These Roasted Turnips with Turnip Greens Pesto feature the WHOLE turnip in a nutritious side dish! The bulbs are roasted to perfection and the greens are transformed into a delicious, creamy, dairy-free pesto flavored with roasted garlic and plenty of toasted pine nuts.
I developed this recipe because I wanted (needed) a really great way to eat a turnip. I’m a big believer in eating a WIDE variety of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and proteins. Enjoying as much of nature’s bounty as possible is a great way to ensure that we’re taking in an abundance of important micronutrients across a broad spectrum. I put this into practice by visiting every nook and cranny of the produce section at the grocery store, inviting all the foods into our home (and onto our plates) on a somewhat regular rotation. That being said, when a turnip winds up in my cart, it’s because I guiltily picked it up and thought, “I’m sure I can hide you in something.” Turnips are often forgotten in my kitchen and are hardly ever featured on their own. I’ve roasted them with other root veggies, boiled then mashed with potatoes, and hidden in soups, but they’re not ever featured on their own. Turnips have an interesting flavor, in my opinion. They can have a slightly bitter flavor and aren’t as starchy as you might expect. SOUNDS GREAT, doesn’t it? I promise it gets better.
I’m also a big fan of enjoying the WHOLE food if at all possible. A vegetable approach to “nose to tail,” I wanted a recipe for turnips that would feature the whole turnip …from the bulb to the greens. The greens tend to be especially bitter, so we had our work cut out for us.
We decided on a simple roasted turnip dish to feature the bulbs. All you need to do is give them a good scrub, peel, chop, and toss with the fat of your choice plus salt and pepper. Roasted turnips, in my experience, take a little longer to crisp in the oven due to their high water content. Be patient!
For the greens, I decided on my trusty, no-fail pesto. While the turnips are in the oven, add an entire bulb of garlic and keep it in there until it’s perfectly soft. For the dairy-free pesto, grab your food processor and blend the garlic (great at masking bitterness) with the turnip greens, toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, olive oil, and seasonings. This approach makes a DANG GOOD pesto that will have you thinking, “wow, maybe I like turnip greens!”
Once the roasted turnips have cooled a bit, toss them in their perfectly paired pesto, garish with a few more toasted pine nuts, and plate. Though the flavor is still distinctly turnip, it’s a way to honor the nutritious vegetable with a little delicious spotlight.
Roasted Turnips with Turnip Greens Pesto
Ingredients
For the Turnips:
- 4 large turnips
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
For the Pesto:
- 1 large head of garlic or two small heads
- 1 bunch turnip greens
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts + 2 tablespoons for garnish
- 1/4 cup lemon juice or juice of one lemon
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Turnips:
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Combine turnips, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread across two sheet pans to ensure that turnips aren't overlapping.
- Trim the top of the head of garlic off so that each bulb is peeking through. Wrap in foil and place on the sheet pan.
- Set the timer for 45 minutes. When the time is up, remove the garlic, and roast the turnips for an additional 35 minutes (1 hour 20 minutes total).
For the Pesto:
- Toast the pine nuts in a small/medium-sized pan over low/medium heat. Stir them constantly and remove from heat when they’re slightly brown and fragrant. {Careful, they can burn easily}.
- Wash and dry the turnip greens, then roughly chop them and add them to a food processor along with peeled, roasted garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice, and half the olive oil. Pulse until the ingredients are evenly combined.
- Add the salt, pepper, and remaining olive oil to the food processor. Pulse until it’s smooth and creamy.
To Serve:
- Toss roasted turnips with pesto and garnish with 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts. Enjoy!
Nutrition
This is bad. The sauce is horrible. Do not recommend.