Simple Roasted Rutabaga Recipe - Delicious Little Bites (2024)

FAQs

How do you take the bitterness out of a rutabaga? ›

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.

Sautéing or stir-frying: Cut the turnip or rutabaga into thin slices or small cubes. Sauté them with a little oil, butter or your favorite spices, use them as side dish or add them to your favorite stir-fry recipes. Boiling: Cut the turnip or rutabaga into chunks and boil for about 20-25 minutes or until tender.

Rutabagas mix well with other root vegetables. Mix with carrots, pota- toes, and turnips to make a healthy vegetable stew. The wax and skin of rutabagas must be peeled before cooking. A sharp paring knife is better than a vegetable peeler.

Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavouring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness.

Roasting brings out their natural sweetness. Another secret is how you peel them. Bitter notes lie just under the surface of the skin, but you can eliminate this if you go a little deeper when peeling them. I use a paring knife instead of vegetable peeler to remove the thick outer later.

They can be eaten raw, but are usually roasted, cooked and mashed (sometimes with potatoes or other root vegetables), and used in casseroles, stews and soups. They are high in vitamin C, a good source of potassium and high in fiber.

If they're overcooked, they will disintegrate [source: Leslie Beck]. Here are some ways to prepare rutabaga. Baking Slice the rutabaga and place it in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle it with a few tablespoons of water and bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176.6 degrees Celsius) until tender.

Rutabagas, which are high in vitamin C and fiber, make a great alternative to potatoes in a low- carb diet: One cup of boiled and cubed rutabaga contains 12 grams of carbohydrates, while the same amount of boiled and cubed potatoes contain 31 grams of carbohydrates. A rutabaga has no trans fat or cholesterol.

The rutabaga's taste is milder but with sweet tones and sometimes just a tinge of bitterness. Much like their fellow Brassica family members, they have a somewhat sharp and pungent, almost peppery bite to them. (This is due to the presence of sulfur in the vegetable family.)

Rutabaga flesh is quite hard, so cut it using a sharp knife. This vegetable can be eaten raw or cooked. Try rutabagas: Boiled and mashed with other root vegetables like potatoes or carrots.

How do you know when a rutabaga is ready? ›

Good rutabagas should be between 3 to 5in in diameter at the top. Bigger ones are too tough, and smaller ones can be more bitter. Ripe rutabaga has purple-tinged skin, which, when scratched, reveals yellow flesh beneath. Pick ones with smooth skin and without bruises and sprouts.

Since rutabaga is a cruciferous vegetable, it contains raffinose, which is a complex sugar that can sometimes cause abdominal discomfort, bloating and flatulence. There is methane-producing bacteria in the colon that feeds on raffinose, and for some people, this process can result in the release of gas.

Nutrition Notes

Both turnips and rutabagas are high in fibre and low in calories. Per cup, turnips have only 36 calories and 2 grams of fibre, while rutabagas have 50 calories and 4 grams of fibre. Both are good sources of calcium, potassium, vitamin B6 and folate and excellent sources of dietary fibre and vitamin C.

If you try it and it tastes bitter, you probably have the gene that makes certain compounds in rutabagas taste bitter. The gene is relatively rare, but that gene may be causing your displeasure.

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.

The rutabaga's taste is milder but with sweet tones and sometimes just a tinge of bitterness. Much like their fellow Brassica family members, they have a somewhat sharp and pungent, almost peppery bite to them. (This is due to the presence of sulfur in the vegetable family.)