Rutabaga Soup Recipe

by Mike Lieberman · 16 comments

Post image for Rutabaga Soup Recipe

When I was at the farmers market last week, I noticed rutabagas. I’d never had them before and was curious. The vendor hooked me up with one for free (gotta love the farmers market) and recommended making a soup with it. So I made one and it came out damned good.

This rutabaga soup is dairy and gluten free.

    Here’s what you’ll need:
  • 1 rutabaga
  • 2 ribs of celery
  • 1/4 medium sized onion
  • 3-4 cups vegetable broth
  • Tablespoon of olive oil
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • Dash of sea salt
    How to make:
  • Peel and cube the rutabaga
  • Slice up celery and onion
  • Pour olive oil over into a pan and heat up
  • Add onions and sautee for a 3-4 minutes
  • Add celery and sautee for another 5 mintues
  • Add rutabaga and stir up for another 5 minutes or so
  • Add enough veggie broth and bay leaves to cover the vegetables
  • Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 20 minutes until the rutabagas are soft
  • When the rutabagas are soft, you can either mash everything up in the pan or put it into a blender or food processor
  • Add back to the pan and stir it up
  • Serve with salt and paprika

What’s your favorite rutabaga soup recipe?

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  • shanika

    Wow! I should try growing some. I have some seeds that I got in my seed of the month club but didn’t know what a rutabaga was or even how to make it. Thanks for this recipe, I will grow some and try it out.

  • http://www.facebook.com/rice.joseph Donald Calvin Joseph Rice

    i love rutabagas, but have never had them in soup. instead, i eat them the traditional southern way: boiled with some proper seasoning, served over cornbread with some pepper sauce to accompany.

    definitely giving this a try, though.

  • http://www.UrbanOrganicGardener.com Mike Lieberman

    Ohh I like that Donald. Gonna give that a try one day.

  • http://www.UrbanOrganicGardener.com Mike Lieberman

    Nice. I had never used it before either. Figga’d I’d get something new and I got it fo free. Lemme know how it turns out for you.

  • Rachael

    I’ve never had rutabagas. Can you describe kinda what they taste like? Does it have like a potato-like texture?

  • http://www.organiccity.net Christina Pearson

    Rutabegas are a stew staple for me. We also eat them roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper.

    Rachael: Think closer to a turnip than a potato. The flesh is a little denser and they have a great full bodied flavor.

  • http://www.UrbanOrganicGardener.com Mike Lieberman

    They are a root vegetable and look like a fatter version of a carrot and parsnip. Their taste is sweet. This was the first time that I bought and used it. I would describe the texture as something between a carrot and sweet potato. Others have recommended making a mash with them.

  • http://www.UrbanOrganicGardener.com Mike Lieberman

    Full bodied flavor…check you out Miss Sophistication ;-)

  • http://www.organiccity.net Christina Pearson

    Yea. you can get all sorts of good food-describy terms from the back of a box of wine.

  • Katherinekelley

    I am from an Irish family and we frequently ate them mashed or just cut up and boiled, often when we had ham and cabbage or lamb. We would sub them for potatoes or we would do both. Delicious roasted along with pork or duck, too. An overlooked veggie.

  • http://www.UrbanOrganicGardener.com Mike Lieberman

    Cool. I’m certainly a recently converted fan of them. Gonna make them into a mash.

  • http://www.facebook.com/rice.joseph Donald Calvin Joseph Rice

    yeah, mike, usually just boiled with salt, pepper, maybe some pork fat if you’re not vegan/vegetarian (bacon or ham hocks). some people put butter or a pinch of sugar. and the pepper sauce i’m talking about is the kind where hot peppers are marinated in vinegar, then the liquid, which absorbs some of the heat from the peppers, is poured over the rutabagas (or collard or turnip greens, or different types of beans). different from say Tabasco.

    if you have any friends out there from the Deep South, or a good authentic southern restaurant, you can find out more about how we eat some things. this is pretty traditional, at least among those who grow up in the country or smaller towns/cities.

  • Katymo84

    I tried this recipe last night, YUM! The first time I have ever eaten/cooked rutabaga and I’m in love, I didn’t food process any of it, I wanted to have a broth-y soup, but it was still so yummy and simple! 

  • http://www.UrbanOrganicGardener.com Mike Lieberman

    Glad you liked!

  • Locavore_Lady

    Loved the rutabaga soup at Gather in Berkeley – now I have to figure out how to make it.  They used smoked onions, chipotle chiles, maple and citrus in a combination that was simply amazing, with some kind of sweet and sour carrot melange for garnish.  Pure foodie heaven.

  • http://www.UrbanOrganicGardener.com Mike Lieberman

    Sounds great!