Lemon Turnips

Totally gratuitous butter shot...cuz butter is purty ;)

It's pretty easy in my opinion to come up with tasty ways to prep meat-based dishes ahead and freeze them for convenience.  Not so easy when it comes to vegetables.  So I'm on particular lookout for recipes that do work for vegetables in the freezer, like this one.

Turnips are maybe not everyone's favorite, but lemon butter makes everything delicious.  They do nicely in the freezer and are lower carb than potatoes.  They pack a good wallop of vitamin C and fiber, and even have a significant amount of calcium per serving.

If you want to do these as a freeze-ahead dish, you will need to basically prepare the turnips in advance and package them up for reheating.  You want to stop just short of fully cooking them so they don't get squishy.  I reheated mine as an oven packet while baking off Chicken Wellingtons, but they could get reheated on the stovetop if it's more convenient to your menu.

Turnips with Chicken Wellington

Lemon Buttered Turnips
Makes 4-6 servings

1 bunch turnips (roots only, use greens for another purpose or discard), peeled and chopped into 1/2" pieces
2 tbsp butter
zest of 1 lemon

Peel and cut up turnips.  Bring a pot of water to the boil, and add turnips.  Boil 8-10 minutes until tender, but still firm.  Drain. 

Put turnips in a freezer container or in the middle of a large square of foil.  Top with butter and lemon zest.  Fold up foil to make a well-sealed packet.  Freeze.

To reheat, thaw (don't have to completely thaw).  Do not unwrap foil packet.  Bake 20-30 minutes at 350-400F (depending on what else you're cooking), put packet over indirect heat on the grill 20 minutes or so, or empty packet into a pot and heat on the stovetop until butter is melted and turnips are hot. Pin It