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17 Parsnip Recipes That Will Make You Fall for This Underappreciated Root Vegetable

17 Parsnip Recipes That Will Make You Fall for This Underappreciated Root Vegetable

By Marie Viljoen

Updated September 09, 2020

Credit: Romulo Yanes

Get to know the parsnip, a pale and exceptionally interesting root vegetable that should be part of your fall and winter repertoire. It's delicious roasted, mashed, in soups, as part of vegetarian entrées, and even in dessert. Check out these tempting parsnip recipes.

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Credit: Romulo Yanes

The pale parsnip is so much more than a carrot with the color photoshopped out of it. Parsnips are delicious and interesting, and they absolutely deserve our attention. Despite the fact that they're usually eaten just once or twice in winter, or else brought to the Thanksgiving table where they are lost in a cornucopia of side dishes, these hearty root vegetables have serious culinary backbone. That's why we firmly believe that parsnips should feature on our dinner and lunch menus far more often than they do.

Parsnips are typically a cold-season root vegetable, and they're ideally harvested after the first frost (a cold snap makes them sweeter). Adaptable and healthy, high in fiber, vitamin C, and minerals (especially potassium), they are versatile enough to carry a vegetarian entrée, diversify a salad, or create a creamily comforting soup. Perhaps one of the reasons that this blond taproot remains underutilized and undervalued is that it is sold naked. Unlike bunched carrots with their tops on, parsnips are displayed without their eye-catching foliage. There is a good reason for this: Exposure to their leafsap can cause a photosensitive contact dermatitis, similar to poison ivy, as anyone who has inadvertently hiked through a feral patch can attest. But removing their leaves before sale keeps everyone safe.

So, how do you prep and cook parsnips? They can be peeled before use, but their skins are an additional source of flavor, so scrubbing up a batch to roast is a cinch. Refreshingly crisp when uncooked, they turn mellow and soft after boiling—easy to mash and purée. Roasting emphasizes their sweetness. They can even be used in dessert! We highly suggest trying our Spiced Parsnip Cupcakes. We promise, you'll be glad you did.

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Light and Bright Beef Stew

Credit: Con Poulos

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17 Parsnip Recipes That Will Make You Fall for This Underappreciated Root Vegetable

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Light and Bright Beef Stew

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Roasted-Squash-and-Parsnip Soup

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Shaved Parsnip and Grapefruit Salad

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Parsnip-Pumpkin Seed Fries

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Roasted Carrots and Parsnips with Minty Yogurt Sauce

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Roasted-Parsnip Bread Pudding

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Customizable Vegetable Soup

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Orecchiette with Sausage, Chard, and Parsnips

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Slow-Cooker Root-Vegetable Confit

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Chicken Soup with Dill Spaetzli

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Chorizo, Parsnip, and Olive Bites

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Spiced Parsnip Cupcakes

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Winter-Vegetable Red Curry

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Spanish Clam Soup

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Pork with Pears and Parsnip Mash

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Roasted Parsnips with Rosemary

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Roasted-Parsnip Soup with Chorizo

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