BBQ Baked Rutabaga Chips are a healthy and flavorful gluten free side dish, appetizer, or snack! Rutabaga is a root vegetable that’s easy to bake and cook with, so making the baked chips recipe is easy, too! Super tasty, budget friendly, kid friendly, and naturally paleo and vegan. EAT UP!
Oh the rutabaga. I feel like this little cruciferous vegetable gets a bad rap. I mean, It’s kind of hideous. It’s the step sister the turnip, just a littler rougher around the edges. True story, rutabagas are said to be a cross between cabbage and turnips but a tad sweeter and lower in water content. Yes I just went there. Nerded out on this vegetable. And I’ll get more into that in a minute.
Hang with me. This baked Rutabaga recipe will come to fruition. You’re perfect crispy BBQ veggie chip appetizer is on the horizon…
Just letting you know this BBQ Baked Rutabaga Chips recipe was originally published in Spring 2015. I retested, rephotographed, updated content and URL. Now I am republishing it for you today. A Cotter Crunch oldie but goodie is now easier to make and better tasting! Thank you for supporting Y’all!.
The backstory.
You see, the Kiwi (a.k.a. the husband) is not a huge fan of squash or Sweet potato. Gasp! I know. I, on the other hand, am quite obsessed. It’s my starchy veggie of choice. Spiralized and all! Starchy root vegetables are also great for fuel and healthy resistant starch. That being said, I needed to find another “HEALTHY SWAP” that we could both like but with similar nutrient density. Regular potatoes, sure, those are tasty and perfect glycogen food for the muscles, but when it comes down to taste and vitamin rich components, we needed a better veg.
And then I realized that rutabaga might just be that runner up, or even better, a winner!
Here’s more of rutabaga nerding out part. You’re welcome.
Rutabaga may be white in color (like potato) but it is quite deliciously sweet and nutritious. It is EXTREMELY versatile to use, and like Cinderella at midnight, give it a sparkly slipper and it will be the beauty of the ball. Oh goodness, somebody please stop me with the analogies!
In all seriousness, Rutabaga is the unsung veggie hero of cold weather temps. A healthy lower carb swap for baked potato chips (ahem, baked rutabaga veggie chips), for baked or roasted potato recipes, mashed potatoes, and more! Rutabagas are also budget friendly., healthy, and usually found in the grocery store year round. WINNER!
Now I know taste is important, but so is its value, nutrition wise. Let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?
Why you need to get your hands on a rutabaga.
- High in Vitamin C, like half the RDA worth! (hello ANTIOXIDANTS!)
- Good source of plant based iron. Remember, when you have a food that is high in Vitamin C, it can help enhance it’s Iron (non heme) absorption. If you check out my Iron Rich meal plan, it goes into detail about that information.
- It’s a great low carb alternative, as mentioned above. A light snack veggie chip or bake crisp . Heck, you can even make veggie fries!
- Rich in beta-carotene-rich (like my beloved starchy sweet potatoes)
- Excellent source of potassium, magnesium, calcium, and manganese. All super duper important minerals for ENERGY production in the body and your bones.
- Good source of fiber (um, need i say more?)
See, I told you. It’s A WINNER! And if you are easily entertained, like me, then check out the world’s largest rutabaga ever grown here. That’s a lot of Vitamin C people!
Print
BBQ Baked Rutabaga Chips
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Easy BBQ Baked Rutabaga Chips. Healthy, paleo/vegan friendly.
Ingredients
- 2 large rutabagas or 3 small to medium (about the size of a fist)
- 1–1.5 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil. For crispier chips, use a coconut oil or avocado cooking spray
- 1 tbsp BBQ Spice Seasoning of choice (check ingredients for hidden sugars/gluten)
- Dash of sea salt and black pepper
- Optional 1/8 ot 1/4 tsp garlic or onion powder
- Fresh cilantro and lemon/lime wedges to serve
- optional toppings – Red pepper flakes. Grated hard cheese (omit for paleo/vegan)
- Dipping sauce options: Paleo ranch dressing, tomato sauce, spicy ketchup, aoili
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F. Wash and Cut rutabagas into fine slices. A mandoline slices works best to cut into about 1/4 to 1/2 in thick or slices. The thinner the slices, the faster they will bake.
- In a small bowl or ziplock bag, place all your spices and oils.
- Carefully coat your rutabaga chips in the bowl with oil and spices or in the bag.
- Lay them flat on a cookie sheet and spread evenly. Place in oven.
- If your chips are very thin, be sure to check on them often so they don’t burn. Bake for 25 minutes, turning them half way.
- After 25 minutes, reduce to 350F and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until crispy. Cover if they start to burn on edges.
- Bake longer or shorter for texture to be more or less crispy.
- Remove for oven and let cool.
- Transfer to bowl or plate. Season with extra red pepper flakes or smoked sea salt if desired.
Notes
Sodium level depends on what type/brand of seasoning used
- Category: snack, side dish
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 100
- Sugar: 5g
- Fat: 3g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: rutabagas, baked chips, veggie chips, gluten free, paleo, whole30
Anyways, back to my story. Since the kiwi does not prefer sweet potatoes, I was determined to get him like rutabagas, for the sake of my nutrition nerd sanity. I put on my magic cooking hat and went to work in the kitchen. Just me and a few rutabagas.
Well what’d ya know, just a little slicing, dicing, and BBQ seasoning and you’ve got yourself… drum roll please….
Baked rutabaga chips that look like sweet potato chips and taste even better.
In my humble opinion.
Rutabagas are now welcomed with open arms in the Cotter household. . Which is a good thing because delicious recipes are more fun when you can share them with your loved ones, well sometimes share!
Next up, I’m gonna try to make a rutabaga mash or rutabaga rice. Ohhh watch our cauliflower, rutabaga is upping it’s game! Haha, cheers to Meatless Monday ya’ll!
Favorite root vegetable? Have you tried baked rutabaga yet? DO IT!
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MORE WHOLE 30 APPROVED RECIPES HERE!
This recipe is part of our Easy Whole 30 Approved Recipes collection. Check it out!
