This article was co-authored by Ollie George Cigliano. Ollie George Cigliano is a Private Chef, Food Educator, and Owner of Ollie George Cooks, based in Long Beach, California. With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in utilizing fresh, fun ingredients and mixing traditional and innovative cooking techniques. Ollie George holds a BA in Comparative Literature from The University of California, Berkeley, and a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from eCornell University.
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Turnips are one of nature's greats. These vitamin-loaded root vegetables have a creamy interior that tastes delicious prepared in many different ways. Since they're low in starch, they make a great replacement for potatoes. See Step 1 and beyond to learn how to prepare this potassium-rich vegetable in a variety of ways.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds turnips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 2 pounds turnips
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Savory mix-ins like chopped chives and black pepper, or sweet mix-ins like honey and cinnamon
- 2 pounds turnips
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 2 leeks
- 4 cups milk
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 pounds turnips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Steps
Roasted Turnips
Roasted turnips are creamy on the inside with a crunchy crust. Throw these in the oven while you're cooking a main, and they'll be ready in time for dinner.
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1Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
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2Wash and peel your turnips. Wash your turnips in cool water, making sure all the dirt is removed from the skin. Lop off the green tops. If you have baby turnips, there's no need to peel them, but mature turnips have a thick skin that is easily peeled using a potato peeler. [1]Advertisement
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3Cut the turnips into bite-sized pieces. Use a paring knife to cut them into 1-inch pieces. It's fine to make them smaller if you prefer. You can also up some onion, carrots or parsnips to add to the mix if you'd like.
- Smaller turnips can be left whole or cut in half.
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4Toss the turnip pieces in oil and seasonings. Put the pieces in a bowl and toss them with the olive oil, a few pinches of salt and some pepper. Make sure the pieces are evenly coated.
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5Spread the pieces on a baking sheet. Spread them out in one single layer so that they'll cook evenly.[2]
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6Roast the turnips. Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the turnips for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven, stir them around, and roast for another 10 minutes. The turnips are ready when the crust is crispy and golden brown.
Sauteed Turnips
Sauteed turnips are even faster than roasting them. Once the turnips have been washed and chopped, you can have this dish on the table in less than 10 minutes.
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1Wash and peel the turnips. Scrub them under cold water and use a potato peeler to peel off the tough skin. If you have baby turnips, this step is unnecessary.
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2Slice the turnips. Use a paring knife to slice them into discs. This will ensure they cook evenly in the pan.
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3Heat the butter or oil. Place it in a skillet or frying pan over medium high heat.
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4Place the turnips in the pan. Spread them evenly so they don't overlap one another too much.
- A cast iron pan is a great option for sautéeing turnips.
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5Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. As the turnips are sauteed, add some salt, pepper, and other seasonings you like.
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6Stir the turnips. Help them along by stirring them with a wooden spoon, so they don't burn on one side.
- If the pan starts to brown, turn down the heat.
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7Serve the turnips. When they're tender and slightly browned, the turnips are ready to serve.
Mashed Turnips
You can go either sweet or savory with mashed turnips, much like you can with sweet potatoes. Mashing turnips with some butter and honey is a great way to encourage kids to eat this healthy vegetable. Make sweet turnips for the little ones and savory for the adults.
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1Wash and peel the turnips. Scrub them under cold running water, then chop off the green tops and peel the tough skin.
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2Chop them into pieces. Use a sharp knife to chop them into a few rough pieces. This will help them to cook faster.
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3Cook the turnip pieces. Place them in a medium saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer and continue cooking until the turnip pieces are very soft. This should take about 15 minutes.[3]
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4Drain the water. Transfer the turnip pieces to a colander and drain out all the water. Put the turnip pieces in a mixing bowl.
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5Mash the turnips. Put the butter in the bowl with the hot turnips, so it will begin melting. Add the salt as well. Use a potato masher, two forks, or a hand mixer to mash the turnips until they're smooth.
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6Add the mix-ins. The creamy mashed turnips are a delicious base for a variety of sweet or savory flavors. Try adding one of the following combinations, then mix it well with the mashed turnips.
- Add 2 tablespoons of honey or brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Add 2 tablespoons of chopped chives and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
- Add 2 tablespoons of cooked, chopped bacon and 1/4 cup sauteed onions.
Turnip Soup
This is a comforting dish to serve in the winter. The earthy turnips pair well with leeks and thyme.
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1Wash, peel and chop the turnips. When you peel mature turnips, be sure to take off at least one layer of skin, so the turnips won't taste too starchy. Chop the turnips into 1-inch pieces to so they'll cook more quickly.
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2Slice the leeks. Chop off the green portion of the leeks as well as the tip of the roots. Slice the white portions of the leeks into discs.[4]
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3Blanch the turnips. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the turnip pieces and 2 teaspoons salt. Blanch the turnips for 1 full minute, then remove the from heat and drain them. Set them aside.
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4Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a stockpot. Let the butter melt completely, then add 1/2 cup water.
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5Add the leeks and turnips. Stew them together until the leeks are soft, about 5 minutes.
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6Add the milk and spices. Pour the milk into the pot, and add the thyme and a teaspoon of salt. Cook the soup until the turnips are completely soft, stirring occasionally.
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7Puree the soup. Working in batches, pour the soup into the a blender and puree it until smooth.
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8Garnish the soup. Serve it with fresh thyme sprigs or a dollop of sour cream, plus salt and pepper to taste.
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9Finished.
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do you get the bitterness out of turnips?
Ollie George CiglianoOllie George Cigliano is a Private Chef, Food Educator, and Owner of Ollie George Cooks, based in Long Beach, California. With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in utilizing fresh, fun ingredients and mixing traditional and innovative cooking techniques. Ollie George holds a BA in Comparative Literature from The University of California, Berkeley, and a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from eCornell University.
Private Chef & Food EducatorSlice and cook the turnips uncovered over high heat to brown them—this gives them a delicious caramelization. Keep an eye on them to make sure that they don't brown too much to keep them from tasting bitter or burned.
References
About This Article
To prepare a turnip, start by rinsing it under cold running water to remove any dirt on the skin. Next, use a potato peeler or paring knife to remove all the skin, and cut off the green tops. Cut your peeled turnip into bite-sized pieces, then prepare them for cooking. You can sauté them in butter or oil until crispy, you can coat them in oil and roast them in the oven until golden brown, or you can even boil and mash them. To learn how to season your turnips to perfection, keep reading!
