How to Cook Rutabagas
Sure--you've mastered carrots and beets, but why not learn how to cook rutabagas so you have another vegetable to add to the fall rotation?Rutabaga, also known as a Swedish or yellow turnip, originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip; its distant cousins are broccoli, bok choy and kale. It's loaded with vitamin C, calcium, potassium and fiber.
Roasting rutabagas brings out their natural sweetness and creates a more intense flavor. Just a minimal amount of fat--as well as salt and pepper--is needed for roasting vegetables, so it's a good preparation for those watching their calories.
Flip the rutabagas about halfway through the roasting process; the sides touching the baking sheet will darken much quicker, so turning the pieces will help maintain even cooking. Check them frequently toward the end of cooking: rutabaga becomes bitter if burned.
Transcript
-Hey, it's chef lovely here, and I'm in the mood
for some vegetable. So, today, we're going to make a
basic roasted rutabaga. Here are the ingredients 1 pound rutabaga,
peeled and cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces; 1 to
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon Kosher salt,
more taste if you needed it little bit later; freshly
ground black pepper, and fresh lemon juice. Okay, so here's
my rutabaga. As you can see, I've washed it. I
have peeled it and I have cut it in to
very similar size chunks. Now, this is very important. When
they go into that oven, you want them to cook
at the size. So, it's very important that your pieces
are consistent and that they are of course of the
same size as possible, okay. So we're gonna coat with
a little bit of our extra virgin olive oil. So
that they do not dry out while they're in the
oven and of course, gonna add flavor. We're gonna simply
season with a little bit of salt and a little
bit of fresh ground black pepper. Now, I'm not afraid
of cooking. So, I'm gonna go in here with my
hands and we're gonna gently toss this together just like
this to evenly coat that oil and our seasonings, our
salt and pepper. So, there we go, very, very basic;
very, very easy; very, very delicious. So, over here, I
had a sheet pan and it is coated with foil.
You can also use parchment paper because who likes to
clean up. When this comes out the oven, just throw
away the foil and you're good to go. So, we're
gonna put this on our baking sheets, and we're gonna
spread them out so that each one can evenly cook
in the oven. Okay, now, our oven is already preheated
to 475 degrees. This is gonna cook for about 13
to 15 minutes. We're going to flip them over so
that the other side gets golden brown and cook for
an additional 5 to 10 minutes. So, I'm gonna get
this into the oven. So, we can eat our rutabaga.
Okay, so as you can see, our rutabaga has come
out of the oven beautiful caramelized here and if you
need to add a little bit more olive oil, you
can, but my rutabaga looks nice and moist. So, I'm
not gonna add that step in. I gave it a
little bit of a taste. It has just the right
amount of salt and pepper, but I wanna add another
flavor profile. So, I'm gonna take some lemon juice, and
I'm just gonna put that right on top, and then
we're gonna give this a stir just to make sure
that the lemon juice evenly coats all of our rutabaga
here. Okay, there. That's it. How simple, how easy, how
delicious, and here is our basic roasted rutabaga..
What You'll Need
- 1 pound rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces
- 1 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh lemon juice (optional)
Step By Step
1
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 475 degrees F. Line a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with parchment. In a medium bowl, toss the rutabaga with enough of the olive oil to coat generously, the salt, and a few grinds of pepper.
2
Turn the rutabaga out onto the baking sheet and arrange the pieces so that they are evenly spaced and lying on a cut side. If the pieces cover the baking sheet sparsely, arrange them toward the edges of the baking sheet for the best browning. Roast the rutabaga until browned on bottom, 13 to 15 minutes. Flip and continue to roast until tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
3
Return the rutabaga to the bowl in which you tossed it with the oil, or put it in a clean serving bowl. If the rutabaga seems a bit dry, drizzle it with a little oil. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, if using.
More Recipes
You can jazz up this basic recipe by adding Rosemary-Lemon Thyme Oil or Moroccan Spice Rub when you toss the rutabaga with olive oil and salt and pepper before roasting. Or toss the rutabaga with Sesame Sea Salt, Caramelized Shallot Butter, Ginger-Lemon Soy Splash, or Toasted Coriander & Garlic Oil after it comes out of the oven.
Rutabagas are old-fashioned vegetables that have a subtly sweet taste and firm texture. You can also use them in place of potatoes and turnips in stew recipes.
This braised brisket gets a decidedly wintery feel from the earthy-sweet flavors of carrots, parsnips and rutabaga.
Mix and match the amounts of parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, and carrots until you find the blend you like best for this low fat soup recipe.
Try a sweet glaze on beets or other root vegetables to help balance their earthy flavor. This easy recipe will work with steamed carrots, turnips or rutabaga too.
Plain mashed potatoes may seem a bit tame after you've tried this flavorful version, full of celery root, rutabaga and Yukon Gold potatoes and mashed with sweet garlic and tangy buttermilk. Finish the dish with a handful of snipped fresh chives.
The earthy flavor of parsnips goes especially well with fragrant pears, but carrots or even rutabaga work nicely in this soup as well. Serve it as a first course or as a light main dish with a crusty whole-grain bread.