The #1 Ingredient Ina Garten Uses to Elevate Her Fruit Salad

Team EatingWell is wild about seasonal fruit salads and how they make eating more produce fun. Since they're a breeze to customize, we've dressed ours up with everything from purple basil and fresh mint to jalapeño and even hot chili oil. (We promise, it tastes incredible!)

But even the biggest fruit salad aficionados have room to add to their bag of tricks. We certainly learned a new upgrade this weekend from the one and only Ina Garten.

On an episode of Barefoot Contessa Cook Like a Pro that originally aired in April 2018 but replayed this past Sunday, the topic seems surprisingly prescient now that we're all privy to Garten's hilariously oversized pandemic cosmos: "Tipsy Desserts."

Luckily, most of the ideas she shared were a little quicker and easier than these worth-the-effort boozy holiday desserts Garten dished up last fall, and some even took less than the time it took to watch the whole episode.

Take that fruit salad concept we mentioned. In just 20 minutes flat, Garten swears you can have one of the freshest desserts on the table. The secret ingredient? Limoncello! (Such as this Limoncello Di Capri ; $34.99 for 1 liter, Drizly.com.)

"Very often when I'm in the weeds and I need a really fast dessert, the answer is often on this shelf," Garten says during the show, pointing to the liquor portion of her pantry. "Sometimes I reach for the limoncello. It's an Italian lemon liqueur, and I pour it over berries and serve it with Greek yogurt mixed with lemon curd, honey and vanilla. Just a sprig of mint, and dessert is served."

While Garten's rendition of the Fruit Salad with Limoncello calls for strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and banana slices, it's not just for spring and summer. One fan raves, "I've made this for several get-togethers and everyone always loves it! I've changed the fruit and used whatever is in season and it's always great. Definitely a winner!"

To whip it up yourself, in a small bowl, simply stir together Greek yogurt (Garten recommends Fage Total; $1.19 for 7 ounces, Target) with a scoop of lemon curd (we love this one from Amazon, $5) , a spoonful of honey and a dash of pure vanilla extract. In a large bowl, gently toss about your fruit with a couple spoonfuls of sugar and a generous splash of limoncello. Allow this to set for about 5 minutes to let the booze infuse the fruit. Serve the fruit salads drizzled with the lemon yogurt and garnish with fresh mint.

If you, too, are craving a trip to Italy, score the Fruit Salad with Limoncello recipe here. Not a fan of limoncello but want to hop on the boozy fruit salad train? Try our Mimosa Fruit Salad or Mojito Blueberry & Watermelon Salad.