Cheesy Parsnip Gratin is a delicious savoury side dish of mashed parsnips flavoured with cheese and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs. This is my adaptation of a WW2 ration recipe that is very easy to make and ideal to serve with your Sunday roast.
Why should I make Cheesy Parsnip Gratin?
This recipe for Cheesy Parsnip Gratin is really very simple and produces a lovely tasty side dish that you can serve instead of mashed potatoes or as an additional side dish with any meal.
I think parsnips are a rather neglected vegetable. The standard go-to recipe is roast parsnips which are delicious served with a roast dinner, but for many people they only appear for Christmas dinner.
This seems rather a shame as parsnips are a very versatile root vegetable. They are delicious in a soup like my Spicy Parsnip and Apple Soup and make a great addition to a Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast.
What are parsnips?
Parsnips are a really tasty root vegetable that is very easy to grow. They are in season in autumn and winter when many other vegetables are not available. Parsnips also store well, they can stay in the ground until you are ready to use them. Or you can layer them in boxes with sand and they will keep good until spring.
Of course, that made them invaluable during WW2 when there were few imports. And because farmers were growing potatoes, wheat, barley and cattle fodder so they weren’t growing vegetables.
Dig for Victory
The Dig for Victory campaign took off in Britain in 1941. Women on the Home Front were told that it was up to them to provide the vegetables that were vital to their children’s health. So domestic gardens were dug over to grow vegetables and for those without a garden, the council offered allotments.
Winter vegetables were paricularly important with savoy cabbages, kale and crops of swedes, turnips, parnsips and brussels sprouts providing vitamin packed produce.
Parsnips and carrots have a natural sweetness and so recipes were developed to include these root vegetables in desserts and cakes to reduce the need to add sugar.
Find out all about why rationing was introduced in WW2. How it was managed and changed throughout the duration of the war in this article: WW2 Ration Book Recipes.
What ingredients do I need to make Cheesy Parsnip Gratin?
You only need a few ingredients to make this delicious side dish and most of them will be in your larder or fridge. Here is what you need:
- Parsnips
- Vegetable Stock
- Butter
- Cheese
- Breadcrumbs
Scroll to the end of this article to find the full recipe and all quantities of ingredients, with step-by-step photo instructions.
Can I use frozen parsnips?
The parsnips will be cooked in stock so either fresh or frozen parsnips are suitable for this recipe.
What kind of vegetable stock can I use?
During the war all the water used to cook vegetables would be kept and reused for stock. However, I would probably use vegetable stock cubes or stock pots to make my stock. This recipe also recommends keeping the stock for soup after cooking the parsnips in it! Nothing was wasted during WW2 rationing.
Can I use a plant-based spread in place of butter?
In the original recipe for Parsnip Gratin by Ambrose Heath, it suggests mashing the parsnips with margarine, so you can absolutely use an alternative to butter. However, as butter is now freely available, and in my opinion much more tasty, I have opted to use it in this updated recipe.
You can use any full-fat spread as an alternative to the butter, just use whatever you would normally use in your mashed potatoes.
What was the butter ration?
Each adult was allocated 50 g (2oz) of butter per week. A recipe like Cheesy Parsnip Gratin was much easier to ration for if you were part of a family. As an individual it would use the whole week’s butter ration for one person!
What kind of cheese should I use?
It’s best to use a strong flavoured cheese. I like to use mature cheddar as it’s easily available and is the most authentic for the WW2 recipe. But you can use melting cheeses like Emmental, Gruyere or Compte you can also mix them with some grated Parmesan.
Can I use ready grated cheese?
Yes, ready grated cheese is a real time saver and can be used for this recipe.
How much cheese would an adult be allowed on ration?
Each adult was allocated 50g (2oz) of cheese. Again this is a very small quantity of cheese so it would generally be included in recipes rather than be eaten on it’s own. Agricultural workers were allowed a larger ration so that they could use it in the sandwiches that they took out to the fields with them.
What kind of breadcrumbs do I need?
I made my own breadcrumbs, by whizzing a slice of bread in my food processor. If you don’t have a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor or blender you can use a grater and day-old bread to create your crumbs.
You can also use panko breadcrumbs which, although not authentic to World War Two, they are very convenient and nice and crunchy.
Can I increase the quantity of the gratin?
The recipe makes enough for a generous portion for two people served as an alternative to mashed potatoes. And it will serve 3-4 people if served as a side dish alongside a few other dishes.
Can I add other ingredients to the Cheesy Parsnip Gratin?
Yes, you definitely can add other ingredients. In WW2 all sorts of scraps of meat were used to enhance vegetable dishes.
I recommend mixing some grilled bacon pieces (lardons or pancetta) into the gratin. Or try adding leftovers from the Sunday roast chopped into small pieces and stirred through the mashed parsnips.
Corned beef and Spam were common canned meats in WW2 and they were rationed using a points system. The number of points allocated changed according to availability and consumer demand. So canned meats would be perfect to add to the gratin for an authentic taste of war time.
Can I make Cheesy Parsnip Gratin ahead of time?
You can make up the dish and then cover and store in the fridge for up to 48 hours before baking. It may take a little longer to heat through if it has been chilled in the fridge. If it’s coming straight from the fridge I would usually heat it for 5 minutes in the microwave before baking in the oven.
Can I freeze the gratin?
You can freeze this gratin. Keep it in an ovenproof and freezerproof dish and let it cool. Then cover the dish and store in a large freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge or use the defrost setting on your microwave, then bake as per the recipe.
Can I bake Cheesy Parsnip Gratin in my Air Fryer?
Yes, you can. Not all air fryers are exactly the same but, as a guide, I would suggest reducing the temperature to 170C/325F and check the gratin after 15 minutes. It may need an additional few minutes but better to check early than burn the breadcrumbs!
Vegetarian
The basic recipe contains no meat, and if you use cheese which is made with vegetarian rennet then it is suitable for a vegetarian diet.
Gluten Free
Most of this dish is gluten free, with the exception of the breadcrumbs. Substitute gluten free breadcrumbs, and please check that the vegetable stock that you use is gluten free.
For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How should I serve Cheesy Parsnip Gratin?
Serve the gratin as a side dish with roasted or grilled meat. I like to serve it instead of mashed potatoes with a green vegetable such as cabbage. It goes really well with chops or sausages.
If you want to serve this as a lunch or supper dish then add some bacon bits or roast meat leftovers to the mash and serve with slices of bread. The National Loaf would be the most authentic WW2 bread to serve with the gratin but you can, of course, serve any kind of bread.
Cheesy Parsnip Gratin
Equipment
- 1 chopping board
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 Vegetable peeler
- 1 Medium saucepan
- 1 measuring jug
- 1 Potato masher
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 Ovenproof dish (500-600g/1 pint)
- 1 grater
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) parsnips
- 250 ml (½ pt) vegetable stock
- 30 g (2½ tbsp) butter
- 125 g (1 cups) cheddar grated
- 50 g (⅓ cups) breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Wash and peel 500 g (1 lb) of parsnips.
- Slice the peeled parsnips and add to a pan with 250 ml (½ pint) vegetable stock.
- Cook the parsnips in the stock until soft, about 10 – 15 minutes. Drain off the stock into a container and save it to use in soup.
- Add 20 g ( 1½ tbsp) of the butter to the cooked parsnips.
- Mash the butter into the parsnips.
- Add 75 g (½ cup) of grated cheese to the mashed parsnips and mix together.
- Grease a 500-600 ml (1 pint) ovenproof dish with a little butter, then fill with the mashed parsnip mixture.
- Mix 50 g (⅓ cup) breadcrumbs with the remaining grated cheese and sprinkle over the puree. Dot with the remaining butter.
- Bake in the oven at 180℃ Fan/200 ℃/400 ℉ for 20 mintues (air fryer 170℃/325℉ for 15 minutes) until the cheese has melted and the top is golden.
- Serve with roast meats, chops or sausages. Or add chopped roast leftovers to the parsnip puree and serve as a tasty lunch or supper.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was first published here in 2012.
I consulted a number of sources when researching WW 2 ration book recipes these included:
- The Imperial War Museum
- Vegetables for Victory by Ambrose Heath
- We’ll Eat Again by Marguerite Patten OBE
- The Wartime Kitchen Garden by Jennifer Davies
- Spuds, Spam and Victory: Rationing in the Second World War by Katherine Knight
Jacqueline says
You are mad! But, well done. The parsnip dish does sound good. I have been making Graham parsnip crisps with honey this week. I am pleased when parsnips come into season 🙂
Jacqueline says
Haha, just noticed you banner. It made me smile!
Karen S Booth says
Another great post Janice, and we both mentioned fish today! Enjoy your gala meal and you can eat off ration see! As long as it is not more than 5/- I love your parsnip bake by the way…..my kind if meal and thanks for the links to the BBC site too, Karen
Elaine Livingstone says
oooohhhhh were you up for an award with your posh gala dinner?
Janice says
No Elaine, it wasn't that kind of dinner! It was a fund raiser for an educational trust.
Carole says
Janice, this looks like a keeper for me – great dish. Thanks for adding it to the collection
Chloe says
loved this! but then I do love parsnips anyway but I’ve never really done much other than simply roast them. I’ll be making this again as it’s really easy to cook for just me too
Janice Pattie says
It’s definitely a keeper!
Lesley says
We all love parsnips so o thought I’d try this recipe with the weekends roast dinner. It went down a treat with the gammon, a nice change from roasting them.
Janice Pattie says
It’s such a tasty recipe, good to know you enjoyed it.