20 Easy Root Vegetable Recipes

By

Food & Wine Editors

Updated on November 14, 2022

Roasted Beets and Carrots with Goat Cheese Dressing — Photo: © Quentin Bacon

Beets, carrots, turnips, radishes, and more incredible root vegetables are on the menu in this cooking guide. Try your hand at recipes such as turnip casserole with porcini crumb topping, smoky vegetarian beet reubens, creamy parsnip soup, and more.

01 of 20

Za'atar-Spiced Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts

Za'atar-Spiced Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts — © Antonis Achilleos

Beets have a strong presence in the cuisine of almost every ethnic group in Jerusalem, chef Yotam Ottolenghi explains. They color pickling juices on the Arab table and form the basis for a soup of Jewish, Iraqi, and Kurdish origin. Here, Ottolenghi purees them for this luscious spread.

02 of 20

Roasted Hot Honey Sweet Potato Salad

Toasted Hot Honey Pecan Sweet Potato Salad — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood

This sweet potato salad makes a colorful, satisfying side dish. Seasoning the potatoes with smoked paprika creates a sweet and savory balance while the hot honey dressing adds a touch of tangy heat. Homemade pickled red onions, crunchy toasted pecans, and fresh parsley round the dish out.

03 of 20

Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Gremolata

Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Gremolata — © John Kernick

The chopped carrot greens turn into a tasty topping (along with cilantro, lemon zest, and jalapeño) for sweet roasted carrots and shallots.

04 of 20

Creamy Parsnip Soup with Pear and Walnuts

Creamy Parsnip Soup with Pear and Walnuts — © Paul Costello

"I love that root vegetables are so rustic," says chef Marcus Samuelsson about this earthy, Indian-spiced soup. "I add pear and walnuts for sophistication and crunch." He says that if you can't find sunchokes (also called Jerusalem artichokes), simply use all parsnips instead. The recipe is adapted from his book Marcus Off Duty.

05 of 20

Sautéed Radishes with Orange Butter

Sauteed Radishes with Orange Butter — © Con Poulos

Star chef Emeril Lagasse sautés radishes and their greens with bacon, shallots, and orange juice until they’re perfectly crisp-tender.

06 of 20

Turnip Casserole with Porcini Crumb Topping

Turnip Casserole with Porcini Crumb Topping — © ALEXANDRA ROWLEY

We love the earthy porcini topping on this rich and creamy turnip gratin, but it would also be fantastic on mac and cheese or another root vegetable gratin.

07 of 20

Caramelized Onion Dip

Caramelized Onion Dip — Tina Rupp

Thick, salty potato chips with creamy caramelized onion dip is a time-tested snack marriage. For our version of this classic dip, sliced onions are first caramelized in pure butter, then stirred into a tangy mixture of sour cream, cream cheese, and seasonings.

08 of 20

Roasted Sunchokes with Buttery Bagna Cauda

Roasted Sunchokes with Buttery Bagna Cauda — © Paul Costello

Sunchokes, aka Jerusalem artichokes, are nutty-tasting and can be eaten raw or cooked. When roasted, they make a great change of pace from the usual crudités served with bagna cauda, the Italian olive oil, garlic, and anchovy sauce.

09 of 20

Roasted Beets and Carrots with Goat Cheese Dressing

Roasted Beets and Carrots with Goat Cheese Dressing — © Quentin Bacon

This dish's simple, creamy dressing is made by whisking fresh goat cheese with vinegar and oil. It's tossed with a salad of warm roasted beets, carrots, and beet greens.

10 of 20

Rutabaga, Celery Root, and Potato Gratin

Root Vegetable Gratin — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

This recipe for a three-root gratin is reinvigorated by a hearty combination of rutabaga and celery root, bringing an earthy depth and an engaging, subtle sweetness for a flavorful lift. Classic gratins typically lean on heaps of Gruyère; here, robust Parmigiano-Reggiano cuts in with more intense flavor, accentuating the root vegetables instead of smothering them.

11 of 20

Boiled Yuca with Garlicky Onions

Boiled Yuca with Garlicky Onion — Romulo Yanes

Yuca, or cassava, is a starchy tuber that can be boiled, fried, or baked like a potato. For this Cuban side dish, photographer Romulo Yanes likes to simmer the root until tender and flaky, then dress it in a hot onion- and garlic-infused oil.

12 of 20

Roasted Carrots with Preserved Lemons and Dates

Roasted Carrots with Preserved Lemon and Dates — Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

This simple roasted carrot recipe comes together in minutes but delivers big flavors, thanks to the mixed herbs, bright citrus, and sweet dates. The fresh cilantro, parsley, and mint add so much green freshness to this dish and work wonderfully with the orange, lemon, za'atar, and honey vinaigrette.

13 of 20

Smoky Vegetarian Beet Reubens

Smoky Vegetarian Beet Reubens — © Christina Holmes

With this sandwich, chef Todd Ginsberg proves that vegetarian versions of classic meat dishes can be just as delicious. Here, in place of the pastrami, Ginsberg sprinkles roasted beet slices with smoked salt, then serves them on buttered rye toast with all the traditional condiments: sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese, and homemade Russian dressing.

14 of 20

Celery Root with Apples, Walnuts, and Blue Cheese

Celery Root with Apples, Walnuts and Blue Cheese — Frances Janisch

This delicious winter salad combines all kinds of flavors and textures: crunchy, juicy, earthy, nutty, and toasty.

15 of 20

Turnip Kimchi

Turnip Kimchi — Photo © John Kernick

Most kimchi recipes use lots of red chile flakes and are bold and spicy. This is a white kimchi, which means it's made without the red chile. Some kimchi ferments for weeks, but chef Andrea Reusing lets these turnips pickle at room temperature for only two days. "It's really special to have something that's just starting to ferment," she says. "It's more about the flavor of the vegetable."

16 of 20

Marinated Carrot Salad with Ginger and Sesame Oil

Marinated Carrot Salad with Ginger and Sesame Oil — © Kirsten Strecker

Chef Laurent Tourondel grew up in France eating his mother's carrot salad. His take is a little different: The sesame oil, fresh ginger, and cilantro add vibrancy to sweet, crunchy carrots.

17 of 20

Mashed Parsnips with Crispy Pancetta

Mashed Parsnips with Crispy Pancetta — Charissa Fay

Completely tender parsnips are the key to a good mash here; trim away any fibrous cores from the parsnip roots. A wintry combination of sweet maple, brown butter, and salty pancetta makes these creamy parsnips ultra-comforting.

18 of 20

Sunchoke-Kale Hash with Farro

Sunchoke-Kale Hash with Farro — © Con Poulos

This soul-satisfying winter hash is vegetable-laden comfort food. The recipe from 2009 F&W Best New Chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo combines crispy sunchokes, silky oyster mushrooms, tender kale, and chewy farro. It's wonderful served with grilled steak or on its own as a meatless main course.

19 of 20

Smoky Sweet Potatoes with Chorizo Butter

Smoky Sweet Potatoes with Chorizo Butter — Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee

Smoky and spicy, cured Spanish chorizo infuses melted butter with its rich color and flavor, balancing the natural sweetness of these tender roasted sweet potatoes. Scoring baked sweet potatoes and then broiling them gives them a hint of smoke and lets the chorizo butter soak into every bite.

20 of 20

Whole Roasted Carrots with Garlic

Whole Roasted Carrots with Garlic — © FREDRIKA STJÄRNE

Simply roast seasoned carrots with water, garlic, oil, and butter for half an hour in foil, then another half an hour uncovered for an easy side dish.

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