Carrot And Swede Mash - One Of The Best Diabetes-friendly Mash Recipes! (2024)

This carrot and swede mash is a fantastic, sin-free mash recipe which combines two humble ingredients – the carrot and the swede.Undoubtedly, this vibrant mash has a stunning orange colour due to the humble carrot.

It is a very tasty and smooth vegetable side dish with a low-fat content. In addition, it is often paired with heavier meat dishes such as whole smoked turkey, beef stews or a beautiful piece of lamb.

Ultimately, it makes the perfect side for festive meals. However, you can enjoy this carrot and swede mash on its own if you double up on portion size.

Just be careful to resist the urge to eat away at the mash while you are cooking it. It's that good!

Moreover, carrot and swede mash is inexpensive to make and takes very little preparation time. You can keep this carrot and swede mash in the refrigerator for a long time, depending on your chilling temperature.

Best of all, this mash recipe freezes well. So, any time you feel like munching away on a healthy dish or need a side dish to complete your feasts, you'll be good to go.

You can make many variations of this recipe, which I'll mention later in the post.

Jamie Oliver's carrot and swede mash

To make this carrot and swede mash, I took inspiration from Jamie Oliver's mash recipe. He combines the swede and the humble potato using only a little bit of butter.

Hence, I wanted to replicate this form of healthy cooking and make my carrot and swede mash as healthy as possible. I also noticed, that to give his mash a sophisticated edge, he adds a dash of white pepper for seasoning.

White pepper is generally more aesthetically pleasing on the plate. Sometimes, having black flakes all over your dish can ruin its presentation.

Especially, if you grind it on top of something as beautiful and vibrant as this carrot and swede mash. In terms of flavour, white pepper is milder.

So, when you make your mash and you've got white pepper at home, take inspiration from Jamie Oliver as well!

carrot and swede mash recipe

This carrot and swede mash uses very simple and low-calorie root vegetables. You can treat both ingredients in the same way during the preparation and cooking processes. Peel, cut, boil and season. Simple enough.

Although carrot is quite a popular ingredient for mashes, the swede remains underestimated. You might also know the swede as the rutabaga or neep.

Just think of the swede as a cross between cabbage and turnip. You can roast the swede, bake it, or boil it. You can also eat it raw (in very thin, julienned slices) in salads.

The swede is especially popular in Finland and is even used in their Christmas dish called lanttulaatikko (a form of swede casserole).

carrot and swede mash – diabetes UK

The most noteworthy aspect of this carrot and swede mash is that it is perfectly suitable for diabetics. Hence, it is a diabetes-friendly recipe that helps regulate insulin levels within the body.

Generally for a mash, a good substitute for the swede in the mash would be to use the ordinary potato. Nonetheless, a normal potato has quite a high glycaemic index and is unsuitable for diabetics.

You can try substituting with butter beans. Otherwise, you can always use kohlrabi or turnip – these would be the closest substitutes. For example, try replicating this carrot and turnip mash recipe.

There are also more fragrant substitutes you can use. First, you can consider using parsnip for a lovely nutty flavour. Second, you can also use celery as a flavour enhancer, but it might be too fragrant for some people.

Next, the other ingredient which makes up this mash is the healthy carrot. Carrots are also considered as a low-glycaemic food. Therefore, this carrot and swede mash is the perfect recipe for diabetics!

You can also substitute carrots with purple carrots and yellow carrots to change the colour of this mash.

If you would like to try another type of mash, then check out these boereboontijies. It's a classic South African mash recipe that's slightly more on the filling side.

super-healthy diabetes-friendly mash

There are steps you can take to make this carrot and swede mash even more suitable for those who suffer from diabetes.

The swede has roughly a glycaemic index (GI) of 72 and a carrot has a glycaemic index of 71. The latter can be considered interchangeable.

However, to make this carrot and swede mash even more diabetes friendly, substitute one of these two original ingredients with sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes have an even lower glycaemic index of 44! However, just boil them, because if you bake or roast sweet potatoes they will have a glycaemic index of up to 95!

That being said, baking literally turns the sweet potato into candy. That's why people love to roast them, because they are even sweeter and nuttier.

However, if you boil them, they are safe to eat for those who suffer from diabetes.

If you have leftover sweet potatoes, feel free to make these finger-licking baked sweet potato fries or a creamy sweet potato gratin.

For a warmer recipe, replicate this amazing slow cooker sweet potato soup that has tons of nutritional value!

For other healthy mash recipes, take inspiration from this vegan cauliflower mash.

serving

If you love your vegetables why not start your meal with this pumpkin and sweet potato soup?

I highly recommend that you enjoy this mash with heavy meat dishes. For example, pair the mash with this rich smoked chicken breasts recipe or an easy Italian chicken ballotine.

Combine with some roasted green beans with garlic for extra flavour and you've got yourself a balanced meal.

The mash also works with other poultry recipes such as this leftover turkey curry or a heavier meat such as this sous vide lamb shoulder. The choice is completely yours.

You can also double up in portion size and eat this mash alone. Another great side dish you can serve along with it is roast marrow.

toppings

For extra flavour, consider fresh parsley leaves, chives or watercress. You can also sprinkle white sesame seeds for an Asian kick. Lastly, for some heat, top with fresh chillies or cayenne powder.

More side dish inspiration

• parmentier potatoes
• tobacco onions
• rosemary potatoes

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