Recipe by Cyndi Ross
August 1997
from issue #10
As a cook, I am inspired by colors, so I find beets particularly exciting to work with. My favorite way to cook beets is to roast them, which gives a sweeter, richer, and deeper flavor than boiling does. Another advantage is that they don’t bleed as much, especially if they’re roasted whole. Incidentally, to get beet stains off your hands, wet them, rub them with coarse salt, then wash with soap.
To roast beets, I scrub them under cold water, rub them with vegetable oil, and sprinkle them with a little kosher salt. I roast them on a baking sheet at 350˚F. Small to medium beets take 30 to 60 minutes. You may want to cut large beets in half to shorten the baking time. When the beets can be pierced easily with a fork, they’re done. Once the beets are cool, the skins slip off easily.
I have no trouble finding ways to use leftover, cooked beets. In my beet vinaigrette, puréed cooked beets take the place of some of the oil, so this dressing has more nutrients and less fat than traditional vinaigrettes. The vibrant color really dresses up garden salads, pasta salads, and fish. One of my favorite salads is a mixture of greens topped with cubes of roasted beets, slices of tart green apple, and pats of goat cheese, all drizzled with sweet-tangy beet vinaigrette.
Beet greens and cubes of roasted beets, sautéed with olive oil and garlic, form the base of a quick and tasty sauce for pasta. Sometimes I go all out and make beet pasta, using 3 cups of flour, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. of salt, and 1⁄2 cup beet purée or grated raw beet, plus just enough water to make a pliable dough. This makes 11⁄2 lb. of hot pink pasta. Talk about color!
FAQs
To roast beets, I scrub them under cold water, rub them with vegetable oil, and sprinkle them with a little kosher salt. I roast them on a baking sheet at 350˚F. Small to medium beets take 30 to 60 minutes. You may want to cut large beets in half to shorten the baking time.
Is it better to peel beets before or after roasting? ›
As much as I adore Beet Salad, I rarely made it at home, because by the time I finished the beets, my hands, cutting board, and counter all were stained with telltale red juices. Then, I picked up a transformative piece of information: you do not need to peel beets when roasting.
Does roasting beets destroy nutrients? ›
Like many vegetables, the longer you cook beets—especially in water—the more the colorful phytonutrients leach out of the food and into the water. Retain the good-for-you nutrients in beets by roasting them or sautéing them instead. Or lightly steam them for just a few minutes, suggests Doyle.
What can you add to beets to make them taste better? ›
Flavors that pair well with roasted beets:
Arugula and other bold greens, including collard greens. Avocado. Balsamic vinegar, as well as red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar. Black pepper.
How do you roast beets without making a mess? ›
Time to get wrapping! Place each trimmed beet on a piece of foil that's big enough to wrap the beet up. Then, rub the beet lightly with a little olive or avocado oil; you don't need much, just a small coating. This will help the skins to slip off, ultimately, after roasting.
What is the tastiest way to eat beets? ›
You can use cooked beets in salads, to make hummus or to blend into smoothies. They can be diced for slaw, quartered for a grain bowl or mashed to make a dip or spread. Their thick and chewy texture is even great in a galette or quesadilla.
What is the best cooking method for beets? ›
Steaming in the oven rather than baking helps preserve more of the healthy vitamins and minerals in beets. This method also helps beets better retain their beautiful, vibrant color. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place prepped beets and 3 tablespoons to ¼ cup water in a shallow baking dish.
Do roasted beets raise blood sugar? ›
Beets may help lower blood sugar and insulin
Beets are rich in phytochemicals that have been shown to have a regulating effect on glucose and insulin in humans. A 2014 study investigated the effects of beetroot juice on blood glucose levels after eating.
What are the disadvantages of eating beets? ›
Possible Side Effects Of Beets
Oxalates are a type of anti-nutrient that can leach other nutrients out of your digestive system, and they come in relatively high quantities in beets. Combined with an unhealthy diet and lifestyle, those oxalates can even contribute to kidney stones.
Do roasted beets have a lot of sugar? ›
It's true that beets do have more sugars than many other vegetables—about 8 grams in a serving of two small beets. But that's hardly the same as getting 8 grams of sugars from a cookie. "Beets are high in fiber, which traps the sugar and slows its absorption into the bloodstream," Linsenmeyer says.
The compound that gives beets their characteristic flavor is called geosmin. Geosmin naturally occurs in beets and is more prominent in some varieties than others.
Does cooking beets make them sweeter? ›
Roasting beets gives them a sweeter, richer, and deeper flavor than boiling does. As a cook, I am inspired by colors, so I find beets particularly exciting to work with. My favorite way to cook beets is to roast them, which gives a sweeter, richer, and deeper flavor than boiling does.
Why do I feel better after eating beets? ›
Red beets contain a group of phytonutrients — betalains — which support detoxification by pushing toxins out of your body. Betalains also have anti-inflammatory properties which can help reduce the chronic inflammation in the body (Clifford, A. et al.
Is it better to roast or steam beets? ›
While roasting yields flavorful results, steaming beets makes their skin easier to peel off and makes them tender and more pleasant to eat.
Why not peel beets before roasting? ›
If there are no harmful chemicals on the exterior of your vegetables, there's no need to peel it off. Pesticide-free veggies just need to be scrubbed free of dirt. Some methods of cooking fare better than others for skin-on vegetables than others.
Do you cook beets with the skin on or off? ›
Size matters: tiny beets might be ready in 10 minutes where large ones might take up to 40. Keep checking whichever method you're using. Don't remove the beet skin before cooking. It's really not necessary and it's much easier to do so after cooking.
Can you eat roasted beets with the skin on? ›
Sometimes beets are peeled before cooking. They may also be scrubbed and cooked until tender with their skins on; the skins slip off fairly easily after cooling. (Some people are happy to leave the skins on; they are fine to eat.) You can also pickle cooked beets.
Why do you peel beets? ›
Most people do peel beets, because the skin is a bit unattractive and can be dirty even after a good scrub. But beet skins are rich in nutrients and perfectly fine to eat too.
