Spice it, smash it, roast it, dip it, eat it! These smashed roast parsnips are a perfect for scooping. Tender in the middle, caramelised at the edges and purposefully rustic so you get lots of dunkable bites. Cumin adds warmth and savoury depth, while the yoghurt tahini dip brings a tangy, nutty finish that makes this as much a sharing plate as an interesting addition to your roast dinner.
Why You'll Love Smashed Roast Parsnips with a Yoghurt Tahini Dip
- Higher-flavour parsnips - roasting gives sweet, caramalised edges and the cumin adds some savoury warmth.
- Perfect for dipping - smashed texture means they are scoopable. These smashed roast parsnips will be equally at home as an interesting side for your roast dinner, though.
- Yoghurt tahini dip - adds some cool, creamy contrast and tang. Warm parsnips with the cool dip - perfect combination!
- Versatile - works as a side-dish, starter or snack sharing dish
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Key Ingredients & Notes
- Parsnips: The star of the show. Roasting brings out their sweetness.
- Olive oil: Coating the parsnips in olive oil supports the roasting process and encourages the caramelisation of the edges. It helps the spices cling to the parsnips, too.
- Ground Cumin and Turmeric: Both these spices bring an earthy warmth to balance the natural sweetness of the parsnips. Tumeric also adds a lovely golden colour.
- Vegan Yoghurt: The base for the dip.
- Tahini: Adds a nutty, sesame edge and helps create a nice, thick dip that clings to the smashed parsnips.
- Coriander and Parsley: Herbs that enhance the freshness of the dip, keeping it bright and zingy.
- Salt: Enhances all the natural flavours of the ingredients.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Smashed Roast Parsnips with Yoghurt Tahini Dip
- Peel and top-and-tail the parsnips.
- Cut into half-inch thick slices.
- Add 1 teaspoon of salt to a saucepan of water and bring to a boil.
- Add the parsnip slices to the boiling water. Start with the larger diameter slices. Wait 2 minutes, then add the medium-sized-diameter slices. Wait 2 minutes, then add the smaller-diameter slices. Boil all for a further 2 minutes, covered.
- Turn off the heat and drain the water.
- Transfer the parsnips to a bowl.
- Add the cumin, turmeric, 1 teaspoon of salt and the olive oil. Mix thoroughly to coat the parsnip slices.
- Pre-heat your oven to 180ยบC.
- Place the coated parsnip slices on baking trays, leaving spaces between.
- Take a flat-bottomed jar, or similar object, and press down onto each parsnip slice. Do not completely flatten, just reduce the thickness by about half.
- Roast the smashed parsnips for 20 minutes, turning the tray after 10 minutes.
- Roughly chop the coriander and parsley.
- In a mixing bowl, add the vegan yoghurt, tahini and chopped herbs and mix together. Add salt to taste.
- Once ready, garnish the parsnips with chopped herbs and serve with the dip.
Substitutions and Variations
If you want smashed parsnips with a bite, replace the cumin with paprika.
Of course, you can make the dip with dairy yoghurt, if not vegan. Choose a natural Greek yoghurt.
Equipment
This recipe requires the following equipment:
- Baking trays.
- A jar, or other suitable object with a flat bottom - used to "smash" the parsnips.
Storage
The roasted parsnips can be stored in an airtight container for upto three days.
Reheat the smashed parsnips either in a microwaved or put in the oven for 10 minutes at 180ยบC.
These smashed roasted parsnips can be eaten cold as well.
Top Tip
When initially boiling the parsnip slices, we are not cooking them through. We are par-boiling them, that is, making them softer, but they still hold some firmness. This is so that when we come to "smash" them, they do not completely collapse.
As you can see in the instructions, we add the parsnips to the boiling water according to their diameter. When slicing the whole parsnip, we naturally get slices of different diameters. To ensure even parboiling, the large diameter slices are added first, as they will take longer to par-boil, and the smaller ones a little later.
Remember, when smashing the parsnip, we are not flattening them completely, just reducing their thickness by about half.
Ideally, serve the parsnips warm, with the cool dip. The contrast is what makes the side dish sparkle. Saying that, these smashed roast parsnips make a delicious cold snack too.
FAQ
For this recipe, yes, you do. By parboiling, when we come to smash down the parsnip slices, it maintains its structure, but gives the smashed parsnip its soft centre-with-crisp-edges bite.
We use a higher temperature, here - 180ยบC in a fan assisted oven. This encourages browning and caramelisation of the edges.
Common cause: Overcrowding the baking tray, preventing heat and air flow around the parsnips.
Yes - roast/smash them in advance, then on the day, reheat them in a hot oven for 10 minutes. Don't reheat them in a microwave if you want to avoid sogginess.
You can also parboil them, spice them, smash them and then refrigerate the tray with the parsnips for upto three days. Then the day you want to serve, remove the trays for from fridge, set aside for five minutes and then roast.
Buy an unsweetened natural vegan yoghurt- that is, unflavoured. I used Oatly greek style yoghurt. If using a dairy yoghurt, go for a natural Greek yoghurt.
Normally, i am not a fan of peeling; however in this recipe, you have to peel them. During testing, I found that the skin stops the parsnips from being smashed properly if they are not peeled.
Related Recipes
Here are some other creative and very tasty side dish ideas:
Pairing Suggestions
These are my favourite dishes to serve with these smashed roasted parsnips:
๐ Recipe
Smashed Roast Parsnips with Cumin & Yoghurt Tahini Dip
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Baking trays
- Flat-bottomed jar or similar
Ingredients
Parsnip
- 550 g Parsnips
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
Yoghurt Tahini Dip
- 100 g Dairy-free yoghurt unflavoured
- 1 tablespoon Tahini
- 10 g Parsley
- 10 g Fresh Coriander leaves
- ยผ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Parsnips
- Set a pot of water to a boil with one teaspoon of salt.
- Peel and top-and-tail the parsnips.
- Cut the parsnips into about ยฝ inch slices.
- Boil the parsnip slices starting with the larger diameter ones. Wait for two minutes and then add the mid-diameter ones and after another two minutes, add the small diameter slices. When all the parsnip slices are in the pot, put a lid on the saucepan and allow to cook for two minutes more. Turn off the heat and using a colander, drain the water.
- Transfer the parsnips into a bowl. Add the cumin powder, turmeric powder, one teaspoon of salt and the olive oil, and mix to coat the parnsips.
- Pre-heat your oven to 180ยบC.
- Place the parsnips onto a baking tray, leaving adequate space in between for the parsnips to spread. Using a flat-bottomed jar, press down each parsnip. The pressure shouldn't be too hard. We don't want to flatten the parsnip; just halve it in depth so the centre squishes out.
- Roast the parsnips in the oven for 20 minutes, turning the tay after 10 minutes.
Yoghurt Tahini Dip
- Wash, pat dry and roughly chop the coriander and parsley.
- In a bowl, add the vegan yoghurt, tahini, chopped herbs and season with salt. Mix to combine.
- Once the parsnips are ready, garnish with chopped herbs and serve hot with the dip.
Nutrition
NOTES
Food Safety
- Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
- Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
- If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
- Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 ยฐF (74 ยฐC).
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
- Store food correctly.
Margaret says
These went into my Christmas table and were a hit! Thank you for posting !