Don’t assume you don’t like parsnips…
Unless you’ve already had them like this — pan-fried, browned, and caramelized! So yummy and so easy!
Our parsnips waited out the winter, stored in the ground where we planted them, till we dug them up last week and brought them home. The whole family loved them!
Pan-Fried Parsnips
Don't assume you don't like parsnips... Unless you've already them like this -- pan-fried, browned, and caramelized! So yummy and so easy!
Ingredients
- 2 large parsnips or 4 small
- grass-fed butter or other fat, like ghee or coconut oil
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
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Scrub and peel parsnips.
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Cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds or 1/2 inch thick lengthwise pieces.
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In a cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat, melt a few tablespoons of butter.
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Add parsnip rounds in a single layer.
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Sprinkle with seasonings.
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Cook until fork-tender and browned, turning frequently (and seasoning the other side) to avoid burning and to cook through completely.
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Remove from pan and repeat to cook all parsnips.
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Serve warm.
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Chill leftovers. Delicious cold or reheated.
Here’s another amazing way to fry parsnips — Crispy Deep-Fried Parsnip Strings!
Have you ever pan-fried parsnips? Do you like parsnips?
...without giving up the foods you love or spending all day in the kitchen!
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Syreeta Whitfield Jayne via Facebook says
never had them
Julie says
We love parsnips and fixing them exactly like you mentioned is our very favorite way, also!
Kate Tietje via Facebook says
Only had them in soup once!
Amanda Zambrano via Facebook says
I like to roast them or bake them up like “french fries” – especially with other root veggies
Lee Henderson Burdett via Facebook says
roasted, in soups, pureed with carrots and potatoes – they are one of my faves! I’ve even seen recipes that use them in desserts.
Samantha Eddy via Facebook says
I like them roasted withturnips, carrots, rutabagas. onions, carrots and garlic in olive oil..
Samantha Eddy via Facebook says
I can not eat wheat so I use them in soup instead of noodles..
LaVon Judd LeGrand via Facebook says
I had to look them up to find out what they were. lol
Yvonne Wilkinson via Facebook says
Parsnip soup is nice, but we love them just cooked and roasted too.
20-something allergies and counting via Facebook says
We had them last night for dinner! Sauteed and roasted are our go to methods for cooking. As long as you can caramelize them, its all good good in my family. 🙂
cj says
i roast them in the oven with olive oil and sesame seeds. i often boil and mash carrots and parsnips together for the children. or parsnip/potato mash. parsnips are wonderful in chicken soup.
Meghan Hone via Facebook says
Parsnips and carrots with olive oil and thyme.
Meghan Hone via Facebook says
Parsnips and carrots with olive oil and thyme.
Linnae Dufresne via Facebook says
Back in the day before we were dairy free (due to allergies) I would steam them and mash them and top with butter and parm cheese!! sooo good! Also fried in butter with cinnamon, cumin and honey are delish too!
joy sander says
Love love love parsnips! Do you take the centers out or just fry the whole thing?
Wardee says
Joy — I just leave the center in.
Jayne Gautreau via Facebook says
we ate parsnips all the time growing up, I noticed they are much cheaper in Ireland than over here. I always boil mine with carrots and then mash them with butter and alittle salt and pepper 🙂
Lee Henderson Burdett via Facebook says
ok, mkaing these right now. because of you impulsively bought parsnips while at the grocery store. 🙂
penny thompson says
I grew up eating parsnips. I still love them. Will get some soon.
Sarah says
I never had parsnips growing up but starting receiving them in my CSA box this winter. We love them at our house. We love the sweetness and texture they add to soups, especially since we aren’t eating white potatoes right now. I’m going to try carmelozong them up like u have done. It looks fantastic.
Jackie Merrick Stokes via Facebook says
I have to have these in vegetable soup. It’s a must!
Suzanne says
These aren’t parsnips but to me they taste very similar. I just made Jerusalem artichoke chips. They were so delicious and I’m sharing. I’m not sure if coconut oil is GAPS legal but you could make them with butter too.
I just sliced the chokes real thin and cooked them on a cookie sheet with coco oil and a little salt and pepper until they were golden brown and crispy. 400 for 25-30 minutes They tasted similar to a potato chip.
Emma Abrahams via Facebook says
I usually avoid parsnips at all cost. But then I’ve never had them cooked this way. I’m intrigued!
Michele says
Mmmmm…parsnips!! My fave way to prepare them has always been to cut them into smaller sticks, toss them with a little olive oil and some Sel Gris Avec Humidite (French wet grey sea salt), and then roast them in the oven. They get a slight crust on the outside and are smooth and creamy on the inside. Delicious!! I can’t wait to try them your way. They look so good!!! 🙂
Nicola says
We always had them boiled & mashed with carrot & potatoes growing up. My husband likes to roast them. I must admit I don’t like them either way & my daughters don’t seem to like them either. That said, if there is one thing I have learned on our real food journey, it’s that food always tastes good cooked in butter so I will definitely be trying this one out 🙂 Especially as, like Jayne mentioned above, parsnips are a cheap vegetable in Ireland.
erica says
Oh, YUM! I really miss parsnips. One day, when we are off of GAPS, I will make this recipe!
We love them roasted. I usually roasted them by themselves, but I especially loved a Giadda de Laurentis recipe for roasted root veggies: parsnips, carrots, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, and brussels sprouts. Mmmmm….
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/roasted-potatoes-carrots-parsnips-and-brussels-sprouts-recipe/index.html
erica says
Um, whoops. I totally butchered her name! That should have been Giada de Laurentiis. 🙂
Lindsey says
I made these today, and they were delicious! Next time I’m going to look for smaller ones as the large one I bought had a tough center. I called them “pirate coins” (I sliced them into rounds) and got my 4 year old to try them. He said, “Mmm, kinda good. Kinda not” Well, at least he tasted them I guess 🙂
Thanks for the post on Ron Paul, by the way. I really like his ideas, I just don’t know that he’s electable, unfortunately. It’s great that he’s getting more publicity for those ideas, though.
Nicole says
Wardee, these were so good! My husband was surprised that he liked them so much. 🙂 Thanks!
Wardee says
Nicole — I’m SO glad to hear it! 🙂
Dawn says
I just love parsnips, and these look just amazing! Thanks for this!
Susan says
Cooked these this evening and absolutely loved them! Thanks for the recipe.
Sara says
I’ve been looking for an easy recipe for todays dinner and landed on your blog 😉 I can’t wait to try this!
Farmer's City Wife says
Wardee, where do you get your olive oil? It’s so lovely green (or appears that way in your videos) and the huge white jug you pour it from just might keep up with how fast we go through it :).
Wardee says
It comes though Hummingbird Wholesale in Eugene, OR. I am not sure the farm, as it is a “white label” product. It is delicious!
Anna says
Nice! I never quite know what to do with parsnips, so I’ve just used them like carrots in soups & casseroles. Once parsnips are harvested here, I’ll definitely try this!
Thanks for the recipe.
Sara says
This is the first time I hear about parsnips but it looks like something I would like to try 🙂 Thanks for the share!
Prasti says
I know this post is from almost a year ago, but I found it when I was searching for a parsnip recipe for the parsnips we received from our CSA. Our whole family loved frying them up like this. Even my husband liked it! He suggested we try making chips out of them next time.
Peter Wexler says
I love fried parsnips (combined with carrots). I use a cast iron wok over a gas flame, set to low. The cooking process takes half an hour, with regular stirring. I use peanut oil, rather than butter, in which too cook, as peanut oil doesn’t burn. Butter is okay, as long as its clarified. At the beginning of the cooking process, I throw in some salt. At the last two minutes of cooking, I throw in some sugar, which deepens the browning of the vegetable and adds sweetness.
One large parsnip with two carrots is one serving, as far as I am concerned. If I were eating at the home of the author of this recipe, and only two large parsnips were served up to me and four other diners, I would declare a dinner table war. It would not be a pretty picture, and I’d probably never be invited back.
I don’t understand why so few people enjoy parsnips. At my local Ralphs supermarket, I always have to remind the cashiers what the SKU number is for this vegetable, because it is rare that it gets sold, I guess.
Parsnips are sweet. They have a starchy-proteinous quality about them. They also deliver a light taste of parsley. They’re also good steamed (along with carrots, again).
There’s something very inviting about combining parsnips and carrots. They have a similar look, and their flavors complement each other.
Islandrosie says
We may not like them because we believed Ogden Nash:
“The parsnip, children, I repeat,
is simply an anemic beet.
Some people call the parsnip edible,
myself? I find this claim incredible!”
But now, as an older woman, I, too find them very edible!
cLAIRE says
IF YOU HAVEN’T TRIED THEM WITH BUTTER AND BROWN SUGAR, YOU ARE MISSING A GREAT TREAT.
Linda says
This is how we ate parsnips while I was growing up. Then I found you could roast them with carrots. I love them either way!!
Dennis says
Hi, Wardee!
Found “you” while I was reviving a memory of my Grandfather Corvin’s cooking parsnips and potatoes in a cast iron frying pan. This looks delicious too!
BTW, my 3 pints of fermented beet and turnips managed to work themselves to the back of the fridge. Remembered them yesterday from Aug. 19th. O…M…G! They are SO spot on now! Thanks for the recipe in the book! d
Ramsey says
Thanks to this very nice recipe, I will prepare a little surprise for my girlfriend.
Eric says
Hi, Wardee <3 Thank you so much for this great recipe. My granddaughter loved this recipe