Vegetarian Recipe: Creamy Cauliflower Soup

We wanted to share a great recipe with our vegetarian friends. After a bit of searching, we found a soup that seems to fit the bill perfectly. It's smooth and creamy while avoiding any cream: a delicious cauliflower soup.

Cauliflower, of course, has a very distinctive flavor to it. When just undercooked, it tastes slightly grassy, while the more cooked version of this vegetable is sweeter, even perhaps a bit nutty. To get both of these great flavors in the soup, we cooked some of the cauliflower in seasoned water, then added more cauliflower later. Keep reading below for this delicious recipe...

Califlower Soup

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower (about 2lbs)
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces
• 1 leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
• 1 small onion, halved and sliced thin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 5 cups water
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Directions

1. Pull off the outer leaves of the cauliflower and trim the stem. Use a paring knife to cut around the core to remove. Slice the core thinly and reserve. Cut 1 heaping cup of 1/2" florets from the head of the cauliflower and set aside. Cut the remaining cauliflower crosswise into 1/2" thick slices.
2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the leek, onion, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, stirring frequently until the leek and onion are softened (about 7 minutes). Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to a minute, or until garlic is fragrant.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the water, bay leaf, thyme, sliced core from the cauliflower, and half of the sliced cauliflower. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the remaining sliced cauliflower, return to a simmer, and continue to cook until the cauliflower is tender (another 15 to 20 minutes).
4. While the soup simmers, melt the remaining 5 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved florets and cook, stirring frequently, until the florets are a nice golden brown (about 6 to 8 minutes). Remove the skillet from the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the florets to a small bowl. Toss the florets with the sherry vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the butter from the skillet into a small bowl and reserve.
5. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Process the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth (about 45 seconds). Rinse out the pan. Return the pureed soup to the pan and return to a simmer over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, garnishing with browned florets, and drizzle with browned butter and chives. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower Gratin

Perfect as a side dish or a main course all on its own, the French-inspired cauliflower gratin is a great way to incorporate this vegetable onto your dinner table. A simple mixture of milk, cheese, butter, and cauliflower, this recipe is pretty easy to make.

You can play around with lots of different cheeses, though many agree that Gruyere is a traditional choice for the dish.  If you can’t find Gruyere, some good substitutes would be Fontina, Comte, or Beaufort cheese. One of these options should be available in your local grocery store, though cheddar could also work if you can't find these substitutes. 

Some people add a bit of mustard flavor or chopped nuts, but we’d say that keeping it simple works perfectly. Though going half-and-half with cauliflower and broccoli could be pretty tasty!

Cauliflower Gratin

(makes 4-6 servings)

Ingredients

•        4 tablespoons unsalted butter
•        3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
•        2 cups hot milk
•        3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
•        1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•        Pinch cayenne pepper
•        1 large head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
•        3 tablespoons bread crumbs
•        Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
2. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add a pinch or two of salt, followed by the cauliflower florets. Let them cook for five to six minutes – you want them to be tender but still firm. Drain the cauliflower and set aside.
3. While the cauliflower is cooking, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon for about two minutes. Then, add the hot milk and stir everything until it starts to boil.
4. Whisk the milk for about a minute, until it thickens, and then take it off the heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, cayenne, Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of Gruyere. Stir everything together until blended well.
5. Spray an 8x11 baking dish lightly with cooking spray, then add about 1/3 of the sauce mixture to the dish. Then, add all of the drained cauliflower, followed by the rest of the sauce.
6. Mix the remaining Gruyere cheese with the bread crumbs and sprinkle the mixture on top of the dish. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the top as well.
7. Sprinkle salt and pepper over top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned.
8. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart

Cauliflower should get a starring role in more dishes – it’s tasty when roasted, works well as a supporting cast member or the lead in the recipe, and it’s healthy. Paired with caramelized onions and a flaky crust, this tart lets the cauliflower shine once again.

Cauliflower itself is packed with vitamins and antioxidants, and some say it’s great for digestive and heart health as well. If you’re looking for ways to incorporate healthy veggies into your diet, this is one meal that does so perfectly – plus it’s vegetarian, so a bit more accessible to those with dietary restrictions.

Though this recipe calls for Gruyere, you can substitute Swiss cheese or a combo of fontina and Parmesan. If you want it to be a touch lighter, swap out mascarpone for a reduced-fat sour cream. 

Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart

(makes 8 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 refrigerated pie crust or homemade tart shell (click here for a recipe)
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets 
• 1 large yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced 
• 1 8 -ounce package mascarpone cheese (substitute sour cream for a lighter version)
• 1 cup grated Gruyère (or substitute Swiss OR fontina/Parmesan combo) 
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 large eggs
• Truffle oil (optional) 
• Olive oil
• Dijon mustard
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the cauliflower with a generous amount of olive oil to coat, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Place the cauliflower on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, making sure to flip once or twice along the way. The florets should just be getting golden. Remove the florets from the oven and set aside. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees F.
2. While the florets are roasting, you’ll caramelize the onion. Cut the onion in half and thinly slice it, then add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion as well as a dash of salt and pepper to the pan.
3. Cook the onion for about seven minutes, stirring occasionally, until it gets tender and translucent -- then reduce the heat to low. (Add a pinch of sugar once you reduce the heat for a little sweetness.) Then, let the onion slices cook on low until they become a deep golden or brown color – it takes about 20 minutes for them to caramelize. Stir them often enough so they don’t burn the bottom of the pan, but make sure they have enough time to sit in the oil and caramelize. Add a little water to the pan if they start to stick too much to the bottom. 
4. Once the cauliflower is cool, thinly slice the florets so they are about 1/4-inch thick. Toss with a drizzle of truffle oil (if desired) and set aside.
5. Mix together the eggs, mascarpone, cream, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Then, add the Gruyere (or substitute) to the mixture.
6. Press your crust into a 9-inch tart pan, trimming any excess from the edges with a knife. If the crust didn’t come refrigerated, you’ll want to refrigerate it for 30 minutes after pressing into the pan and before assembling the tart.  
7. Place the pastry shell on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any drips) and coat the bottom of the pastry shell with Dijon mustard (the mustard layer should only be 1/8-inch thick). Then, spread the onions evenly over the bottom of the pastry shell, followed by the roasted cauliflower.
8. Pour the cheese and cream mixture over the onions and cauliflower, and then top the tart with the grated Parmesan cheese. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for about 40 minutes – you’ll want the top to be golden brown and the center to be set.
9. Let the tart cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
10. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Recipe: Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Maybe you’re looking to nix some carbs from your diet, or maybe you’ve got a gluten allergy but don’t want to miss out on bubbly pizza. Whatever the reason, cauliflower comes through as an unexpected but tasty substitute for any pizza’s crust.

Egg and cheese serve as both binders and flavor enhancers in this recipe, and there’s some wiggle room with the type of cheese you use – for instance, you might like Parmesan instead of goat cheese. 

Pick your favorite sauce and toppings, and prepare to be wowed (or to wow someone else) with this healthy alternative to a dinnertime classic.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients

• 4 cups raw cauliflower rice (about one medium head)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup goat cheese or ricotta cheese
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, then begin to make the cauliflower rice.
2. Cut the cauliflower head into florets and add them, in batches, to a food processor. Pulse each batch until the cauliflower turns into a rice-like texture.
3. There are two ways to cook the cauliflower rice – on the stovetop or in the microwave. To cook on the stovetop, fill a large pot with an inch of water and bring it to a boil. Then, add the cauliflower rice, cover the pot, and let it cook for about 4 to 5 minutes – draining it into a fine-mesh strainer afterward. To cook in the microwave, place the rice cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, letting it rest after for a few minutes but fluffing the rice every so often.
4. After straining the cauliflower rice, transfer to a clean, thin dishtowel and twist the towel around the rice to get all the excess moisture out – or, pat the rice firmly with paper towels until all the excess moisture is gone. There’s a surprising amount of moisture in there, but it’ll be worth it to make sure the crust is dry.
5. Put the drained rice into a large bowl and add the egg, cheese, and spices. Mix together thoroughly.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (a must) and then press the dough onto the baking sheet into the shape you’d like. Try to keep the dough about 1/3-inch thick, and a little thicker around the edges if you’d like a traditional crust shape.
7. Bake the crust for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is firm and golden-brown. Then, remove from the oven and add sauce, cheese, and your toppings of choice before returning the pizza back to the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes (cook until the cheese is bubbly).
8. Let the pizza rest for a few minutes, then cut into slices and serve.
9. Enjoy!

Baked Vegetable Recipe: Oven-Roasted Cauliflower & Red Pepper Casserole

Cauliflower is an underestimated and underappreciated vegetable, an underdog, if you will. This is probably because a lot of times it’s lumped in with a mix of other vegetables and doesn’t really get a chance to wow people with it’s own unique flavor. Cauliflower is a fun ingredient because it can be utilized in diverse ways. You can boil it and then mash it up, you can steam it, and in this case, you can roast it and then bake it in a casserole. Garlic, onion and olive oil are the perfect elements to help add depth to our veggie, then the tomato and red pepper are added to really fill out the flavor. This is a really wonderful, healthy dish that everyone will like; if you didn’t love cauliflower before, you will now!

Cauliflower and Red Pepper Casserole

Serves 4

 Ingredients 

• 1 1/2-2 pounds cauliflower, 2-inch florets
• 1 (16 oz.) can crushed tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 2 red peppers, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
2. Arrange cauliflower florets, onions, peppers and garlic on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, or until almost tender.
4. Remove baking sheet from oven and transfer vegetables and drippings to a baking dish and cover with tomatoes, cheese and parsley. Add sugar, mix together, and season with salt and pepper.
5. Lower oven temperature to 350º F.
6. Return veggies and tomatoes to oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve hot.