Stuffed kohlrabi with two kinds of filling (bacon and cheese), baked in the oven. Get to know this delicious vegetable.
Baked Kohlrabi with Filling
Stuffed kohlrabi with bacon or with cheese, I could not tell which one of these two combinations I like most, so I just make them together most of the times.
Raw kohlrabi sticks or a fresh salad are actually the most common ways of enjoying kohlrabi in our house, but stuffing kohlrabi halves or making soup is happening quite often as well.
I heard it on the radio once that there is no other country in the world growing and eating as much kohlrabi as Germany. Could be the reason why the German name is also used in English. I believe this to be true, I lived in four countries until now and nowhere have I seen as much kohlrabi as here.
You can buy it anywhere, anytime, it is growing in every vegetable garden you see, you can get it in green or in violet and there are lots and lots of recipes starring kohlrabi. And it is dead cheap! I think it is time that kohlrabi conquered the rest of the world, it is really a wonderful vegetable.
How does kohlrabi taste like?
When eaten raw (my favorite way of eating it) it is sweet and very crunchy and fresh, a bit like radish but milder and very much sweeter, a mixture between radish and cabbage, I would say.
When cooked the taste becomes more delicate, the freshness of kohlrabi is replaced by a wonderful tenderness, the sweetness remains but more subtle, gentler. I think cooked kohlrabi needs to be paired with stronger flavors, otherwise the finished dish might be too delicate, maybe quite a bit bland.
How to make the recipe?
These recipes pair kohlrabi with stronger flavors. The first option gets its taste from the salty, savory bacon, the second from the onions, crème fraiche and goat’s cream cheese. I liked it both ways, but the first version does have a special place in my heart, it is such a nice, tasty way of using leftover mashed potatoes.
Peel the kohlrabi:
- Cut of the stems and the leaves. Don’t discard them though, wash them well and use for making soup. The stems will be cooked in the soup with more kohlrabi or other veggies and the shredded leaves will be added towards the end of the cooking time.
- Top and tail the vegetables, these parts might be slightly woody, especially if the kohlrabi is large. Discard these parts.
- Peel the vegetable with a vegetable or potato peeler like you would peel and apple or potato.
- Alternatively, you can use a small knife.
Cook the kohlrabi:
- You will have to cook the kohlrabies in vegetable broth prior to stuffing and baking them.
- The cooking time will vary according to the size of the vegetable.
- Make sure that they are rather tender, but still keeping their form, they should not get too soft or you will not be able to scoop and fill them properly.
Stuff:
- When tender, you will have to scoop out some of the flesh to make place for the stuffing.
- Do not throw away the vegetable broth and the scooped out kohlrabi flesh. You can add some more kohlrabi or/ and other vegetables to the broth the next day and make a wonderful soup.
- And if your kohlrabi happens to still have some nice looking leaves attached to it when you buy it, keep the leaves and throw them in this soup as well.
Filling:
- You can choose only one of the stuffings if you wish. In this case, double the quantities for the chosen stuffing.
- For a completely vegetarian meal, replace the bacon with chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil.
More stuffed vegetables?
Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms – Simple vegetarian stuffed mushrooms with a herb butter filling.
Easy Vegan Stuffed Peppers – An easy and healthy vegan stuffed peppers recipe without rice, just peppers filled with vegetables and simmered in tomato sauce.
Stuffed Vine Leaves with Rice and Ricotta – Delicate stuffed vine or grape leaves with a melt-in-your mouth ricotta and rice filling with lots of dill and parsley.
Cheesy Stuffed Peppers with Feta – Sweet pointed peppers filled with feta cheese and lots of fresh herbs, a Mediterranean dish, light and full of flavor.
Cream Cheese Stuffed Vegetables – Tomatoes, peppers and cucumber slices stuffed with three delicious and easy to make cream cheese fillings.
Stuffed Kohlrabi, Two Ways
Ingredients
- 4 medium kohlrabies
- 8 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 9 oz potatoes Note 1
- 2-3 slices bacon depending on size (Note 2)
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan divided
- 5 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions divided
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
- 1 egg yolk
- 5.5 oz cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons goat cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons crème Fraiche
- fine sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
Vegetables:
- Prepare: Bring the vegetable broth and another pot of salted water to a boil. In the meantime peel and halve the kohlrabies, peel, and chop the potatoes into small cubes.
- Cook the kohlrabi halves in the vegetable broth for about 20-30 minutes until cooked through but still firm to the bite (they definitely should not fall apart). Take them out of the broth and let them stand until cool enough to handle without burning your fingers.
- Cook potatoes: At the same time cook the potatoes in the salted water until tender, drain, and let cool down slightly as well. Mash the potatoes in a bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bacon filling:
- Fry the bacon until crispy, let drain on kitchen paper and chop into small pieces. Place them in the bowl containing the mashed potatoes.
- Mix filling: Finely chop the spring onions, add 2 tablespoons of the onions to the bacon and potatoes. Add 1 tablespoon of the grated Parmesan, the chopped chives, and the egg yolk to the potatoes, mix well, and adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
Cheese filling:
- Mix filling: Halve the cherry tomatoes, discard the seeds and dry the inside of the tomatoes with kitchen paper. Chop the tomatoes very finely and place them in a second bowl together with the rest of the chopped spring onions, cream cheese, and crème Fraiche. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
Fill the kohlrabies:
- Scoop some of the flesh from the kohlrabi halves until they resemble nests. (Use it to make a soup, for instance). Place the scooped kohlrabies halves in a lightly greased baking dish.
- Fill four halves with the first stuffing and the other four halves with the second type of stuffing.
- Bake the kohlrabies for about 30 minutes until the stuffing is golden brown and heated through. Serve with a green salad.
Notes
- You can make the recipe with leftover mashed potatoes or leftover cooked potatoes.
- For a vegetarian version, replace with finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes from a jar and the Parmesan with vegetarian hard cheese.
Adina
Monday 31st of August 2015
Thank you, Danielle, I am happy to hear this. Kohlrabi is indeed cool and there is so much one can cook with it. :)
Danielle + Rooting The Sun
Sunday 30th of August 2015
Happy Sunday Adina! I just found your blog, but I think that it's wonderful and your recipes are fresh and celebratory of the seasonal produce! This is an awesome recipe and one I cannot wait to try - it looks and sounds so delicious! Kohlrabi is such a cool and versatile vegetable!