Ask 10 Paleo devotees whether or not they eat white potatoes and you’ll get 10 different answers. One main reason to avoid potatoes is their high starch content, but swapping them for turnips helps reduce your carb intake.
If you’re not an athlete looking for a lot of carbs to refuel after a big workout, you might want to stick to lower-carb options.
What’s a Turnip Anyway?
Turnips are a member of the cabbage family and look a lot like rutabagas. They can be used interchangeably with swedes and rutabagas.
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If you’ve had turnips before and found them bitter, then you’ll need to re-think how they were chosen and prepared. Basically, the older and larger a turnip is, the more bitter it will taste. Choose ones that are around the size of a tennis ball for the best flavor.
When it comes to actually cooking them, the trick to a non-bitter turnip dish is how you boil them. Use lots of water and don’t cover them. Let that bitterness boil away!
Potatoes vs Turnips
One cup of raw cubed white potatoes gives you around 22 grams of carbs and two grams of fiber. One cup of raw cubed turnip gives you only six grams of carbs and two grams of fiber. So, if you’re going for the lower-carb option, turnips are definitely your best bet.
Pro-tip: Sub Turnips for Potatoes
If your “past life” favorite dishes included a lot of potatoes, what can you do? The great thing about turnips is that they take seasoning really well, and you can cook them pretty much the same ways as you would a potato. There are plenty of things you can do with turnips: turnip fries (plain or seasoned), bacon turnip mash, garlic turnip mashed, twice-baked turnips, and turnip gratin. There’s even turnip chicken soup!
Turnip-Approved Recipes
Turnip Fries
Turnip Fries
PaleoHacks TeamTools
- Medium pot for boiling
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 turnips
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Your choice of seasonings
Instructions
- The trick here is to boil the turnips first for about 30 minutes and then bake them to make them crispy. Any oil and seasonings are added to the turnips after they boil but before they bake. You only need to bake them about five to 10 minutes in a 350F oven until they are crispy.
- Some of the seasonings you can use are chili powder, salt and pepper, or even curry powder.
Bacon Turnip Mash
Bacon Turnip Mash
PaleoHacks TeamTools
- Medium pot for boiling
- Potato masher
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 lbs of turnip
- 2 T grass-fed butter
- 1/2 t salt, pepper, garlic powder
- 1/2 lb of bacon
- 2 T bacon fat
Instructions
- Peel and cube the turnip, boil until tender, and then drain it. Mash it along with two tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper to taste, and a dash of garlic powder.
- Add in one-half pound of crispy crumbled bacon.
- Add two tablespoons of bacon grease to your skillet, turn in the turnip mixture, and heat and stir until it is the desired temperature. Serve hot.
H/T All Recipes
Garlic Mashed Turnips
Garlic Mashed Turnips
PaleoHacks TeamTools
- Medium pot for boiling
- Potato masher
Ingredients
- 3 cups diced turnip
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup of chicken stock
- 3 T grass-fed butter, melted
- 1/2 t salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the turnip and garlic cloves in a large pot of water until it is all very soft.
- Drain well, then mash or use a stick blender.
- Add the chicken stock and butter, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Twice-Baked Turnips
30 mins
Twice-Baked Turnips
PaleoHacks TeamTools
- Foil
- Baking sheet
- Mixing Bowl
- Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- 4 whole turnips
- 1 T coconut oil
- 1/2 t paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder
- 3 chopped green onions
- 1/2 lb crispy cooked bacon
Instructions
- Cut the tops off of all the turnips and rub coconut oil around the outside.
- Wrap each one in foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake in a 350F oven for about an hour or until they are soft but not overcooked.
- Remove the tray from the oven and carefully unwrap each turnip. Don’t burn yourself!
- Scoop out most of the insides from each one and put the “meat” into a mixing bowl. Make sure you leave the outside of the turnips whole or you’ll wreck the presentation.
- Add the seasonings to the turnip in the mixing bowl and blend or mix until creamy. Add broth if you need a better consistency.
- Spoon the mixture back into the turnip shells and bake again for 10 to 15 minutes. Top with chopped green onion and crispy bacon.
Turnip Gratin
Turnip Gratin
PaleoHacks TeamTools
- Mandolin
- Medium pot for boiling
- Saucepan
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized turnips
- 2 T grass-fed butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups of coconut cream
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 cups of Paleo cheese
- 2 t thyme leaves
- 1/4 t nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Use a mandolin to slice your turnips thinly or go all chef-like with a sharp knife.
- Boil some salted water and add the turnips and cook for four minutes after the water returns to a boil. Drain the turnip.
- In a saucepan, melt half of the butter and add the minced garlic.
- Butter the bottom of an eight-inch casserole dish with the leftover butter and lay half of the turnip slices in the dish.
- Pour half of the cream mixture on top of the turnips and then cover the mixture with the remaining slices. Dump the rest of the cream mixture over top.
- Heat the turnip dish for 25 minutes at 350F.
- Take it from the oven, press it all down with a spatula, and cover with the leftover cheese. Return the casserole to the oven and cook for another 20 minutes or until the top is slightly golden.
- Take the casserole from the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes before you cut it.
H/T Chris Kresser
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