Home > Vegetarian Christmas dinner recipes > Parsnip, spring onion and thyme gratin

Parsnip, spring onion and thyme gratin

Name: Parsnip, spring onion and thyme gratin
Yield: Serves 6 as a side dish
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 250g sourdough bread, torn into 2cm pieces; 3 tbsp olive oil; 10 fresh thyme sprigs; 2 banana shallots, finely sliced; Small bunch spring onions, trimmed and cut into thirds; 1 tbsp plain flour; 300ml double cream; 350ml whole milk; Pinch freshly grated nutmeg; 500g parsnips, quartered and any woody cores removed, cut into 1cm chunks; 300g maris piper potatoes (halved if large), cut into 1cm slices; 100g gruyère or vegetarian alternative such as cheddar, coarsely grated; You’ll also need…; 1.4 litre baking dish

Published: 4 Apr 17
Updated: 18 Mar 24

You’ve had potato gratin, well now there’s creamy parsnip gratin, flavoured with nutmeg and fresh thyme then topped with sourdough croutons – it’s the ultimate side dish for roast meat.

Check out more Sunday roast side dishes.

Easy
March 2017

Test kitchen approved

Serves 6 as a side dish
Hands-on 30 min, oven 45-50 min

You’ve had potato gratin, well now there’s creamy parsnip gratin, flavoured with nutmeg and fresh thyme then topped with sourdough croutons – it’s the ultimate side dish for roast meat.

Check out more Sunday roast side dishes.

Vegetarian recipes

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 637kcals
Fat: 42g (22.6g saturated)
Protein: 14.4g
Carbohydrates: 46g (11.2g sugars)
Fibre: 7.3g
Salt: 0.8g

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Ingredients

250g sourdough bread, torn into 2cm pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
10 fresh thyme sprigs
2 banana shallots, finely sliced
Small bunch spring onions, trimmed and cut into thirds
1 tbsp plain flour
300ml double cream
350ml whole milk
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
500g parsnips, quartered and any woody cores removed, cut into 1cm chunks
300g maris piper potatoes (halved if large), cut into 1cm slices
100g gruyère or vegetarian alternative such as cheddar, coarsely grated

You’ll also need…

1.4 litre baking dish

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Method

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Put the sourdough pieces on a large baking tray, then toss with 2 tbsp olive oil and the leaves from 4 thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pepper, then bake for 10 minutes until golden and crisp. Set aside. Turn down the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.
Heat the remaining oil in a large pan or casserole over a medium heat, then cook the shallots and spring onions for 7-8 minutes until soft. Add the flour and stir for 3 minutes, then turn the heat to low-medium and add the double cream, milk, nutmeg and 2 thyme sprigs. Heat until just steaming. Add the parsnips and potatoes and cook for 10 minutes until softening. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat (discard any woody thyme sprigs), then stir in a third of the cheese.
Pour the vegetables and creamy liquid into the prepared baking dish, sprinkle half the remaining cheese on top, then bake for 30 minutes. Scatter the croutons on top of the gratin with the rest of the thyme and cheese, then bake for 15-20 minutes more until the top is golden brown and the gratin is bubbling. Serve with a sharply dressed green salad.

Recipe from March 2017 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 637kcals
Fat: 42g (22.6g saturated)
Protein: 14.4g
Carbohydrates: 46g (11.2g sugars)
Fibre: 7.3g
Salt: 0.8g

delicious. tips

You could use other crusty breads such as ciabatta or baguette for the topping.
Prepare the gratin to the end of step 2 a few hours in advance, cool and keep in the fridge until ready to bake.

Store the herby, baked sourdough croutons in a sealed container.