My favorite holiday side (or anytime winter treat), these parsnip fries showcase sweet seasonal root veggies that pare with any meal!
For the holidays (Thanksgiving comes to mind) or any day winter side, these parsnip fries rank in my top 5 little bites to serve. Just hear me out. They’re a culinary phenomenon that I just stumbled upon, they’re so humble, so overlooked, but when roasted, they become sweet, soft, almost like a potato but higher in fiber. So delicious! I often just have them on their own. However, you can easily pare them with carrots too for a colorful plate.
Parsnip vs. Turnips
Just to clarify, turnips look like a white carrot. Parsinps look like an oversized white radish. Both are root veggies that are known for fall/winter cooking, but the taste difference is very distinct. Parsnips are traditional in Romanian cooking, and so I grew up with them. They are a necessary ingredient in soups, along with carrots, onions, and celery (think mirepoix plus one). They taste earthy, mildly sweet, and are sweeter than a carrot (in my opinion).
Turnips are more like a radish in texture, juicy, fresh, crunchy, and have a little bit of a bitter/astringent taste to them. They are great sliced into salads, or roasted as well, but not as sweet as parsnips.
HOW TO EFFECTIVELY ROAST VEGGIES
In order to roast veggies evenly, your cuts must be uniform and the same size. This is a little tricky with an irregularly shaped veggie like a parsnip. I simply cut the thin end off so it looks like a fry. Then I slice the thicker part into slices, and cut those into fries. At the end, you’ll have uniform little batons that you can roast easily and evenly.
THESE PARSNIPS FRIES ARE:
- Versatile
- Earthy and sweet
- Taste even better than regular fries!
- Comforting winter food
- Easy to make
- Great side dish to any protein, next to veggie burgers, next to a side salad with tempeh, etc.
- Delicious!
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Parsnip Fries
Ingredients
- 1 pound bag of parsnips, peeled (save the scraps and freeze for veggie broth later)
- few sprays of your favorite oil (if you're not abstainig from fat, use a drizzle of coconut or grapeseed oil)
- generous pinch salt
- crushed black pepper
Instructions
- First, cut the parsnips into batons and toss with oil, salt and pepper.
- Next, lay these out on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Roast at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, checking often. Toss halfway through so they cook evenly.
- When done, they should be soft with a little bite and very flavorful.
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