All About Root Vegetables (2024)

Carrots are best known for being rich in beta carotene, a compound that may reduce heart disease and certain types of cancer, and Vitamin A, which bolsters vision, bone growth and tooth development.

Originally, wild carrot varieties ranged in color from white to purple. In the 1600s, Dutch agriculturalists developed carrots that emphasized orange tints and phased out purple.

The tinkering didn't stop there: Researchers at Southern Illinois University report that the British developed high-carotene carrots during World War II in order to enhance pilots' night vision. Today, geneticists are breeding carrots in a wide color spectrum, including purple, red and yellow, all with slightly different nutritional properties.

Recipes:
Curry Carrot Soup with Wasabi Cream
Carrot Cake
Other Top Sources of Beta Carotene and Vitamin A.

The average American eats 126 pounds of potatoes per year, and while Super Size fries may have a lousy nutritional reputation, don't blame the spud itself: fresh potatoes have more potassium than bananas, spinach or broccoli and are full of fiber and Vitamin C.

There are as many ways to prepare potatoes as there are pots to cook them in, and they're so cheap that there's no reason you can't experiment with all of them.

Recipes:
Farmers Market Potato Surprise
Smashed Yukon Golden Potatoes
Potato Latkes with Pear Apple Sauce
Portobellos with Potatoes and Swiss Chard, Twice-Baked Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes with Celeriac
Double-Stuffed Potatoes
Baked Mashed Potato Casserole
Gorgonzola Potatoes and Peas
Creamy Potato Soup

One medium sweet potato has 1,096 milligrams of vitamin A and 103 calories — just don't forget to eat the skin too!

Eat sweet potatoes baked, or try them in these recipes:
• Roasted Sweet-Potato Casserole with Praline Streusel
• Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries
• African Sweet Potato-Peanut Stew

One of the best things about beets is that they're high in folic acids, which protect against birth defects. So a bowl of borscht or an heirloom-beet salad is the perfect prescription for a healthy pregnancy.

Fresh beets offer more than just crunch and a variety of colors -- the greens attached to the beets are also tasty, and can be sautéed with garlic and some olive oil and be eaten just like spinach, or used in soups to provide some extra texture and nutrition.

Recipes:
Beet and Orange Salad
Apricot, Beet and Cumin Soup

Though claims that garlic prevents cancer and lowers cholesterol have recently been challenged, there's one thing that's indisputable: It's delicious. You don't need a recipe to enjoy garlic in its most basic form: Cut off the top, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in tin foil, and roast at 400 degrees until the cloves (only 4 calories apiece!) are soft and spreadable.

Recipe:
Roasted Garlic Soup

Americans consume about 20 pounds of onions per capita every year, and it's no wonder: You get a lot of flavor for your calories (something they're obviously aware of in Libya, where the average person eats 67 pounds of onions a year).

A serving of onion has only 45 calories and can transform the taste and aroma of casseroles, sautés, salads and sandwiches -- and just about anything else. If you're too busy to prepare a dish, whip yourself up a Gibson -- one of the few co*cktails that's garnished with an onion.

Recipes:
Swiss Cheese and Onion Crostini
French Onion Soup

Winter does magical things to parsnips as frosty temperatures convert the starch in the root vegetable to sugar, lending a subtle sweetness to the flesh.

High in fiber, vitamin C and folate, parsnips make a nutrient-rich alternative to the potato when mashed or roasted as a side dish. Look for small- to medium-sized roots, as larger parsnips can be woody.

Recipes:
Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes and Parsnips and Turnips
Smoky Root Vegetable Gratin
Citrusy Root Vegetable Puree

Easiest Roast Chicken Dinner
Roasted Root Vegetable and Apple Soup
Mashed Russet Potatoes with Root Vegetables

Rutabagas are like a cabbage-turnip hybrid. They're easy to grow and, once you pull them from the ground, they can keep in your cupboard for up to three whole months -- enough for nearly a full winter. The big, yellow root vegetables have a stronger, more peppery flavor than their mild-mannered turnip cousins, and have more vitamin A and beta carotene, as well.

Recipe:
Acorn Squash Stuffed with Rutabaga and Pecans
Other Top Sources of Vitamin A and Beta Carotene

The humble turnip today is gaining popularity as an alternative root vegetable. Try blending some into your next batch of mashed potatoes, and you'll see why -- turnips have a sweet flavor and plenty of vitamin C.

Recipes:

Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes and Parsnips and Turnips
Mâche and Pea Shoot Salad with Chervil Vinaigrette
Root Cellar Salad
Smoky Root Vegetable Gratin
Mashed Russet Potatoes with Root Vegetables
Homemade Vegetable Soup