The Best Damn Pureed Rutabaga

This post was initially titled plain old “Pureed Rutabaga” but I felt like that just doesn’t do it justice. I’ve changed LIVES with this recipe. Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but I have changed many minds about rutabaga with this simple, six-ingredient recipe. Many of you reading probably have never cooked with rutabaga, or eaten it at all! I’m here to bring you into a new world of sweet, creamy bliss. For those of you who aren’t familiar, a rutabaga is technically a cross between a turnip and cabbage. Called “swedes” in most parts of the world, they have a mild turnip-like flavor when eaten raw, but are nutty and sweet when cooked.  Roast ’em, sauté ’em, boil ’em, add them to soups, or eat them raw as a snack or grate them into salad for a little crunch. If you are new to this veggie, I’d definitely recommend you try them roasted in cubes or pureed as seen below.

As a member of the cruciferous (or Brassica) vegetable family, rutabaga are high in antioxidant and anti-cancer compounds, and one cup of rutabaga provides over 50% of your daily recommended Vitamin C, as well as providing potassium and manganese. Many scientists believe that colorectal and prostate cancers can actually be reduced with a diet rich with brassica vegetables like rutabaga. Plus, they taste great, so it’s a win-win.

This recipe makes the perfect holiday side dish; in fact, I’ll be making it for Easter brunch this year and pairing it with some chickpea cutlets, mushroom gravy, and a big ol’ side of greens. Savory brunches for the WIN. Truthfully, I love making this recipe anytime I’m having guests over for dinner because it’s easy to make in a large batch and because it always wows people who have never tried rutabaga before. They are always shocked when I tell them what it is (usually they think it’s some type of sweet potato or butternut squash puree). It’s sweet, savory, nutritious, and did I mention that it’s easy? There is no core or anything to cut around in the middle so all you have to do is peel the outside and chop into cubes. And because they will end up pureed, you don’t have to worry about making perfectly uniform or pretty.

If you have an immersion blender, great! If not, you can use a regular blender, food processor, or if all else fails, use a big fork or potato masher to mash them up instead of pureeing. As long as you cook them long enough, they will taste great mashed too. The longer you cook them, the more their natural sweetness comes out, so don’t pull them off the heat too soon.

I’ve paired the rutabaga with carrots in this recipe but you could easily leave the carrots out if you prefer straight rutabaga. I like the carrots for their added flavor and texture, not to mention their orange color makes for a more beautiful and unique presentation! Cinnamon and maple syrup give a sweet, dessert-like quality to this recipe that makes for the perfect brunch side dish (who doesn’t love a little sweetness on a Sunday morning?).

Finally, New Barn Unsweetened Almondmilk gives this recipe added creaminess, while thinning out the chunky rutabaga at the same time.  I love New Barn’s almondmilks because they are organic; almonds absorb pesticides really easily because of their high oil content, so organic is important here! They also use ZERO artificial or so-called “natural” flavors; only almonds, water, sea salt, and organic acacia (natural sap from the acacia tree) to keep it from separating. Other almondmilks have soooo many unnecessary gums, fillers, and emulsifiers in them, and are made with so little almonds that they really should not be called almondmilks at all!

Using a run-of-the-mill almondmilk here is going to just water down the recipe, which is not what we want! We want the veggies to thin out slightly, but to maintain creaminess and structure. Make sense? Okay, on with the show.

A big thank you to New Barn for sponsoring this post! Recipe and opinions are 100% my own, and I only work with companies whose products I genuinely use, love, and recommend. For more info, check out my full disclosure here.

The Best Damn Pureed Rutabaga (Vegan + GF)

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Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 large rutabaga, peeled and cubed (approx 3 lbs)
• 3 carrots, 1-inch rounds (approx 1 lb)
• 1 C unsweetened almondmilk, (New Barn)
• 2 Tbs maple syrup
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

• Place cubed rutabaga in your largest saucepan and add enough water to cover the cubes, plus an extra 1-2 inches.
• Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low-medium. Simmer rutabaga for 30 minutes.
• Add carrots and simmer for another 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat and drain the veggies.
• Return veggies to the pot and add the almondmilk, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt.
• Use an immersion blender and blend until you've reached your desired consistency.
• Season with extra salt and pepper to taste and serve warm!