Ina Garten’s Cauliflower Toast Is Not the ‘Barefoot Contessa’ Star’s Only Decadent Spin on the Cruciferous Veggie

Ina Garten’s Cauliflower Toast is all over the internet right now, and for good reason. The Food Network star known as The Barefoot Contessa constructed a magical recipe that is everything you could want from a weekday lunch.

Her Cauliflower Toast features a superfood loaded with spices and mixed with three kinds of cheese and salty prosciutto on toasted bread. It’s truly a delicious work of art. But this isn’t the only Ina recipe that puts a decadent spin on the cruciferous veggie.

Ina Garten features cauliflower in a decadent cheesy-crunch baked pasta dish

Ina’s Crusty Baked Shells & Cauliflower is a healthier version of Mac ‘N Cheese, and even more delicious. This is the kind of dish that if you take it to a holiday dinner or potluck, you’ll be asked to make it again and again. It will become your signature side dish.

Ingredients include medium pasta shells, cauliflower, sage, capers, garlic, lemon zest, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. You’ll also need Italian Fontina Val d’Aosta cheese, Ricotta, Italian Pecorino cheese, panko breadcrumbs, and parsley.

You’ll begin by cooking the pasta until al dente. But be careful not to overcook your pasta because it will continue to cook later when you put it in the oven. While the pasta cooks, sauté the cauliflower in olive oil until browned and tender.

After you mix the cooked pasta and cauliflower together, add herbs and seasonings, stir in the Fontina and Pecorino cheese, and spoon it into a baking dish. Layer the mixture with the Ricotta, then top with a mix of breadcrumbs and seasoning.  Bake until brown and crusty on top.

Cauliflower Gratin is another decadent spin on the cruciferous veggie

Another fantastic Ina side dish featuring cauliflower is her recipe for Cauliflower Gratin. This easy five-star recipe calls for just a handful of ingredients: a head of cauliflower, salt, butter, flour, milk, pepper, nutmeg, Gruyere, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs.

Begin by cooking the florets in boiling salted water until tender, but still firm. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan, add the flour, and stir constantly. Pour hot milk into the mixture and bring it to a boil, while whisking, until thickened. Remove it from the heat, add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and the different cheeses to make a sauce.

Pour some of the sauce into the bottom of a baking dish, place some drained cauliflower on top, then repeat that layering process. Top the dish with bread crumbs and more Gruyere, then bake until the top is browned.

“So delicious! I’m obsessed,” one reviewer shared. Another added, “Yummy and so easy to make.” A third wrote, “So delicious! I’m obsessed.”

Ina Garten’s Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower is the easiest recipe of all

All you need to make Ina’s insanely easy recipe for Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower is a head of cauliflower, good olive oil, salt and pepper, Parmesan cheese, and Gruyere cheese. Simply preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then remove the green leaves from the cauliflower, cut the head into florets, and discard the stems.

Place the florets on a sheet pan, drizzle them with olive oil, and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss well, then bake them for 30 minutes, tossing once. Take them out of the oven when the cauliflower is tender and starts to brown. Sprinkle with Parmesan and Gruyere and bake for another minute or two, just until the cheese melts. 

The Barefoot Contessa airs on The Food Network.