I tossed turnip slices in a bit of oil and ranch dressing seasoning in a ziploc, and poured them onto a cookie sheet and baked at 400 degrees until tender and just starting to brown around the edges.

Very yummy, and alot more similar to potato than I was expecting. Turnips have 2/3 the calorie of potato. So, it's a significante calorie/carb difference (just not one that means you should go hog wild, because they're not potato).

Thanks, Kaplods!!

Not being a southern gal, or even close, I have been sitting on a gift of turnips from friends newly relocated from Indiana.......yes! Sounds good!

That sounds really good, thanks for sharing. I'm always looking for new ways to add different veggies into my food rotation.

I think I might give this a try as well, though I would probably just skip the ranch and use salt. But it does sound like it might be interesting.

My ranch seasoning is just my "all-purpose" veggie roasting seasoning. I've roasted all sorts of veggies the same way, and have used other seasoning combinations and sometimes just salt and pepper.

In fact the "shake and bake" roasting method is my favorite for all sorts of veggies - zucchini, onion, bell pepper, cauliflower, squash, potatoes, green beans, beets, eggplant, carrots, even brusselsprouts (which I thought I hated).

If I haven't roasted a particular veggie before, I always roast it alone the first time and start checking the veggies after 10 minutes and keep checking every few minutes until they're tender and carmelizing. I like mixing veggies also, but I only combine veggies that I know cook in about the same time, because if I paired potatoes and green beans for example, the green beans would burn before the potatoes were tender.

Just wanted to let you know that after reading this, for the first time I bought turnips. It sounds really yummy. I can't wait to try it. Thanks for passing this along. I'll let you know what we thought of them.

I tried it. They were good, sweeter than I had expected.

A+++ would eat again!

Well, I made them. We just finished dinner. And they were a pretty big hit!

I sprayed a cookie sheet which I covered with aluminum foil, with non-stick cooking spray, layed out the turnips, which I cut into the shape of french fries, sprinkled with Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix, just the powder, not the "finished" product, and sprayed again with the non-stick cooking spray.

I really, really liked them. I can see me cutting one up and having it for a snack - often. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.

Glad you liked them. Since I discovered the "shake and bake" method of roasting vegetables, I'm always on the lookout for a new vegetable to try it with (since it converted brussels sprouts, my mortal enemy into one of my favorite veggies), and new seasoning combinations. It's like my "miracle method" for vegetables. I made green beans like this for Thanksgiving and my husband's stepmother raved and raved (oops, reminds me she asked for the recipe, and I never sent it to her).

kaplods - I've done this with some veggies but I would have never thought of brussel sprouts and that intrigues me. Any idea about how long you cooked them? I'm not a huge fan but my husband loves them so I'd like to give them a try. What are your favourites so far, or combinations of favourites?

In general, are you trying to make the veggies crispy or just cooked? I tried green beans and then were nice but I definitely left them in until they were brown. I like any veggies that can be done from frozen...it's just so easy to have them handy anytime.

TIA....

I quartered the brussels sprouts (I used fresh), and baked them at 400 degrees for 25 minutes (I set a timer). When I made them like this whole, I cooked them about 30 to 40 minutes.

The texture I like really varies from veggie to veggie. With the brussel sprouts, I like the outer leaves to be crispy, and the inside to be soft. I haven't tried frozen brussel sprouts yet, but I've used other frozen veggies, and they don't usually get crispy (or maybe I'm just too impatient to wait long enough), but they're still really good.

Green beans I like more crispy than not. I also use fresh with greenbeans if I can, and I cook them until the're shriveled up and the edges are even starting to turn black. I made frozen, and I just cooked those until they were really soft and maybe a bit chewy.

I had a taste for hashbrowns one night, and thought (and have no idea why) that canned diced beets would make a good substitute. So, I drained the beets, patted them dry and did my shake and bake. I baked them for like an HOUR and they didn't get crispy. I finally gave up, but they were very, very good anyway. The little cubes had shrunk down to about 2/3 their original size and were sweet and a little chewy even.

When I made the turnip fries, I definitely left them in too long, because some of them were actually black and others were brown and tasted good, but had the texture of shoestring potatoes. I liked best, the ones that were brown or even black on the edges and soft on the inside (like a good french fry).

Usually whenever I try a new veggie, I start checking at about 15 minutes. I do tend to overcook them the first time - just because I don't know how I like it best, so I keep tasting every few minutes, basically until I decided that I've gone a little too long (usually they're still good, but I do sometimes make some serious blunders and burn the first batch) and that's how I decide how long to cook that veggie in the future (a little less than too long). Of course, other times I'm impatient, and if I like the way the taste and texture when I test, I pull them out and maybe the next time try to cook a little more to see if I like them done a little more.

Very unscientific, but it's basically the way I was taught to cook - start testing when you know it's not quite done, and keep checking until you like the results you get when you test - and if you've cooked it too long, you know for next time to start testing or finish cooking earlier.

For veggies I make often though, I can often tell by smell when they've reached the perfect stage (that's assuming I'm paying attention, of course, which is why I always set a timer).

Other Veggies I've done this way

eggplant (fresh, the asian thin eggplant, not the giant ones, cut in chunks) about 25 to 35 minutes, depending on how large the slices and how moist the eggplant.

zucchini (about the same as eggplant)

onions (maybe 1 to 1.5 inch chunks, alone or with other veggies that cook about the same time) also about 25 minutes or so.

yellow squash (the ones about the same shape as a zucchini)

green beans (fresh or frozen) 25 minutes or so

potatoes, sweet potatoes, or winter squash - cut into 2 inch cubes about 45 minutes to an hour

snap peas about 25 minutes

cabbage chunks (I like it with onions, green pepper, snap peas and thinly sliced carrot coins and toss with oil and teriyaki sauce for the seasoning - it's like a stir fry without the work) 25 minutes is good (tender), but 35 or so and the veggies and sauce start to carmelize - good both ways.

Frozen stir fry mixes (like Walmart's asparagus stir fry, sometimes I season it with the ranch powder, or sometimes with the stir fry sauce).

Broccoli, cauliflower (alone or together or with onion and carrot) - fresh about 30 minutes, frozen about 40 minutes

Kohlrabi (they turn out alot like the turnip, but have a little more cabbage taste)

Edamame with oil and a bit of salt or soy sauce

Oh brussel sprouts! We are BIG fans of these in my house. We have them at least once a week, sometimes 2. I buy the fresh variety and halve them. Lay them out on a roasting pan, spray heavily with the non-stick cooking spray. Season with onion and garlic powder (sometimes I use fresh chopped garlic and fresh diced onion) and roast away. Til they're just like you said - crispy on the outside - all carmelized and gooey on the inside. I'm SO bad with the timing on them. Which is a problem when people ask me how long. I don't know what it is with me, but I just put them in the oven and am not aware of the time frame. I should make it a point to check, so that I can pass on the info to others, who always want to know. It is not an easy thing to explain, it's just something you have to do. It does take a "knack" to roast veggies. Hard to get it right the first time.

And today, I'm off to my produce store to get some more turnips.

kaplods - thanks for all the great information and the detailed post. I'm "that kind of cook" too, in that I just keep checking. I was just curious whether you were aiming for cooked or crispy for the different veggies. I had always roasted peppers, mushrooms and onions, but never green beans or brussel sprouts!

I'm going to give the brussel sprouts a try. Sounds delicious!!

Oh, lots of great ideas for veggies in this thread. Going to go to the grocery store soon and will try the turnip and brussel sprouts for sure.

Sometimes I do feel like a gambler, deciding whether to go for tender, or crispy. Crispy edges are really good, but it's so easy to go from crispy to burnt. After I've tested, if they taste good I feel like "letting it ride" to see if they get even better with a little more cooking is sort of like rolling the dice. Sometimes I've lost the gamble, and other times it really paid off.

Like eggplant, I do like it tender (at about 25 minutes), but I once cooked them for about 45 and OMG wonderful. The outsides were crisp and the insides were so gooey it was almost the texture of pork fat (in a good way, you know that slippery gelatin feeling on the lips and tongue).