Ina Garten’s Cheesy Cauliflower Toasts

Hello and welcome to Djalali Cooks! Even though it probably still feels like summer in your neck of the woods, comfort food is always welcome. Definitely Pin this recipe because it’s going to be great to return to for holiday appetizers. Ina Garten’s Cheesy Cauliflower Toasts combine the hearty flavor of roasted cauliflower with creamy mascarpone cheese, nutty Gruyere cheese, and salty prosciutto, topping a thick slice of toasted bread and broiled to golden perfection. Make a few big toasts for a great meal with a salad, or top toasted baguette slices for an easy savory appetizer. Let’s do it!

Roasted Cauliflower

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Use a small/medium head of cauliflower, weighing about 2 pounds. Remove the bottom and cut off any leaves. Cut off most of the exposed stem and discard. Then cut the cauliflower florets into 1/2-inch pieces. Toss the cauliflower with about 4 tablespoons of olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Then spread it back out into a single layer.

Roast the cauliflower on the center rack for about 30 minutes, stirring the cauliflower twice during the roasting. Pull the cauliflower from the oven when it’s tender and spotty brown. Set the tray of cauliflower aside.

Toasting the Bread

Slice the number of toasts you want to make. I am using a rustic Italian loaf, sliced into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Arrange the bread slices on a sheet tray. Carefully move the oven rack to top middle position, about 6-inches away from the top heating element and turn the oven to broil.

Place the tray with the bread slices in the oven on the top middle rack and watch the bread broil. As one side gets toasty, pull the pan and flip the toasts to toast the other side.

Pull the toasts from the broiler and set aside.

Cheesy Cauliflower Topping

Transfer the roasted cooled cauliflower to a large bowl. Stir in the room-temperature mascarpone cheese. Then stir in the grated gruyere cheese. Lastly, we will add the sliced prosciutto to the mixture.

A Note on the Prosciutto

Prosciutto tends to stick to itself when it gets warm. So to keep the individual pieces from just clumping into one mass, while the cauliflower was roasting, I used very cold prosciutto and I sliced the thin slices into strips on the short side. Then I separated the strips I cut and spread them out on a plate, which I then put in the fridge until I was ready to add them to the cheesy cauliflower mixture.

Sprinkle the prosciutto slices over the mixture and stir them in. Then season the whole mixture with nutmeg, more black pepper, and 1/2-1 teaspoon more kosher salt.

Top the toasts with heaping spoonfuls of the cheesy cauliflower mixture, dividing the mixture evenly between the toasts.

Sprinkle each topped toast with a little paprika and place in the oven on the top middle rack to broil. Watch the toasts, they will begin to take on color pretty quickly. Only about 2-4 minutes. They should be browning and bubbly.

Ina Garten’s Cheesy Cauliflower Toasts

Transfer the toasts to a serving plate and sprinkle the tops with grated or powdered Parmesan cheese and thinly sliced chives.

Slice in half and enjoy on its own or serve along side a salad for a complete meal. These toasts are rich and creamy with the mascarpone cheese, the nutty Gruyere melts beautifully. Studded with the prosciutto pieces, each bite is full of roasted cauliflower flavor and salty, meaty prosciutto. Such a treat! As I mentioned at the top, this would be great for holiday appetizers (never too early to start squirreling away recipes for the holidays!). Just use baguette slices instead of large rustic loaf slices to make 2-bite sized portions.

I do hope you give this recipe a try, Ina Garten create a winner with this one! If you love toasts, check out Whipped Feta and Tomato Toasts, or Lemon and Herb Butter Bean Toasts. Thank you so much for stopping by today, take care and be well! xo Kelly

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Ina Garten's Cheesy Cauliflower Toasts

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Dinner, Main Course, Appetizer – American

By Ina Garten – Serves: Makes 4 Large Toasts

Prep Time: 20 Minutes – Cooking Time: ~35 Minutes – Total Time: ~1 Hour

Ina Garten's Cheesy Cauliflower Toasts combine roasted cauliflower with mascarpone cheese, Gruyere and prosciutto atop toasted bread, broiled to perfection.

Ingredients

• 1 Small/Medium Head Cauliflower (2 pounds)
• 4 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 12 oz. Italian Mascarpone Cheese, at room temperature
• 6 oz. Gruyere Cheese, grated
• 4 oz. Thinly Sliced Prosciutto, julienned
• 1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
• 4-6 Large Slices Country-Style Bread, sliced in 1/2-thick slices
• Paprika
• Freshly Grated Italian Parmesan Cheese
• 2 tbsp. Minced Fresh Chives

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2

For the Cauliflower, remove the bottom and cut off any leaves. Cut off most of the exposed stem and discard. Then cut the cauliflower florets into 1/2-inch pieces. Toss the cauliflower with about 4 tablespoons of olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Then spread it back out into a single layer.

3

Roast the cauliflower on the center rack for about 30 minutes, stirring the cauliflower twice during the roasting. Pull the cauliflower from the oven when it's tender and spotty brown. Set the tray of cauliflower aside.

4

Arrange the bread slices on a sheet tray. Carefully move the oven rack to top middle position, about 6-inches away from the top heating element and turn the oven to broil.

5

Place the tray with the bread slices in the oven on the top middle rack and watch the bread broil. As one side gets toasty, pull the pan and flip the toasts to toast the other side.

6

Pull the toasts from the broiler and set aside.

7

Transfer the roasted cooled cauliflower to a large bowl. Stir in the room-temperature mascarpone cheese. Then stir in the grated gruyere cheese. Lastly, we will add the sliced prosciutto to the mixture.

8

Sprinkle the prosciutto slices over the mixture and stir them in. Then season the whole mixture with nutmeg, more black pepper, and 1/2-1 teaspoon more kosher salt.

9

Top the toasts with heaping spoonfuls of the cheesy cauliflower mixture, dividing the mixture evenly between the toasts.

10

Sprinkle each topped toast with a little paprika and place in the oven on the top middle rack to broil. Watch the toasts, they will begin to take on color pretty quickly. Only about 2-4 minutes. They should be browning and bubbly.

11

Transfer the toasts to a serving plate and sprinkle the tops with grated or powdered Parmesan cheese and thinly sliced chives.

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