I had never had parsnips until I was an adult. My mom didn’t like them, so she never made them. We’ve been getting a bunch in our vegetables boxes from Eagle Creek Farms as part of their Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA). Although I don’t have a negative feelings towards parsnips, I don’t really know what to do with them either. I used some of our parsnips in a Moroccan style stew but I still had a ton left over. I thought that perhaps I could make the rest into a salad and this is what I came up with. This would be a great salad for Christmas dinner as you can roast the vegetables ahead of time.
Roasted Parsnip and Carrot Salad
(Inspired by Roasted Carrots, Parsnips and Shallots)
- Ingredients
- 8-12 carrots and parsnips
- 3-6 shallots
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- greens
- Dressing Ingredients
- 2 tbsp grainy mustard
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Chop parsnips and carrots into bite sized pieces. Cut shallots in half or quarters if they are larger. Toss with oil and salt and pepper.
- Spread onto a baking sheet in a single layer. I like to line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Because it is awesome. And then the veggies won't stick to the pan.
- Cook for 35 minutes, turning the vegetables once or twice. Keep an eye on the shallots, you may want to take them out early so they don't burn. I took mine out about half way through the cooking time.
- Meanwhile whisk up your dressing ingredients in a small bowl until well mixed.
- When the vegetables are tender, cooked through and a little bit golden, remove them from the oven and let cool.
- Toss the vegetables with the dressing. If you are going to serve the salad later, you can put them in the fridge at this point.
- Otherwise, toss the greens with a bit of dressing, and layer the vegetables on top of the greens on each plate.
Did They Eat It?
Gordie (4.5 years): Really hates cooked carrots.
Nicky (1.5 years): Liked the parsnips and carrots.
Deb: That’s the only parsnip I have had in my whole life that I actually liked.
Stephen: Good.
Dana: Roasting the parsnips and carrots really brings out their sweetness. I loved this salad and it was just as good the next day.
Like you, I came to know parsnips late in life. Embarrassingly late. In my mid 40s. My partner adds them to soup and it brings a whole new depth of flavour to the pot. I now love parsnips and can’t walk by them without putting one or two in my basket. To roast them and use them up over a day or two is such a great way to go. Thanks for the reminder of how well this works in a salad 🙂