Our Favourite Recipes From Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson And More Celebrity Chefs
Photo, Erik Putz. Food styling, Ashley Denton. Prop styling, Catherine Doherty.
We love leaning on our favourite chefs for inspiring (and doable) recipes to make make dinner (or dessert) an extra-special occasion. From the fast recipes featured in Jamie Oliver's cookbook 5 Ingredients (for the ultimate in last-minute rescue) to a show-stopping dessert from Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh or a classic Italian pasta from everyone's Italian nonna, Lidia Bastianich, there's a recipe to be found for every skill set, preference and time crunch.
Jamie Oliver's Air Fryer Lemon Fish, Spuds And Spinach Sauce
This recipe makes a delicious quick weeknight dinner straight from the air fryer. Get Jamie Oliver's air fryer lemon fish, spuds and spinach sauce recipe.
Jamie Oliver's Air Fryer Pear And Blackberry Crumble
From Jamie Oliver's new cookbook Easy Air Fryer, this crumble can be served straight from the air fryer drawer. Get this air fryer crumble recipe.
Jamie Oliver’s Amazing Dressed Beets
Colourful beets, fresh tarragon, walnuts, goat cheese and clementines (yes, just five ingredients!) give your salad course a major upgrade. Get Jamie Oliver’s Amazing Dressed Beets recipe.
Jamie Oliver’s Epic Rib-Eye Steak
Juicy steak atop white beans, rosemary, garlic and mushrooms (that’s it!) gets an entertaining-worthy meal on the table in just 26 minutes. Get Jamie Oliver’s Epic Rib-Eye Steak recipe.
Jamie Oliver's Meatballs Alla Norma
These parsley and fennel-laced beef meatballs are a fragrant and delicious dinner dish. Get Jamie Oliver's meatballs alla norma recipe.
Jamie Oliver's Broccoli With Sesame Dressing
Need new broccoli inspo? Red chili pepper and a sesame dressing kick things up a notch. Get Jamie Oliver's broccoli with sesame dressing recipe.
Jamie Oliver's Insanity Burger
I've used the brilliant technique of brushing the burgers with mustard and a dash of Tabasco Chipotle sauce as they cook to build up an incredibly gnarly layer of seasoning." Get Jamie Oliver's Insanity burger recipe.
Jamie Oliver’s British Carbonara
This decadent carbonara uses bacon and cheddar in place of the traditional pancetta and parmesan. Get Jamie Oliver's British Carbonara recipe.
Jamie Oliver’s Cherry Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate and cherries are the perfect duo. Whip up this ultra-simple dessert in just 30 minutes, and top with a few shiny dark cherries to finish. Get Jamie Oliver’s Cherry Chocolate Mousse recipe.
Jamie Oliver’s Smoky Chorizo Salmon
Salmon, cherry tomatoes, chorizo sausage, fresh basil and black olives—everything you need for a quick midweek meal. (Did we mention it’s ready in 11 minutes?) Get Jamie Oliver’s Smoky Chorizo Salmon recipe.
Jamie Oliver's Blushing Spaghetti Vongole
"Vongole is a dish much loved by people all around the world. Ultimately, it’s a very simple pasta that celebrates the juice and flavor of clams, and if you cook it right, it’s a very delicious, classy, comforting pasta that hits the spot every time." Get Jamie Oliver's blushing spaghetti vongole recipe.
Jamie Oliver’s Pan-Baked Chicken
Only have one baking pan? No problem. Toss this chicken and vegetable dish together, put it in the oven, and forget it for an hour or so. Serve it up straight from the pan (side salad or rice optional). Get Jamie Oliver's Hit and Run Pan-Baked Chicken recipe.
Jamie Oliver’s Sticky Toffee Pudding
We love sticky toffee pudding—and this gorgeous bundt-cake version is no exception. (Everyone will want seconds, seriously.) Get Jamie Oliver's Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe.
Jamie Oliver's Next-Level Steak & Onion Sandwich
"In this recipe I want to take the joy of a steak sandwich to the next level by kind of taking the mighty steak off its pedestal a bit and putting most of the focus on awesome onions, to create the best steak sandwich ever." Get Jamie Oliver's next-level steak & onion sandwich recipe.
Jamie Oliver's Puttanesca
Dead simple, but delicious—tomato, olive and tuna pasta with lemon zest. Get Jamie Oliver's puttanesca pasta recipe.
Jamie Oliver’s Giant Veg Rosti
Go all in with the vegetables tonight—crisp grated potatoes, carrots, peas, spinach, feta and soft-boiled eggs for protein. Get Jamie Oliver's Giant Veg Rosti recipe.
Nigella Lawson's Smashed Chickpeas With Garlic, Lemon And Chile
There is not a way I don’t like a chickpea or, indeed, a time when I couldn’t eat mashed potatoes, and this is a very happy combination of both, while being very gratifyingly its own thing. It offers comfort, uplift, aromatic zing, and ease – just what you want when lacking time or energy or both. Get Nigella Lawson's smashed chickpeas with garlic, lemon and chile recipe.
Nigella Lawson's Poinsettia Cocktail
This classic celebratory big-batch cocktail recipe is from Nigella Lawson’s cookbook Nigella Christmas. You can lean in to the wintry vibe by garnishing your drinks with sprigs of rosemary and fresh cranberries. Get Nigella Lawson's poinsettia cocktail recipe.
Nigella Lawson's Gnocchi Gratin
Creamy and rich, each bite of this baked delight (shared by the domestic goddess herself) is to die for! Plus it's only 10 minutes to prep. Get Nigella Lawson's gnocchi gratin recipe.
Nigella Lawson's Garlic And Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
"I’m not, as a rule, one for flavouring mashed potatoes, but this version is a worthy exception. Because the garlic cloves are boiled with the potatoes, they make their presence felt sweetly rather than shoutily, and the Parmesan provides a gentle tang." Get Nigella Lawson's garlic and parmesan mashed potatoes recipe.
Nigella Lawson's Emergency Brownies
"This is for those times you urgently need a brownie, but don’t want to make—or, rather, can’t justify making—a whole batch. This recipe makes two (four if needs be) fudgy brownies to be snaffled straight from the pan. And they can be turned into glorious sundaes: squodge into glasses with ice cream, pour a little maple syrup over, and sprinkle with chopped walnuts." Get Nigella Lawson's emergency brownies recipe.
Nigella Lawson's Lamb Shanks With Dates And Pomegranate Molasses
Rich, sumptuous, and celebratory, this is a real feast of a stew. The dark, molasses-like dates melt into what becomes a deep, intense gravy, but they don’t overwhelm it with sweetness; the heady sourness of pomegranate molasses keeps it all in fragrant check. But if, when you taste it at the end of its cooking time, you feel you want a bit more acerbity, just squeeze in a little lime juice. Get Nigella Lawson's lamb shanks with dates and pomegranate molasses recipe.
Nigella Lawson's Baby Eggplant With Oregano And Red Onion
Keep it rustic by baking up these aubergine lovelies with the stalks on. Serve at room temperature with red onion dressing on top. Get Nigella Lawson's baby eggplant with oregano and red onion recipe.
Nigella Lawson's Cranberry And Apple Chutney
This recipe is from Nigella Lawson’s cookbook Nigella Christmas. Get Nigella Lawson's cranberry and apple chutney recipe.
Nigella Lawson's Beef Pizzaiola
We love the vibrant flavours of this juicy steak dish, and you'll marvel with us at how quickly it comes together. Get Nigella Lawson's beef pizzaiola recipe.
Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
It's one of the most moist and decadent slices you've ever tasted. Get Nigella Lawson's chocolate olive oil cake recipe.
Nigella Lawson's Green Beans With Pistachio Pesto
Little did we know, as we started popping the beans in our mouths like fries, that they'd become a new veggie favourite! Get Nigella Lawson's green beans with pistachio pesto recipe.
Nigella Lawson's Tomato And Horseradish Salad
"I certainly would never have thought of using horseradish as a dressing for a tomato salad if I hadn’t wanted to find a way to use up a horseradish root staring beseechingly at me every time I opened the fridge." Get Nigella Lawson's tomato and horseradish salad recipe.
Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh’s Lemon And Blackcurrant Stripe Cake
It starts its life as a simple, flat sponge cake on a baking sheet. Rolled up and covered in silky buttercream, it looks rather like a barrel. Cut into it, however (revealing the bold stripes) and it looks like a whole lot of vertically inclined (and very colourful) fun. – Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh, Sweet. Get the recipe: Lemon and Blackcurrant Stripe Cake
Ottolenghi’s Lamb Chops With Walnut, Fig And Goat Cheese Salad
An elegant meal for four that’s ready in under an hour. Packed with all the flavours that are the signature of Ottolenghi’s dishes, it’s a must-try. Get Ottolenghi's lamb chops with walnut, fig and goat cheese salad recipe.
Ottolenghi’s Fennel And Feta Salad With Pomegranate
This cool-toned salad of fennel and feta gets topped with parsley, tarragon, fresh fennel fronds and pomegranate arils for vibrant hits of colour and flavour. Get Ottolenghi's fennel and feta salad with pomegranate recipe.
Ottolenghi’s Sticky Chocolate Loaf
Comforting, sticky and delicious, this chocolate loaf is right up there with perfect-for-comfort desserts like sticky toffee pudding and crumbly apple crisp. Get Ottolenghi's sticky chocolate loaf recipe.
Anna Olson's Sweet Potato Focaccia with Garlic & Thyme
Fluffy and soft, this focaccia is a delicious partner to the Autumn Roasted Chicken with Stuffing, but it also suits summer dishes and can be sliced and grilled to serve with anything barbecued. Get this sweet potato focaccia recipe.
Anna Olson's Carrot, Apple & Five-Spice Soup
After making and enjoying this soup just once, you won’t even need a recipe for it. The addition of Chinese five-spice, with its combination of star anise, fennel seed, Szechuan pepper, clove and cinnamon, really enhances the humble carrot and apple combination, giving it a well-rounded flavour complexity with minimal effort. Get this carrot and apple soup recipe.
Anna Olson's Lemon-Roasted Sweet Potato & Beet Salad with Pickled Red Onions & Pecans
"Around the same time that I was developing this recipe, we were planning the menu to cater a friend’s wedding. The beautiful combination of colourful vegetables in this recipe, coupled with the ease of their make-ahead nature, inspired us to make this the starter course for the wedding. If we can make 150 people happy with this salad, I know you’ll love to serve it to your family or friends." Get this lemon-roasted sweet potato salad recipe.
Anna Olson's Autumn Roasted Chicken With Stuffing
A good roasted chicken isn’t just for Sundays. By splitting the chicken in half and laying it on top of a loose stuffing-like layer, you can have all the aromas and flavours of autumn in half the cooking time. What I like best about making this stuffing is that it’s not actually stuffed into anything. This allows the bread bits at the bottom of the roasting pan to toast up, adding a delectable caramelized crispy bite here and there when you eat this dish. Get this autumn roasted chicken recipe.
Vikram Vij's Kadhai Chicken
A khadhai is a traditional Indian wok-like pan with deep sides, perfect for stir-frying, shallow frying and simmering curries. This recipe is ideal for when you’re craving a quick and spicy chicken curry—tender chicken stewed in a tomato sauce with fiery chilies. Traditionally, it’s paired with scotch. Get his kadhai chicken recipe.
Vikram Vij's Curried Mussels
British Columbia mussel farms are renowned for their delicious, sustainable mussels— which explains why we chefs love them. In this recipe, the flavorful combination of mussels, coconut milk and spices pairs beautifully with a delicious sauvignon blanc. Get his curried mussels recipe.
Vikram Vij's Spiced Cauliflower Fritters
Infused with bold Indian spices like cumin, turmeric, coriander and chili powder, these crispy cauliflower fritters are a perfect balance of crunchy exterior and tender cauliflower inside. Plus, they are easy to prepare with simple ingredients—super accessible to any cook. A versatile vegetarian option, they make a fantastic snack or impressive appetizer for gatherings. Get his spiced cauliflower fritters recipe.
Vikram Vij's Rose Water Ice Cream
This creamy, refreshing ice cream captures the delicate fragrance of rose petals, transforming a simple treat into something extraordinary. With its hint of floral elegance, this ice cream is a unique and indulgent dessert that’s both sophisticated and easy to make at home. Perfect for impressing guests or adding a touch of luxury to any occasion! Get his rose water ice cream recipe.
Giada De Laurentiis' Pan-Seared Branzino With Tomato And Capers
"This is the fastest fish dish you will ever make and my first choice when I have friends coming over for a quick weeknight get-together. It’s super colourful and impressive, with the flavours of Positano in every bite. This will serve four if you have a first course or are eating lighter; otherwise, serve two fillets per person." Get Giada De Laurentiis' pan-seared branzino with tomato and capers recipe.
Giada De Laurentiis' Black And White Brownie Ice Cream Cake
"Semifreddo, a frozen dessert sometimes layered with bits of crumbled cookies or fruit, is considered a special-occasion treat for Italians. It takes quite a bit of time to make one, since the ice cream layers traditionally are made from scratch. with its brownie layers (and store-bought ice cream), my version is a lot quicker to put together, but it still captures the spirit of an authentic Italian semifreddo." Get Giada De Laurentiis' black and white brownie ice cream cake recipe.
Giada De Laurentiis' Frozen Meringue Cake With Raspberry-Balsamic Syrup
A light, fluffy, make-ahead treat. Get Giada De Laurentiis' frozen meringue cake with raspberry-balsamic syrup recipe.
Curtis Stone’s Crispy Air-Fried Brussels Sprouts
Crisp and tender air-fried brussels sprouts that are ready in just 20 minutes. Get Curtis Stone's crispy air-fried Brussels sprouts recipe.
Curtis Stone's Air-Roasted Chicken
With just five minutes of prep (and five ways to season), this might be one of the easiest roast chicken recipes, ever. Get Curtis Stone's air-roasted chicken recipe.
Curtis Stone’s Air Fryer Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
A sticky-sweet cake that doubles up on toffee for completely irresistible results. Get Curtis Stone's air fryer sticky toffee pudding cake recipe.
Lidia Bastianich's Fusilli Alla Puttanesca
One story says that this recipe originated in early 20th-century Naples, specifically in the Quartieri Spagnoli, where the houses of pleasure were situated. Others say the dish was invented in Rome under similar circumstances. Get her fusilli puttanesca recipe.
Lidia Bastianich's Bucatini All’Amatriciana
This pasta was originally made with a white sauce, before tomatoes were introduced to Italy in the eighteenth century, but the key ingredients now are jowl bacon (called guanciale), olive oil, ripe plum tomatoes and pecorino cheese, cooked together in a lightweight cast-iron pan. Lidia's rendition deviates from the traditional version with the addition of sliced onions, for texture and sweetness, as well as some peperoncino and, to add complexity, bay leaves. Get her bucatini recipe.
Lidia Bastianich's Spaghetti And Meatballs
"I bake the meatballs here, which is easy and uses no extra oil, but you can also lightly flour and fry them in some olive oil, turning them until they're crisp on all sides. Then drain them on a paper towel and add them to the sauce. The flour will make them a bit denser. Or you can gently add them raw to the simmering sauce, give them some time (about 5 minutes) to firm up, then gently move them around with a wooden spoon to coat them with sauce and cook through." Get her spaghetti and meatballs recipe.
Lidia Bastianich’s Penne With Ricotta And Mushrooms
A comforting Italian pasta you’ll want to make again and again. Lidia’s Tip? Slice the garlic so you can control the flavour. (Minced garlic can’t get pulled out or eaten around when the dish is plated.) Get Lidia Bastianich’s penne with ricotta and mushrooms recipe.
Alison Roman's Garlicky Beet Dip
A "romesco-esque dip" featuring beets in lieu of roasted red peppers. Get Alison Roman's Garlicky Beet Dip recipe.
Alison Roman's Little Gems With Garlicky Lemon Pistachio
"This is the salad of my dreams," says Roman. "Garlicky, bracingly acidic, clean and crunchy as hell." Get Alison Roman's little gems with garlicky lemon pistachio recipe.
Alison Roman's Low And Slow Rib Roast With Rosemary And Anchovy
"Season it aggressively, love it passionately, and cook it perfectly," says the cookbook author about this decadent roast. Get Alison Roman's Low And Slow Rib Roast With Rosemary And Anchovy recipe.
Alison Roman's Overnight Focaccia, Tonight
This easy focaccia bread can be made in just a few hours. Get Alison Roman's Overnight Focaccia, Tonight recipe.
Alison Roman's Salted Butter Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies
"I’ve always found chocolate chip cookies to be deeply flawed (to know this about me explains a lot). Too sweet, too soft, or with too much chocolate, there’s a lot of room for improvement, if you ask me. But no one asked me, and rather than do a complete overhaul on the most iconic cookie known to man, I took all my favourite parts and invented something else entirely. Made with lots of salted butter (it has a slightly different flavour and a deeper saltiness than using just salt—I prefer unsalted butter everywhere else but here), the dough has just enough flour to hold it together and the right amount of light brown sugar to suggest a chocolate chip cookie. The chocolate is cut into chunks to prevent chip congregation, and once the dough is formed into a cylindrical log, the whole thing gets rolled in Demerara sugar for the crispiest-ever edges. Less chocolate chip cookie, more brown sugar shortbread with chocolate chunks — they just might be the cookie you’ve been looking for." Get Alison Roman's salted butter chocolate chunk shortbread cookies recipe.
Buttered Tomato Soup With Lentils And Fennel
"Imagine, for a moment, a tomato soup that needs no blender to produce an impossibly creamy result, all without a drop of dairy," writes Roman. "A lentil soup vibrant and gorgeous enough to grace the cover of a cookbook yet humble enough to eat alone at your kitchen counter for a Tuesday lunch." Get Alison Roman's buttered tomato soup with lentils and fennel recipe.
Celery Salad With Anchovy
"While the bulk here is, of course, celery, this perfect little salad also has anchovies, garlic, pickled peppers and vinegar. It’s a little (but not too) spicy and—as the name indicates—salty," writes Roman. "Eat it on its own with poached chicken breast for lunch, or with an open can of tuna and a pile of saltine crackers. Point being: Celery salads are marvelous little chameleons, welcomed on every table for nearly any occasion, not to be underestimated." Get this celery salad recipe.
Creamy Cauliflower Pasta With Pecorino Breadcrumbs
"This recipe is wonderful for many reasons: A whole head of cauliflower caramelizes in a skillet before being simmered with heavy cream, black pepper, pecorino cheese and a bit of lemon zest, breaking down into a special (and yes, decadent) sauce to coat the pasta shape of your choosing...it’s all very dreamy." Get this cauliflower pasta recipe.
