Ina Garten's First Recipe from New Cookbook Is a Healthy Addition to Any Meal

If there’s anyone we trust to know exactly how to cook a simple but delicious summertime dish, it’s Ina Garten. She's known for effortlessly taking the stress out of cooking, after all, and for matching her dishes with a warm, inviting atmosphere—the kind that just spells endless summer.

So when she shared a recipe for tomato and avocado salad on her blog yesterday, we knew immediately that we'd be adding it to our summer repertoire. When we discovered it was a sneak peek from her upcoming book Cook Like a Pro, which comes out this October, we got even more excited.

You need only a few ingredients to whip the salad together: tomatoes, avocados, red onion, and arugula, which you’ll top with a refreshing lemon vinaigrette (lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper). It's an easy recipe that also can fit into most diets, which has us excited to see if this is a theme that Garten will carry out in Cook Like a Pro.

Garten says this recipe goes great with grilled fish or chicken, so if you’re planning any outdoor cookouts, consider this a great go-to side dish. And since you’ll probably need more than one side this summer—whether you're planning a big family dinner or barbecue with friends—check out some of our current faves, and one of Garten's favorites too, of course. The side dish that she’s made the most over the years? Orzo with roasted vegetables.

Can't get enough Barefoot Contessa? Read these next:

• Ina Garten's Book Tour Kicks Off This Fall in Chicago
• Here's a First Look at Ina Garten's New Cookbook
• A Complete Guide to What Ina Garten Keeps Stocked in Her Kitchen

Though we have to wait until October to get more recipes from the book, what we know so far is that it's pegged to her most recent Food Network series, also called Cook Like a Pro, and it will focus on technique.

“I think what makes this book unique is it’s so packed with really good information that will help people understand what they’re doing wrong so they can do it better,” Garten told People magazine back in April.

Oh, and it also has Jennifer Garner's stamp of approval. When she hung out with Garten earlier this week, she got her own sneak peek of the book and on Instagram said it was "fabulous." If this summer salad is any indication, we'll be eating it up.