If you’re eating low carb these days, any alternative to potatoes, like these baked WW turnip fries, is a welcome one!
Not only are these baked WW turnip fries ridiculously easy to make but also they’re only 6 SmartPoints per serving!
And when you know that you can enjoy a plate of fries with cheese dip and still stay on plan, life is good!
Baked Turnip Fries with Cheese Sauce – 6 WW SmartPoints
The beauty of this recipe is that you can change it up based on your preferences.
For instance, I added Old Bay Seasoning because it helps the turnip fries to brown and gives them an extra kick.
I mean, really, is there anything better than Old Bay?
However, you can use whatever spices you want, even if it’s just some salt & pepper.
Do Turnips Taste Like Potatoes?
First things first, the big question is: Do turnips taste like potatoes?
Well, being someone who used to eat potatoes a LOT, I have to say that there are some differences between potatoes and turnips.
However, the differences are subtle, especially after cooking turnips.
Cooked potatoes are way starchier and dense than cooked turnips.
In addition, cooked turnips have more moisture in them and have a slight sweetness to them.
Overall, they’re not exactly like potatoes, but they’re pretty darn close to potatoes when swapping them in recipes.
Are Turnips Low Carb?
Yes! Turnips are absolutely low carb, which is why I love them so much!
One turnip is only 5.8 net carbs.
Whereas, one potato is 33 net carbs!
Uh, yeah, that’s a huge difference & a game changer for those of us who eat keto and low carb.
How Good Are Turnips For You?
Besides the fact that they’re a great, low carb alternative to potatoes, turnips are:
- Low calorie
- High in fiber
- Low in saturated fat & cholesterol
- A good source of Vitamin B6, folate, calcium, & Vitamin C
Easy Steps For Making This Recipe
Step 1: Peel & Cut Turnips
This is pretty self explanatory.
Just use a handy vegetable peeler to peel the outer skin off of the turnips.
Then slice them into french fry shapes or wedges.
I cut mine more into wedges, but when I make this again, I’m going to cut them a little bit smaller so they get crispier on the outside.
Just don’t cut them too small or else all you’ll have when you take them out of the oven is shriveled up pieces.
After cutting them, place the fries in a single layer onto a cookie sheet/sheets {I needed two} that have been sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.
Then sprinkle with salt, pepper, Old Bay Seasoning, and/or whatever spice you’d like to add.
Bake in 425 degree F oven for 15 minutes and then flip them over to cook for an additional 15 minutes.
Step 2: Fry Turkey Bacon & Slice Green Onions
In the meantime, spray a frying pan with no-stick cooking spray and cook your turkey bacon until crispy.
Then, crumble it up into small pieces and set aside.
Slice green onions to use as a garnish.
Step 3: Make Cheese Sauce
There are only 3 ingredients in your cheese sauce:
- Cheddar Cheese
- Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges
- Unsweetened Soy Milk
Combine these ingredients in a small saucepan and break up cheese with a spoon while stirring over medium-low heat.
Cook & stir your sauce until the cheese has completely melted and is hot with an even consistency.
Baked WW Turnip Fries with Cheese Sauce – 6 SmartPoints Recipe
Baked WW Turnip Fries with Cheese Sauce – 6 SmartPoints
Ingredients
- 2 Turnips, medium
- Old Bay Seasoning, to taste
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- 2 slices Turkey Bacon
- 4 Green Onions, sliced
- ¼ cup Soy Milk, unsweetened
- ½ cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- 2 wedges Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray 2 cookie sheets with no-stick cooking spray.
- Peel skin off of the turnips and cut them into french fry shaped spears or wedges. Place them in a single layer onto the cookie sheets.
- Bake turnips for 15 minutes and then flip them over. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until they're crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
- While turnips are baking, cook bacon in a frying pan sprayed with no-stick cooking spray until crispy. Then crumble bacon into small pieces. Slice green onions. Set aside the bacon & green onions to use as a garnish.
- In a saucepan, combine cheeses & milk. Heat over medium-high heat and stir constantly until the sauce is hot and an even consistency.
- Sprinkle green onions & crumbled bacon over top of the cooked turnip fries. Serve cheese sauce in a separate bowl for dipping.
Notes
195 Calories
4.5 g Fat
19.5 g Net Carbs
12.5 g Protein 6 WW SmartPoints
Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised with how these turnip fries turned out.
I asked my son and my husband to be my hand models so I could take pictures of them dipping the fries into the cheese sauce.
Both of them were very happy to oblige.
As a matter of fact, my son didn’t even know that they weren’t potato fries until I told him.
The cheese sauce was a perfect sauce for dipping and really enhanced the flavor of the baked turnips.
These baked WW turnip fries are an excellent side dish or appetizer!
For more delicious WW recipes, click on over to:
Dirty Rice with Shrimp – Zero WW Points
Zero Point White Chicken Chili
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