What is your favorite recipe for Rutabagas?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I always feel silly saying the word "rutabaga." :)

Many years ago my Grandma cooked them often; she mashed and ate them with a prodigious amount of hot pepper vinegar sprinkled on. She pronounced them "ROOtabeggers." I thought they smelled just awful cooking and would never try them.

I did notice the odor of them cooking. It was distinct, but not unpleasant to me. Much like cabbage.

I'll have to try the hot pepper vinegar. I have some Trinidad Scorpion Vinegar I'll try on them.
 
ROOtabeggers were a staple growing up. Mashed, in soups, baked, you name it, we ate it that way. Of course, these ROOtabeggers were out of grandma's garden in MinneSOOOta and not waxed. I do like them mashed 1/2 and 1/2 with carrots.
 
ROOtabeggers were a staple growing up. Mashed, in soups, baked, you name it, we ate it that way. Of course, these ROOtabeggers were out of grandma's garden in MinneSOOOta and not waxed. I do like them mashed 1/2 and 1/2 with carrots.

I'm going to have to try the 50/50 mashed with carrots. That sounds good! I had them 50/50 with potatoes this time and they were delicious!
 
A staple on our Thanksgiving table,too. they take awhile to cook, so cut them up into small chunks, boil until very tender, (like potatoes) mash with plenty of butter, salt and pepper.
 
A staple on our Thanksgiving table,too. they take awhile to cook, so cut them up into small chunks, boil until very tender, (like potatoes) mash with plenty of butter, salt and pepper.

This was my first try at it and I learned an important lesson; don't start boiling the rutabaga with the potatoes. The taters got done to the point of mushiness by the time the rutabaga was done soft enough to mash. I'll half cook the rutabaga by itself next time and THEN add the taters.
 
I'll half cook the rutabaga by itself next time and THEN add the taters.
Sorry about that. I should've mentioned it in my post, but yes, potatoes cook faster than rutabagas. Since it's hard to predict cooking times for either, I usually cook them separate and then combine and mash in a single pan.
 
Boy am I glad I checked in here. Have some rutabagas for tomorrow and I'd have put the taters in with them and with my luck had mush:LOL: sooooo I'll get the begga's giung first, Thanks
kades
 
I love rutabagas. To make them easier to peel, I cut them into wdges, then use a good veggie peeler to remove the wax, and a thin bit of skin.
Favorite ways to use them:
1. boiled and mashed with butter and a bit of brown sugar or maple syrup, served up with roasted turkey.
2. Cut into chunks and used in New England Boiled dinner
3. Diced and used with potatoes, onion, garlic, and coarse-grind ground beef to make pastys.
4. diced and added to potato soup with bacon (it really adds to the soup)
5. diced, buttered, S&P, with Corned beef
6. Grated into cole-slaw

Rutabagas have a flavor with components of both cabbage, and turnips, which makes sense as it was the the cross breeding of those two veggies that created this wonderful veggie. I've even been known to eat a chunk while I was cutting up rutabagas for a meal.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
I'm going to have to try the 50/50 mashed with carrots. That sounds good! I had them 50/50 with potatoes this time and they were delicious!

I cook them in two pans--the carrots take less time (obviously). And then mash together. You can mash like potatoes, or you can add a little bit of freshly grated nutmeg (I usually add to the carrots when I'm cooking them). Because our Rhutabaga come out of our garden, they aren't as "tough" as the ones you buy that have been treated with wax (probably because they haven't aged and we pull them when we want to eat them--so sometimes we pull them quite young).

My grandmother used to make a salad using them--she'd slice them in julienne strips and added julienne carrot as well. She'd make an oil and vinegar dressing for this--I guess sort of a coleslaw.

Here's a link to a squash-rutabaga recipe that I made once (I didn't use cream). It was good.

Recipe Details

I've been meaning to try this recipe--Rotini with roasted root veggies--haven't gotten around to it yet:

Recipe Details

And, you can always make rutabaga chips:

Recipe Details
 
Love Rutabaga! It's a must for me in my beef stew. Also like some turnip and sometimes parsnips in stew. DH doesn't care for any of the three, but will eat stew that contains some of one. I also like root veggies ( any of them) roasted with some onion, garlic and olive oil served as a side or pureed and made into soup. Kudos to those who are trying something new!
 
I did notice the odor of them cooking. It was distinct, but not unpleasant to me. Much like cabbage.

I'll have to try the hot pepper vinegar. I have some Trinidad Scorpion Vinegar I'll try on them.

what in the world made you buy something called trinidad scorpion vinegar? trinnys are insane chili heads. a trinny buddy once challenged me to drink a shot of rum, then eat a traditional spicy chickpea tortilla. i thought my head was going to explode.
 
Last edited:
what in the world made you buy something called trinidad scorpion vinegar? trinnys are insane chili heads. a trinny buddy once challenged me to drink a shot of rum, then eat a traditional spicy chickpea tortilla. i thought my head was going to explode.

I grew my own Trinidad Scorpions. This is the first year in many that I didn't have a crop of Superhots. A very nice yound lady who lives in Trinidad sent me the seeds to grow them. I still have 5 pounds of them in my freezer. They go a long way and 5 pounds of them will last me for at least another year.

The vinegar is a pint with one scorpion in it. It's been soaking for a year now. the vinegar is a real eye-opener.

I use about 3 drops of it on a garden salad. it turns a salad from boring to very interesting.
 
Last edited:
It is good pelled & cut into sticks. Great on a fresh vegetable/relish tray with dip too.
 
It is good pelled & cut into sticks. Great on a fresh vegetable/relish tray with dip too.
+1

I was looking for a post that mentioned eating them raw. My father would pull them from the earth and cut chunks for us there in the field. I have always been hooked on them as a raw vege. Chunks of them in school lunches growing up..... Love them. Now I take them to work as raw chunks for snacks.
 
+1

I was looking for a post that mentioned eating them raw. My father would pull them from the earth and cut chunks for us there in the field. I have always been hooked on them as a raw vege. Chunks of them in school lunches growing up..... Love them. Now I take them to work as raw chunks for snacks.
I like eating them raw too with fresh lemon. On a tray some people will mistake it for jimaca.
 
I like eating them raw too with fresh lemon. On a tray some people will mistake it for jimaca.

I'll have to try this, Simon. Thanks for the suggestion. One of my favorite snacks is Raw Cabbage Heart. I look forward to cutting it up into little bites and eating it salted, every time I have a head of cabbage.

You may have just given me another raw veggie to enjoy!

Tim
 
I'm with Dawgluver, still is a turkey day staple in my house but, I leave out the sugar.

They have a unique flavor and they are low in calories and carbs.

The worst part is peeling the waxed skin.

Cut off the thick top first. Throw it away. Then cut them in thin slices, then peel with a small paring knife. When you peel them into slices, you will see just below the peel, two rings. The first one is very thin and darker then the next ring. The next ring is lighter. Peel below the second light ring. That is where the bitterness is. :chef:
 
I don't boil mine. I bring them to a boil then simmer til done. No odor if they are cooked this way. We eat them cubed with salt and pepper, or mashed with salt and pepper with butter. Some people eat the tops (greens) but I've never had them that way. I think my grandmother used to cook the green tops.
 
There are two dishes where they are a must. A New England Boiled Dinner, and in a Scotch Beef Stew with Barley. YUM!!!:chef:
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom