Home Recipes - Roasted Parsnip Fries with Pesto

Parsnips are in season right now and they deserve more attention! Parsnips are a root vegetable that are closely related to parsley and carrots. I don't want to hate on the carrot because it is a great ingredient, but they commonly take all the spotlight away from the parsnip. Parsnips have the natural sweetness of a carrot but with a little peppery flare making their overall flavor more complex and more delicious in my opinion.

Parsnips are rich in vitamin K, vitamin C, folate, and even loaded with antioxidants as well. These can all help to aid in digestive health and immune support, essentially medicine from nature. They even contain over double the amount of fiber of turnips. Parsnips are certainly a vegetable you need to go find at your local grocery store or farmer's market, in season till March!

Being a root vegetable, parsnips have a high starch content. This made me start to think,

"Hmmm could I make a parsnip resemble a potato?"

And these parsnip fries were born...

Ingredients -

Parsnips - 3 ea. (will make about 4-6 portions)

(I've typically only seen bags of 3)

Olive oil - Enough to coat all the parsnips

(Any cooking oil of your choice will work, but I recommend olive oil or avocado oil)

Salt and Garlic Powder - as needed

Dried Italian Herbs and Spices Blend - as needed

For The Pesto -

Radish Leaves - the leaves from one bundle

(make sure you clean these super well)

Parsley - 1 bundle

Rosemary - about 3 TBSP

(Not a traditional herb for pesto but I love the piney and earthy twist it brings)

White Onion - 1 ea.

(I caramelized the onions before adding them to the food processor)

Garlic - 2 cloves

Parmesan - 1-2 ounces

Pistachios - 1-2 ounces

(Adds more crunch compared to a pine nut pesto)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - as needed to make the pesto a consistency you like

Method -

First cut the parsnips into French fry shapes. I first cut the parsnip in half (in the center, not long ways) and then cut into planks that can be cut into fries.

Toss in your oil and season with salt and garlic powder. Roast in the oven at 375 degrees. The timing depends on how many fries you have but typically a tray is about 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye out and let them get nicely golden and brown.

I finished the fries on a plate with my homemade pesto spread and Italian herb and spice mix.

For the pesto, using either a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients. Taste test and adjust until the flavor is where you want it to be! The best part about cooking is you can customize what you're making and add your own twist to any recipe!

Eating vegetables has never been more easy, healthy, and delicious!