Rutabaga Samosa Filling: Easy, Low Carb and Delicious!
This Rutabaga Samosa Filling offers the same delightful flavours as your beloved potato-filled triangles but with a healthier spin! Using low-carb ingredients and alternative flours for the pastry, you can relish the tasty samosa experience without the carb concerns.
This recipe is easy to prepare and is ideal for serving as an appetizer or snack during Diwali, gatherings, or any event, helping you avoid dishes that are overly rich in carbohydrates.
| serving size | carbs | fibre | net carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5g | 0.9g | 4.1g |
Rutabaga Samosa Filling
I’ve been craving samosas lately, possibly because it’s that time of year—the Fall season, birthdays, parties, and upcoming Diwali celebrations. I know that when those occasions come around, I’ll be surrounded by delicious, tempting food that I can’t afford to indulge in if I want to maintain a low-carb lifestyle, so I desperately scramble to make some with an easy rutabaga filling that is low-carb and healthy.
Comforting filling
Samosas are like the leaves falling from the trees in the Fall—both are crispy and comforting and remind us that it’s the perfect season for indulging in flavourful, warm, and cozy foods with friends and family!
Healthy Veg Samosa
These samosas feature a rutabaga filling, a delicious alternative to the traditional potato filling commonly found in vegetable samosas. You’ll love this rutabaga filling because it tastes like a classic samosa.
Prepare the filling the same way you would for a traditional vegetable samosa. One of the best aspects of this recipe is that you can assemble the filling into the pastry dough of your choice, whether it’s keto fathead dough or gluten-free. You’ll appreciate how easy it is to make; the flavours will be familiar and delightful.
Why You Will Love Rutabaga Samosa Filling
Low Carb Samosa
Enjoy the low-carb version of your favourite potato-filled samosas with a nutritious twist. Whether you bake, shallow fry, or use an air fryer to cook your pastry, this samosa filling satisfies your cravings.
Healthy pastry
Instead of fathead dough, which can be salty, this recipe uses a gluten-free pastry dough that’s healthier than regular flour. The alternative flours benefit those on low-carb, diabetic, grain-free, or other health-conscious diets, ensuring you never miss out on this beloved crispy snack. This healthy twist will keep you on track with your dietary goals.
Spiced Rutabaga
These irresistible triangles are filled with a flavorful rutabaga mixture, spiced like traditional potato-filled samosas. With basic Indian spices, the taste is familiar and delightful. The gluten—and wheat-free pastry is easy to fold and turns golden and crispy when cooked.
Easy to make samosa filling
Samosas with rutabaga filling are delicious and incredibly easy to make. They are perfect for appetizers, lunches, mains, picnics, parties, or Diwali celebrations. While there may be many spots where you live to grab ready-made samosas, they may not cater to a low-carb diet. So, this homemade version is an excellent alternative for enjoying your favourite snack without compromising your dietary goals.
What is Rutabaga?
Rutabaga is known by different names in various regions. In North America, it is commonly called “rutabaga,” which comes from a Swedish word that combines “rot,” meaning ‘root,’ and “bagge,” meaning ‘lump or bunch.’ In the U.S., some people also refer to it as Swedish turnip or yellow turnip. Other names include swede, neep, or simply turnip.
How do you pronounce rutabaga?
Rutabaga can be challenging to peel and cut, plus I’m with you when it’s name is also tricky to pronounce. Let’s say it together: “Roo-tah-bay-gah”!
What does rutabaga taste like?
Rutabaga has a strong flavour, unlike mashed potatoes, which are pretty bland. Before cooking, rutabaga can taste bitter, but after steaming or cooking like in samosas, it becomes sweeter and turns a more orange colour, similar to a carrot but less sweet. You can steam, bake, and fry like a potato, making it an excellent filling for samosas or sweet dishes like Rutabaga Halwa.
How Easy is Rutabaga Samosa Filling to Prepare?
This tasty filling can be quickly prepared in just one pot. Chopping rutabaga can be challenging, but with a few easy preparation tips, it will become effortless, especially for anyone new to this underrated root vegetable.
Dice the rutabaga into small pieces to speed up the cooking process, as they typically take a while to become tender. Some individuals prefer their vegetable samosa filling to be mashed, so it might be best to mash the rutabaga beforehand and then cook it with the spices according to the recipe instructions.
Carbs and Servings in this Rutabaga Samosa Filling
This delicious recipe makes around 12 servings, ideal for stuffing samosa pastry. The number of samosas you can produce may differ based on how large you prefer them; typically, I make 12 with a bit of filling remaining. Each serving is roughly 5 grams of net carbohydrates, making it a reasonably low-carb choice.
under 5g net carbs per serving
- 5g carbohydrates
- 0.9g fibre
- 4.1g net carbs
Rutabaga, an essential component in this filling, adds flavour and texture and is rich in vitamin C, offering extra health advantages. If you’re on a ketogenic diet, it’s important to assess how this filling aligns with your daily carbohydrate goals. Still, using rutabaga in your samosas can be a tasty way to enjoy a nutrient-dense ingredient while experimenting with lower-carb options.
Ingredients for Rutabaga Samosa Filling
Filling
Rutabaga: Look for rutabaga in the produce section at your local grocery store. It will be waxed to keep it fresher and prevent it from decaying. Use a vegetable peel or knife to slice the skin away, then cut it into cubes. I only use half a medium-sized rutabaga in this recipe, but you can use the whole vegetable and double the recipe.
Red onion: I like the red onion in this recipe, but you can use yellow or white onions.
Peas: Thawed frozen peas will cook faster, but if you want to use fresh, add them a little earlier to the pot than the stage suggested in the recipe card.
Peas are optional, but I like how they add a contrasting colour to the orange hue of the rutabaga.
Ginger: I suggest using fresh, but if you don’t have it on hand, a ½ teaspoon of ground ginger will work.
Tempering
Olive oil: Extra Virgin Olive oil or any cooking oil you prefer
Cumin seeds: Also known as jeera, help to give a little smoky and pepper flavour to add to the rutabaga flavour.
Cinnamon sticks: In traditional Indian cooking, a couple of sticks tossed into the pot at the beginning adds a pleasant, warm, subtle aroma and taste to the filling. Remove the cinnamon after cooking the filling.
Liquids
Water: Add as much water as directed to cook the rutabaga into soft pieces. The Rutabaga filling should be dry so the juices do not soak into the pastry, making it soggy.
Spices
Turmeric: This healthy yellow spice adds a vibrant hue to the rutabaga.
Chilli powder: Whether you like heat or not, even a little bit of chilli powder improves the overall taste of the filling.
Cumin: Ground cumin adds warmth and smokiness to the flavour of the samosa filling.
Cinnamon: A hint of cinnamon greatly enhances the flavour of vegetable samosas, particularly in those filled with potatoes.
Salt: Adjust the salt to taste, but if you use fathead dough, you may need to omit it.
Sweetener
Monk Fruit Sweetener: If the rutabaga tastes bitter, add a little sweetener to balance the bold flavour.
How to Make Rutabaga Samosa Filling
Heat oil, add cumin & cinnamon sticks
1. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the cumin and a couple of cinnamon sticks. As soon as they begin to sizzle, add the diced rutabaga and coat it in oil.
Add cubed Rutabaga
2. Spread the rutabaga in a single layer at the bottom of the pan and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of water to cover the rutabaga completely, and cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. The rutabaga will turn a light orange colour.
Add onions and ginger
3. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and cook the rutabaga until all the water has evaporated. Poke a sharp knife or toothpick into the pieces; if they are still firm, add more water and cook until soft. Once all the water has evaporated, push the rutabaga aside in the pan and add the onions and ginger. Cook for a couple of minutes until the onions become soft and translucent.
Add spices
4. Stir the rutabaga around to mix it with the onions and ginger, then add turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, and sweetener, if using. Reduce the heat a little so it doesn’t burn. If the middle of the pan starts to burn, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to loosen the residue stuck to the bottom.
Mash the rutabaga and add peas
5. Mash the rutabaga a little with a fork or masher to make it thick and sticky. This helps the filling stay in place when folding your samosa. Switch off the heat, add the peas, and keep the filling covered to cook them through.
Cool the rutabaga samosa filling
6. Cool in the pan until ready to fill inside your choice of wrapper or pastry, or once cooled, transfer to a storage container and keep it in the fridge until needed.
How to Make Samosa Pastry Dough
There are quite a few ways to make low-carb pastry dough, which I am currently experimenting with. I will discuss this in detail in another post when I show you how to make chicken keema samosas.
In this recipe, I used my rutabaga filling with ready-mixed wheat-free flour from Paras brand, which you can buy from any South Asian store. It contains barnyard millet, water chestnut flour, and sorghum flour; however, you can make your own if you have a favourite recipe. Here is how I made the pastry dough.
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the oil. Use your hands to rub the oil into the flour until it forms a grainy, sand-like texture. This step helps distribute the oil evenly, resulting in a crispy and flaky dough.
- Add two tablespoons of warm water and mix to form a dough. If it feels dry, add more water; if it is too wet, add more flour. The goal is to achieve a stretchy dough consistency.
- Shape the dough into a ball, cover it, and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Prepare your workspace by creating a clean surface for rolling out the pastry.
- In a small bowl, mix flour and water to make a glue and set it aside.
- Add flour to the work surface to prevent the dough from sticking while rolling.
- Divide the samosa dough into six pieces. Roll one ball out on the floured surface to form a roughly 6-inch diameter disc. Use a pizza cutter to divide the disc into two semi-circle sheets. Roll out each sheet slightly to elongate it into a long sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining dough balls until you have 12 pastry sheets.
How to Fold a Samosa
- Lay one sheet flat with the short ends at the top and bottom and the straight edge on the left.
- Place about one tablespoon of filling on the bottom, leaving about half an inch of space.
- Fold the sheet from the left corner to the right to encase the filling. Then, fold the bottom right corner to the left to form a triangle. Lift the bottom left corner to the right, leaving a bit of pastry at the top.
- Spread some “glue” on the leftover end, then fold it over the samosa to secure it. Repeat with all the sheets, keeping samosa triangles separate to prevent sticking. Lightly cover them with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out.
Here is a TikTok Reel that I posted recently to show how I fold samosas the way my mum taught me. You can also see it on Instagram below.
How to Cook Samosas with Rutabaga Filling
The easiest way to cook samosas is by shallow frying them; they’ll get nice and golden crispy pretty quickly, so you don’t need to fry them deep. An air fryer works well, too—brush them with a bit of oil. If you want a healthier option, you can bake them, but remember that the texture might be a little dry. Brushing with oil helps improve the results when baking, too.
How to Fry
Heat oil in a deep frying pan or wok. The oil should be about 5 cm deep. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Once the oil is hot, carefully drop the samosas into it. Fry each side for about 3 minutes until they turn golden and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the oil and let the excess oil drain. Then, transfer the fried samosas to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any remaining oil.
How to Air Fry
Work in batches. Place the samosa in the air fryer basket without overcrowding. Brush each side with oil or melted butter, then air fry at 350F for 10 minutes, turning halfway.
How to Bake
Preheat oven to 350F. Place the samosa on a parchment-lined baking tray, brush each side with oil or melted butter, and then bake in the oven (check recipe book for info)
Useful Tips
Rutabaga Filling:
- Dice the rutabaga into small pieces to cook faster.
- Cook the rutabaga first to soften before adding the spices.
- Add less water to keep the rutabaga filling dry.
- Mash or use a blender to mash some of the rutabaga filling to help it stay together during folding samosa.
Samosa Pastry Dough:
- Rub the oil into the flour. This helps create a flaky texture, like short-crust pastry.
- Divide the pastry dough into balls, then cover with a plate to avoid drying them.
- Use a parchment-lined paper or silpat to roll out the dough.
- Make a glue by mixing some flour with water.
Ways to Serve Rutabaga Samosas
Tamarind Chutney:
- This sweet and tangy chutney beautifully complements the spiced filling of the samosas. Drizzle it on the side for dipping, or serve it in a small bowl for a vibrant touch.
Yogurt Mint Sauce:
- A cooling yogurt mint sauce pairs perfectly with the warmth of the samosas. To prepare, mix plain yogurt with finely chopped fresh mint, a sprinkle of salt, and a dash of lemon juice for an extra zing.
Ketchup:
- For a more casual option, serve the samosas with ketchup. The sweetness of the ketchup can balance the savoury spices, making it a favourite for those who prefer more straightforward flavours.
Salad:
- A fresh salad adds a refreshing crunch. To contrast the rich flavours of the samosas, consider mixing greens, diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions, dressed with a light vinaigrette.
Accompaniment to a Main Meal:
- Rutabaga samosas can serve as a delightful appetizer or side dish alongside a main meal, such as a curry. Their hearty nature makes them an excellent addition to any Indian-inspired dinner spread.
How to Store Rutabaga Samosa Filling
Refrigeration:
- Place your filling or samosas in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out or absorbing fridge odours. The filling will stay fresh for up to 5 days, and the samosas will stay in the fridge for 3 days.
Reheating:
- You can use the rutabaga filling straight from the fridge, but I sometimes let it come to room temperature so that it warms up quickly when wrapped and fried.
- When you’re ready to enjoy your samosas again, the best way to restore their crispy texture is to warm them up in the oven or air fryer. For optimal results, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). If using an air fryer, set it to about 350°F (175°C) and cook for a few minutes until they’re heated through and crispy.
Freezing:
- You can freeze your samosas or the filling for more extended storage. Place unbaked or fully baked samosas in a freezer-safe container. Ensure they are appropriately sealed to prevent freezer burn. Label the container with the date for reference. The Rutabaga filling and unbaked samosas can typically be frozen for up to 3 months, while baked samosas are best consumed within 1-2 months for optimal freshness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use fathead dough with this Rutabaga Samosa Filling?
Yes, I will soon have a fathead dough-style samosa pastry recipe on my blog with a delicious chicken keema-style filling—so yummy. Fathead dough can be a little fiddly, but once you have the equipment, you must assemble the samosas quickly.
Can I use a meat filling instead of Rutabaga?
Ensure the meat is ground like chicken or turkey and cooked through before filling your pastry. I do not eat beef, but many friends love beef samosas. Furthermore, you can use a potato filling, too, if you are not concerned about consuming too many carbs.
What are some low-carb pastry dough alternatives for Rutabaga Samosa Filling?
You can use fathead dough, which I use to make Mushroom Pinwheels. Furthermore, try this recipe with Ricotta Crepes, which I plan to experiment with as one of the options in my next samosa-related post. Alternatively, low-carb tortillas, such as the Orowheat brand, could also work. Let me know if you give any of these a try.
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Rutabaga Samosa Filling: Low Carb and Keto-Friendly
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups diced Rutabaga - about 1/2 medium rutabaga
- ½ cup diced red onion - about 1/2 medium onion
- ⅓ cup Peas - optional
- 1 tbsp Ginger - grated – about 1-inch or thumb size or 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- ½ tsp Cumin seeds
- ½ cup Water
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Chilli powder
- ½ tsp Cumin
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Sweetener - optional
Samosa Pastry Dough (optional)
- 1½ cups Wheat-Free or Gluten Free Flour - I used a fasting mix by Paras brand
- ¼ tsp Carom/Ajwain Seeds - optional
- ¼ tsp Baking Soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp Oil
- Warm water
INSTRUCTIONS
Rutabaga Samosa Filling
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the cumin and a couple of cinnamon sticks. As soon as they begin to sizzle, add the diced rutabaga and coat it in oil.
- Spread the rutabaga in a single layer at the bottom of the pan and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of water to cover the rutabaga completely, and cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. The rutabaga will turn a light orange colour.
- 3. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and cook the rutabaga until all the water has evaporated. Poke a sharp knife or toothpick into the pieces; if they are still firm, add more water and cook until soft. Once all the water has evaporated, push the rutabaga aside in the pan and add the onions and ginger. Cook for a couple of minutes until the onions become soft and translucent.
- Stir the rutabaga around to mix it with the onions and ginger, then add turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, and sweetener, if using. Reduce the heat a little so it doesn’t burn. If the middle of the pan starts to burn, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to loosen the residue stuck to the bottom.
- Mash the rutabaga a little with a fork or masher to make it thick and sticky. This helps the filling stay in place when folding your samosa. Switch off the heat, add the peas, and keep the filling covered to cook them through.
- Cool in the pan until ready to fill inside your choice of wrapper or pastry, or once cooled, transfer to a storage container and keep it in the fridge until needed.
Wheat Free / Gluten Free Dough
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the oil. Use your hands to rub the oil into the flour until it forms a grainy, sand-like texture. This step helps distribute the oil evenly, resulting in a crispy and flaky dough.
- Add two tablespoons of warm water and mix to form a dough. If it feels dry, add more water; if it is too wet, add more flour. The goal is to achieve a stretchy dough consistency.
- Shape the dough into a ball, cover it, and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Prepare your workspace by creating a clean surface for rolling out the pastry.
- In a small bowl, mix flour and water to make a glue and set it aside.
- Add flour to the work surface to prevent the dough from sticking while rolling.
- Divide the samosa dough into six pieces. Roll one ball out on the floured surface to form a roughly 6-inch diameter disc. Use a pizza cutter to divide the disc into two semi-circle sheets. Roll out each sheet slightly to elongate it into a long sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining dough balls until you have 12 pastry sheets.
RECIPE NOTES
Useful Tips
Rutabaga Filling:
- Dice the rutabaga into small pieces to cook faster.
- Cook the rutabaga first to soften before adding the spices.
- Add less water to keep the rutabaga filling dry.
- Mash or use a blender to mash some of the rutabaga filling to help it stay together during folding samosa.
Samosa Pastry Dough:
- Rub the oil into the flour. This helps create a flaky texture, like short-crust pastry.
- Divide the pastry dough into balls, then cover with a plate to avoid drying them.
- Use a parchment-lined paper or silpat to roll out the dough.
- Make a glue by mixing some flour with water.