The Great Veggie Experiment – Rutabaga!

It’s been a while since I tried a new veggie!  I saw these on sale at the store, so I decided to pick them up.  Rutabaga – which is a member of the cabbage family.  I like root vegetables in general and also the cabbage family (hello broccoli!), so this was a good choice.

rutabaga

 

Already cut into pieces – for the lazy girl 😀  Makes it less scary, too.

However, I could probably have done a better job of cutting them evenly.

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I tend to do best with roasting veggies when trying something new, so that is what I did here.  I set the oven to 400, then did some oil, salt and pepper on these.

Roasted for about 40 minutes, turning once.

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They got that yummy golden crust on them (my favorite part of roasting).

rutabaga

The verdict?  These were pretty good.  They have that mild cabbage flavor kind of like cauliflower, but the texture almost of a soft potato.

Roasting was a good choice for this veggie.  While I wouldn’t say I loved it, I now would not turn my nose up if this was in a dish at a restaurant.  I think making a mix of mashed potatoes and rutabaga would be a good side dish, too.

Nutritionally, rutabaga has about half the calories of a potato with approximately 50 calories per 5 ounces.  It also has lots of vitamin C, calcium and iron!

 

15 thoughts on “The Great Veggie Experiment – Rutabaga!

  1. Lisa

    Fascinating! I admit, I’ve never eaten one before and wouldn’t even know how to find it in the grocery store. Sounds interesting though!

  2. Biz

    Hand raised in the air . . . I have never tried a rutabaga either! I agree it would probably taste better mixed with mashed potatoes though. Thanks for trying them though!

  3. Shelley B

    I cannot think of root vegetables without being reminded of my Grandmother – when she was in her last days and really not “with” us, she stirred and said, clearly, “root vegetables” – we all were sitting around her bed and stymied…still don’t know what message she was trying to get across! 🙂

    P.S. I don’t think I’ve ever had a rutabaga.

  4. Cammy@TippyToeDiet

    Nice color, but you lost me at the cauliflower linkage. I wonder how rutabagas would taste raw. I like cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, greens and such raw, but not cooked. I *might* explore if I find a small one on sale.

  5. E. Jane

    I really like rutabagas. This has always been a Thanksgiving side dish for our family, mashed with butter, salt and pepper. They are not good raw, but they are delicious cut up in a vegetable or chicken soup recipe and simmered in the brother for at least an hour.. They take on the flavor of the broth and have a very nice consistency.

  6. E. Jane

    I really like rutabagas. This has always been a Thanksgiving side dish for our family, mashed with butter, salt and pepper. They are not good raw, but they are delicious cut up in a vegetable or chicken soup recipe and simmered in the brother for at least an hour. They take on the flavor of the broth and have a very nice consistency.

  7. debby

    @ Cammy–I bet they’re REALLY good mashed! :))

    I have got to try these! I think the trouble is that they don’t have too many at the stores, so I don’t even see them. I laughed at your comment about their uneven knife cuts. Since I watch the cooking shows, that is what I always think when I buy pre-cut butternut squash.

  8. barbara

    I eat rutabagas (my family always referred to them as “turnips” they are a yellow turnip, really)….any time I can get them…and peeled, cut up, I pressure cook them with a cup of H2O and about 1/4 tsp. of salt, after they come to pressure, 13 minutes…I smash them up, they are so sweet! I do not need butter…pepper and salt, and you are good to go, and as you noted, less calories than potatoes, and no points on Weight Watchers!!! I like that way better than roasted.

  9. Mary

    They are one of the many vegetables I hated as a kid and now enjoy as an adult. Trying to remember the cartoon character who would eat them and bellow ROOOOOOOTABAGA!

  10. Lynn

    I grew up eating rutabagas, being the good Norwegian Lutheran from Minnesota that I am 🙂 Like Jody, they were in a lot of stews. I put them in my veggie soups almost every time for that nice tangy flavor you were describing. I like them steamed, too, with a little butter and pepper. I’ve never roasted them, but I have sliced them thin and made them into chips. I’ve done that with beets, too.

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