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Turnip au Gratin – Better than Potatoes

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Turnip au gratin is the best low carb side dish that successfully replaces potatoes. This turnip gratin is rich, creamy, and comforting. It’s the perfect side dish for holiday dinners and extremely easy to whip up.

how to make turnip au gratin lowcarbspark

Are you missing potatoes? Well it’s time to discover this fantastic vegetable: turnip.

Let’s talk about turnips because, oh dear goodness, I really don’t know why I haven’t tried them before. Turnips are a root vegetable that resembles in form, taste, and texture to potatoes.

I also shared a delicious recipe for turnip fries that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

What Do Turnips Taste Like?

Turnops are super low in carbs (compared to potatoes) and have a neutral taste.

The taste varies depending on the kind of turnips you can find if they are young or older.

Smaller turnips are tender, sweet, and crunchy. Bigger turnips are spicier and need to be cooked.

At the store, try to choose smaller turnips as the bigger ones have more of a bitter taste. Select the turnips that have smooth skin and are the size of a tennis ball.

turnip au gratin recipe and instructions

One cup of raw turnip has about 6 grams of carbs from which 2 grams are fiber, so there are only 4 grams of net carbs. Keep in mind that the same quantity of potatoes provides 22 grams of carbs.

Turnips are also nutrient-dense and can be used in any recipe that calls for potatoes. You can make gratins, mashes, soups, and even fries.

Watch our quick video to see exactly how to make this gluten-free turnip au gratin recipe:

Ingredients for Turnip au Gratin

The stars of this turnip recipe are, of course, turnips, different types of cheese, heavy cream, and spices. 

easy turnip au gratin recipe

Here’s everything you’ll need:

  • Turnips – choose smaller turnips that cook easier and taste slightly sweet rather than large turnips than can be bitter.
  • Cheddar cheese – has a bold flavor.
  • Mozzarella – or Gruyere Cheese, shredded.
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Butter – adds extra flavor and makes turnips crispy.
  • Heavy cream – for a creamy sauce.
  • Fresh thyme – use dried thyme instead.
  • Garlic – fresh or powdered garlic is delicious.
  • Salt and pepper – to taste.

How to Make Turnips au Gratin

It’s super easy to make turnips au gratin. Once you gather all the ingredients it’s time to start making this special side dish that everyone will love. You won’t even notice these are not potatoes.

turnip au gratin recipe is better than potatoes
  1. Start by peeling the turnips. Use a mandolin to slice them uniformly into very thin slices.
  2. Make sure you cut them the same size so that they cook evenly.
  3. Grease a baking dish and arrange turnip slices, edges overlapping into a single layer.
  4. Season well with salt, pepper, and thyme.
  5. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheddar cheese, mozzarella (or Gruyere cheese) over the sliced turnips. Add a few bits of butter.
  6. Repeat with the remaining turnips, cheese, and seasonings.
  7. For the final layer, pour the heavy cream on top and sprinkle Parmigiano Reggiano.
  8. Place the baking dish into the oven, covered in a tin foil, and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and broil for 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
  9. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves or fresh parsley and serve hot.
turnip au gratin

Other Recipes for You to Try:

turnip au gratin recipe is better than potatoes

Turnip au Gratin

4.98 from 35 votes

Prep time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Yelds 8 servings
Author Ioana Borcea from LowCarbSpark.com

Description
 

Turnip au gratin is the best low carb side dish that successfully replaces potatoes. This turnip gratin is rich, creamy, and comforting. It’s the perfect side dish for holiday dinners and extremely easy to whip up.
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Ingredients
  

  • 4 large turnips
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 cup mozzarella or Gruyere Cheese shredded
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese shredded
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme
  • 2-3 cloves garlic minced, optional
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C. Butter a baking dish and set aside.
  • Peel, trim and slice the turnips very thinly using a mandoline or a sharp knife to about 2 mm thick.
  • Put a layer of turnips on the bottom of the baking dish.
  • Layer a third of the turnips into the greased dish and season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Season lightly with salt and pepper. You can also add fresh minced garlic.
  • Top with a third of the quantity of cheddar cheese, mozzarella. Add a couple of butter on top.
  • Repeat step five until you formed three layers and top with the remaining cheese.
  • Drizzle the heavy cream over the turnips and cheese.
  • Cover with foil and bake fore 25 minutes. Remove the foil and broil for 2-3 minutes until bubbly and slightly brown. The turnips should be fork tender.
  • Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Video

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving.
Calories
256kcal
Total Carbs
5g
Net Carbs
4g
Protein
9g
Fat
23g
Fiber
1g
Sugar
3g

How do we calculate the nutrition info?

These nutrition facts listed are determined using nutrition information from the USDA Food Database. Our nutrition facts are accurate, but if you are using different products, please make your calculations. Net carb count is calculated by subtracting both fiber and sugar alcohols because they don’t raise blood sugar.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword turnips
Tried this recipe?Mention @LowCarbSpark or tag #LowCarbSpark!

Ioana

Ioana is a food and travel lover. Her greatest passion is developing mouthwatering recipes that are comforting, easy to make, and budget friendly! She firmly believes that cooking should be fun! About me...

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Recipe Rating




9 comments
    1. I wouldn’t. It will end up too runny. If you only have milk, I’d make a white sauce with it in place if the cream.

  1. 4 stars
    The turnips are a little hard still, any suggestions. Would it help to cook longer than the 25 minutes or should I slice thinner?
    Thanks

    1. You have to cook them longer. It really depends on your turnips and how thick the slices are. Hope it will turn out great!

  2. I LOVE this recipe. I just made it. I did have to cook it a little longer than suggested because mine were still hard. The flavor was delicious. I will make this again. Thank you for the recipe.

  3. 5 stars
    Love, love this! I’ve made it several times now. One of my favs during the winter months. My kids even love it! Brilliant!


About me

Hello! My name is Ioana Borcea, and I'm here to provide you with mouthwatering recipes. This blog is all about sharing my favorite tested easy to make, delicious low-carb & keto, nutrient-dense recipes.

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