PureWow reports.
Many of the recipes lean on smart store-bought shortcuts or can be made ahead, and some need little more than assembly, according to the book's description on her website.
The page sums it up in one line: "Because simple food shouldn't just save you time; it should let you enjoy the people you love."
The index runs from drinks and appetizers to soups, sandwiches, dinners, desserts and breakfast. Recipes include Mashed Potato and Leek Soup, Bourbon Baked Beans, Provençal Chicken with Olives and Capers, Cherry Berry Crumble and an Irish Coffee Affogato.
In August she gave fans a sneak peek on Instagram, with photos by her longtime photographer Quentin Bacon.
"I was looking through the first copy the other day and I was surprised to think, 'Oh! I have to make that this weekend!'" she wrote, according to PureWow.
"It made me smile because of course, I've made every recipe so many times."
I hope you invite people over to dinner, make something simple, and surround yourself with people you love.
Ina Garten
The first verdict is in
PureWow writer Marissa Wu got an early copy and cooked her lunches from it for a week, rating each dish out of five "Cosmos."
Two recipes earned a perfect five. The Homemade Chicken Stock became a "set-it-and-forget-it operation" in her slow cooker, and the Easy Butternut Squash and Apple Soup won her over too.
The Whipped Ricotta with Fig Jam and Grilled Bread scored four. "Honestly, girl dinner," Wu wrote.
The Provençal Chicken with Olives and Capers came last on 3.5, after its skin turned soft. Even so, she called that score "high praise from someone who hates handling raw meat."
Happy hour with Ina
The book isn't her only new project this fall.
In September she launched Happy Hour With Ina Garten, a video podcast on her own YouTube channel, with new episodes every Wednesday. Guests so far include Kate McKinnon, Sofia Coppola, Nathan Lane and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
"I want Happy Hour to feel like you're right there in the kitchen with us, having a drink and joining the conversation," she said, according to YouTube.
She's taking the book on the road too. Her "Simply Ina" evening comes to the Jacobs Music Center in San Diego on November 12, where select tickets include a signed copy.
Simply Ina is out now, with a list price of $40.
