Turnips are an underrated vegetable, but many people aren’t aware how delicious they are! Turnips are actually two for one deal, because the greens are edible as well. Roasted turnips and sauteed turnip greens are easy to cook and the perfect addition to any meal!
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Turnips: Two Vegetables in One
Turnips are a vegetable people love to hate. This is something that I don’t understand, because I think they are awesome! (No, I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck).
They are cheap, easy to cook, easy to grow, and just like beets or radishes you get two tasty vegetables in one.
Turnip root can be used just like any root vegetable, and they are especially delicious when roasted.
Turnip greens are actually one of my favorite of the winter greens, and they are particularly tasty in soups or sauteed with onions or garlic.
Turnips are a brassica, which is the same family that cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and radishes are in.
They are easy to grow, especially in cooler climates, and do well in a fall garden. I harvested these turnips from our southern Oregon hoop house in January!
Cooking Turnips
The most common part of the turnip to be eaten is the root. It has less starch than a potato, and tastes a little bit like a cross between a radish and a cabbage. I think it’s delicious, especially when homegrown!
The greens should not be ignored, as they are very tasty on their own. They cook down quite a bit and are great to throw into soups or stews. They have a nice flavor that is somewhat like a mild mustard green.
How to Cook Turnip Roots
My favorite way to cook turnip roots is to roast them. This is how I most often cook any root vegetable (like beets and Jerusalem artichokes), mainly because it’s easy and the results are always amazing.
Roasting caramelizes them a bit which really brings out their sweetness. You can also roast other root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, rutabaga, parsnips, and carrots mixed with the turnips to make a wonderful root veggie medley.
Besides roasting, you can also boil and mash the roots like you would mashed potatoes, turn them into root veggie chips, add them to a gratin, or even blend them into a creamy soup.
Roasted Turnip Roots
Cut the turnip roots into cubes — the skin is thin and edible so there is no need to peel.
Toss the turnip cubes with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then spread on a baking sheet.
Roast 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway through. They’ll be tender and golden brown when they’re finished.
They make a great substitute for potatoes!
How to Cook Turnip Greens
One of the most common ways that I cook turnip greens is to add them to a soup. They wilt down quickly and add a lot of flavor to soups like minestrone.
I also love to saute them with onions or garlic in bacon fat.
You really can’t go wrong with either of these methods!
Sauteed Turnip Greens
Roughly chop the leaves and they are ready for anything!
Saute some onions in bacon fat (or another fat of your choice), then add the turnip greens and cook until soft. I like to do this in my cast iron skillet.
Add a splash of red wine vinegar towards the end of cooking, and that’s it!
The greens become velvety and have a really great flavor that I prefer over other dark leafy greens.
Here are some other great turnip root recipes for you to try:
Here are some other great turnip green recipes for you to try:
Learning how to cook turnips and their greens really is that easy! If you were a turnip hater in the past, I hope you will give this a try. I think you will be surprised by how good they actually can be!
Do you like turnips? What is your favorite way to cook turnips and turnip greens?
Learn How to Cook Other Vegetables
Here are a few other not-so-usual vegetables you may need a little help learning to prepare in a way that makes you fall in love with them at first bite!
- 8 Ways to Eat Radishes & Their Greens
- How to Cook Beets & Their Greens
- Easy Ways To Cook Winter Squash
- How to Cook & Eat Artichokes
- How to Cook Jerusalem Artichokes
- What to Do with Cabbage
- How to Cook Burdock Root
Roasted Turnip Roots & Sauteed Turnip Greens
Equipment
Ingredients
Roasted Turnip Roots
- 2-3 turnip roots cubed (no need to peel)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt to taste
Sauteed Turnip Greens
- 2 Tbsp bacon fat or butter
- 1/2 onion sliced
- 1 bunch turnip greens roughly chopped
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Instructions
Roasted Turnip Roots
- Heat the oven to 400.
- Toss the cubed turnip with olive oil and salt, then spread onto a baking sheet.
- Roast 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway through. They'll be tender and golden brown when they're finished.
Sauteed Turnip Greens
- Heat bacon fat over medium heat in a cast iron skillet. Add the onion and cook until soft.
- Add the turnip greens and cook until soft.
- Add red wine vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and enjoy!
Steam the greens. Boil the diced roots with a ham bone. Serve with cornbread.
Or, chop up the turnip and its greens and cook it all in one pot with a ham bone.
Smash up the cornbread with the cooked greens/turnip in a bowl and enjoy.
Hi! Made turnip greens tonight with bacon grease, onions s&p and some red pepper flakes. They turned out delish! I usually do kale this way, but this year we planted turnip food plots to attract deer and I started thinking why should the deer be the only ones enjoying our turnips? The food plots are huge! So I didn’t even make a dent in them by stealing some for us to eat… shhh don’t tell the deer! The greens turned out great BTW!
I love to add turnips to stews! They add another lovely layer of flavour along with the traditional potatoes, carrots, celery etc.
If you want to grow just for the greens, use ‘Seven Top’ seeds. Concentrates on big greens and not roots. I use the ‘Purple Top’ if I want roots, and sometimes grow the little fancy white turnips. I usually boil or steam turnips with onions. For the greens I caramelize a whopping bunch of onions and then remove half of them and set aside before I add the greens. Add garlic with the onions if you like garlic. I add a little water and/or white wine and scrape the pan bottom, a little balsamic vinegar, then add the chopped greens and simmer/braise until greens are tender. Add more water if needed. Put in bowl and top with the reserved onions. If your greens are bitter add a little brown sugar. If they are real bitter, par boil first and drain the water, then cook as usual.