Martha Stewart is the queen of simple but utterly delicious comfort food. Her ability to break down recipes into understandable steps helps even the newest cooks in the kitchen to succeed and we’re taking inspiration to bring you recipes for any occasion.
The Best Martha Stewart Inspired Recipes
We’re taking inspiration and running down our best of the best of Martha-inspired recipes. Whether it’s her oven-ready recipes that need just a mix and an hour inside an oven before they’re ready or lush desserts that make baking oh-so-easy, we take our own spin on recipes that you’ll want to fill your own table with. We even threw a Martha Stewart recipe party of our own at TABLE Studios with our whole staff to show you just how quickly you can turn these recipes into a celebration.
We often find that Martha’s recipes are a great base to build from. She can show you classic proportions and methods, and then you can customize this base with flavors and ingredients that tingle the tastebuds and make these recipes your own. Take our inspiration as your own starting point.
Start Your Mornings with Martha
Whenever you wake up bright and early in the morning, Martha Stewart may not be on your mind but she should be. In order to get a nutritious start, this Asparagus, Leek, and Jarlsberg Quiche inspired by Martha’s Cheese and Bacon Quiche is the way to go. For this decadent breakfast pastry, we cook shallots, leeks, asparagus, chives, thyme, and Jarlsberg cheese into eggs for a protein kick. Some call it breakfast, some call it brunch, we just call in tasty.
Lunch Recipes for a Full Meal
It’s not hard to skip lunch whenever the day feels chaotic and busy, but Martha invites us to slow down and enjoy this moment of our day instead. Her dedication to lunch inspired our homemade Focaccia. This bread is perfectly airy and buttery which means you can use it alongside just about anything. It’s handy for decorating with our Hot Cherry Tomatoes cooked in a seasoned oil.
But you can also try dipping a triangle corner of this bread in a slowcooker Tom Kha Gai recipe that we add a heft of ingredients to for further flavor. Put this soup on to cook the day before and then reheat it along with your Focaccia.
Or, you could use your new bread making skills to form handheld sandwiches that work well for picnics, school lunches, or really anywhere. Chef Selina Progar, a friend of TABLE, designed Martha-inspired sandwiches that combine unique flavors like Cream Cheese and Salmon, Prosciutto and Cornichon, Ham and Cornichon, Salami and Cucumber, as well as Cucumber Focaccia Sandwiches.
A Family Dinner Like Your Mama Made
One of the things that Martha encourages you to do is gather around the dining table with those you love. Food makes a great centerpiece for conversations and loving energy. Plus, you may just make memories that last a lifetime.
One-Pan Dinners
If you’re a bit nervous about your skills as a chef, Martha’s one-pan and one-pot dinners make all the difference (a.k.a they’re really hard to mess up). Take this Martha-Inspired One Pan Pasta for instance. As long as you can place ingredients in a pan and use a timer, you’re set to create a pasta tossed with tomatoes, garlic, onion, fresh basil, and parmesan.
You’ll need a cast iron skillet for this Martha-inspired Taco Casserole but we promise it’s worth the purchase if you don’t already have one in your kitchen. Layers of ground beef, peppers, onions, chiles, beans, and plenty of cheese create a bed for crispy tortilla chips on top. Feel free to have lime, sour cream, and hot sauce on hand for customizing to your desires.
If you feel ready to take things to the next level, task yourself with making a Martha Stewart-Inspired Chicken Pot Pie that uses a homemade pie crust instead. Don’t worry! Making a crust is actually incredibly simple and with a step-by-step guide you’ll have a crunchy coating in no time.
When You Want Dinner to Be a Little More Special
Sometimes, you want something that’s worth the extra effort for those days when you have the time to experiment. Even though Martha excels in the simple, she also knows how to upgrade your basic dinner into something more delicious and nutritious. In honor of this, our Stacked Eggplant Parmesan gifts each member of your table their own mound of tender eggplant, savory tomato sauce, parmesan, mozzarella, and basil, along with a homemade béchamel sauce over top of it all. It’s a combination of comfort and luxury that appeals to all ranges of tastebuds.
And, for those looking at sticking to a diet, there’s always Keto Chicken Roll Ups that take inspiration from Martha Stewart’s Chicken Corden-Bleu Roll-Ups. Here, the chicken is the star of the show. Hearty chicken breast cushions prosciutto, mozzarella, and spinach. Then, a lemon artichoke cream sauce helps roast the chicken in the oven to satisfaction. The health factor comes in handy since you’re going to want to dive into dessert afterward.
Martha Stewart-Inspired Desserts to End on a Sweet Note
It’s difficult to pick the best recipes when it comes to desserts. After all, how could you possibly make a bad sweet treat? But, if we have to pick, it’s going to be recipes that cover all your favorite categories. For cookie lovers, Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies are as classic as you can get. Warm, gooey and jus the right texture, you can also mix things up by using white chocolate chips and dried strawberries instead for something different.
Those who can’t help but fall for a cake, we’ve found your heaven, literally. A light, airy, and fluffy Angel Food Cake that takes notes from Martha showcases how sometimes less is more. Sweetened coconut and Italian meringue cover the sides and fill the center. But, we always encourage you to decorate to your heart’s content with berries or even toffee chips.
If you prefer a heftier cake, there’s also a Lemon Pound Cake with a Pomegranate Glaze that upgrades a usual Martha pound cake. This recipe packs in the flavor with lemon juice, lemon extract, rosemary, and pomegranate juice. The cake is moist and matches the tart but sweet flavors of lemon and pomegranate. Plus the glaze is such a striking color we can’t help but smile at a slice.
Speaking of slices, we’ll take a slice of pie too! This isn’t quite Martha’s pumpkin pie, instead it’s a Five Spice Pumpkin Pie that centers around Chinese five spice. Your pumpkin spice gets an upgrade with a mix of star anise, fennel seeds, szechuan peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon instead. It makes the flavor more complex, letting you savor something new.
Innovation like is part of what we love about Martha’s recipes. We use a cheddar cheese crust in our Apple Crostata that reminds you how well fruit and cheeses go together. It’s a little sweet and a little savory. A scoop of ice cream on top adds an intriguing creaminess to the crunch.
Our Own Martha Stewart Dinner Party
The spread quickly became a reflection of our staff itself. Some gravitated toward nostalgic sweets while others arrived with savory dinner dishes already in mind. As plates filled the table and conversations flowed, every recipe carried the same spirit that has long defined Martha’s cooking. Food brings people together. Her recipes balance elegance and accessibility, proving that delicious, hearty meals are not out of reach for the home cook. Of course, being TABLE Magazine, we couldn’t resist adding a little extra pizzazz of our own. A flourish of seasoning here, a creative twist there… but each dish stayed true to Martha’s approachable foundation while reflecting the personality and flair of the people who made it.
The Eats
Our Publisher Justin Matase came in with a tray of Roasted Tomatoes and Cheese with Thyme. “I added garlic and onion powder along with a general Italian seasoning mix and crumbled Marcona almonds on top for added crunch,” says Matase. “Oh, and pepper, I added black pepper too.”
Associate Publisher Mark Chutko’s White Bean Soup won hearts not just for its taste but for bringing it in a Martha Stewart enamelware pot as well. “I added rosemary and thyme to give it added flavor,” says Chutko.
Shady Ave Editor-in-Chief and TABLE contributor Sean Collier went in looking for the easiest recipe possible and came out with Cheater’s Mac and Cheese. For him, a little doctoring up was simple. “WAY more parmesan! (A bit more black pepper, too),” he says.
Shady Ave Sales Associate Deb Hansen makes Martha’s Classic Chicken Salad but shakes things up by serving in small phyllo cups with extra ingredients. “I tripled the mayo, doubled the Dijon mustard, and then added the following: a teaspoon each garlic and onion powder, teaspoon of honey, 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup of finely diced red delicious apple, and then served in small phyllo shells,” Hansen says.
Since everyone else seemed to be using a carb, Director of Operations Star Laliberte decided on Martha’s Favorite Vinaigrette Recipe to go with a tossed salad. “I pulled back on the oil just a bit, added about a tablespoon of honey, a gentle squeeze of lemon, used pink salt instead of kosher salt (which makes me swell), and used more pepper,” Laliberte says.
Online Editor Kylie Thomas wished to make something that could accompany any dish so they went with Potato Croquettes. Not much had to be changed but extra seasoning always helps. “I simply used Italian seasoning instead of just parsley,” Thomas says.
The Sweets
Director of Sales Stephanie Cravotta used her own version of Martha’s Oven Baked French Toast which she makes regularly at home. “I also used almond milk, doubled the orange zest and juice, and added vanilla,” she says.
Associate Art Director Evan Okun let his creativity come through Martha’s Crispy Chocolate-Marshmallow Treats. “I used chocolate rice crispies instead of the normal ones, and because of that I didn’t use the Dutch process coca,” says Okun. “Also, I added a lot more melted chocolate on top to fully coat them.”
Editor-in-Chief Keith Recker leaned into the spring weather with a Chocolate Beet Cake. His baking experience led him to make a few changes. “I added fresh orange juice, orange zest, amaretto, a stabilized whip cream frosting with orange enhancements, and a bit more rising agent to improve the texture,” he says.
Story by Kylie Thomas
Party Food Photography by Keith Recker
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