Raw Turnip Salad with Pears and Parmesan Crisps

This raw turnip salad is a delicious turnip recipe and easy side salad idea for your next meal. It features turnips and other nutritious ingredients like arugula, pear, and toasted pecans. Dress the salad in a simple apple cider vinaigrette and top with homemade parmesan crisps. Ready to eat in 20 minutes!

As a Registered Dietitian, I love to try new and unfamiliar vegetables that I haven’t eaten before. I recently picked up some turnips at the store, which had me wondering, “what to do with turnips?” What came to be is this delicious turnip salad recipe!

This simple side salad recipe showcases raw turnips. They taste just delicious when paired with peppery arugula, sweet pears, crunchy toasted pecans, and parmesan crisps. A light apple cider vinaigrette (or my white balsamic vinaigrette) brings all the flavors together.

This vegetarian, gluten free recipe serves 4-6 people as a side dish and takes about 20 minutes to make.

If you are looking for more side salad recipes, try my simple kale and romaine salad, crunchy kale slaw with apples, heirloom tomato & burrata salad, or Asian pear & arugula salad.

Step-by-step video

Ingredients in turnip salad

• Turnips
• Arugula
• Bosc pear
• Toasted pecans
• Parmesan cheese
• Apple cider vinegar
• Shallot
• Dijon mustard
• Honey
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt

Kitchen tools needed

You will need a very sharp knife or mandoline to thinly slice the turnip. You will also need a cutting board, a small jar or bowl, a baking sheet, a cheese grater, and parchment paper.

What are turnips?

Turnips are root vegetables. They are white in color, and may be partially purple, red, or green where the sun has hit. Turnips are part of the Brassica family, which also includes kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and mustards.

What do turnips taste like?

Both turnip roots and turnip greens are edible! Turnip greens are usually eaten boiled because they have a bitter flavor when raw.

Turnip roots, when eaten raw, have a mild peppery and spicy flavor, similar to radishes. Turnips have a crisp and crunchy texture when they are raw.

Cooked turnips are more mild and sweeter, with a pleasant nutty and earthy taste.

How to make turnip salad

1. Thinly slice the turnips and pears. You can use a mandoline to slice the turnips, or a sharp knife.
2. Cook the parmesan crisps in the oven: add freshly grated parmesan to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven at 400°F for 4-6 minutes. Let cool and become crispy, then break it up with your hands.
3. Prepare the apple cider vinaigrette in a jar or small bowl.
4. Assemble the salad in a large salad bowl with arugula, sliced turnips, sliced pears, and chopped toasted pecans.
5. Dress the salad and use salad spoons to toss it together.
6. Serve the salad, adding the parmesan crisps right before serving.

What to serve with turnip salad

This recipe is a versatile side salad to pair with your favorite dinner entrees. Try it paired with:

• Crispy air fryer salmon
• Baked cod with lemon and capers
• Cilantro lime shrimp
• Honey balsamic tofu
• Crispy air fryer tempeh
• Greek yogurt marinated salmon

Can I prepare this recipe in advance?

You can prepare this recipe up to one day in advance. I recommend storing all the ingredients separately in small plastic or glass containers in the fridge. Store the parmesan crisps in an airtight container at room temperature.

Then, when you are ready to serve, assemble the ingredients, add the dressing, serve and top with the crispy parmesan.

Let me know if you love this post by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!

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