Beets are super nutritious and a great way to add more vegetables to your diet, plus they are easy to make. If you don't know how, here is how to roast beets.
Beets are a love-hate vegetable. People seem to be either in the “dirt” camp (hate them) or the “earthy” camp (love them). Even though my husband hates them, I love them and often roast fresh beets for myself. I add roasted beets to salads or enjoy them as a side dish. They are so easy to make.
How to Roast Beets
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Trim the leaves and stems close to the top of the beet root, then scrub clean. Dry the beets with paper towels. Place a double thickness of heavy aluminum foil on the counter, place beets in the center, drizzle with oil ( I use olive oil) and wrap them into a tightly sealed packet.
Roast beets for 45-60 minutes or until you can pierce them through with a sharp paring knife. Timing will depend on the size of the beets. When the beets are tender, remove them from the oven and cool until you can handle them.
Use Food Gloves to Handle Beets
Beets have high staining power, so handle them with care. Wear a full cover apron and have paper towels handy. To remove the outer layer, rub the beets with paper towels until they are smooth.
If you have disposable food handler gloves, wear them to prevent your hands from staining. Buy a box on Amazon. I use gloves often when working with raw ground meat and high stain foods. They are so handy. If you don’t have gloves, scrub your hands with soap and water right away and most of the stain should come off.
Nutritious Beets
Beets are a good source of folate, magnesium, dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin C and other minerals. You can always find the deep purple-red beets, often golden beets and occasionally the eye-catching, red candy-striped Chioggia. Beets are also a detoxing veggie!
Serving Ideas: Salads or Side Dish
Cut the cooled beets into quarters and refrigerate them for 4-5 days. Add to salads or enjoy as a side dish. My favorite salad is roast beets on tossed greens with a light vinaigrette and a little goat cheese. Orange segments, a sprinkle of pine nuts and some fresh chopped mint leaves add beautiful color and flavor.
To serve roast beets as a side dish, sprinkle with fresh chopped chives and drizzle with a little good olive oil, salt and pepper. You can also make a vinaigrette with a little Dijon mustard to toss the beets with. The mustard is a great addition. Here is another salad idea for using roast beets, my kale salad with roast vegetables.
📖 Recipe
How to Roast Beets
Equipment
- Foil for roasting
Ingredients
- 6 small beets or 3 large ones red, gold or a combination
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees (204 C). Trim off the beet leaves and stems, if there are any. Scrub beets under running water and dry them well with paper towels.
- Place a double thickness of heavy aluminum foil on the counter, large enough to hold the beets. Place beets in the center, drizzle with oil, and wrap tightly. Place packet in the oven and roast until a sharp paring knife easily pierces the beets through to the center. Test beets at 45 minutes. Continue about 15 minutes longer if needed. Timing will depend on the size of the beets.
- Remove beet packet from the oven and cool. When cool enough to handle, unwrap and cut beets into quarters or smaller pieces. Beets will last 4-5 days, covered, in the refrigerator.
Jamie says
I start with the olive oil and salt then add a table spoon or two of Balsamic Glaze, it really brings out the sweetness of the beets.
Sally says
Agreed Jamie! The balsamic syrup is nice with the beets. If you eve need to make it try the recipe https://afoodcentriclife.com/strawberries-with-balsamic-reduction/
Michelle K says
Madonna, your comment really got me laughing; and I agree!
Very timely recipe Sally as I just this week got 2 batches of beets in my organic veggie box. It will be my first time roasting them, and I look forward to following your recipe and tips, thank you!
Debbie Burgess says
This is the way I do my beets. They are unbelievably sweet when roasted. I like your recipe, too.
Another yummy thing to do is saute the greens and plate them up with warm sliced beets over top. Dress with crumbled goat cheese and a drizzle of really good balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle some pepitas over the salad for a bit of textural contrast (crunch). There; you now have a Warm Beet Salad with Chevre and Balsamic Vinegar.
Madonna says
I always hated beets until I tasted them roasted. Now I love them with goat cheese. I had only known them as canned before and thought them inedible. The person that came up with the canning method has a lot of explaining to do. Thanks for another keeper.