Easy Mashed Rutabagas - The Spruce Eats

Home » How To Cook A Rutabaga » Easy Mashed Rutabagas - The Spruce Eats

Maybe your like

  • Mashed rutabagas are a great alternative to mashed potatoes for something different at dinner.
  • You only need a few ingredients like butter, salt, and pepper to make this delicious side dish.
  • This dish pairs perfectly with many main courses like steak, chicken, or pot roast.

Rutabagas are a root vegetable and are sometimes referred to as the Swedish turnip. You can use rutabagas as you would use almost any other root vegetable, which means they're a great substitute for mashed potatoes. The recipe comes together quickly and you can do the mashing right in the pot you've cooked them in. Save some of the cooking water if you feel the need to thin it out a little bit after mashing and adding the butter, salt, and pepper.

Easy mashed rutabagas in a white bowl

The Spruce Eats

Rutabagas are in the Brassica genus and are thought to be an ancient cross between a turnip and a cabbage. They're mildly sweeter than turnips but retain some bitterness; some people describe the taste as bittersweet. Serve these mashed rutabagas as a side dish to any meat or poultry entrée (think roasted chicken) or alongside a ham or pot roast.

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.

Do You Peel Rutabagas Before Cooking?

The outside of rutabaga is often waxed to preserve it for the winter, so you'll want to peel the vegetable before cooking and eating it. Luckily, rutabagas are easy to peel with a standard vegetable peeler or a paring knife.

What You'll Need to Make This Mashed Rutabaga Recipe Hand holding the Oxo Good Grips Pro Y-Peeler A Handy Vegetable Peeler Bellemain-micro-perforated-stainless-steel-colander A Great Colander Zyliss Stainless Steel Potato Masher - Stainless Steel Metal Potato & Vegetable Masher - Silicone Bowl Scraper & Integrated Hanging Hook - Stainless... A Nifty Potato Masher

Never Lose a Recipe Again!

Love a Spruce Eats recipe? With MyRecipes, your personal home for recipes, easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place.

Tag » How To Cook A Rutabaga