Turnip Puff

A Turnip Puff is the absolute best way to eat a turnip (or rutabaga)! It’s a lightly sweet baked root vegetable dish, both creamy and fluffy, with a crunchy buttered breadcrumb topping. A Turnip Puff is traditionally served for Canadian Thanksgiving or Christmas, but there’s no need to wait for a holiday. This is an easy and delicious vegetable side dish that the whole family will love!

Looking for more easy side dishes? Try this superb Pan-Fried Carrot and Parsnip Recipe, or Caramelized Carrots, Traditional Cheesy Broccoli Casserole, and our Old Fashioned Cornbread Dressing! These side dishes are great for the holidays as well as a nice Sunday dinner at home. We also have a great informative post on What is Rutabaga? How Do I Cook One? if you would like to know more about these vegetables.

What is in a Turnip Puff?

It’s called a Turnip Puff, but this recipe is often made with Rutabagas or Turnips. Turnips have white flesh and white and purple skin (pictured above). Likewise, Rutabagas look very similar to Turnips, but they have yellow flesh with darker yellow and purple skin.

Both Turnips and Rutabaga are loaded with fiber and vitamins K, A, C, E, and several B vitamins, as well as minerals like manganese, potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, and copper. I love when a side dish is both healthy and delicious!

You can use turnips and rutabaga interchangeably in a Turnip Puff recipe, but you’ll want to note that Turnips aren’t as sweet as Rutabaga, so you’ll need to adjust the sugar accordingly.

How Do You Make a Turnip Puff?

A Turnip Puff is so easy to make, which is what makes it a perfect side dish. Nothing complicated or fancy here!

Begin by peeling and cutting the turnips into cubed pieces. Put them into a large pot and cover them with water and a sprinkle of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the cubed turnip pieces are very tender.

Drain and mash using a potato masher. They don’t need to be perfectly smooth, but the smoother they are, the creamier and fluffy the final dish is.

Once the turnips are mashed, add the beaten eggs and butter and beat well to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Stir this into the turnip mixture.

Butter a medium-sized casserole dish and pour in the turnip mixture. In a separate bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle on top of the turnips.

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, or until the bread crumbs on top are golden. Serve warm!

Can You Prepare Turnip Ahead of Time?

You can partially prepare the Turnip Puff ahead of time, which really comes in handy if you are making a lot of dishes at once for a big holiday meal.

To prepare ahead of time, cook the turnips and mash them as described in the recipe. Once you have added the butter and beaten eggs, you can refrigerate overnight. Just before you are ready to eat, add in the dry ingredients and the topping and bake. Easy peasy!

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Turnip Puff

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

A Turnip Puff is the absolute best way to eat a turnip (or a rutabaga)! It’s a lightly sweet baked root vegetable dish, both creamy and fluffy, with a crunchy buttered breadcrumb topping. 

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Ingredients

• 6 cups turnip or rutabaga, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup fine plain bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

1. Peel and cut the turnips into cubed pieces. Put them into a large pot and cover with water and a sprinkle of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the cubed turnip pieces are very tender.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a medium-sized baking dish.
3. Drain and mash using a potato masher. They don’t need to be perfectly smooth, but the smoother they are, the creamier and fluffy the final dish is.
4. Once the turnips are mashed, add the beaten eggs and butter and beat well to combine. (You can prepare the Turnip Puff one day ahead up to this point and refrigerate).
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Stir this into the turnip mixture.
6. Pour the turnip mixture into the prepared casserole dish. In a separate bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle on top of the turnips.
7. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, or until the bread crumbs on top are golden. Serve warm!

Notes

You can easily double this recipe if you're feeding a crowd!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 214Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 316mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 5gSugar: 13gProtein: 5g

Recipe calculation was provided by Nutritionix and is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.