swede recipes
Here's a collection of swede recipes from our weekly newsletters, and some lovely ones you've sent in. If you'd like more please have a look at our recipe index! To find out about our swede producer and order yours click here.
Swede Basics
Roasted Vegetables with Cardamon
Casserole of Swede
Crunchy Swede Salad
Creamy Swede and Bacon
Spiced Roasted Swede and Onion
Indian Spiced Swede Cakes
Swede & Carrot Mash
Roasted Root Vegetables with Honey & Cumin
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Swede can be used in so many different ways! They can be roasted, boiled, steamed, stir-fried, mashed or stewed, added to roast potatoes, roasted with leeks and onions. You can add them to curry, beef stew, savoury pies, hearty soups (like sausage and bean), and fancy purees! They take longer to cook than potatoes (25 minutes to boil), so add them first in soups and stir-fries. Here are more ideas:
Purée - puree equal parts of boiled swede and potato (or carrots, butternut squash, parsnips, sweet potato…) with salt, pepper, milk or some cooking liquid and a big pinch of brown sugar. Drizzle with melted butter.
Apple bake – mash 1 cooked swede with 2 apples (add the peeled apple pieces to the water during the last 5 minutes of boiling the swede). Add 3 tablespoons butter, a pinch of ground nutmeg and salt and pepper. Spoon into a casserole dish, cover with buttered breadcrumbs, and bake uncovered at 170°C/ 325°F/ Gas Mark 3 for 20 minutes.
Chips – slice the swede into finger-width discs. Slice across each disc to make thin chips. In a single layer, sauté the chips in a thin layer of olive oil (or deep fry in vegetable oil) in a large frying pan - or oven bake tossed in oil until they are just beginning to brown. Drain on a kitchen towel and salt lightly.
Gratin – quarter 1 swede and slice it thinly. Par-boil the swede for 5 minutes and pat dry. Layer in a casserole dish with equal parts of other par-boiled root vegetables, or thinly sliced raw potatoes. Sprinkle with a little flour, 2 handfuls of grated cheese, salt and pepper – then pour over a mixture of milk and cream (about 500ml total). Cover and bake at 180°C/ 350°F/ Gas mark 4 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 minutes more to brown.
Soup – softly cook 3 bacon slices in a covered soup pot. Add 1 chopped swede and equal parts of potato or sweet potato, cover with water and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Puree, season with salt and pepper, mix in 100ml cream, and serve topped with more fried bacon pieces.
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Serves 6-8
- 400 g carrots
- 400 g parsnips
- 400 g Swede
- 150 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 1 tbsp honey
- Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 200°C/ 390°F/ Gas Mark 6. Peel all of the vegetables. Quarter the carrots and parsnips lengthways. Cut the Swede into chunks. Heat the olive oil in a roasting tin and add the vegetables, turning them to coat well. Roast for around 30 minutes, turning a couple of times. Add the crushed cardamom pods and honey to the vegetables. Turn to coat evenly. Return to the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes until the vegetables have browned. Don't let them lose their shape! Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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- 800 g Swede
- 4 medium onions
- 2 carrots
- 2 tbsp butter
- 150 g mushrooms
- 100 ml water
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp mint
- 1 tsp parsley, finely chopped
Peel the Swede and cut into large cubes. Slice the carrots. Sauté these in half of the butter. Add the salt and the water and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Slice the mushrooms and onions. Sauté them separately in the remaining butter for 2-3 minutes then add the Swede and carrot mixture. Add the pepper and mint and let it cook over low heat for a few minutes. Serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley.
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Peel the swede and cut into cubes. Place in boiling water to blanche but do not allow it to get mushy. Remove and place in a bowl with some sliced leeks. Puree 2 tomatoes with some silky tofu, 1 clove crushed garlic, about 2 tablespoons of strong soy sauce. Pour this marinade over the swede and allow to sit for at least an hour before serving. Thanks to Melanie Dickenson, HA2 for this recipe idea!
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- 1 swede
- 4 rashers bacon, rinded and chopped
- 40 g butter
- 2 tbsp single cream
- Salt and pepper
Peel the swede and cut into smallish cubes. Bring to the boil and then simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly. Heat half of the butter and fry the chopped bacon until it begins to crisp. Return the swedes to the pan and add the rest of the butter and the cream, mashing until creamy. Season to taste with the salt and pepper and serve immediately
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Lovely with a Sunday roast. You can blitz up the leftovers with some stock to make soup! Serves 6‐8
- 50ml olive oil
- 1 swede, peel and cut into 3cm cubes
- 2 onions, peeled and quartered
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
- 6 garlic cloves
Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat the olive oil in a roasting tin for 2 minutes. Add the onions, swede, whole garlic cloves and spice,, turning to coat well. Roast for 1 hour, turning a couple of times, until swede is tender and has browned a bit. Keep an eye on the onions to make sure they don't cook faster than the swede. Transfer to a serving dish and serve, with a touch of salt, if it takes your fancy.
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These lovely spiced cakes are perfect for a light lunch served with salad, or as a starter or a party nibble. Makes about 12‐15 cakes
- 1 swede, peeled and chopped
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 75g butter
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp turmeric
- A pinch of chilli powder
- 200g breadcrumbs
- Olive or sunflower oil for frying
Cook the swede in simmering, salted water for 20 minutes or until soft.
While it cooks, slowly fry the onions in 2 tbsp of the butter, until soft and caramelized – this will take about 20 minutes. Towards the end of cooking, add the spices and garlic and cook for a few minutes more.
Drain the swede in a sieve, let it sit and steam for a moment, then toss it and the remaining butter in the pan with the onion and spices.
Mash until smooth. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Then form into golf ball‐sized nuggets.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper to your breadcrumbs and spread into a dish. One by one, roll the balls into the breadcrumbs to coat, gently pressing the balls into flat little cakes.
Drizzle enough oil in a frying pan to form a 1cm layer. Heat until quite hot and carefully add each cake. Cook until golden on each side, about 3 minutes. Make sure the sides of the cakes get browned as well. Serve warm with lime wedges and natural yogurt flecked with finely chopped fresh mint and garlic.
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- 1 swede, peeled and diced
- 500g carrots, washed and diced
- 50g butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil over a high heat. Add the swede and carrot and cook them until they are tender, about 10-20 minutes, and drain. Add the butter, honey, lemon juice and nutmeg and mash together with a masher, or purée in a food processor.
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- 3 onions, quartered
- 3 large carrots, halved and cut into 10cm (4") lengths
- 4 large parsnips, halved and cut into 10cm (4") lengths
- 1 swede, peeled and cut into batons, 1 finger’s
width and length
- 8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 60ml olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley to serve
Place the vegetables and the unpeeled garlic in a large baking dish, drizzle with the oil and honey, sprinkle with the cumin seeds, season with salt and pepper and toss to make sure they’re coated. Bake in a 190ºC, 375ºF, Gas mark 5 oven for about 40 minutes, until they are tender inside and golden brown.
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