Mashed rutabaga is a nutritious dish made by boiling and mashing the root vegetable with butter and sometimes milk. It has a slightly chunky texture due to its fiber content and can be combined with other vegetables and seasonings. Rutabaga is related to cabbage, has a sweet taste, and is a good source of fiber and beta-carotene.
Similar to mashed potatoes, but a little more nutritious, mashed rutabaga is made by cooking a root vegetable until very soft. The dish is often served at Thanksgiving. The ingredients for mashed rutabaga vary. Some cooks use just butter with the rutabaga, while others add milk or even additional greens. A potato masher or hand mixer can be used to mash them. The texture of the dish is not as smooth as mashed potatoes, as rutabagas have a lot of fiber.
Sometimes a rutabaga may be called a turnip or rutabaga, even though the vegetable is related to cabbage. The vegetable looks like a turnip, except it has a yellow color with purple skin. Unlike other members of the cabbage family, rutabaga tastes sweet, not bitter. It is a good source of fiber and beta-carotene. Because it’s a root vegetable and keeps well, it’s common during the cooler months of the year.
Usually, mashed rutabaga is made by peeling and dicing the vegetable. It is then boiled in water until extremely soft. After the water has drained, some cooks prefer to reheat the softened rutabaga further to remove excess moisture.
Before mashing the rutabaga, many cooks add some kind of fat to the vegetable. Butter is a common add-on to rutabaga puree. When the vegetable is hot, melt the butter as it is added. To add creaminess, a cook may also pour in some milk or cream.
A potato masher is often used to mash vegetables with butter or milk. A large fork will work too. Due to the fact that rutabaga is fibrous, it can be difficult to mash with a richer potato. Another option is to use a hand blender to puree the vegetables.
Rutabagas lack the starch content of potatoes, so a cook might even try mashing them with a blender without the risk of the mashed rutabagas developing a glue-like consistency. In general, the texture of mashed rutabaga is slightly chunky. It’s difficult to get the mixture completely smooth, as there are usually strands of fiber throughout.
Similar greens can be mashed together with rutabaga. Some people like to add rutabaga to mashed potatoes to increase the fiber and overall nutrition of the dish. Another option is to mash carrots with rutabaga or add cooked onions to the mashed vegetable. Once the vegetables are mashed, common seasonings include salt and pepper. Some people also add a pinch of nutmeg to the dish.
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