Mashed Turnips Recipe with Miso Butter (2024)

(updated May 3, 2023) // by Phoebe Lapine // 12 comments

5 from 1 vote

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Turnips are not my favorite vegetable. They’re a little bit too watery and bitter for my palette. But every year when Food Network Fall Fest turnip week rolls around, I try to find ways to love them. Last year, it was via a rustic hash and this post about other bittersweet, non-turnipy things…like break-ups.

Since I’m supposed to be talking about turnips here, and my last turnip recipe was almost exactly a year ago to the day, I went back and read my post. And it got me thinking not at all about turnips. So I’m going to roll with that…

I’ve always hated going back and rereading my diary entries. I remember doing it a few times in high school and getting serious tard-tingles. This is a made-up word that my old co-worker invented for the type of secondhand embarrassment you feel when watching things like bad stand-up comedy, male acapella groups, or Chris Jenner’s talk show. But it works perfectly for what I feel when reading old writing of mine.

Everything just sounds so melodramatic and overwrought. Granted, if this is my high school diary we’re talking about, it probably was. But I got a similar feeling when re-reading last year’s turnip post.

Part of this feeling is a good thing. I’m in such a different, more positive little-black-dress-wearing place now that I can’t remember a time when I was so freakin mopey. This fall I’ve been running around like a mad woman, embracing my single city life and having a ball. Some weeks I would kill to have a quiet night in with a salmon steak and some turnip hash. But I have the rest of my life to watch bad TV and eat my omega-3’s. Right now, there are glow sticks that need wearing and hangover Chinese food that’s not going to order itself.

But really the take away in reading last year’s post is that I was depressed. I assume most of you have had a period like this in your life and know how hard it is to recognize when you’re sitting in the middle of the cloud. I’m so glad to no longer be feeling like a million saddie face emoticons, and more like a little emoji monkey.

So in the spirit of being back to my sassy self, I’ve jazzed up my turnip offerings from the depressing days of yore with a little miso butter in this mashed turnips recipe. I’ve never been one to shy away from a little fat to make my vegetables worth eating. The sweet, salty miso helps to tame that bitterness that I keep mentioning, and the butter makes watery mashed turnips a silky, elegant dish. There, I did it. I talked about turnips.

Do you have any foods that you’ve turned to during a dark patch? Let me know about them in the comments. Perhaps we can reinvent them in your life as something new and sassy and not so bittersweet.

Xo
Phoebe

Mashed Turnips Recipe with Miso Butter (7)

Mashed Turnips with Miso Butter

Mashed Turnips Recipe with Miso Butter (9)

5 from 1 vote

print recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Phoebe Lapine

Ingredients

  • 1.5 pounds turnips peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon white miso
  • 2 scallions thinly sliced

Instructions

  • Place the turnips in a saucepan with water to cover and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until easily pierced by a paring knife, about 35 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.

  • Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, miso, and half the scallions. Microwave until melted, about 10 seconds. Whisk until smooth.

  • Add half the miso butter to the turnips. Mash with a fork or potato masher until a coarse puree. Taste for seasoning.

  • Serve the turnips in a bowl with the remaining miso butter on top and garnish with the scallions.

Nutrition

Serving: 2g

Mashed Turnips Recipe with Miso Butter (10)If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe - I'd love to see it!

Mashed Turnips Recipe with Miso Butter (11)

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Comments

  1. Mashed Turnips Recipe with Miso Butter (12)Steph says

    Love the recipe, love the post, love you. I need more emoji monkey-Phoebe in my life, please! xx

    Reply

    • Mashed Turnips Recipe with Miso Butter (13)Phoebe Lapine says

      you bring out the emoji monjey in me steph!!! love you more.

      Reply

  2. Mashed Turnips Recipe with Miso Butter (14)Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says

    I love that you incorporated miso paste!!! I actually just ran out but need to re-stock. So beautiful!

    Reply

    • Mashed Turnips Recipe with Miso Butter (15)Phoebe Lapine says

      i’ve been trying to avoid soy, but I LOVE miso paste so much, I can’t quite quit it 🙂 get yourself some mo!

      Reply

  3. Mashed Turnips Recipe with Miso Butter (16)Frankie says

    Welcome back, sassy Phoebe! …When I’m depressed I eat Jell-O. Something about those toxic food dyes matches my mood. Plus I’m too depressed to chew.

    Reply

    • Mashed Turnips Recipe with Miso Butter (17)Phoebe Lapine says

      oy! would say that I have to try this, but jello makes me nauseous.

      Reply

Mashed Turnips Recipe with Miso Butter (2024)

FAQs

Why add baking soda to turnips? ›

Some suggest soaking the greens in a little salty water. 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. Look for fresh turnips. Avoid the very large, wrinkled and blemished turnips.

How do you cook turnips so they're not bitter? ›

I have not found a bitter turnip as long as you boil with about 1 tablespoon brown sugar. I discovered that cooking them with tomatoes made them less bitter. Pondering this - I thought it might be the acid. So I cooked them about half done in VERY salty water with a couple of tablespoons of vinagar or lemon juice.

Are mashed turnips good for you? ›

Turnips and other cruciferous vegetables that are high in fiber help make people feel fuller for longer, and they are low in calories. Eating high fiber meals also helps keep blood sugar levels stable. The fiber content in turnips may also prevent constipation and promote regularity for a healthy digestive tract.

What makes turnips taste better? ›

A variety of herbs and spices can be added to the mashed turnips. Try a tablespoon of finely chopped sage or rosemary, a clove or two of roasted or sautéed garlic, or a pinch of paprika or ground ginger. If your turnips came with the greens, don't throw them away.

What is the disadvantage of using baking soda to vegetables? ›

This is a bad practice, however, and you should avoid adding baking soda when boiling any type of vegetable. It has various unwelcome effects, such as softening the vegetable, altering the vegetable's flavor, destroying thiamine content, and hastening the loss of vitamin C.

What is the best way to cook and eat turnips? ›

Baked, Boiled or Steamed. Use turnips any way you would use a potato, and then some. Try them baked or boiled in stews, soups and stir-fries, or lightly steamed with some butter, salt or lemon juice for flavor. homemade coleslaw.

How long does it take for turnips to get soft? ›

Place the turnips in a pot and cover with about 2 inches of salted water. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat and simmer until the turnips are tender when pierced with a toothpick or the tip of a paring knife, 20 to 30 minutes. Step three: Season and serve. Drain the turnips and season with salt and pepper.

Why is my turnip taking so long to cook? ›

Of course there's variations for the type of turnip and it's stage in development too. Early purple tops will take longer than late ones and blanco turnips will usually cook faster than purple tops.

Are turnips better for you than potatoes? ›

Turnips are a healthy alternative to potatoes; they're lower in calories and have fewer carbs. Smaller, sweeter turnips can be sliced into wedges and eaten raw like an apple.

What is the healthiest way to eat turnips? ›

Boil or steam turnips and add them to mashed potatoes for extra vitamins and minerals. Grate them raw into salads or slaws. Roast them with other root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes, and bring out their natural sweetness.

Is turnip good for high blood pressure? ›

Turnip good for heart health

Turnip contain potassium which is a vasodilator. Potassium acts to reduce strains on blood vessels and arteries by lowering blood pressure. This helps to prevent problems like atherosclerosis and also reduces the risks of heart attacks and strokes.

Do turnips spike blood sugar? ›

Does Turnip Spike Insulin? Turnips have a low glycemic index and do not typically cause a significant spike in insulin levels. They are a root vegetable that is relatively low in carbohydrates and high in fiber, which helps regulate blood sugar levels.

What does baking soda do for vegetable plants? ›

Baking soda's supposed anti-fungal properties have been spread around for many years as a natural home remedy to treat fungal infections, including black spot, powdery mildew, and a multitude of other fungi. When applied to plant leaves and stems, baking soda does slow or stop the growth of fungi.

What does soaking vegetables in baking soda do? ›

Because most pesticides aren't stable at an alkaline pH, soaking them in a baking soda solution can break down their compounds, and together with a rinse under tap water, can help to wash them away. Note: The baking soda solution will remove only certain classes of pesticides, and only from the produce's surface.

What does baking soda do to vegetables in cooking? ›

We got some surprising results. Baking soda does help green vegetables retain color, but it causes undesirable color changes in red cabbage—it turned blue. The science can be distilled to this: Adding baking soda to cooking water makes it slightly alkaline, which stabilizes the green color of chlorophyll.

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