This Rutabaga Hash with Chiles and Bacon is a rustic, flavor-packed breakfast hash made with golden sautéed rutabaga, smoky bacon, soft onions, and warm chiles. It’s the perfect mix of hearty, spicy, and comforting for mornings when you want something extra satisfying!
If you’re into breakfasts that balance cozy and bold flavors with a bit of rustic charm, then this rutabaga hash is THE recipe that’ll have you jumping out of bed!
Imagine hearty root veggies, smoky crispy bacon, zingy chiles, and savory aromatics all coming together in a dish that feels like a warm hug on a chilly winter’s morning.
It’s the kind of meal you make when you want something warm and satisfying but a touch adventurous. You know, the opposite of a sad bowl of cereal but without the fussy prep work of anything super-complicated!
I stumbled onto rutabagas years ago, but I sort of never let them be the star of any of my dishes.
Well, one morning I got brave and treated them like potatoes by sautéing them up with bacon and chiles. Turns out, rutabagas are firm without being dense, mildly sweet without being overpowering, and they soak up smoky bacon flavor like a dream!
Pair your hash with creamy avocado, a fried egg, or a dash of hot sauce and you’ve got yourself a plate that just keeps on giving.
Ingredients for Rutabaga Hash
Thick-Cut Bacon: The backbone of flavor here! It gives the hash that crispy, smoky, salty goodness and infuses the rutabaga with a deep savory flavor. We use the bacon fat to cook the diced rutabagas, so be sure to use the thick-cut!
Rutabaga: The most underrated root vegetable! This hybrid veggie that sits somewhere between a cabbage and a turnip is just slightly sweet with a firm texture. So, it holds up beautifully in a hash! Think of it as a potato alternative with a little extra personality.
Yellow Onion: A medium onion adds that classic caramelized sweetness and gives the base of our hash some oomph.
Hatch Chiles: I love these chiles as they’re not too spicy but they’re sort of “bright” in how they taste. I find they bring a smoky heat that dances nicely with the bacon! Swap it out for an anaheim chile or a pasilla pepper if you’d like. For a mild version, use a bell pepper.
Jalapeño: For a sharper kick. Adjust the amount you use up or down depending on how much heat you like.
Garlic Powder: This pantry staple is a gem and adds warmth and depth to the hash that totally rounds out the flavor!
Kosher Salt and Cracked Black Pepper: To balance all the flavors. Salty, spicy, and sweet – you name it!
Recipe Customizations
- Make it vegetarian by swapping bacon for smoky tempeh or thick-cut smoked mushrooms! You will also now need several tablespoons oil, such as olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
- Add in ground beef to make it a full main dish.
- Love herbs? A sprinkle of fresh cilantro or parsley at the end makes everything taste just a bit brighter.
- A little grated sharp cheddar or Cotija on top melts beautifully if you like a cheesy hash!
- Fold in baby spinach or chopped kale at the end for extra color and a bunch of nutrients.
- Mix in extra veggies, like green beans, sweet potatoes, broccoli, kale, or bok choy.
Helpful Tips
- Cut evenly. Make sure your rutabaga cubes are roughly the same size so they cook evenly and get nice browning!
- Make sure you render the bacon well. Crispy bacon pieces are key for getting a good crunch. Plus, they leave flavorful drippings for the veggies!
- Don’t rush the softening here. Cooking rutabaga takes a little patience. So, cook it until it begins to soften before adding everything else so it won’t stay tough.
- Use a large pan so that the rutabaga pieces get a golden brown crust while they are cooking. The size of your pan matters in the final texture.
- Keep a lid handy. Steaming under a lid helps the rutabaga cook through without burning!
- If at any point the onion or the rutabaga begins darkening too quickly, turn the stove top down to medium heat or low heat.
How to Make Rutabaga Hash with Chiles and Bacon
Begin by peeling and chopping the rutabaga into cubes. This is quite the procedure if you’ve never done it, so follow my photo instructions below.
Use a sturdy vegetable peeler to peel the thick skin. Slice the rutabaga into rounds using a sharp knife, then slice those rounds into strips, followed by cubes.
Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat and add your thick-cut bacon. Let it sizzle and crisp up to render out its fat (this is your flavor base!).
Once the bacon is as crispy as you like, remove it and place it on a plate. Just leave those rich drippings in the pan!
Place the skillet back on the stove and toss in the diced rutabaga and sauté rutabagas, stirring occasionally, until the edges start to soften and pick up a little color.
Next, add the diced yellow onion, hatch chiles, and finely chopped jalapeño. Sprinkle in the garlic powder, sea salt, and cracked black pepper, and continue sautéing so the aromatics mingle with the rutabaga!
Cover the pan and let the veggies steam in their own steam for a couple of minutes. Once they’re just about done, chop the crispy bacon and fold it back into the skillet to let everything mingle for another minute or two.
Serve your hash hot with some sliced avocado if you fancy! I love adding a drizzle of hot-pepper sauce, and a fried or scrambled egg perched on top for a breakfast that truly does it all!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Rutabagas look very similar to turnips, but they’re larger and have yellow and purple thick skin.
The flavor of a rutabaga is very mild and somewhat earthy, much like the flavor of turnips. Because they are starchy, rutabagas can be compared to potatoes, although they require more cook time and tend to stay more firm than potatoes. Because their flavor is very subtle, it is easy to cook with rutabagas using any spice or herb blend.
Full of Vitamin C, zinc, potassium, and fiber, which makes them fabulous for your immune system, metabolism and digestive system. They are also full of glucosinolates, which help protect your body against cancer.
First, peel your rutabaga with a potato peeler. Because rutabagas are dense and hearty, they need to be shredded or julienned if you’re using them in their raw form.
If you are looking to cook rutabagas, I find slicing roots into thick rounds then cubing them is the way to go. This way, you end up with equally-sized chunks to ensure even cooking. You can roast, sauté, or steam rutabagas, just like any other root vegetable.
This Rutabaga Hash with Chiles and Bacon is one of those dishes that feels like a treat but actually fuels you properly. It’s smoky, spicy, hearty, and so fun to make!
If you try it, tell me: did you pair it with avocado, eggs, or hot sauce? Or maybe all three? I want to know the combo that stole your morning!
Love a hearty breakfast? Here are more of my healthy produce-forward breakfast recipes.
More Breakfast Recipes:
- Beet Hash Browns
- Sweet Potato Hash
- Butternut Squash Hash with Apples, Sausage and Kale
- Butternut Squash & Bacon Hash with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Maple Bacon Butternut Squash Hash with Spinach
Rutabaga Hash with Chiles and Crispy Bacon
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1 (2-pound) rutabaga peeled and diced
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 hatch chiles seeded and chopped
- 1 jalapeno chile seeded and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Serving Options:
- Avocado
- Hot Sauce
- Fried or Scrambled eggs
Instructions
- In a 10 to 12-inch skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, until it reaches desired crispiness. Place the bacon on a plate, leaving the bacon drippings in the skillet.
- Place the skillet back on the stove and add the rutabaga. Saute, stirring occasionally until the rutabaga begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients and sautée, stirring consistently for 5 minutes.
- Cover the skillet and allow veggies to steam for 7 to 10 minutes, until the veggies have reached desired done-ness.
- Chop the bacon and add it back into the hash.
- Serve hash with sliced avocado, hot sauce, and eggs.
Nutrition
I published this recipe on September 8, 2014. On January 14, 2026, I added ingredient notes, helpful tips, an FAQ section, and updated the photos.
Looking forward to eating the root vegetables. Thank you for inspiring us. I used ham and sardines plus mild giardiniera.
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Mary Ellen! Thanks so much for the feedback!
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To the next! Kind regards!!
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Ok I’ve definitely seen this vegetable in the shops and left it stand – I figured it was the pretty purple cousin of celeriac. Everyday’s a school day! And yes, MOAR BACON. (!)
If I made this sans bacon, would you still love me? Also, my life’s goal is to be Diane Morgan and write a cookbook this beautiful. Someday….
OMG this looks soooo good! I made something similar last year and loved it. Definitely going to pin this and give it a try!
this book sounds totally up my alley. i have never had rutabaga before but turning them into hash sounds wonderful.
I love me some root veggies, this book is on my Santa list!
I have long been a lover of rutabagas, so it’s nice to see them used in recipes. This one sounds great. And I thank you for the introduction to the book, Roots. It’s one I’m certain I want to have but would never have found if you hadn’t mentioned it. I love trying new things, and this book will offer me multiple opportunities to be adventurous with food. When I read the beginning of the book [on Amazon], talking about Peruvian potatoes, I was reminded of our visit earlier this year to the Minke Market in Callao, where they had just a few (comparatively speaking) of the several thousand varieties of potatoes. I was intrigued with them, in addition to the many varieties of corn, and the gorgeous mangoes.
Hahaha. I can’t believe you have made us put up with all of this BACON! 😉
Honestly, I felt myself slowly starting to turn after I saw those brussel sprouts…
But this rutabaga business- I’m so glad you took the time to learn us because I was clueless! Now I immediately want to run to the store and buy one to make this hash. It looks all sorts of fabulous and I especially adore the Heart reference. 🙂
This is one good looking hash! I don’t cook with rutabaga often very, but I think that’s all about to change!
I’ve never seen rutabagas look so beautiful. . delicious dish! love!
Yum! I always get rutabaga in my CSA and never really know what to do with it. Definitely pinning this! Also, root sensei = me snort laughing much too loudly while sitting by myself in a quiet coffee shop.
Wow, that looks delicious! I’ve only ever put rutabaga in pasties (I think that may be an Upper Peninsula thing). We make them down here from time to time, though!
Ok. If you start doing things like rutabaga=sing like barracuda when we are out bopping around, I will mortify you and Stephie by egging you on. I see it now. Headed out in the car all bopping to some strange song. Well, maybe you and me. It takes Stephie a bit longer to get with the weirdness. I. Can’t. Wait. (Although, I promise to try not to be TOO weird and act more like an old lady. Maybe). P.S. I need to try rutabaga. I pick them up in the grocery and then put them back down, not really knowing what to do with them and if I would like them. We’ll have to give them a try.
Haha! I.can’t.wait. for the weirdness, either! I have a feeling I’m going to want to bring you all home with me, beagles included! T minus 17 days, woop woop! This is gonna be gooooood! 😀
….and rutabagas: Just add bacon 😉
Either that, or you’ll get on the plane, sigh deeply, and say to yourself: What the hell was that? Stephie and I decided that we’re ready for a Fireside Chat with Julia, and there’s a possibility that we (along with Alex) could be the subject of the next one. lol
That is one sexy hash. I’m always up for a good root veggie recipe, and this one happens to remind me of my youth when I would sit in front of the television watching Pooh. I’m happy to see that the rutabaga finally got its brief moment of stardom. It really is a tasty veggie.