We’re all about eating seasonally at the Optimist Daily, and with the winter months here, a whole bunch of root veggies are now in season. Amongst those root veggies is the parsnip, which looks a bit like a white carrot. Let’s take a look at the amazing health benefits of parsnips and how to best cook them.
Why you should cook more parsnips: To start with, parsnips are a great source of fiber, with 1 cup containing around 6.5 grams of fiber. You’d need to eat 2 cups of baby kale just to get half of that amount.
Parsnips are also loaded with vitamins and minerals. Just 1 cup of parsnip will give you 25 percent Reference Daily Intake (RDI) of vitamin C and vitamin K, and 13 percent RDI for vitamin E. On top of that, a cup of parsnip provides 22 percent RDI of folate and 10 percent RDI of magnesium and thiamine, which helps the breakdown of carbohydrates from foods into products needed by the body.
The best way to cook parsnips: If you’re unfamiliar with how to cook parsnips, the people over at mindbodygreen offer up a few great ideas.
- Add them to a soup: Parsnips contrast well with other vegetables such as leeks, carrots, and potatoes. Throw them in a vegetable soup and they’ll surely make a great addition.
- Make them the base of a soup: For a unique tasting soup, try making a blended parsnip soup.
- Roast them with some nice accents: Simple is best, right? Add a bit of oil and salt to your parsnips and give them a good roast for a simple yet tasty meal. For some extra zest, add a bit of citrus while you’re at it.
- Use it as the base of a pasta sauce: Toss some parsnips along with other vegetables into a bowl of pasta with a mapley-pumpkin sauce. It’s definitely a different way to enjoy parsnips but is sure to satisfy your tastebuds.
