Kohlrabi Home Fries Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the closest vegetable to kohlrabi? ›

Broccoli stems are my favorite substitute when I can't find kohlrabi at the farmers market. Both broccoli and kohlrabi are in the brassica family (cabbage family), and have a similar flavor and texture. Plus, you get broccoli stems for free when you buy a full broccoli crown, so using it is a total win-win.

There are several ways to cook kohlrabi, most of them similar to how you cook potatoes: boiled, steamed, roasted, fried or mashed. Slices and sticks can be stir-fried, and the whole stem can be hollowed out and stuffed with a veggie and rice or meat filling and baked like stuffed peppers.

A member of the cabbage family, kohlrabi carries a signature sweet-but-peppery flavor profile, with a taste and texture reminiscent of broccoli stems. When buying kohlrabi, pick vegetables that are firm and solid, never squishy.

All parts of the kohlrabi can be eaten, both raw and cooked. It is delicious steamed, sautéed, roasted, stuffed, creamed, in soup or stew, and eaten raw. Smaller kohlrabi tends to taste sweeter; the vegetable develops a sharper, more radish-like flavor as it matures.

Kohlrabi (German: [koːlˈʁaːbi]; pronounced /koʊlˈrɑːbi/ in English; scientific name Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group), also called German turnip or turnip cabbage, is a biennial vegetable, a low, stout cultivar of wild cabbage.

Direct seed kohlrabi in the garden from mid-April until early May, and again later in July. Avoid planting kohlrabi where you have grown related crops—broccoli, cauliflower, collards, kale, turnip, rutabaga, cabbage, mustard, bok choy, Brussels sprouts—during the previous four years.

Supports Gastrointestinal Health

Kohlrabi is rich in both soluble and insoluble (doesn't dissolve in water) fiber. Insoluble fiber can't be broken down by your digestive system, speeding up the movement of food through your stomach and intestine. It also adds bulk to your stool.

Kohlrabi tastes like cabbage and looks like a turnip, albeit a spiney turnip that is sprouting leaves reminiscent of a cross between kale and collards. Kohlrabi resembles a root vegetable, but actually, the edible globe is the modified swollen stem of the plant and grows above ground.

Heartier varieties that grow in the fall, when they grow bigger, can have less sweetness and more structure (sometimes flavorless and too fibrous, if you get the wrong one), but they will add peppery, mustard-y flavors to curries and braises, and will soften well in cooked dishes.

The leafy part can be eaten raw when young and tender or cooked like other greens as they mature. Kohlrabi also has the nickname Sputnik, since the vegetable looks like the early Russian space satellite!

What is the smell of kohlrabi? ›

Initially, the stinky feet cabbage-like smell turned me off while they were steaming (it's actually the hydrogen sulfide emitted from all brassica oleracea vegetables–like broccoli and cabbage–when cooking), but all that was forgotten on first bite.

Kohlrabi juice has potent antioxidants such as vitamin C, isothiocyanates, anthocyanins, and glucosinolates. A study by Michalak in 2022 showed that the above-mentioned antioxidants present in kohlrabi could protect the cells from free radical damage and slow down the ageing process.

What is the best way to eat kohlrabi? You can enjoy kohlrabi raw, sautéed, and roasted. It's truly a delicious vegetable! Kohlrabi is also one of the best veggies to spiralize.

If the outer skin or the leaves have turned yellow or brown, it might be starting to spoil. Bad kohlrabi may also have soft spots or areas of discoloration, and the texture can turn slimy or mushy when squeezed. The smell can also be a telltale sign, if it starts to smell sour or off-putting, it's best to toss it out.

A cup of cubed or sliced kohlrabi has just 36 calories and 8 grams of carbs - about one-third of the carbs and calories found in potatoes. Blood-pressure friendly: A cup of kohlrabi slices has just 27 mg sodium, with more potassium than a medium banana, making it doubly beneficial for managing blood pressure.

It's a true work of art when served as a savory side, and when topped with your favorite protein, creates an easy entrée for a weeknight dinner. Be sure to stop by your neighborhood Trader Joe's produce section to pick up a bag of Trader Joe's Kohlrabi Vegetable Pasta—and to see our other Brassica-based offerings, too.

Kohlrabi has a milder, sweeter taste than that of a turnip. It is crunchy with a texture similar to water chestnuts. Serve as sticks with dip or add to salads or slaws.

Part green, but mostly bulb, this veggie is like if jicama, turnip, and a radish had a baby, (what a hot three-some). The bulb also tastes like broccoli stems. When raw, kohlrabi has a crunchy texture with a hint of spice in taste.

Kohlrabi, rutabagas, and turnips are all members of the mustard family. Another name for kohlrabi is cabbage turnip. The flavor of its bulb-like stem is similar to a turnip. The rutabaga is a root much like the turnip but is yellow in color and a bit sweeter.