• I made chili recipes from celebrity chefs Ina Garten, Ree Drummond, and Giada De Laurentiis.
• Garten's recipe, which didn't call for any beans, didn't really feel like traditional chili.
• One of my favorites had white beans and chicken, a far cry from a traditional beef chili.

Cold weather is always better with hearty meals, like a warm bowl of chili.

In search of the best one to make on repeat all fall and winter, I tried recipes from celebrity chefs Ina Garten, Ree Drummond, and Giada De Laurentiis.

Here's how the dishes turned out, and which ended up being my top picks.

I started with Garten's recipe, which didn't feel familiar to me at all

Garten's chicken chili recipe, which I found on the Food Network website, seemed fairly straightforward.

I needed easy-to-find ingredients like yellow onion, minced garlic, red bell peppers, yellow bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, dried red-pepper flakes, cayenne, basil, chicken breasts, and cans of whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree.

I simmered the onions and garlic until translucent, added the spices and herbs, diced bell peppers, and whole tomatoes, and cooked for about half an hour.

This mixture was very similar to a chunky pasta sauce.

Instead of roasting the chicken breasts, I sautéed them in a pan

Though the recipe said to split olive oil-covered chicken breasts and bake them in the oven, I decided to sautée them in a pan since it seemed more efficient.

I sautéed them for about 12 minutes on each side, diced them, and combined them with the tomato-and-pepper sauce.

I let the chili simmer for another 20 minutes.

Garten's recipe didn't quite satisfy my chili craving

This recipe wasn't as hearty as a typical chili and had a strong tomato flavor and a lot of bell-pepper chunks.

The chicken was juicy but could have benefited from a different, more potent seasoning blend.

Topped with shredded cheese, it was filling, but not what I would want if I were in the mood for a traditional chili.

A few of my Filipino relatives tried this chili and loved it on top of white rice without cheese, though.

The next recipe I tried was Drummond's, which felt like a traditional chili

I followed a recipe for Pioneer Woman's "simple, perfect chili" that I also found on the Food Network website.

Its ingredients seemed very classic for a chili with things like ground beef, chopped garlic, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and canned beans.

I was surprised to see masa harina, a dried maize-based flour often used as a thickening agent, as an ingredient.

Drummond's recipe was super easy, though I made a substitution

To start, I browned ground beef in a large pot with minced garlic and drained the fat.

I added chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper to the meat and incorporated the tomato sauce.

After stirring, I let the chili simmer for an hour, adding a half cup of water when the mixture looked a bit dry.

I didn't have masa harina, which needed to be turned into a paste for this recipe, so I substituted it with corn grits.

To do so, I mixed the grits with water and stirred them into the chili. Then, I drained and rinsed my cans of pinto and kidney beans, and added them to the mixture along with more seasonings and salt to taste.

I let all of that simmer for about 10 minutes.

Drummond's recipe made an excellent traditional chili

Drummond's easy-to-make recipe was meaty, hearty, and filling.

It was nice and thick, and I liked the ground beef and texture from the pinto and kidney beans. The cumin and spices added a warm flavor, too.

For me, it checked all the boxes for a tasty chili.

De Laurentiis uses ground chicken in her chili recipe

Next, I tried De Laurentiis' recipe for white bean and chicken chili as found on the Food Network website.

The ingredients were fairly simple, including ground chicken, onion, cumin, chili powder, Swiss chard, canned cannellini beans (or other white beans), frozen corn, fennel seeds, chicken stock, and red-pepper flakes.

For serving, she suggested topping the chili with Parmesan and chopped parsley.

To start, I simmered chopped onions and minced garlic until translucent and added ground chicken, salt, cumin, fennel, oregano, and chili powder.

After the meat cooked through, I added the roughly-chopped Swiss chard, beans, corn, and chicken stock.

Per the recipe, I made sure to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot

I let the mixture simmer for about an hour, added chili flakes, and cooked for about 10 more minutes.

When plating, I sprinkled Parmesan and parsley on top.

This chili had some great flavors

De Laurentiis' chili wasn't particularly conventional — with the Swiss chard, ground chicken, and Parmesan — but I thought it was tasty.

I enjoyed the savory flavor of the crunchy corn, tender white beans, and vegetal Swiss chard. The stock and ground chicken gave this a rich, meaty taste, too.

I thought this was the perfect, comforting bowl of chili.

For me, the recipes from Drummond and De Laurentiis tied for first place

I loved both Drummond's traditional chili and De Laurentiis' chicken version for their hearty, savory, and complex flavors.

They were different types of chili, but equally delicious for game day.

Though Garten's recipe wasn't bad, the chunky texture wasn't my favorite, and it just didn't do it for me in terms of what I look for in a chili.

Check out the other celebrity-chef recipes we've put head-to-head so far.

This story was originally published on February 11, 2022, and most recently updated on October 19, 2026.

• I've made dozens of Ina Garten's recipes, and some of her dishes are perfect for fall.
• Garten's chicken chili is quicker and lighter than your traditional chili recipe.
• And her weeknight Bolognese and rigatoni with sausage will keep you cozy as temperatures dip.

This year's descent into fall has been more of a crawl, but I think we're all ready for some cozy weather.

And what better accompaniment to a classic rom-com and your favorite sweater than a dish by Ina Garten?

The "Barefoot Contessa" star has built a whole career on recipes that are easy and comforting. I've made dozens of Garten's dishes, so I decided to look back and find a few that I think are perfect for this busy season.

From a Bolognese that's ready in 30 minutes to a cake packed with the flavors of autumn, these are Garten's best fall dishes.

Ina Garten's breakfast sandwiches will energize you for chaotic fall mornings.

The start of fall is so hectic. Work ramps back up, school is back in session, and the prep and stress of the holidays begin to creep in.

Travel-friendly and loaded with protein, a breakfast sandwich is just what you need. And Garten's version only requires five ingredients: English muffins, whole milk, avocado, bacon, cheddar cheese, and eggs that you can cook in the microwave.

The microwave eggs are surprisingly creamy, and the sandwich is deliciously filling.

Everything in Garten's breakfast sandwich works so well together. She recommends using thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, which provides a crispy contrast to the soft eggs. Spreading the avocado on the bottom adds both flavor and nutrients, and I love the tanginess of the sharp white cheddar.

If you're making this sandwich for more than two people, I recommend cooking the eggs on the stove rather than in the microwave to save time. But this is a great recipe to teach your kids so they can make breakfast on their own. And if you're a college student, you could easily whip this up in a dorm.

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's bacon, egg, and cheddar sandwich here.

Making a huge batch of Garten's homemade chicken stock has been my fall tradition for years.

I began testing Garten's soup recipes in 2023 and knew something was missing after I kept using boxed stock. "Store-bought is fine!" might be Garten's most famous catchphrase, but she believes homemade chicken stock is akin to "liquid gold."

"Nothing available on the market has the depth of flavor or richness of stock you've made yourself," she wrote in "Go-To Dinners," her October 2022 cookbook. "It contributes such great body and aroma to so many dishes. Plus, having a big pot of chicken stock simmering away on my stove just makes me feel good."

Garten's stock is packed with flavor because it involves simmering three roasting chickens for hours alongside carrots, onions, celery, parsnips, garlic, and plenty of herbs.

There's no flavor left in the chicken once the stock is ready. If you'd rather save the meat for meals, you can always take the chicken out once it's cooked through and continue to simmer the aromatics. I also recommend freezing chicken bones so you always have some on hand for more stock.

The recipe makes enough stock to last through the winter, and it provides the base for so many delicious soups.

Garten's recipe provides nearly nine quarts of stock, and you can store it in the freezer for up to six months.

My absolute favorite Barefoot Contessa soup to make with the stock is Garten's chicken pot pie soup, which I whip up anytime my fiancé and I are craving a bowl of comfort. Her ravioli en brodo is a delicious twist on chicken noodle, while her Italian wedding soup is light and bright.

If you want to switch things up from soup, you can also use the stock to make Garten's one-pot chicken and orzo — another delicious meal for chilly nights.

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's homemade chicken stock here.

Garten's chicken chili is a lighter twist on the traditionally hearty dish.

Garten served traditional chili for two decades at the specialty food store she ran in the Hamptons before becoming a cookbook author and Food Network star.

When Garten decided to switch up the chili and use chicken instead of beef, it became even more popular than the original recipe.

The dish also features red and yellow bell peppers, fresh basil, and a variety of seasonings, including chili powder, ground cumin, and red pepper flakes.

Garten serves the chili topped with green onions, cheddar cheese, corn chips, and sour cream.

When I first made Garten's chicken chili for some friends, they said it made them feel "so warm and cozy."

The tomatoes and spices build a rich broth, and each bite of chicken is so tender and juicy.

It's also a great dish for hosting because you can lay out the toppings in individual dishes, allowing everyone to personalize their bowl to their own preference.

Plus, who doesn't love a bowl of chili on football Sunday?

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's chicken chili here.

Garten's weeknight Bolognese is ready in 30 minutes.

My pasta cravings always hit when temperatures start to dip. And during this busy season, Garten's weeknight Bolognese is a perfect fit.

The recipe includes ground sirloin, crushed tomatoes, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil, but it's designed to be adaptable and pantry-friendly.

Garten says you could easily swap the sirloin for any ground meat and skip the cream and basil if you need. And while she recommends using orecchiette, any dried pasta will work with this recipe.

My family couldn't get enough of Garten's speedy Bolognese.

It's pretty incredible how much flavor Garten manages to create in a dish that traditionally simmers for hours on end. The rich sauce bursts through every bite of the small pasta shells, which I personally loved for this dish, and the freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top makes it feel extra comforting and indulgent.

"It's a very meaty, very hearty pasta," my dad said before declaring that the dish was "perfect."

We loved the dish so much that it earned the second spot in my ongoing ranking of Barefoot Contessa pasta dishes.

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's weeknight Bolognese here.

If you're searching for a cheesy pasta with little clean-up, Garten's one-pot dish is the perfect fit.

The rigatoni pasta is paired with sausage and fennel, plus some onion, garlic, heavy cream, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and a few additional ingredients.

It all comes together in a big pot or Dutch oven, and you'll have dinner on the table in an hour.

Garten says this pasta is one of her "all-time go-to dinners."

"You can make the whole thing in one big pot, bring it to the table, and everyone loves it," Garten told her viewers in a 2017 episode of "Barefoot Contessa."

With its beautiful golden hue and rich, meaty sauce, Garten's one-pot pasta is the kind of dish that lifts your spirits. There's also lovely depth to the flavor, thanks to the sweet sausage, salty Parm, and the bite from the fennel.

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's rigatoni with sausage and fennel here.

As with her chicken chili, Garten developed the recipe for her apple spice cake at the Barefoot Contessa store.

"We used to have all kinds of cakes like this out on the bakery counter, and you could come buy a whole cake, but you could also buy a piece," Garten said in an early episode of her Food Network show. "It's not fancy, just really delicious and earthy, and you always want to come back for more."

The recipe includes Granny Smith apples, rum, raisins, pecans, and plenty of sugar and spice.

The cake is packed with autumn flavors.

Soaking the golden raisins in rum gave them a flavor that almost reminded me of caramel, and their sweetness helped temper the Granny Smith apples' sourness. All the spices infused the moist cake with a warm nuttiness, while the pecans added some delicious crunch.

I followed Garten's advice and tried the cake with some ice cream and caramel, which were delicious additions. But the cake isn't super sweet, so you could also enjoy it on its own with some tea or coffee for breakfast.

Now it's really starting to feel like fall.

Get the full recipe for Ina Garten's apple spice cake here.

Is there a dish you love making in the fall season? Share it with us in the comments. And check out more easy recipes here.