Natasha's Kitchen: 100+ Easy Family-Favorite Recipes You'll Make Again and Again: A Cookbook

by Natasha Kravchuk

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An inviting collection of more than 100 trusted, budget-friendly recipes for every meal and occasion from the creator of the wildly popular website Natasha’s Kitchen.

“With delicious recipes and fun entertaining ideas, you’ll find inspiration and joy on every page.”—Jennifer Segal, author and creator of Once Upon a Chef

In 1989, four-year-old Natasha Kravchuk and her family entered the United States as refugees from Ukraine. Her mother was an amazing cook and spoiled her family with delicious meals, so Natasha never learned how to cook until she got married and had her own family to nurture. In 2009, she began blogging about the joy she discovered in creating and sharing recipes. Her audience exploded, connecting with her warmth and willingness to share both her triumphs and failures in the kitchen.

In Natasha’s Kitchen, she shares 100+ family-friendly, foolproof recipes anyone can whip up on even the busiest weeknight. From Salmon Piccata and Turkey Meatball Soup to Crispy Bacon Jalapeno Poppers as well as traditional Ukrainian recipes passed down from her mother like classic Borscht and her famous Pierogis, Natasha’s family-friendly recipes are made with easy-to-find ingredients and have been thoroughly tested. And because she loves to have her large extended family and friends over, there are also menus for sharing and easy entertaining—from a taco bar to a chili bar to the ultimate cheese board.

With a warm and encouraging voice, accompanied by beautiful, mouthwatering photographs, readers are offered a glimpse into Natasha’s life as she does what she enjoys cooking for her loved ones.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Food and Drink

286 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 3, 2023

Reviews

[Miss✧Pickypants ᓚᘏᗢ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for newer cooks and is full of what the book claims, easy family favorite recipes. The author runs a popular online cooking platform and this cookbook (her first) is well designed with very appealing full page color photos (kudos to the food stylist and photographer!) accompanying each well written recipe.

The Pro tips & tricks that follow recipes offer helpful advice. While all elements are done well, experienced cooks are likely to be bored by these familiar family favorite recipes (think avocado toast, overnight oats, deviled eggs with the not-so "secret ingredient" of pickle juice, mac and cheese, sliders, chicken pot pie, etc). Most interesting recipes were ones related to her Ukrainian roots, borscht, pierogi, pelmeni and rogaliki. Rated this 3.5 stars but since GRs doesn't provide half star options, rounded up to 4.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Natasha and her recipes! Every recipe I make of her’s is delicious and uncomplicated. There are lots of great photos (I think there is one for every recipe, which I love!) and the recipes are clearly written and easy to follow- along with helpful tips. Can’t wait to cook my way through this one!

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that I didn’t know what to expect from a cookbook written by someone I discovered on YouTube, but this cookbook is outstanding! Every recipe is accessible. I want to cook over 80% of the recipes in this book & I cannot say that about every cookbook.

My son is eight years old & I think he’s ripe for the slightly elevated, healthy, family-friendly recipes. The salad section is fantastic! Avocados are so good for you & she incorporates them into many of her recipes. Natasha Kravchuk’s “Pro Tips” are truly useful.

Her love of family is wonderfully expressed without overtaking the book. There are a handful of her family’s Ukrainian recipes sprinkled throughout the book. Anybody of European descent will find them similar to their own family recipes.

Finally, the best part was a surprise at the end. She has a section titled “Entertaining Menus,” where she names an event & suggests four recipes from her book for you to cook. Brilliant & so helpful! This book is so well done.

[Jeff Guillory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some fairly simple and delicious recipes. Well written. Easy to follow. No real bizarre ingredients that are hard to find.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I used to dread working during the day and coming home to make a supper that my kids would pick at and complain about. This book has been a game changer for me and my family; my kids are willing to try new meals and often give them “two thumbs up” or “one hundred stars”. The recipes consist of many pantry staples so I’m not buying single use ingredients and many are quickly made so we can eat after school and before extra curriculars. I now feel confident in the kitchen and I also feel better knowing that I’m making real food rather than buying fast or processed foods.

[Marianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good basics.

[Blanche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library book - this is a wonderful cookbook with recipes that have ingredients that I actually have! Beautiful pictures and easy to follow! It would make a great gift or addition to your collection 👍

[Rose Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before writing a review for this book, I wanted to make a few recipes, and oh my goodness, everything I've tried has been easy to make and so delicious. I've made the banana bread so many times, and one of my favorite and easy to make salads is the Roasted Sweet Potato Salad. I brought it to a potluck and it was devoured in minutes. The Cobb salad is also so good. The homemade dressing is one of my favorites. I highly recommend this book especially, if you don't cook often. Easy to follow recipes with tips to help you prep better. I'd give it a 10 star if I could.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been following Natasha on YouTube for some time. So I was very excited to see she put out this beautiful cookbook! I look forward to creating quite a few of her amazing looking dishes. (Even though I will need to tweak then more to my low carb lifestyle. 😉).

Love her storytelling and beautiful pictures in this gorgeous cookbook ❤️

[Catie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family favorites and Eastern European traditional fare. I copied some out to try later.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is an excellent beginners cookbook and would have loved to go through this when I was learning to cook. Even for a veteran home cook like me, some of these recipes look amazing.

[Monica Dragutinovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've made at least 6 recipes, so far 4 to 5 stars each.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up for some soup recipes. First one I tried I didn't like that much (family enjoyed it, though). Next I see some salad recipes in it that I'm excited for.

[Tlwinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book and have been cooking out of it exclusively for months. I have not made every recipe in the book, but I have made the majority, and here are my observations:

1. Everything is tasty. There was only one recipe that I didn't really care for and it wasn't because it was bad... it was just because I realized that I do not like fried rice dishes. That's 100% on me.
2. Although this is touted as being "Easy Family Favorite Recipes" I would like to add the disclaimer that "Easy" does not translate to "Fast". I had no trouble making any of the recipes in the book. The ingredients were staples anyone would have in their kitchen and the directions were very easy to follow, with great tips on how to make the process even easier. But it was difficult to get any dish on the table in less than an hour and a half. Last night, we had the Chicken Pot Pie, which was delicious, but one needed to make the dough for the crust and it needed to rest in the refrigerator for an hour first. Even when making any of the salads, the dressing needs to sit for a minimum of 20 minutes so the flavors meld.
3. None of the recipes used processed or pre-packaged ingredients. Everything is fresh, which adds to the tastiness of each recipe.
4. The portions of each recipe are AMPLE. I am an empty-nester and if I did not halve the recipes, we would be eating the same dish every day of the week.
5. The photos are beautiful and helpful. The recipes are very easy to follow. The only thing I wish was included was an estimate of prep time and cook time. Something would look simple until I actually started making it and then I was surprised to finish over an hour later. I learned very quickly to read through the full recipe before I started.

Overall, I am glad I purchased this book. I will definitely pull it out often because the recipes are hearty and reliably good and I haven't even started in on the desserts! Something to look forward to!

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to get my hands on a hard copy of this book. For a long time I have followed Natasha in her kitchen on the Internet, making the most mouth-watering meals. Her light-hearted approach to cooking and her sense of fun bring a whole new dimension to cooking. Yes, it can be an enjoyable adventure!
I am really picky about my cookbooks and there simply must be a picture to accompany every recipe. Natasha does not disappoint. The bright food photography surrounding each recipe will surely motivate you to begin making your own delicious entrees.
Natasha adds a personal note to this book by including stories of her family's immigration from the Ukraine to America. I enjoyed learning about her history and how this is deeply connected to her style of cooking, her family, and her home.
For fans of Once Upon a Chef, don't miss this one!
~Tiffany J.

Find a Copy at Scottsdale Public Library

[Lauren Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my top two cookbooks that I personally use, and one that I would without a doubt recommend to anyone. The recipes use simple ingredients, are approachable, and are whole-family pleasers. I’ve got two small kids, one of which is a non-red-meat eater, and I avoid grains and dairy, and there have been plenty of recipes to win us all over with little to no modifications. Not a week goes by that I don’t cook at least 1-2 meals from this book.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed. I thought it would be a compilation of her top rated best recipes but it's not. It's ok but definitely not her best recipes. I find myself going to her website more than her cookbook which is a shame because I prefer cooking out if books rather than online. That's why I bought it

[Adeyhorla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading this book.....It is absolutely fantastic experience Natasha delivered top-quality work with great attention to detail. Communication was seamless, and they ensured everything was exactly as I envisioned. Highly recommended.

[Alex (Alex's Version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

can't wait to try these recipes

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very similar tastes to me so I grabbed a bunch of the recipes. Enjoy the layout too.

[Mia❤ (⋆˚｡⋆JESUS LOVES YOU!!!⋆｡˚⋆ ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful book!❤ Delicious recipes with beautifully taken photos! I can't recommend it enough!

[Shaina Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this! Super easy recipes! Can't wait to make some.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid cookbook. We’ve tried 3 recipes thus far and they were great and kids actually liked them so it’s a win.

[Lokita · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who gets stressed over cooking, this book felt like being handed a friendly, familiar set of directions after trying to navigate by glitching GPS running on maps from 2010.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of easy recipes, several I've tried and liked, but I really admire Natasha's story of migrating to the US from Ukraine when she was a child with her large family. She is such an example of the American dream - hard working, family values, following her dream. Her cooking blog and YouTube videos are so cute too. Easy, straightforward recipes with tips and tricks to make them great.

[Karina Dusenbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic recipes for quick family meals (if you don’t have dietary restrictions). Checked out at the library but am buying my own copy after making a few recipes. Everything has turned out great and I plan on cooking through the entire collection.

[Jenna Hetmansperger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love every recipe I've tried from this book! Natasha is so sweet and I love how her life is very tied up in these recipes so she shares stories with each one.

[Crystal Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have made many of the recipes in this cookbook and my son keeps turning to me and says, “add this to your fan favorite collection”. Thank you, Natasha!