Planning your holiday dinner and missing potatoes? Try these Hasselback turnips! A tasty and elegant side dish, surprisingly easy to make.
Gone are my days of “all potatoes, all the time” when it comes to the holiday cooking. Too many carbs, AND now apparently I have an issue with nightshades, on top of it?
Anyway, I’m not about to have a Thanksgiving table that’s bereft of any “potato” type dish, so I’m working out a few substitutes!
So far, holidays while on a keto lifestyle have involved a couple different low carb options.
Cauliflower Mash is a classic, easy holiday side dish option, and Keto Funeral Potatoes - made wth Daikon radish - is a shockingly good substitute for the real thing.
When cooked and seasoned right, roasted turnips are about the closest substitution you can get for potatoes.
I use them in place of potatoes in my Keto Beef Stew, and absolutely do NOT miss the potatoes.
As an Irish Canadian who lives up to every stereotype about loving potatoes.. That’s saying something.
Anyway, this keto turnip dish involves both boiling and baking the turnips, resulting in the PERFECT texture - it really is just like eating Hasselback potatoes, the Swedish classic.
The best part? Only 5 grams of net carbs per serving!
Perfect for anyone on a low carb diet, but also specifically keto friendly - a super accessible addition to your Christmas dinner, too!.
Woot!
Ingredients
This recipe uses super simple ingredients, that can be found in any grocery store. You can make them with or without cheese, and the recipe is very customizable.
A few notes:
Turnips
This recipe was developed using large turnips that have been cut in half, as I prefer the texture and handling of large turnips, when it comes to this sort of use.
That said, you CAN use smaller turnips, if you like - just be mindful that the nutritional information will be inaccurate.
To use smaller turnips, peel turnips. Use a sharp knife to cut a flat base on one side of the turnip.
You may want to decrease your boiling time by a few minutes - you want them just starting to go tender, but NOT mushy.
Unsalted Butter
I use unsalted butter for this, controlling the salt amount by adding it after melting the butter.
If you want to use salted butter, start out with using half the amount of salt, and going from there.
You want the butter fairly salty, as it does get spread thinly over the Hasselback turnip servings.
For a dairy free or paleo Hasselback turnip recipe, swap the butter out for coconut or olive oil.
Cheese
Cheese is optional, and should be skipped if you’re doing a diary free, Paleo, and/or AIP version of this recipe.
I like to use a couple different cheeses, alternating them in the cuts. As pictured, I used an extra sharp white cheddar cheese and an aged Parmesan cheese.
Gouda, Swiss, Havarti... pretty much any cheese that you like to eat, can be used in this recipe.
I recommend using a cheese knife - the skimmer / shave type - to cut really thin slices.
Seasonings
I generally make this very plain, with a few fresh garlic cloves and some dried parsley.
This is where you have a TON of room for customization, though.
If you don’t have a problem with nightshades, Smoked Paprika works fabulously.
Dried Rosemary, Dried Sage, Summer Savory, and/or a little Dried Thyme - or poultry seasoning - will give it a really classic thanksgiving flavour.
Slices of crispy bacon can be added in with the cheese slices, if desired.
The sky really is the limit, here. Just like with potatoes, turnips are incredibly versatile!
How to Make Hasselback Turnips
The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is a pictorial walk through of the technique:
Prepare the Turnips
Fill a medium pot with water, about halfway full. Bring water to a boil, as you prepare the turnips:
Use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to peel the turnips. Cut each turnip in half, as shown.
Place a turnip half - cut side down - on a cutting board, with a chopstick along each long side.
Make vertical cuts from the top curve of the turnip, down to where the chopsticks are. Be careful to keep each cut straight up and down, and relatively close together.
Once you have the entire turnip half covered with these cuts, repeat with remaining halves.
Dress and Bake the Keto Turnips
As turnips are boiling, preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
Once the boiling time is over, use a slotted spoon to carefully remove cooked turnips from the water. Blot with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Arrange cooked turnips on the prepared baking pan, flat cut side down.
Use a pastry brush to brush most of the melted butter over the turnips.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, brushing them again with remaining butter - and butter that has pooled on the pan after cooking - after about 20 minutes.
Top: After first half of baking. Bottom: At end of baking.
For cheesy hasselback turnips, use a cheese slicer or sharp knife to cut a pile of really thin cheese slices.
Once the 30 minute baking time is over, remove pan from the oven. Carefully insert cheese slices (breaking to fit) in each of the cuts.
Serve hot!
Leftovers
Leftover Hasselback turnips can be cooled to room temperature before being transferred to an airtight container.
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat before serving - in an air fryer is best.
They’re still really good when reheated in a microwave, they just won’t crisp up in the same way an air fryer will do.<
More Keto Holiday Recipes
Looking for more easy keto recipes to serve over the holidays? Here are some tasty ideas:
Low Carb Scalloped Potatoes
Keto Stuffing
Low Carb Turkey Gravy
Bacon Wrapped Mummy Meatloaf
Charcuterie Tree
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon (Keto)
Halloween Deviled Eggs
Keto Paska (Ukranian Easter Bread)
Turkey Meatballs with Keto Cranberry Glaze
Keto Cream Cheese Mints
Pumpkin Fat Bombs
Keto Mushroom Turnovers
Low Carb Funeral Potatoes
Keto Sauerkraut Buns
Low Carb Holiday Desserts Roundup
Keto Holiday Main Dishes Roundup
Low Carb Holiday Side Dishes Roundup
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Keto Hasselback Turnips
Equipment
- 2 Chopsticks
- Baking pan
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 large Turnips
- ¼ cup Unsalted butter
- 3 Garlic cloves pressed or finely minced.
- ½ teaspoon Dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Cheese of choice optional.
Instructions
- Fill a medium pot with water, about halfway full. Bring water to a boil, as you prepare the turnips:
- Use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to peel the turnips. Cut each turnip in half, as shown.
- Place a turnip half - cut side down - on a cutting board, with a chopstick along each long side.
- Make vertical cuts from the top curve of the turnip, down to where the chopsticks are. Be careful to keep each cut straight up and down, and relatively close together.
- Once you have the entire turnip half covered with these cuts, repeat with remaining halves,
- Place turnips in the boiling water, boil for 20 minutes.
- As turnips are boiling, preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- Once the boiling time is over, use a slotted spoon to carefully remove cooked turnips from the water. Blot with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Arrange cooked turnips on the prepared baking pan, flat cut side down.
- In a microwave safe small bowl, melt butter. Add garlic, parsley, and salt, mix well to combine.
- Use a pastry brush to brush most of the melted butter over the turnips.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, brushing them again with remaining butter - and butter that has pooled on the pan after cooking - after about 20 minutes.
- If you’d like, you can broil them on high for the last few minutes, to crisp them up a bit.
- For cheesy hasselback turnips, use a cheese slicer or sharp knife to cut a pile of really thin cheese slices.
- Once the 30 minute baking time is over, remove pan from the oven. Carefully insert cheese slices (breaking to fit) in each of the cuts. Return pan to the oven and broil on high for a few minutes to melt and brown the cheese.
- Serve hot!
Notes
Nutrition
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