Ina Garten Considers This Vegetable To Be The Most Underrated Of All

If you've ever looked at a head of cauliflower and thought the vegetable was basic or bland, think again. Cauliflower is what Ina Garten refers to in an Instagram post as "a highly under-appreciated vegetable." In her post from 2018, Garten displays the cauliflower as the star topping for gourmet toast, writing in her caption: "It browns beautifully when roasted, it makes soups creamy without adding cream, and for these Cauliflower Toasts, I combine it with gruyere and pancetta on top of crusty bread to make an open-faced sandwich that's crunchy, creamy, and totally decadent!"

In just this one recipe, Garten displays just how versatile — and underrated — the cruciferous veggie is. In addition to being high in fiber and vitamins C and K, you can roast cauliflower like she did to bring out browned notes, perfectly complement its earthy flavor. But, for best results, follow her guidance by sprinkling it with two types of cheese. When puréed, cauliflower also adds creaminess to soup — something Garten herself takes advantage of in her recipes. It also serves as the perfect plant-based substitute for cream in recipes like bechamel pasta sauce and vegan dips. 

As usual, Ina Garten was right when she called cauliflower under-appreciated. So, go ahead and give cauliflower a place center-stage at your next dinner party. You can make an easy, appetizer version of Garten's cauliflower toast by swapping the bread for crackers or crostini — providing the perfect finger food to pass around to your guests. If it's a summer barbecue you're hosting, you can chop and grill the vegetable into cauliflower steaks or try Tasting Table's buffalo cauliflower with tahini dip recipe for a flavorful, plant-based snack. 

Once you start getting creative with the veggie, you'll have a whole list of delicious cauliflower recipes you'll crave on repeat. But, you can also use the versatile vegetable to switch up your usual dishes. For instance, you can swap potatoes for cauliflower au gratin or cauliflower mash. Since the vegetable develops a nice hearty texture when cooked, you can also try making a Kung Pao cauliflower instead of chicken. Cauliflower's relatively neutral taste and raw crisp bite also makes it ideal for pickling in jars and quick pickled marinades. 

To prepare the vegetable for a variety of recipes, follow Garten's mess free method to cut cauliflower like a pro. Just practice careful knife skills as you turn the vegetable over and core it to remove the stem. From there, the recipe and serving opportunities are all but endless.