Carrot and Swede Mash: A Simple Yet Delicious Side

A simple but tasty and colourful winter side dish. No need for fancy equipment and no need to roast or fry. Just chop, boil and smash. Carrot and swede mash is delicious just as it is.

Carrot and swede mash is a traditional British side dish. It makes a great accompaniment to all sorts of meals, but it works particularly well with a roast dinner. It’s really just a pan of cooked carrots and swede that are then mashed with butter and pepper. But it’s so much greater than the sum of its parts.

When the sun is at its lowest ebb and light is at a premium, the bright orange glow emanating from the veg feeds the eye as well as the body. Do try it if you haven’t already.

When is a Swede not a Swede?

Well a swede is always a swede, but it’s not necessarily a turnip. Both are root vegetables, but there the similarity ends. A turnip is usually small and white, whilst a swede is large, starchy and yellowy orange in colour.

But it is confusing. In Cornwall and northern England the swede is often referred to as a turnip. The name is, apparently, short for Swedish turnip. But it goes by other names too. The Scots call it neeps, whilst in North America it’s called rutabaga.

Swedes are nutty in flavour, slightly bitter but also quite sweet. The sweetness is especially true if you eat it raw. As a child, it was the only way I could eat it. Now I love it.

Carrot and Swede Mash Benefits

• Simple – only four ingredients.
• Nutritious – contains dietary fibre and is rich in various antioxidants, including vitamins A, C and B6.
• Diabetic friendly – low carb, so a good substitute for mashed potatoes.
• Cheap – neither swede nor carrots cost very much which makes this a frugal but delicious side dish.
• Adaptable – make it dairy-free or vegan, if required. Just swap the butter for olive oil. Adjust the salt to suit your taste and health requirements. Add nutmeg or not. Vary the ratio of swede to carrot. I could go on.
• Good for meal prep – make in advance and just reheat in the oven when needed.
• Delicious leftovers – use to top a shepherd’s pie, turn into soup or make pancakes. Alternatively bake some savoury muffins.

Carrot and Swede Mash

The traditional recipe for carrot and swede mash is for equal measures of carrot and swede. You don’t really need to be too exact about this though. If you have a bit more of one and a bit less of the other, it’s not going to make a big difference.

For this recipe I’ve gone with a whole swede, weighing 600g and 500g of carrots. As the carrots are only topped and tailed whilst the swede is also peeled, it’s not going to have that big an effect in the end.

Although I like to keep as much peel on my veg as I can, as that’s where many of the nutrients lie, swede skin is just a bit too tough. It really needs peeling. Carrots, on the other hand, don’t. Just give them a good scrub.

You will need a large sturdy knife to cut the swede though. It can be quite tough.

I add a bayleaf and a little salt to the pan along with enough water to almost, but not quite, cover the vegetables. Less water means you retain more of the flavour and nutrients. Once cooked and drained, then mash with your favourite implement.

My mother uses a simple hand masher. I use a stick blender to pulse the mixture so that it doesn’t get too smooth. We like a bit of texture to our carrot and swede mash. However, if you prefer a smooth purée, blend for longer or use a jug blender.

Some people add nutmeg. I’m one of those. Just a little nutmeg gives quite a lift. I also cook my carrots and neeps with a bay leaf. This also adds flavour without overwhelming the sweetness of the veg. Who needs sweet potatoes?

How To Make Vegan Carrot and Swede Mash?

It’s easy to make vegan carrot and swede mash. For a dairy-free or vegan version, just follow the recipe as is, but replace the butter with olive oil at the mashing stage.

How Long Will Carrot and Swede Mash Last?

If you have any carrot and swede mash left over, place it in a suitably sized airtight container. It will then keep in the fridge for up to five days. It makes excellent vegetable fritters.

Can You Freeze Carrot and Swede Mash?

Carrot and swede mash freezes well. Put it in a covered freezer proof container and keep it for up to three months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then transfer it to an ovenproof dish and reheat in the oven or air fryer. You can also use a microwave.

Why Is Your Carrot and Swede Mash Watery?

Carrot and swede mash shouldn’t be in the least bit watery. If it is, you might have boiled the vegetables for too long or not allowed them to steam dry before mashing.

What To Serve With Carrot and Swede Mash?

Carrot and swede mash goes well with all sorts of dishes. Serve it as an accompaniment to a roast dinner, with sausages or with pies. In fact you can use it as a straight swap for mashed potatoes. For instance, it works well as a topping for shepherd’s pie.

I’m serving it as one of the side dishes on our Christmas table this year. My mother is coming up to stay over the festive period and in her eyes no Christmas dinner is complete without carrots and neeps. Having said that, it’s a really delicious dish which I’m more than happy to include. It will accompany my lentil nut roast, this braised red cabbage, leek gratin, brussels sprouts, parsnip chips, cranberry sauce and a whole heap of other delights.

The batch of carrot and swede mash you can see here accompanied sausages and mushroom gravy the other night. It was delicious. In fact, the mash was so good all by itself, I couldn’t help but tuck into a bowlful for lunch yesterday. There are leftovers and I will probably add an egg and some flour to make some sort of pancakes or fritters. Then again I might just turn it into soup. This stuff is versatile.

Top Tip

Scatter some chopped fresh parsley over the top of your carrot and rutabaga mash. The green gives a nice colour contrast to the orange and makes the mash stand out even more.

Other Swede Recipes You Might Like

I’m astonished to find I have no swede recipes on Tin and Thyme – until now. Swede is a much underrated vegetable and it’s a shame it’s not used more than it is. It can easily be included in stew-type recipes such as my end of season vegetable stew with mushroom dumplings.

• Cajun-spiced swede chips via Cook Veggielicious
• Ginger swede cake via Sneaky Veg
• Maple roasted swede via Cook Veggielicious
• Swede & bean stew via Tin and Thyme
• Swede nutmeg cake with brown butter frosting via Veggie Desserts
• Swede soup via Thinly Spread

Keep in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this carrot and swede mash, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

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If you’d like more side dish recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.

Choclette

Carrot and Swede Mash. PIN IT.

Carrot and Swede Mash – The Recipe

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5 from 13 votes

Carrot and Swede Mash

A simple but tasty winter side dish. It makes a lovely accompaniment to all sorts of dishes, but is particularly good with a roast dinner, pie or sausages. Use olive oil instead of butter to make it dairy-free or vegan.

Cook ModeToggle to keep screen awake

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: British

Keyword: carrots, Christmas, easy, mash, neeps, quick, swede

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 76kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 small swede (rutabaga) about 600g (1 lb 5 oz)
• 500 g carrots
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 25 g salted butter (or 1 tbsp olive oil for dairy-free)
• good grating of nutmeg about ¼ tsp
• good grinding of black pepper about ⅛ tsp

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

• Peel the swede, then chop the flesh into rough cubes – about 1 ½ cm sq.
  1 small swede (rutabaga)
• Scrub the carrots well, then top and tail. No need to peel. Chop into similar sized piece to the swede.
  500 g carrots
• Place in a large lidded pan along with the bay leaf and salt.
  1 bay leaf, ½ tsp sea salt
• Almost, but not quite, cover with water. Bring to the boil with the lid on then simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until the cubes are cooked, but not mushy. You can test by inserting a knife into a cube of each. If it goes in easily, it's done.
• Drain through a colander, reserving the cooking liquid for gravy or soup. Allow to steam dry a little, then return to the pan. Add the butter, nutmeg and pepper and mash to your desired consistency.
  25 g salted butter, good grating of nutmeg, good grinding of black pepper

Notes

You will need a large sturdy knife to cut the swede. It is usually quite tough.

Scatter some chopped fresh parsley over the top of your carrot and rutabaga mash. The green gives a nice colour contrast to the orange and makes the mash stand out even more.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 76kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 220mg | Potassium: 429mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 10519IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below letting us know how you got on and do share a photo on Instagram. Tag @choclette8 or use hashtag #tinandthyme.

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I’m sharing this delicious dish of carrots and neeps with Lost in Food for #CookBlogShare.