Are you looking for a surprisingly delicious side dish for your Christmas menu?
This rutabaga gratin makes a great alternative to the regular mashed potatoes! It's slightly sweet, spiced with ginger, white pepper, and cinnamon, and topped with crispy breadcrumbs! Let's make this!
This recipe is inspired by a Finnish dish called Lanttulaatikko that is usually served during the holidays. It's easy and consists of making mashed rutabaga, flavoring it, and finally baking it.
You start by cooking the rutabaga in boiling water until fork tender, just like you would do with potatoes. If you own an Instant Pot, I also added directions to cook with it.
Once the rutabaga is cooked and soft, drain and transfer to a food processor to make a purée. I do not own a potato masher so I went with the food processor but if you do, feel free to use it!
You don't want to process for too long to keep the purée slightly chunky. Once this is done, it's time to add molasses for sweetness and spices for flavor. White pepper adds some heat while cinnamon and ginger bring that festive flavor. Don't be scared of the ¼ cup of molasses, it doesn't make the gratin too sweet. I would say the sweetness is about the same as a sweet potato bake.
To give the gratin more richness and creaminess, we stir in homemade cashew cream. It is made with just soaked cashews blended with water.
Finally, transfer the batter to a baking dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. One hour in the oven and you end up with a delicious and creamy rutabaga gratin!
This gratin makes the perfect holiday side! It's sweet and salty, creamy, and would go very well with a Vegan Wellington, or you favorite lentil meatloaf!
For more side dishes, check out this Easy Celery & Cauliflower Puree or this Mashed Cauliflower with Garlic Butter Mushrooms!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Rutabaga Gratin (Lanttulaatikko)
Ingredients
- 3 rutabaga about 1.2kg / 2.6 pounds
- ¾ cup raw cashews soaked overnight
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup blackstrap molasses
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon each: nutmeg, cinnamon, white pepper
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Peel and wash the rutabagas, and dice them into ½ inch cubes. Stovetop method: Place them in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Let simmer uncovered for 35-40 minutes, or until the rutabagas are fork tender. Instant Pot method: Place the rutabaga in the Instant Pot liner and cover with water. Close the lid and pressure cook for 9 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid.
- In the meantime, prepare the cashew cream. Drain the soaked cashews and add them to a blender. Add the cup of water and onion powder, and blend on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside.
- Once cooked, drain the rutabaga and transfer to a food processor. Process for 5-7 seconds or until it has the texture of mashed potatoes, don't process too much as you want to have a slightly chunky texture.
- Transfer the mashed rutabaga to a large mixing bowl. Add the blackstrap molasses, cashew cream, salt, and spices. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix to combine. Once fully combined, taste and adjust the saltiness to your liking.
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Transfer the rutabaga mixture to a baking dish and smooth the top using a spatula. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly on top. You can now use a spoon to make a pattern on top of the gratin, this is optional.
- Bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown. Let cool a few minutes before serving.
- This rutabaga grating will make a delicious side dish on your holiday table! It can be served with brussel sprouts, green beans, vegan meatloaf, or even a vegan wellington!
Nutrition
Wow! when i saw the title i thought i stumbled across some Finnish food blog! This is one of the traditional dishes we have for Christmas Eve dinner here in Finland. Rutabaga is very special taste wise - you either love it or hate. Personally this one is my favorite among other Christmas gratins. This is my first vegan Christmas, so this recipe comes in handy! Thank you!
Glad you like it Laana 🙂
I agree, rutabaga has an acquired taste but I don't find it overpowering in this recipe thanks to the addition of molasses and spices.
I thought this was delicious. Unfortunately, it was just me and another person. It ok, since every time I bite into it, I say “Yum!”
Thanks for your feedback Jwiltz! Well rutabaga has an acquired taste, not everyone likes it 🙂 I love it!
We had this recipe at boxing day. Never eat rutabaga before but we liked it! I make a lot of your recipes and I always like them. This one was very easy to make. You only have to think of the cashew nuts a day before! Thanks again!
Thanks for your feedback Kathleen!
I grew up in a Finnish family and lanttulaatikko was a staple at holiday dinner tables. The big difference in your recipe I see is the cashew cream. It sounds marvelous. The traditional recipes call for a mere tablespoon of sugar instead of molasses, up to a cup of cream or milk instead of cashew cream, some breadcrumbs, eggs, and melted butter. Oh! I never though of rutabaga as an acquired taste. Most who tasted my recipe the first time love it! Your recipe sounds intriguing, and I may well give it a go this Thanksgiving holiday meal. Thanks you!
Thanks for the information Debbie! Hope you will like this version!
I made this a a Christmas side dish and we all loved it! Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks Elaine!
Not really too keen on this recipe... it taste fine.. its not an issue with rutabaga. Its just not something I look forward to eating.
Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy this recipe Genesis, hope you will like the other ones more 🙂