I love hosting summer dinners in my backyard. It’s probably the thing I love the most about warm weather in New York. What I don’t love is what it costs to pull off. Between grocery inflation and the fact that “just a casual summer dinner” can easily turn into a $200 grocery run, backyard hosting feels more like a luxury that I have to plan and budget for. Being a human in America in 2026 is so exhausting.

But alas, we have Ina Garten’s Summer Garden Pasta, which is, without exaggeration, the recipe that saved my summer entertaining budget this year. It’s a Barefoot Contessa classic for a reason. The recipe features just a few simple ingredients (tomatoes, pasta, basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, and pepper) and the only cooking it requires is boiling your pasta. There’s no stove-hovering, no sauce to babysit, no risk of overcooking anything important. If you can use a knife and boil a pot of water, you can make this recipe without screwing anything up. As Garten loves to say, “How easy is that?”

About 4-6 hours before serving time, just halve the tomatoes, mince the garlic, and julienne (cut into long, ribbon-like pieces) your basil. Toss everything in a bowl and add your parmesan, olive oil, salt, pepper, and some red chili flakes if you want some heat. It should look something like this.

Cover the bowl and let it rest for at least four hours, but I’ve made it as early as 10 hours ahead of time with no issues.

Then, right before serving, boil your pasta. I like to use bucatini, but whatever pasta you have on hand will work.

Drain your pasta and add it to your bowl of tomatoes that has been resting. Toss to combine, and it’s ready to serve.

The recipe serves up to six people. You can see Garten’s full recipe here.

Let’s break down the math. I put every ingredient in my cart at Wegmans — which, honestly, is not the budget option; you could absolutely find this cheaper at Aldi or Trader Joe’s; Wegmans is just closest to me. But even shopping at Wegmans, the total comes out to $17.35 for a dinner that serves six people. This price doesn’t account for the cost of olive oil, salt, and pepper because we’re considering those pantry staples that most people will already have on hand.

If you’re like me and also have a backyard garden full of tomatoes, garlic, and basil, then the cost comes down to around $5 to make. $5 for six people! That’s an unheard-of price in 2026.

This recipe is fresh, ridiculously easy, and it tastes like the epitome of summer — which is kind of the whole point of hosting outside in the first place. If your garden’s not cooperating this year, the grocery store version still gets you a crowd-pleasing pasta for less than a Netflix subscription, and your guests will think you spent way more money and effort on the meal than you actually did.