Slovenes have a tradition of stuffing turnips with millet porridge and cottage cheese, and then, baking them in the oven. To this day, Slovenia’s dish, loška smojka, is considered by some to be a classic part of their cuisine. Inspired by this dish, I decided to create a spin-off vegan recipe for stuffed turnips with millet, carrots, leeks, sunflower seeds, tarragon and more. The flavor is light and savory. The texture is satisfying. And it works well as a main or side dish.
This recipe makes 6 servings.
A few things…
- ・To avoid overly bitter turnips, buy them on the smaller side (small or medium).
- ・What to do with the leftover turnip innards? Make a less attractive Tempeh Turnip Hash or Slow Cooker Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens. Or maybe make a mash out of them?
- ・Blanching the hollowed out turnips does two things. It neutralizes some of the bitterness. And it cooks the turnips just a bit.
- ・Is baking them in a bath of broth necessary? While testing, I baked the stuffed turnips in water and broth. In the end, the broth made the turnips more flavorful. Water wasn’t a complete deal breaker. If you really need to watch your sodium, water might work for you.
- ・As a variation, use fresh dill instead of parsley. It’s also very good!
Please enjoy this vegan baked stuffed turnips recipe. And discover more UVK recipes, like Herbed Millet Skillet with White Beans and Asparagus, Vegan Sunflower Pesto Pasta Salad, or Chickpea Millet Salad with Fresh Herbs and Pumpkin Seeds.
Let’s get stuffin’ 💚
Stuffed Turnips
½ cup millet
3 cups fake chicken broth (I used 1½ cube Edward & Sons Not-Chick’n Bouillon + 3 cups water)
6 medium turnips, peeled
4 Tbsp vegan butter
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 small leek, finely chopped (OR ~2 Tbsp finely chopped leeks)
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped carrots
¾ tsp dried tarragon
Black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp raw sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (+ more to garnish)
3-4 tsp white wine vinegar
1. First, you’ll prepare the millet for the stuffed turnips. Add the millet to a small dry saucepan. Constantly stirring it around, toast the millet over medium-high heat until you can smell it and/or it slightly darkens in color. Make sure it doesn’t burn.
2. Add 1 cup broth to the millet. Bring to a boil. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the millet from heat. Let it sit covered for 10 minutes.
4. Place a very large pot of water on the stove. Add some salt (to taste). Bring to a boil over high heat.
5. While you’re waiting on the millet and the large pot of water to boil, start prepping the turnips for stuffing. First, you’ll cut off the stem (see the photo above to the left).
6. Next, you’ll use a spoon to hollow out the inside (see center photo above). Save 1 cup of the turnip innards to use later in this recipe.
7. When the water in the pot is boiling, add the turnips. Blanch for ~1 minute. Then, put the hollowed out turnips in a 9″ X 13″ baking pan.
8. Now, it’s time to make the filling for the stuffed turnips. In a large skillet, add 3 Tbsp vegan butter, the onions, leeks, and a dash of salt. Sauté over medium heat for ~5 minutes or until soft.
9. Then, stir in 1 cup of the reserved turnip innards (chopped up), garlic, carrots, tarragon, and black pepper (to taste). Sauté another minute or two.
10. Stir in the cooked millet, sunflower seeds, parsley, and white wine vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed (more salt? vinegar?).
11. Stuff the turnips with the millet. When all the turnips are stuffed, pour 2 cups of broth into the bottom of the baking pan. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 400º F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with parsley, and serve.
