It’s excellent when cooked as a gratin, with cream and lots of cheese. They also stand up well to sweeter flavors, so roasting rutabaga with maple syrup can be an excellent autumnal side dish. You can also eat rutabaga raw or thinly slice it before cooking, enjoying as you would pasta, in the same vein as zucchini noodles. In Taste Cooking, Alicia Kennedy states that rutabaga is an excellent plant-based centerpiece for a vegan meal, noting that it’s large, substantial, and hearty enough to stand up to a variety of cooking techniques and flavors. In addition, Smithsonian Magazine notes a Finnish rutabaga dish called lanttulaatikko, which is a casserole that involves “milk, eggs, nutmeg, molasses, and bread crumbs.”
Rutabaga is also super nutritious – MyRecipes notes that they are “high in vitamin C and fiber” and that they’re also much lower in carbs than potatoes, so making a mashed rutabaga (or even half rutabaga, half potato) can be preferable for anyone looking to eschew any extraneous carbs. They’re high in vitamin c, low in calories, and high in potassium and fiber, according to The Mom 100. Lastly, Healthline also notes that rutabagas are high in antioxidants, help to prevent premature aging, foster digestive health, and help with weight loss.
Clearly, rutabaga is no slouch when it comes to nutritional benefits, and when you also consider its delicious flavor and versatility, perhaps you’ll be motivated to pick up one of these large, shapely root vegetables when you’re next doing a food shopping run.
