Cheesy Cauliflower Toasts Recipe (2024)

Ratings

4

out of 5

1,761

user ratings

Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

Janet

Can the cauliflower spread be made the night before?

Abby

Made this with mascarpone and homemade sourdough- left out the nutmeg as I don't love it but topped with fresh heirloom tomatoes and a little basil to cut the richness. It was fantastic and very simple to make!

KJ

If you’re cooking this for a vegetarian friend, please note that Gruyere and Parmesan are NOT VEGETARIAN (they are made with beef rennet). You will need to look for a vegetarian version.

Lizzie G

Made as is with ricotta. Delicious and a crowd pleaser. My only minor change: I added 3/4 tsp salt (rather than 1 tsp) and the 1/2 tsp pepper-- and both were a little too much. I added more ricotta to mellow out the salt. Recommend you add salt and pepper incrementally, to taste.

CLM

The difference between vegetarian and vegan is that vegetarians abstain from eating food that requires killing an animal but will general eat anything that the animal provides that doesn't result in its death (e.g., eggs). Vegans will not eat anything that comes from an animal. However, animal-based rennet (found in most hard cheeses like Gruyere and Parmesan) cannot be obtained without the killing of the animal from which it is extracted (intestines); therefore, some vegetarians avoid rennet.

RDG

Kosher cheeses do not use rennet and are vegetarian .

Susan Lopez

Mascarpone and ricotta are not generally interchangeable as mascarpone is essentially thickened (coagulated) cream and ricotta is made with milk. This is probably why some people thought the recipe too rich. I would recommend using ricotta to keep it light. It firms up in the oven and doesn't need a binder. I use ricotta all the time on veggi pan pizza.

Mara C.

I roasted cauliflower steaks (half inch thick slices of a whole cauliflower head) and use that instead of the toast and put all the toppings together with prosciutto and baked it. it was incredible.

Mse

I would hold the aluminum no foil please! Transfers Aluminum into your food and your body building up in the body unbleached parchment paper is safe

Julie

Have you ever tried making your own ricotta? It's THEE most delicious thing! Ina Garten has a recipe - I suggest trying it!!

Sandy

I will try this because my favorite fast lunch sandwich is chopped pickled vegetables (which are primarily cauliflower) drained and placed on toast with grated cheese on top. Broil. And you have a fast version of this. Likely not for company or as tasty but still very workable!

DB

Has anyone tried this with pizza crust instead of bread, like white pizza?

Joan

This dish is insanely rich and I can't wait to make it again. My cauliflower was on the small side so I cut the cheese recipe in half. I served it as a side to roasted trout filets; skipped the bread and we swooned. Even with only half the cheesiness. I want to try it with pizza dough as suggested in the comments!

Karen

I used precut cauliflower and I think that was a big mistake, the amount must have been off because this was way too rich even for me, and I don't normally shy away from richness in my food. I felt that I could have eaten it as a small appetizer but no way should it have been a meal. So make sure you have enough cauliflower! And in future even if I doubled the cauliflower I would use half the amount of olive oil, it was drowning in it. Likewise I would use half the black pepper.

Eric

This makes a massive amount, and with the marscarpone, it's basically a very salty dessert.Reduce the salt by half at least, use ricotta, and then count on 12-15 slices, minimum.

Lark

It's a super yummy dish. I found that the cauliflower was a bit too mushy after baking and I attributed that to the amount of oil. Instead of a 1/4 cup, I would do it by eye.

Tanya

You really have to like these cheeses...

H Andress

I love a fancy toast as much as the next Millennial, and this was yum! Probably won't make for breakfast often, as it does take longer than I'd like for a morning meal (that's a me problem, not a recipe problem) but it is hearty enough to be made as part of a light dinner. My only deviation was rubbing a garlic clove on the toasts before piling on the cauli mix. A quarter of a grocery store cauliflower (with all other components scaled down appropriately) was enough for 2 generous portions.

Liz

I’m still chewing my last bite of this savory wonder. Followed the directions pretty faithfully, but here are a few notes: my grocery store didn’t have Gruyère but they had Raclette. If you have the same problem, go with it. Delicious. Nor did my Kroger have authentic sourdough, but a softer, Bowdlerized version was probably better here, if only because it was less scratchy on the palate. Finally, the cauliflower. I used 2 lbs of frozen, breaking the big florets up with my chilly fingers.

Jill

I thought this was bland. Had it next day and added everything bagel seasoning and it was better. Also added some lemon zest

nara

One cauliflower resulted 5 toasts

Susan

Pretty good, but not as magically delicious as I'd hoped given the amount of work that went into it. Ina Garten's recipe calls for a two-pound cauliflower; mine was smaller than that but it still made a ton of cauliflower-cheese spread.

Bee A.

Delicious, as-is. I garnished the toast with basil and presto! Ina Garten uses Rock Diamond kosher salt. For any other brand, reduce the salt quantity.

Lisa Conn

Loved! Served it as an appetizer for an outdoor summer meal with friends and they went crazy for it! I made the mixture earlier in the day, stored it in the fridge. Right before serving I brushed the bread slices on one side with oil, grilled them, piled them up with the cauliflower-cheese mixture and briefly broiled.

Bicks

When is this meant to be eaten? Is it a breakfast/brunch dish? Lunch? An appetizer?

Chris in Saugatuck

Stirring on a sheet pan?? They do have low profile roasting pans for stirring things. Sounds like a mess.

Stacey

I thought it was fine, personally I think a nice sharp cheddar would be a bit more fitting, but we love cheesy cauliflower made with cheddar. I'll make again for an occasional vegetarian meal.

Jonathan

We loved it! An ideal accompaniment alongside a creamy or finely pureed soup. I used a high fat creamy cottage cheese (we have a nice local product) and a emmentaler, and finished with pecorino in place of parmigiano. The end result was similar to a rich béchamel with concentrated roasted cauliflower flavours and textures. So good!

Jane

VERY tasty. I cooked as a gratin using cottage cheese. I added about 2-3 cups of chopped spinach, 2 eggs and 1/3 cup fresh parsley. We ate it as a meal. Great breakfast the next day!

aussie on the nyt

Mmmmm delicious. Added grilled mushrooms and that was great too. But I will say … it’s very rich .. especially if you choose to gouge yourself on the cheesy leftovers in the bowl. Anyways. It would not have fed us all as a flat out meal but we had some minestrone and a green salad and they were perfect to add. And if you’re trying to impress the neighbours - it looks spectacular too. Well, compared with the meals I’ve produced during our latest lockdown. Covid of course.

Private notes are only visible to you.

Cheesy Cauliflower Toasts Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to stop cauliflower cheese from going watery? ›

I prefer to steam the cauliflower – it might take a little bit longer, but it prevents the watery sauce issue so I think it's worth it. If you prefer to cook the florets in water, make sure they are properly drained before combining them with the cheese sauce.

Can you eat cauliflower cheese as a main meal? ›

Cauliflower cheese is a traditional English dish. It can be eaten as a main course, for lunch or dinner, or as a side dish. Cauliflower cheese consists of pieces of cauliflower lightly boiled and covered with a milk-based cheese sauce, for which a mature cheese (such as cheddar) tends to be preferred.

What does soaking cauliflower in milk do? ›

When blanching or cooking cauliflower, keep it white by adding 1 cup of milk. The milk will also give the cauliflower a sweeter flavor.

How do you squeeze moisture out of cauliflower? ›

Once the riced cauliflower has been cooked (or thawed), transfer it to a clean, thin dishtowel. Wrap up the steamed rice in the dishtowel, twist it up, then SQUEEZE all the excess moisture out! (Be careful if your cauliflower is still hot-- let it cool before handling.)

What brings out the Flavour of cauliflower? ›

There are two really simple techniques that bring out the best in cauliflower: grilling and pickling. Dumping cauliflower florets in a mixture of salt and lemon juice for 45 minutes to an hour turns them into spiky little flavor bombs, delivering high-pitched squeaks in salads, sandwiches or the stew recipe here.

Why do you soak cauliflower before cooking? ›

If you're planning to roast the cauliflower whole or slice it into steaks, slice off the thick stem at the base. Drop the whole cauliflower head upside-down into cool, salted water. Let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes to remove dirt, residue and bugs.

What part of cauliflower is not edible? ›

Every part of a cauliflower is edible, even the tough outer skin. However, we do recommend peeling this part before cooking as it's a bit tough to chew.

Can you eat 3 day old cauliflower cheese? ›

It can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to cook. It is possible to freeze cauliflower cheese but unfortunately the sauce can sometimes turn thin and sligtly watery on defrosting, so we prefer not to freeze the dish if at all possible.

How many times a week should you eat cauliflower? ›

Even better from a health standpoint, enjoy cauliflower and other vegetables from the cruciferous vegetable group 4-5 times per week, and increase your serving size to 2 cups.

Why does my cauliflower cheese go watery after? ›

Cauliflower cheese can go watery if the cauliflower is overcooked. Overcooked cauliflower releases water, which will seep into the rest of the dish. So even if your sauce was thick when it went in the oven, if its in there too long, the water from the cauliflower will cause it to go watery.

How do you keep cheese from getting watery? ›

Our top recommendation is cheese paper. Cheese paper is the waxy paper your cheese often comes in when you get it from your local cheesemonger. Coated in both wax and a porous layer of plastic on the inside, cheese paper allows your cheese to breathe without being totally exposed and losing its precious moisture.

How do you make cheese less watery? ›

For dips, you'll want to use a tablespoon of cornstarch per pound of cheese, then add at least five ounces of evaporated milk. After that, you can use more evaporated milk to thin out your dip as much as you need.

How do you make cheese less runny? ›

You can thicken cheese sauce further by adding more flour or even using a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch or flour with a cup of water. The cold water will create a slurry. Stir the slurry into the cheese sauce over medium heat, and let the sauce boil and thicken.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Greg Kuvalis

Last Updated:

Views: 5400

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (55 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Greg Kuvalis

Birthday: 1996-12-20

Address: 53157 Trantow Inlet, Townemouth, FL 92564-0267

Phone: +68218650356656

Job: IT Representative

Hobby: Knitting, Amateur radio, Skiing, Running, Mountain biking, Slacklining, Electronics

Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.