10 Cookbooks Penned by Country Stars That You Need To Own

Over the years, many country artists have proven their talents go well beyond the stage. Some, like Dierks Bentley and Toby Keith, have become successful business owners with thriving restaurants, others, like Jake Owen and Sam Hunt, previously played sports before tackling a career in country music. Several artists, however, have put their culinary skills to use by releasing cookbooks to their fans.

Sounds Like Nashville has looked through the stars’ cookbooks and put together a list of some of the best. We highly recommend trying new dishes from any of these, and if you do, let us know how they worked out!

Trisha Yearwood – Trisha’s Table: My Feel-Good Favorites for a Balanced Life
Trisha Yearwood is a genius in the kitchen… she has three cookbooks and a successful Food Network television show to prove it. In her third cookbook, Trisha’s Table, the country superstar looks to feed her family, and yours, with delicious food that is also good for you. You can’t be healthy all the time so there’s comfort-food favorites mixed in there as well.
We Recommend: Dairy-free Angel Hair Pasta with Avocado Pesto, low-calorie Billie’s Houdini Chicken Salad, Slow Cooker Georgia Pulled-Pork Barbecue, Snappy Pear-Cranberry Crumble, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls.

Martina McBride – Around the Table: Recipes and Inspiration for Gatherings Throughout the Year
There’s nothing like a mom’s homemade cooking and as a mother of three, Martina McBride is no exception. In this country powerhouse’s collection, she shares not only mouth watering recipes but also tips and tricks to entertaining in general. It even includes menu-planning, decoration ideas and ways to ensure guests have a great time. Colorful photos are found intertwined with recipes and take you inside McBride’s home. The book leaves you patiently waiting for your invitation to her next big event.
We Recommend: Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates, Triple Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies and Zucchini, Sun-dried tomato and Basil Tart

Dolly Parton – Dolly’s Dixie Fixin’s: Love, Laughter and Lots of Good Food
Dolly Parton has big hair as well as a big recipe book filled with delicious recipes from herself, her family, Dollywood and travels she has made throughout her career as an entertainer. Though she is busy singing, acting and running a theme park, Parton learned to cook from watching her own mother feed 12 children in a tiny cabin growing up. She really can do it all!
We Recommend: Hello Dolly Bars, Black Raspberry Pie and Pan Fried Catfish.

Kix Brooks – Cookin’ It with Kix: The Art of Celebrating and the Fun of Outdoor Cooking
If you enjoy grilling out, Kix Brooks has the perfect cookbook for you. In Cookin’ it With Kix, Brooks collected recipes inspired from growing up in Louisiana, as well as ones he came across from his family and his travels on the road so you can serve up a grilled feast of your own. Throughout the collection, Brooks tells stories of his own that inspired many of the recipes, like his childhood in Louisiana or touring with ZZ Top. But he does recommend listening to Brooks and Dunn music in the background.
We Recommend: Grapefruit Basil Sangria, Cajun Cornbread and 16-minute Peanut Butter Cookies

Kimberly Schlapman – Oh Gussie!: Cooking and Visiting in Kimberly’s Southern Kitchen
Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman is as southern as it gets and so is her cookbook, and we find absolutely nothing wrong with that. Her Oh Gussie recipe collection is filled with dishes that are good for the soul and will keep you entertained as she shares stories from growing up in the Appalachian foothills, her career on the road and life in Nashville with her family.
We Recommend: Kimberly’s Chicken and Dumplings, Baked Onion Rings with Hot Ranch Dip, Sticky Cinnamon Rolls and Big Batch Banana Pudding

Loretta Lynn – You’re Cookin’ It Country: My Favorite Recipes and Memories
Loretta Lynn’s career is second to none in the country music world and on top of it all, she can cook. We’d say she’s definitely “Woman Enough.” A mother herself, she has spent majority of her life with mouths to feed and in her second cookbook, Lynn compiles her favorite recipes that helped her do it. She also shares stories relating to food and growing up a coalminer’s daughter in Kentucky.
We Recommend: Cat Head Biscuits, Country Fried Venison and and Lemon Whippersnappers

Kenny Rogers – Cooking with Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers served as a spokesperson for Dole Foods and in his cookbook Cooking with Kenny Rogers, every recipe depends on at least one of their products. We never would have tagged Rogers as man who knows his way around a kitchen, but by the looks of these recipes, boy, were we proven wrong.
We Recommend: Pineapple Chicken Cheese Melt and Hawaiian Splendor Sponge Cake

June Carter Cash – Mother Maybelle’s Cookbook: A Kitchen Visit With America’s First Family of Country Song
June Carter Cash is a member of the First Family of Song as well as country legend Johnny Cash’s loving wife. In her cookbook, which she co-wrote with her sisters, she shares some of her mother’s most beloved recipes as well as telling the anecdotes that came along with them.
We Recommend: Scripture Cake and Helen’s Drunk Chicken

Zac Brown Band - Southern Ground
Zac Brown Band’s first single was simply titled “Chicken Fried,” so it’s not a surprise the country singer is full of recipes worthy of being shared. In this cookbook, Southern Ground, you will find recipes from the heart of southern cooking along with poems and stories that resemble his upbringing.
We Recommend: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Perfect Pocket Knife Cole Slaw and Farmer’s Fried Green Tomatoes

Tammy Wynette – The Tammy Wynette Southern Cookbook
Tammy Wynette is from a sharecrop farm where she learned to cook over an open hearth. In her self-titled cookbook she focuses on southern recipes that may leave you loosening your belt.
We Recommend: Mississippi Stuffed Bell Pepper, Cornmeal Fried Potatoes and Pineapple Banana Pudding

Happy cooking, y’all!