The Underrated Veggie Ina Garten Thinks You're Not Using Enough

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The brilliant Ina Garten — chef, epicurean, and host extraordinaire — is known for her ability to transform even the simplest ingredients into something dinner-party worthy. And the Barefoot Contessa has declared that cauliflower is a secret weapon in the kitchen. "Cauliflower is, in my opinion, a highly underappreciated vegetable," she wrote in her book "Cook Like a Pro." Long gone are the days when boiling cauliflower was the best-known option. This humble vegetable is endlessly flexible, ideal for roasting, ricing, and grilling.

And if Ina says it, we listen. Her cauliflower toast recipe, for example, is rich with mascarpone, Gruyère, and prosciutto, and proves that this veggie isn't just filler. This toast, which includes roasting florets of the vegetable until golden brown and then garnishing with chives and sea salt, is a reminder that cauliflower need not be boring. "That's the way to take a very lowly vegetable like a cauliflower and make it into something really luxurious and delicious," she said on her Food Network show (via YouTube). "That's a delicious appetizer."

Ina Garten's cauliflower toast is just one decadent option for the flexible vegetable. Cauliflower is excellent fried, as long as you are generous with the spices. Either cut the vegetable into little florets and throw it in a skillet with some olive oil, or air fry your cauliflower for that coveted roasted texture in half the time. You can even roast the whole head of cauliflower with pistachios, white chocolate, and chili for a decadent crunch.

Cauliflower can also be a great meat-free option. Make it the star in a vegetable General Tso's, smothered in a sweet-and-tangy sauce, perfect over rice or alongside some stir-fried veggies. Or slice thick "cauliflower steaks" and grill them like burger patties for a hearty, plant-forward main course.

And of course, cauliflower cheddar soup enriched with pears, fennel, and thyme is ideal for a vitamin-packed warm-up. If you end up with more cauliflower than you can use in one recipe, you can freeze it; just avoid the rookie mistake of freezing it whole. Break it into florets for the easiest storage and later thawing.