Healthy Turnip Recipes

Thick-cut bacon and a honey-ginger glaze transform turnips into a sweet, satisfying side.

Raw beets and turnips, you ask? Oh, yes! They're quite delicious and crunchy as long as you use small ones and slice them thin. An inexpensive mandoline makes this a quick and easy salad. Use the leftover vinaigrette to dress up simple grilled chicken, steak or shrimp.

Hakurei (aka salad) turnips are small, sweet and tender, but you could substitute small purple-top or white turnips. If you use one of those varieties, peel and thinly slice them.

In this delicious side dish recipe, turnips and butternut squash are glazed with a mixture of molasses and flavorful five-spice powder. Try the dish with garlic-rubbed roasted chicken or pork.

Ramen gets a healthy makeover in this “spiralized” vegetable noodle recipe. We swap noodles made from mild turnips for ramen noodles, but other vegetables, such as zucchini or yellow squash, would also make noodles perfect for this Asian-inspired recipe. Serve with sriracha hot sauce for a kick.

Slowly braising turnips in savory miso-spiked broth and butter gives them a sweet flavor and velvety texture in this side dish recipe. The addition of turnip greens (which are sometimes sold separately in bunches) adds a peppery bite. For a mellower flavor, use spinach.

In Kerala in southern India, this classic stew is eaten at just about every meal. It's typically enjoyed for breakfast with idli (steamed rice cakes) or dosa (rice crêpes). For lunch and dinner, it's eaten with steamed rice and fish curry or braised beef dishes. Sambar powder is a mixture that includes coriander, fenugreek, cumin, black peppercorns, red chiles and asafetida. Find it at Indian markets or online.

Smoky paprika yogurt and an herb and preserved-lemon salsa verde add pops of flavor to this healthy slow-cooker recipe. If you have extra time, brown the lamb and onions, in batches, before adding them to the slow cooker for increased depth of flavor.

This boldly-flavored mash combines turnips with potatoes and adds broccoli rabe for a bold splash of color.

Larger turnips or those that have been stored for a while can have a bitter aftertaste. A bit of sugar fixes that in this healthy vegetable recipe, but if you have small, young turnips, you can omit the sugar. This recipe makes about 1 cup of arugula pesto; use the extra as a spread on sandwiches or to dress up any roasted vegetable, pasta dish or soup.

The turnip often gets a bad rap as boring, common or bland, but Chef Steven Satterfield is always looking for new ways to make this underappreciated vegetable shine. In this healthy turnip recipe, they're roasted with bright-flavored orange and lemon juice and rich, nutty miso, both of which balance the earthy taste of turnips.

Broccoli rabe and turnips are a fantastic pair in this frittata. If you're shy about the broccoli rabe's strong flavor, try this frittata with milder broccolini instead.