Rutabaga or turnip puff casserole is a tasty way to eat rutabaga. With the creamy, slightly sweet, mild rutabaga mashed and cooked with eggs, flour, brown sugar, and butter, then a crunchy, buttery cracker crumb topping, this popular side dish complements so many different meats. Rutabaga casserole uses easy to find ingredients and is so quick and simple to put together!
What is Rutabaga?
Rutabaga is a root vegetable from the family of the species Brassica Napus, which some say is a cross between cabbage and turnip. Many people confuse rutabagas with turnips, but once you know the difference in their looks, you will find it easy to tell them apart. Rutabagas have a more yellow flesh, while turnips are the classical white and purple colored root veggies. The rutabaga has a milder and slightly sweet flavor compared to the pungent taste of turnips. Packed with nutrients, and low in calories, the humble rutabaga is an often under appreciated vegetable! This delicious vegetable is usually inexpensive to buy, keeps for a long time, grows in cooler climates, and so versatile. Try some rutabaga puff casserole today! 😉 For more on Rutabaga vs. Turnip, read this article 👉 What’s the Difference Between Turnips and Rutabagas.
Why Rutabaga Puff Casserole?
I truly never fell in love with rutabaga until tasting it at my in-laws. For Thanksgiving or Christmas, my dear mother-in-law would always have a small dish of cooked, mashed rutabaga as a side dish. Her rutabaga side dish was quite simple, just mashed rutabagas with butter and lots of salt. I totally LOVED rutabaga cooked this way, although the rest of my family not so much. So, to satisfy that craving for delicious rutabaga that once in a while hits, I always made just a very small dish of rutabaga also. Then, we tried this recipe a few years ago, and needless to say, I can now make a much larger side dish of rutabaga casserole and it ALL gets eaten, raved about, complimented…need I say more?
Raw with salt? 😏
Growing up, my mom would grow rutabagas in our Saskatchewan garden. This root veggie is hardy for cooler climates, although prone to cabbage butterflies? But, we could always count on there being plenty of rutabagas for us to eat. The strange thing is, that as a child, I only remember eating raw sliced rutabaga sprinkled with salt?? Maybe she did cook it but I just didn’t like it. I still to this day, eat some rutabaga raw with salt whenever I cook rutabaga puff casserole or any other rutabaga dish.
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why you will love rutabaga puff casserole!
- Quick and easy unique side dish!
- So scrumptious and delicious!
- Puffy and creamy rutabaga!
- Crunchy, buttery, cracker topping!
- Can be made ahead and frozen!
rutabaga puff CAN be made ahead and frozen!
Rutabaga puff casserole CAN be made ahead and frozen!! I have done this many times to save time on side dish preparation for large family meals and celebrations. If you want to make this casserole ahead, just prepare according to instructions, but leave the cracker crumb topping off of the mashed rutabaga. Do prepare the crackers with the butter though, and place them into a small sealable plastic bag. Cover the mashed and creamy rutabaga puff with plastic wrap and freeze both the casserole and the cracker crumb topping for up to 4 months. When it’s time to heat up the Rutabaga Puff, thaw the casserole in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then cook according to the instructions.
Is Rutabaga Puff Casserole Healthy?
Rutabaga itself is a very healthy vegetable! With high amounts of fiber, low calories and loaded with antioxidants, rutabaga is an amazing choice of vegetable as a side dish or snack. Rutabagas are also full of potassium and other minerals. Rutabaga is so versatile and can be eaten in so many different ways! This tasty root vegetable is often an important part of keto and low calorie diets. Now, for rutabaga puff casserole specifically, the calories are a bit higher with butter, and eggs added. But the vitamins, minerals and fiber are all still very high!
Ingredients for Rutabaga Puff Casserole
- Rutabaga of course, I use 2 medium/large rutabagas for this recipe, which will amount to about 3 cups of cooked, mashed rutabaga.
- Butter, some for the mashed part and some butter is melted and mixed with the cracker crumbs for the topping.
- Flour, not much but this does help thicken the casserole and ensure the rutabagas aren’t too watery.
- Brown sugar, again, not very much, just a hint of caramelly sweetness.
- Baking powder, this is where the “puff” part of the casserole comes in.
- Salt and pepper
- Cracker crumbs, I use Ritz, because, as I’ve said in other recipes, Costco sells a huge box and the flavor is great. 🤗
how to make rutabaga puff casserole
1.Peel, cut into pieces, and cook the rutabaga in boiling salted water for 30-40 minutes, until tender.
2. Drain the water and add the 3 Tbsp. butter, eggs, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper to the pot.
3. Mash using a hand masher or immersion blender.
4. Place the mashed rutabaga into an 8×11 inch casserole dish or similar sized glass baking dish.
5. Using a food processor, crush the Ritz crackers until quite small.
6. Mix the melted butter into the crackers and spread on the top of the rutabaga casserole.
7. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.
other simple and tasty side dish recipes!
These side dish recipes are great at any time of the year and also for Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas dinners! Each of these recipes including the rutabaga casserole are great to accompany any type of meat or even on their own as a simple lunch or snack! 😉 I just love anything that can be made ahead, saving me some time on the day of the big meal! Rutabaga puff is such a great make ahead, as are most of the above mentioned side dish recipes.
Rutabaga Puff Casserole
Rutabaga Puff Casserole is a simple make ahead side dish using easy to find ingredients. The rutabaga is subtly sweet and so creamy mashed with butter, flour, brown sugar, eggs, and salt! With a crunchy, cracker and butter topping, this delicious side dish will soon become a family favorite.
Ingredients
Cracker crumb topping
Instructions
Peel, cut into pieces, and cook the rutabaga in boiling salted water for 30-40 minutes, until tender.
Drain the water and add the 3 Tbsp. butter, eggs, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper to the pot.
Mash using a hand masher or immersion blender.
Place the mashed rutabaga into an 8x11 inch casserole dish or similar sized glass baking dish.
Using a food processor, crush the Ritz crackers until quite small.
Mix the melted butter into the crackers and spread on the top of the rutabaga casserole.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.
Serving Size 1/2 cup
Servings 8
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 180kcal
- Calories from Fat 93kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Sodium 479mg20%
- Potassium 330mg10%
- Total Carbohydrate 19g7%
- Dietary Fiber 2.5g10%
- Sugars 8g
- Protein 3g6%
- Vitamin A 284 IU
- Vitamin C 24 mg
- Calcium 108 mg
- Thiamin 0.16 mg
- Riboflavin 0.15 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.12 mg
- Folate 49 mcg
- Phosphorus 159.98 mg
- Selenium 5.9 mg
- Manganese 0.21 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- Be sure the rutabaga is boiled until quite soft for easy mashing.
- You can mash or puree the rutabaga.
- Can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen.
- To freeze, put the cracker crumb mixture into a seperate bag or container until right before baking.
- If you want to ensure totally sweet rutabaga, add a tsp or so of sugar to the water when boiling it.
