14 Old Hollywood Recipes the Stars Really Loved, From Marilyn Monroe’s Handwritten Stuffing to Hepburn’s Brownies

Old Hollywood recipes tell a side of the stars that never made it into the movie magazines. Away from the cameras, Marilyn Monroe wrote out her own Thanksgiving stuffing by hand, Audrey Hepburn ate the same simple tomato spaghetti every week and Katharine Hepburn bossed a neighbor about how little flour a brownie really needs. Many of these dishes survive because the stars shared them in cookbooks, interviews and letters, and later writers and family members collected them again. We kept only recipes with a real paper trail, from a 1965 cookbook by Vincent Price and his wife Mary to a meatloaf from Joan Crawford’s own 1971 book. The food is honest and homey, the kind of cooking you can still make in a modern kitchen tonight. Here are 14 old Hollywood recipes worth bringing back to your table..

Marilyn Monroe’s Handwritten Stuffing Leads Our Old Hollywood Recipes

Marilyn Monroe’s stuffing was found among her personal papers and printed in Fragments, a 2010 book of her notes and letters. As The New York Times reported, she scrawled it on the letterhead of a title insurance company, and it is surprisingly hearty. Sourdough soaked in water and squeezed dry is mixed with chopped giblets, browned ground beef, raisins, nuts, hard-boiled eggs and parmesan. Notably, it uses no garlic at all. It is rich, sweet and savory at the same time..

You will need: 1 loaf sourdough bread, 1 small French loaf, chicken giblets with liver and heart, 1/2 lb ground beef, 1 onion, 3 celery stalks, 1 bunch parsley, 1 teaspoon each rosemary, thyme and oregano, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1 1/2 cups raisins, 1 cup chopped walnuts, 2 hard-boiled eggs, 1 handful grated parmesan, salt and pepper.

How to make it: 1. Tear the bread, soak it briefly in cold water, squeeze it dry and shred it into a big bowl. 2. Simmer the giblets 10 minutes, then chop the liver and heart. 3. Brown the beef in a dry pan and add it with the giblets. 4. Stir in chopped onion, celery, parsley, herbs, raisins, walnuts, chopped eggs and parmesan, and season. 5. Bake in a buttered dish at 350F for about 45 minutes until golden on top.

Audrey Hepburn’s Weekly Spaghetti al Pomodoro

Audrey Hepburn’s son Luca Dotti wrote in his 2015 book Audrey at Home that his mother ate spaghetti al pomodoro at least once a week for years and often went back for seconds. Her sauce starts with ripe tomatoes softened with onion, carrot and celery, then gets a handful of fresh basil and good olive oil. A pinch of sugar tames the acidity, and the sauce is passed through a food mill so it turns silky and smooth. It is proof that the most elegant star of her era loved the simplest food, and it is one of the easiest old Hollywood recipes to master.

You will need: 2 lbs ripe plum tomatoes or 2 cans whole San Marzano tomatoes, 1 small onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, 1 big handful fresh basil, 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 pinch sugar, salt and pepper, 1 lb spaghetti, grated parmesan to serve.

How to make it: 1. Chop the onion, carrot and celery and put them in a pot with the tomatoes, half the basil and the oil. 2. Simmer gently for 40 minutes until everything is very soft. 3. Pass through a food mill or blend and strain, then season with salt, pepper and sugar. 4. Cook the spaghetti until al dente and toss with the sauce. 5. Finish with the rest of the basil and parmesan.

Katharine Hepburn’s Fudgy Brownies, a Legend Among Old Hollywood Recipes

Katharine Hepburn’s brownies are one of the best known old Hollywood recipes, and the story behind them is pure Hepburn. A New York neighbor brought her a batch while she was recovering from an accident, and she told him they had far too much flour. She then dictated her own recipe while he took notes, and his daughter shared it decades later in a 2003 letter to The New York Times. Just a quarter cup of flour keeps them dense and fudgy. Hepburn also warned never to overbake them.

You will need: 2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 pinch salt, 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 325F and butter an 8-inch square pan. 2. Melt the chocolate and butter together over low heat, then take off the heat and stir in the sugar. 3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. 4. Stir in the flour, salt and nuts. 5. Bake about 40 minutes, until just set, and cool before cutting into squares.

Frank Sinatra’s Simple Sunday Tomato Sauce

Frank Sinatra grew up in Hoboken eating his mother Dolly’s Italian cooking, and he loved to talk about food. He shared his own quick tomato sauce on television in the 1970s, and versions of it still circulate among fans of old Hollywood recipes. It is a light, fresh sauce: onion and garlic softened in olive oil, then blended tomatoes, parsley, thyme and black pepper, simmered only briefly so it tastes bright rather than heavy. A pinch of crushed red pepper at the end gives it a little swagger, much like the singer himself.

You will need: 1 can (28 oz) Italian-style whole tomatoes, 1 can (15 oz) tomato puree, 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley plus extra, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, black pepper, salt, crushed red pepper, 1 lb pasta.

How to make it: 1. Blend the whole tomatoes until fairly smooth. 2. Gently cook the chopped onion and minced garlic in the olive oil until soft. 3. Add the blended tomatoes, puree, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. 4. Simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes. 5. Toss with hot pasta and finish with crushed red pepper and fresh parsley.

Sophia Loren’s Creamy Lemon Spaghetti

Sophia Loren has published her own cookbooks of family favorites, and her spaghetti al limone is one of the dishes fans still make from them. It is a fifteen minute meal from her home region near Naples, where lemons grow everywhere. Butter, garlic and a splash of cream simmer with lemon juice and zest, then hot spaghetti is tossed right in the pan and finished with parmesan. The result is bright, creamy and comforting all at once, the kind of dish that explains why Loren has always spoken so warmly about pasta.

You will need: 1 lb spaghetti, 4 tablespoons butter, 2 garlic cloves, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 2 lemons (zest and juice), 3/4 cup grated parmesan, salt and black pepper.

How to make it: 1. Cook the spaghetti in well salted water until al dente and save a cup of pasta water. 2. Melt the butter in a large pan and soften the sliced garlic. 3. Add the cream, lemon zest and juice and simmer 2 minutes. 4. Toss in the spaghetti with a splash of pasta water. 5. Season, plate and shower with parmesan.

Bette Davis’s Red Flannel Hash From New England

Bette Davis was a proud New Englander, born in Lowell, Massachusetts, and her favorite breakfast was a regional classic called red flannel hash. Her version, collected in Frank DeCaro’s 2011 Dead Celebrity Cookbook, chops corned beef, boiled potatoes and beets together, moistens them with a little cream and browns everything slowly in butter. The beets turn the hash a deep ruby red, which is where the name comes from. Davis served it with poached eggs on top, and it is still a great way to use leftover corned beef.

You will need: 2 cups chopped cooked corned beef, 2 cups chopped boiled potatoes, 1 cup chopped cooked beets, 1/4 cup cream, 3 tablespoons butter, salt, black pepper, 4 poached eggs, chopped parsley.

How to make it: 1. Mix the corned beef, potatoes and beets in a bowl. 2. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. 3. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet and press the hash in an even layer. 4. Cook over medium-low heat, without stirring, until a deep brown crust forms, then turn in sections and brown again. 5. Serve with a poached egg on each portion.

Joan Crawford’s Meatloaf, One of the Boldest Old Hollywood Recipes

Joan Crawford shared her meatloaf in My Way of Life, the 1971 lifestyle book she wrote about running a home, and it is one of the boldest dishes in this list. She mixed ground sirloin, veal and sausage meat with eggs, chopped onion, green peppers and plenty of steak sauce and seasoned salt. The surprise is inside: whole hard-boiled eggs hidden down the middle, so every slice has a neat circle of egg. Crawford liked it hot for dinner or cold the next day, which makes it a smart make-ahead dish.

You will need: 2 lbs ground sirloin, 1 lb ground veal, 1 lb sausage meat, 3 eggs, 1 red onion, 1 green bell pepper, 1/2 cup steak sauce plus extra, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons seasoned salt, 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F. 2. Mix the meats with the raw eggs, finely chopped onion and pepper, steak sauce, Worcestershire and seasoned salt. 3. Press half into a large loaf pan, line up the hard-boiled eggs down the center and cover with the rest. 4. Brush the top with more steak sauce. 5. Bake about 1 1/2 hours until cooked through and rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Humphrey Bogart’s Coconut Spanish Cream

Humphrey Bogart is not the first star you picture in an apron, but his coconut Spanish cream appears in the Dead Celebrity Cookbook alongside the other old Hollywood recipes it gathered. Spanish cream was a popular dessert of the 1930s and 1940s: a soft custard set with gelatin, lightened with beaten egg whites and chilled in a mold until it separates into a creamy base and an airy top. Bogart’s version folds in shredded coconut and a little orange, then gets turned out and garnished with fresh orange segments. It is light, cool and very retro.

You will need: 1 envelope unflavored gelatin, 3 cups milk, 3 eggs separated, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup shredded coconut, 1 teaspoon orange extract, 1 pinch salt, orange segments to garnish.

How to make it: 1. Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup cold milk to soften. 2. Heat the rest of the milk, whisk the yolks with the sugar and cook together in a double boiler, stirring, until the custard coats a spoon, then stir in the gelatin. 3. Cool until slightly thick and add the coconut and extract. 4. Beat the whites with salt to stiff peaks and fold in. 5. Chill in a mold until set, then unmold and garnish with oranges.

John Wayne’s Chile Cheese Casserole, the Most Shared of Old Hollywood Recipes

John Wayne’s casserole is one of the most shared old Hollywood recipes of all time, and it still pops up at potlucks across the West. It is essentially a baked chile relleno without the frying. Whole green chiles are layered with Monterey Jack and cheddar, then covered with a puffy batter of whipped egg whites, yolks and evaporated milk. Halfway through baking, sliced tomatoes go on top. The result is a soft, souffle-like casserole that suits brunch or dinner, and it is easy enough for a cowboy.

You will need: 2 cans (7 oz) whole green chiles, 1 lb Monterey Jack, 1 lb cheddar, 4 eggs separated, 2/3 cup evaporated milk, 1 tablespoon flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 2 tomatoes sliced.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 325F and butter a 2-quart baking dish. 2. Seed the chiles and layer them with the grated cheeses. 3. Beat the whites to stiff peaks, then mix the yolks with the milk, flour, salt and pepper and fold into the whites. 4. Pour over the chiles and bake 30 minutes. 5. Top with tomato slices and bake 30 minutes more, then rest 15 minutes before serving.

Claudette Colbert’s Cheese and Olive Puffs

Claudette Colbert, the Oscar-winning star of It Happened One Night, loved to entertain, and her cheese and olive puffs were a party favorite. The recipe appears in the Dead Celebrity Cookbook and could not be simpler. Sharp cheddar and butter are worked into a quick dough with flour, a dash of hot sauce and Worcestershire, then each stuffed green olive is wrapped in a little jacket of dough. They freeze beautifully, so you can bake them straight from the freezer whenever guests drop by. Salty, cheesy and very hard to stop eating, they are the perfect party snack from our old Hollywood recipes.

You will need: 2 cups grated sharp cheddar, 1/2 cup soft butter, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, about 40 pimento-stuffed green olives, drained and patted dry.

How to make it: 1. Blend the cheese and butter until smooth. 2. Mix in the flour, hot sauce and Worcestershire to make a soft dough. 3. Wrap about a teaspoon of dough around each olive and roll into a ball. 4. Freeze on a tray until firm. 5. Bake at 400F for about 12 to 15 minutes, until golden, and serve warm.

Vincent Price’s Make-Ahead Friday Chicken

Horror legend Vincent Price was a serious cook, and with his wife Mary he wrote A Treasury of Great Recipes in 1965, a cookbook that is still in print. One of its clever ideas is Friday chicken: a roast bird with a herb stuffing pushed under the skin instead of inside the cavity. The stuffing bastes the meat as it roasts, so the breast stays moist and tender. The Prices made it on Friday and ate it cold over the weekend, which makes it one of the most practical old Hollywood recipes for picnics and easy lunches.

You will need: 1 whole chicken about 5 lbs, 3 cups fresh bread crumbs, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1 small onion finely chopped, 1 teaspoon thyme or sage, salt and pepper, lemon wedges to serve.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 375F. 2. Mix the bread crumbs, egg, butter, parsley, onion, herbs, salt and pepper. 3. Gently loosen the skin from the breast and legs with your fingers. 4. Push the stuffing under the skin and smooth it into an even layer. 5. Roast about 1 1/2 hours until cooked through, cool, chill and serve cold with lemon.

Old Hollywood Recipes for Brunch: Alfred Hitchcock’s Quiche Lorraine

Alfred Hitchcock once told an interviewer he was frightened of eggs, yet his favorite breakfast was quiche Lorraine made by his wife, Alma Reville. Alma was a talented film editor and screenwriter as well as a superb cook, and her quiche used four eggs and a pinch of cayenne for warmth. With the eggs whisked into cream and baked with bacon and cheese, there was nothing on the plate to scare the master of suspense. It remains one of the most charming old Hollywood recipes for a slow weekend brunch.

You will need: 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, 6 slices bacon, 1 cup grated Gruyere, 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 pinch cayenne, 1 pinch nutmeg.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 375F and chill the crust in its pan. 2. Cook the bacon until crisp, crumble it and scatter it over the crust with the cheese. 3. Whisk the eggs, cream, salt, cayenne and nutmeg. 4. Pour into the crust. 5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until just set in the center, then rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Clark Gable’s Golden Pancakes and Sausages

Clark Gable was called the King of Hollywood, but at home he liked plain, hearty food. In a 1934 magazine interview his wife Ria described his favorite breakfast as golden pancakes with small pork sausages, and his dinners as pot roast with brown gravy followed by homemade cake. For more morning ideas from famous kitchens, see our roundup of celebrity breakfasts the stars really eat. These pancakes are fluffy, buttery and perfect for a slow Sunday morning with warm maple syrup.

You will need: 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 cups buttermilk, 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons melted butter, 12 small pork breakfast sausages, maple syrup and butter to serve.

How to make it: 1. Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl. 2. Whisk the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter, then stir into the flour until just combined. 3. Brown the sausages in a skillet until cooked through and keep warm. 4. Cook 1/4 cup scoops of batter on a buttered griddle until bubbles form, flip and cook until golden. 5. Serve stacked with butter, syrup and the sausages.

Lucille Ball’s Family Goulash With Egg Noodles

Lucille Ball was never thought of as a great cook, though she tried, and she and Desi Arnaz had favorite home dinners, and this American-style goulash was one of them, as a retro recipe feature in the Sonoma Index-Tribune recalled. It is a true one pot family meal: ground beef browned with green onions, green peppers and garlic, simmered slowly with canned tomatoes, then finished with small egg noodles that soak up the sauce. Like many old Hollywood recipes, it is thrifty, filling and easy to double, the kind of supper that suits a busy household of any era.

You will need: 2 lbs ground beef, 1 bunch green onions, 2 green bell peppers, 2 garlic cloves, 1 large can (28 oz) whole tomatoes, 1/2 lb small egg noodles, 1 tablespoon butter, salt and pepper.

How to make it: 1. Melt the butter in a large pot and soften the sliced green onions, chopped peppers and garlic, then set aside. 2. Brown the beef in the same pot. 3. Return the vegetables, add the tomatoes with their juice and break them up. 4. Simmer gently for about 1 hour, seasoning to taste. 5. Cook the noodles separately and stir them in for the last 30 minutes.