Ina Garten’s Easter Menu Is Golden—and Totally Easy to Make

If you’re not too busy dyeing eggs (or hiding them around the house), Easter weekend can be a great time to scope out some new recipes for a scrumptious holiday meal. And if there’s one person we always trust when it comes to simple, delicious food that will stun at a party, it’s Ina Garten.

Whether she’s putting together a lineup of dishes for Passover, Thanksgiving or Super Bowl Sunday, Ina always knows how to put together a menu that everyone at the table will want a bite of, and she’s back at it. The Barefoot Contessa just revealed her Easter menu for a little last-minute inspiration, and it’s full of recipes that anyone, from beginner cooks to more experienced hosts, can pull together with ease. Here’s what’s on the menu.

Ina Garten’s Easter Menu

Baked Virginia Ham

“This Baked Virginia Ham is probably the easiest Easter dinner on the planet,” Ina wrote on Instagram this week. “All you do is mix together six ingredients for the glaze, pour it over a fully cooked, spiral-cut smoked ham, and bake it for an hour.”

It really doesn’t get much easier than that. For the glaze on this Baked Virginia Ham, you’ll need a classic Ina ingredient: mango chutney. Combine it with Dijon mustard, light brown sugar, garlic and the juice and zest of an orange, and your glaze is all set to go. While you do have to bake the glazed ham for an hour, it can be served hot or at room temperature, so you can bake your ham earlier in the day and leave it tented with foil without worrying that it needs to be piping hot. This ham serves 35 people, so feel free to use the leftovers in one of our favorite recipes for leftover ham.

Parmesan Fennel Gratin

While potatoes gratin—like this recipe that Ina also recommends for holiday deliciousness—may be the more typical side dish, this Parmesan Fennel Gratin is a delightfully cheesy way to shake things up. For the most part, this recipe is a one-dish dump-and-bake side, which makes the prep very easy. Once your fennel is sliced, arrange it in a gratin dish and pour over the white wine, chicken stock, seasoning and cubed butter, then bake while you put together the Parmesan-breadcrumb topping. Lemon zest and parsley add a certain freshness to this recipe, which you could level up by sprinkling in whatever herbs you have on hand.

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

When a commenter on Ina’s ham recipe asked for ideas for Easter side dishes, this simple Oven-Roasted Asparagus was at the top of her list. It truly doesn't get much easier than this—Ina drizzles and tosses the asparagus spears with olive oil, tops them with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, and roasts them until they’re tender and delicious. If you want to level things up, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice on the asparagus once out of the oven. Or, try adding a touch of balsamic vinegar and crushed red pepper like we do in our Roasted Asparagus.

Peas & Pancetta

A simple combination of frozen peas, pancetta, shallot, good olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh mint, this Peas & Pancetta recipe brings together comforting, savory flavor with light, herbaceous freshness (and it’s another recommendation from Ina’s comment on Instagram). It comes together quickly in a sauté pan, so you can whip this up while the ham or sides are baking away in the oven. You even can leave this recipe at the end of your to-do list since it’s ready to serve in about 15 minutes. If you chop your shallot and pancetta the night before, you’ll be ready to fire up the skillet and be done in no time.

Carrot Cake with Ginger Mascarpone Frosting

Move out of the way, plain cream cheese frosting—Ina puts her own twist on the classic carrot cake accent by replacing some of the cream cheese for mascarpone in her Carrot Cake with Ginger Mascarpone Frosting. You can find mascarpone in the specialty cheese case at your grocery store. It adds a slightly sweet flavor to pair with the cream cheese. Otherwise, this recipe is a simple carrot- and raisin-packed take on the classic Easter dessert featuring lots of spice, nuts and sweetness. If you’re not much of a baker or are looking for a more portable dessert, our Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bars are an excellent alternate choice.