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When it comes to holiday meals, I'm type-A (plan everything to the minute) cook. I have a schedule for every facet of the meal, to the point of where I have alarms in my phone. (In fact, I still have labels from last Thanksgiving. My morning alarm is called 'beans and stuffing' from last year's Thanksgiving.) For those of you who are a bit more relaxed in your meal planning, this rutabaga gratin is the best kind of holiday meal recipe. Place everything in the slower cooker in the morning and let it cook while the rest of the meal is prepared. It's rich, creamy, and the perfect addition to any holiday meal!
I love using holiday meals as a way to explore new recipes and ideas. This recipe is part of a three-recipe series focused on an easy, gluten-free Thanksgiving meal. The main dish is a beautiful radicchio salad that is not only delicious but beautiful in presentation (and vegan). The full meal includes:
Acorn Squash with Radicchio Lentil Salad
Pear Salad with Gorgonzola
Slow Cooker Rutabaga Gratin with Millet
Wine Pairing: Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier 2014 for the overall meal. With the Rutabaga Gratin, this surprisingly dry white wine cuts through the creamy richness of the gratin with bright notes of citrus and ripe honeydew melon.
A perfect slow cooker dish, this rutabaga gratin can be started before all your guest arrive and be ready to serve when the rest of dinner is ready.
Since this recipe is cooking for some time in the slow cooker, you want to pick vegetables, grains, and cheese that will hold up to heat throughout the cooking period. Millet is perfect for this rutabaga gratin because it becomes creamy while not fully losing its texture.
ROOT VEGETABLES: Try this gratin with sweet potatoes instead of rutabaga.
GRAINS: Can’t find millet? Swap it for another quick cooking grain such as quinoa (to keep it gluten-free) or bulgur or freekeh.
CHEESE: Change up your cheese flavors! Try this gratin with cheddar, swiss, or havarti instead.
Ever since the weather has turned cooler, I've been using my Crock-Pot® slow cooker three to four times a week. It's the perfect way to have dinner ready and get around the 'what's for dinner' question at 6:00pm. I'm also excited to really use the slow cooker to make holiday cooking a little easier from ideas like this rutabaga gratin or to keep mashed sweet potatoes warm!
Chipotle Black Bean Chili
Quinoa Black Bean Stuffed Peppers
See all Crock-Pot® slow cooker recipes >
Disclosure: This recipe was created in partnership with Crock-Pot® Brand and Mirum Shopper. All thoughts and opinions are my own. It's content like this that helps me keep this site running to provide the vegetarian recipes you see every week.
Hi Ella, what size crockpot do you use? Btw I'm going to have to pull people off the street for my thanksgiving because I just want to eat all of these dishes. Gluten free? vegan? vegetarian? No problem cmon in.
Hi Daniel! I have a 4pt crockpot- it's the perfect size for meals that serve 2 to 4 people.
Do you think this recipie would hold for 1 day? Thinking about making it on Sunday for a Monday night dinner to save some time.
I think that it would- the millet might soften but it would still be delicious!
Re-heating in the oven turned out great! Soft millet was a non-issue. Thanks so much!
I haven't tried the recipe, but I just wanted to say that I still have an alarm labeled "Take Tiropita from freezer".