How to Chop a Parsnip

Chop up parsnips and mash them like potatoes.

Chopped parsnips can add a touch of sweet, nutty flavor to stews, soups and pot roasts. Parsnips, or Pastinaca sativa, are edible, cold-weather, root vegetables that belong to the same plant family as carrots. Parsnips taste somewhat like very sweet carrots and generally range from ivory to light yellow in color. Parsnips contain healthy amounts of vitamin C, folic acid, dietary fiber and potassium. These healthy vegetables are very easy to chop up and use in various culinary dishes. Does this Spark an idea?

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Vegetable brush
Vegetable peeler
Paring knife

Instructions

- 1
  
  Choose a parsnip to chop. Look for a parsnip with a tapered shape, smooth skin and firm, long roots. Select a parsnip about 8 inches in length because longer vegetables tend to be older and more woody.
- 2
  
  Clean your parsnip. Scrub your parsnip under cool tap water to remove the gardening soil. Use a stiff vegetable brush to remove all of the dirt from the little crevices.
- 3
  
  Peel your parsnip with a vegetable peeler. Start from the top and peel downward to remove the parsnip's outer skin. Rinse your parsnip under cool tap water.
- 4
  
  Prepare your parsnip. Remove the green, leafy tops with a paring knife. Cut off the roots and trim off any large knobs or rootlets.
- 5
  
  Core your parsnip. Parsnips often have tough, woody center cores. Remove this core by quartering your parsnip lengthwise. Use a sharp paring knife to slowly cut the core away from the outer part of the vegetable.
- 6
  
  Chop your parsnip. Cut the parsnip into 1/2-inch pieces if you intend to add them to soups or stews. Make 1/2-inch cubes if you plan to freeze or boil the pieces. Chop the parsnip a little smaller if you plan to saute the pieces, and cut larger cubes for roasting purposes.

Tips & Warnings

Accent the sweetness of parsnips with ginger, cinnamon or nutmeg.
Parsnips last for up to a month when stored in a plastic bag in your vegetable crisper.
Don't use parsnips with a lot of rootlets because they tend to be too fibrous.
Be careful not to overcook parsnips or they turn mushy and lose their sweetness.