Roasted Rutabaga Recipe

This Roasted Rutabaga Recipe is an easy low-carb side dish that tastes like real potatoes minus the carbs. These crispy rutabaga cubes are also gluten-free and vegan.

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Rutabaga is an amazing low-carb vegetable perfect for making keto fries or low-carb potato-like cubes in the oven or air fryer. Unfortunately, rutabaga, or the similar turnip, are forgotten vegetables, and there are not many rutabaga recipes.

However, it’s a vegetable that you can cook as potatoes to make any delicious side dish to Broiled Pork Chops. Today, I am going to show you how to make roasted rutabaga cubes that are actually crispy and good.

Ingredients and Substitutions

All you need to roast rutabaga are:

• Fresh Rutabaga – The vegetables should be firm, not soft, with vibrant purple colors at their feet.
• Avocado Oil or olive oil
• Garlic Powder – or fresh crushed garlic.
• Dried Oregano – Or Italian herbs.
• Onion Powder – or shallot powder.

How To Make Oven-Roasted Rutabaga

If you’ve never cooked a rutabaga before, roasting rutabagas is as easy as roasted potatoes. You don’t have to use all the spices listed above, but rutabaga tends to be a little sweet, and spices enhance the savory flavor of the dish.

There are a few ways to cut rutabaga, depending on which recipe you are making.

1. For rutabaga fries, cut them into large rectangles or cut the rutabaga in cubes to roast, air fry, or boil them.
2. First, cut off the top hard part of the vegetable with a long sharp knife.
3. Then, use a vegetable peeler to peel off the skin of the vegetable.
4. Finally, place the rutabaga on its flat side and cut it into 3 thick slices. Feel free to cut into more slices if you are using large rutabagas.
5. Place each layer flat on a cutting board and slice them into 0.7-inch cubes (1.5 cm).
6. Preheat the oven to 425 °F (220 °C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set it aside.
7. In a large mixing bowl, add the rutabaga cubes and drizzle oil and spices on top.  Then, use a spatula or your hands to toss the rutabagas cubes and cover them evenly with oil and spices.
8. Spread the cubes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
9. Bake in the center rack of the oven for 30 minutes, shaking the cubes halfway through to evenly roast all sides.
10. Stop baking when they are golden brown, crispy on the edges, and fork-tender.

Serving Roasted Rutabaga

It’s best to serve rutabaga straight out of the oven, or they soften quickly. Adjust them with salt and pepper and serve them with chopped parsley or herbs you love. Serve as a side dish to meat, fish, or some of the following dish suggestions.

• Cast-Iron Chicken Breast – or any of my Keto Chicken Recipes.
• Creamy Spinach Chicken
• Broiled Pork Chops
• Tuscan Chicken
• Almond Flour Chicken Tenders
• Lemon Pepper Chicken
• Keto Chicken Nuggets
• Baked Pork Chops

Tips for Perfect Cooking

There are many ways you can cook rutabagas. You can:

• Bake rutabaga like in this recipe
• Air fry rutabaga
• Boil rutabaga to make rutabaga mash

For the oven method, people make three common mistakes when they roast rutabaga and end up with soft mushy vegetables. So let me share three tips to make rutabaga crispy and delicious every time.

• Roast At 425°F (220°C) – The most common mistake people make when roasting rutabaga is to set the oven to less than 425°F (220°C). As a result, the vegetables get mushy and stay soft.
• Cut In Large Cubes – Rutabaga must be cut in larger cubes than potatoes or they won’t crisp very well. I recommend 0.7-inch cubes.
• Use High-Smoke Point Oil – High smoke point oils resist to high temperature better. They won’t smoke in the oven and will create the best golden roasted color to vegetable. The best high-smoke point oil option is avocado oil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are my answers to your most frequent questions about rutabaga.

More Vegetable Side Dish Recipes

Here are some healthy vegetable side dish recipes, including more roasted vegetables for you to try.