Last Updated on November 2, 2019 by Slow The Cook Down
These roasted parsnips with parmesan and thyme are finished with truffle oil for a flavorful, restaurant quality side dish for the holidays. The roasted root vegetables are cooked in the oven for a crispy dish that's easy to make with just 5 ingredients. Perfect to serve with your Thanksgiving or Christmas meal with minimal prep time. Vegetarian and gluten-free.
Parsnips are one of my favorite root vegetables and they have been ever since I was little. I love their natural sweetness and they are perfectly at home on a festive menu or with your favorite Sunday roast. They work wonderfully with my Cider & Chilli Pork Belly, Roasted Chicken with Lemon & Herbs or Cheesy Layered Roasted Vegetable Pie.
To make this side dish, you will need:
Five good quality ingredients is all you need to make this elevated holiday side dish
- Parsnips: Roughly the same size and organic if possible.
- Olive oil
- Parmesan: Use freshly grated if you can, it really will make a lot of difference. Pre-grated can cause the finished dish to be slightly grainy.
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Truffle oil: I used black truffle oil, but white would also work.
How to Make Roasted Parsnips with Parmesan and truffle Oil
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Pre-heat the oven to 430ºf / 220ºc.
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Trim the tops and bottoms of the parsnips, peel them and slice in half lengthways so they are roughly all the same size.
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Place the parsnips in a large bowl and add the olive oil and parmesan. Mix well with your hands so that the parsnips are covered (photo 1).
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Place the parsnips on a baking sheet and spoon over any of the cheese that is left in the bowl (photo 2).
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Place in the oven and cook for around 40 minutes until they are fork tender.
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Remove form the oven, drizzle over the truffle oil and serve.
Recipe variations:
I used fresh thyme in this recipe, it's earthiness pairs really well with the truffle and parsnips, but rosemary would be a good swap.
Do you need to peel the parsnips before cooking them?
To prep the parsnips, top and tail them, and then use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer skin. If you have young parsnips that are smaller, you don't need to peel them, you can just scrub them clean. The strongest flavor of the parsnip comes from just below the skin, so peel them thinly.
Can you make roasted parsnips ahead of time?
These roasted parsnips with parmesan really are best straight out of the oven, if you need to keep them warm for a little while, cover them with foil and reheat gently if needed. Only put the truffle oil on when you are ready to serve the parsnips, if the truffle oil is heated too much it will loose it's flavor and will turn into expensive olive oil!
When are the roasted parsnips done?
The parsnips will take around 40 minutes to cook depending on the thickness of them. They are ready to come out of the oven when they are golden brown on the outside and fork tender.
Are parsnips healthy for you?
Parsnips are a root vegetable and are high in vitamin C, K and folate as well as being high in fiber. One serving of these roasted parsnips with parmesan comes in at around 225 calories and they are gluten free. I could tell you you can reduce the fat content by reducing the amount of parm used, but where's the fun it that?!
What's the best truffle oil to use in this recipe?
I used black truffle oil to drizzle over the roasted parsnips. It has a much stronger flavor than it’s white counterpart, and I much more prefer that punch of earthiness with these roasted parsnips. White truffle oil has a fresher and slightly peppery flavor, I would wager that it would work well if that's what you have. Truffle oil is expensive, but a little goes a long way.
Top Tips To Make Roasted Parsnips with Parmesan and Truffle Oil
- Select similar sized parsnips and half them so they are roughly the same size so that the cook evenly.
- Freshly grated parmesan is by far and away the best choice for this dish, pre-grated can cause the finished dish to become slightly grainy.
- Spread the parsnips out on the baking try so that they aren't touching, this helps them to get really crispy.
- Keep your eye on the parsnips as they cook, if the ends start to brown too quickly cover them in foil and continue to cook.
- Drizzle the truffle oil over the parsnips just before serving.
Be sure to check out these other side dish recipes:
- Roast Potatoes with Garlic, Herbs and Parmesan
- Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Lemon
- Pak Choi (Bok Choy) with Garlic & Chilli
- Blue Cheese Mashed Potato with Bacon
- Cranberry Sauce with Port and Orange
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Roasted Parsnips with Parmesan and Truffle
Ingredients
- 4 parsnips
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- ⅔ cup parmesan (90g)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons truffle oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 430ºf / 220ºc.
- Trim the tops and bottoms of the parsnips, peel them and slice in half lengthways so they are roughly all the same size.
- Place the parsnips in a large bowl and add the olive oil and parmesan. Mix well with your hands so that the parsnips are covered.
- Place the parsnips on a baking sheet and spoon over any of the cheese that is left in the bowl.
- Place in the oven and cook for around 40 minutes until they are fork tender.
- Remove form the oven, drizzle over the truffle oil and serve.
Notes
- Select similar sized parsnips and half them so they are roughly the same size so that the cook evenly.
- Freshly grated parmesan is by far and away the best choice for this dish, pre-grated can cause the finished dish to become slightly grainy.
- Spread the parsnips out on the baking try so that they aren't touching, this helps them to get really crispy.
- Keep your eye on the parsnips as they cook, if the ends start to brown too quickly cover them in foil and continue to cook.
- Drizzle the truffle oil over the parsnips just before serving.
- Nutritional values are an approximation only and are based on one of 6 servings.
These are so delicious! Just had them with a lovely roast dinner