Mashed Turnips Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make mashed turnips not bitter? ›

Turnips, however, are absolutely delicious when cooked properly. This recipe mashes turnips with butter and a little bit of sugar for a rich side dish with an unexpected sweetness. The sugar helps counteract the bitterness, and this recipe is enough to convert any turnip skeptics in your family.

While turnips are a root vegetable, they are not as starchy as a potato. A potato has a water content of 80%, while turnips have a water content of 94%, so it's not uncommon for your mashed turnips to be a bit thinner than mashed potatoes.

Baked, Boiled or Steamed. Use turnips any way you would use a potato, and then some. Try them baked or boiled in stews, soups and stir-fries, or lightly steamed with some butter, salt or lemon juice for flavor. homemade coleslaw.

Turnips are indeed healthy, boasting an impressive nutritional profile. They are low in calories and packed with essential nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Turnips also contain glucosinolates, compounds that have been linked to cancer prevention.

Masterful Mashing

Or here's another idea: add a finely chopped apple to the hot drained vegetables along with a pinch of cinnamon. The subtle sweetness of the apple works surprisingly well marrying the flavours and textures of turnips and potatoes.

Wash greens and roots well. Some suggest soaking the greens in a little salty water. One turnip website from the United Kingdom notes that if you boil them, add a little sugar to tame the scent and add baking soda to reduce bitterness. Look for fresh turnips.

They take about as long to cook as carrots but do not overcook. Unlike carrots which become sweeter with cooking, turnips lose their sweetness when overcooked.

It's not essential to peel turnips before cooking. If this skin appears to be thin enough you can leave it on and cook as is. However if the skin feels thick and leathery, you can peel it off with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler. Both the roots and leaves, also known as turnip greens, are safe to eat.

Boil or steam turnips and add them to mashed potatoes for extra vitamins and minerals. Grate them raw into salads or slaws. Roast them with other root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes, and bring out their natural sweetness.

Turnips are a healthy alternative to potatoes; they're lower in calories and have fewer carbs. Smaller, sweeter turnips can be sliced into wedges and eaten raw like an apple.

Are mashed turnips healthier than mashed potatoes? ›

Mashed turnips are a lovely and healthy alternative to mashed potatoes. They look very similar, they cook very similarly, yet they fall on the green tier in 90/10 Nutrition, where mashed potatoes would be on the yellow tier.

My research revealed that turnips lower blood sugar levels and help correct other metabolic disorders associated with diabetes, such as high blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Unlike potatoes, your blood glucose level doesn't spike after you consume turnips.

Does Turnip Spike Insulin? Turnips have a low glycemic index and do not typically cause a significant spike in insulin levels. They are a root vegetable that is relatively low in carbohydrates and high in fiber, which helps regulate blood sugar levels.

Add baking soda.

Salt is one of my favorite ways to cut the bitterness in turnip greens. I then add about 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the broth and simmer for the last 20 minutes. Works like a charm!

How Do You Get the Bitter Taste Out of Rutabagas? If you find that rutabagas are too bitter for you, add up to a tablespoon of sugar to accentuate the sweetness and stir to combine. This will help to counteract the bitterness.

Stress may cause them to go bitter (lack of water, to much heat etc) Frost will not remove bitterness as all frost can do is sweeten them some by changing some carbohydrate to sugar and carbohydrates are not the cause of the bitterness.