A Quick and Easy Recipe and Meal Using Turnips

You can pretty much throw anything into a hot pan that’s coated with a little olive oil and end up with a delicious meal. And that’s exactly what I did—off the cuff and in about 15 minutes total—to make lunch yesterday.

I had some turnips (with their completely edible greens) from the farmers’ market in my refrigerator, so I decided to sauté those and put them over whole wheat pasta.

As the water for the pasta was boiling, I washed and cut the turnips into bite-size pieces. In a cast iron pan coated with some olive oil, I let the turnips brown. After adding some slices of garlic to the turnips, I put the pasta into the boiling water.

When the garlic started to turn brown, I turned off the heat and added the turnip greens, which I had chopped into smaller pieces. There was enough residual heat in the pan to cook the delicate greens. I added some unrefined sea salt and fresh ground pepper for additional flavor and nutrition.

When the pasta was done, I put it in a bowl and topped it with the turnip and greens mixture. I grated some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top, mixed everything together and thoroughly enjoyed my lunch, which took all of 15 minutes to make.