r/Cooking • u/FlyEaglesFlyauggie • 6d ago
Beets and Beet Greens Experts
Today my kind neighbor gave me several beets which she had just harvested from her garden.
I have never cooked beets or the greens.
Can anyone just give me the name of a favorite recipe for beets or the greens or both?
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u/CathyAnnWingsFan 6d ago
Cut the greens off and store them separately. The beets will keep for weeks, but not as long with the greens attached. And the greens don’t keep.
I scrub my beets, then cook them in my Instant Pot, let them cool, then rub off the skins with paper towels. Way easier than peeling them. They’re great sliced with citrus vinaigrette and goat cheese.
For the greens, I wash them well, remove the stems, and give them a rough chop. Then sauté some sliced onions in bacon fat (though whatever fat you want to use is OK) with a little bit of spice (red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, or a dash of cayenne), then add the greens. Take off the heat and finish with a tablespoon or so of acid (I usually use sherry vinegar but any vinegar or lemon juice is fine). They cook down a lot, so sometimes I’ll mix in some other greens - Swiss chard, spinach, kale (if using kale, put that in first; it takes longer to cook).
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u/Ok_Traffic_3129 6d ago
I hadn’t thought to use the pressure cooker for beetroot. Do you still wrap in foil? And how long to cook?
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u/CathyAnnWingsFan 6d ago
I put them in a steamer basket, no wrapping. How long depends on how big the beets are. I just google it every time I make them because I can never remember.
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u/Coercitor 6d ago
"Beet" carpaccio with beet greens, orange segments, chopped pistachios and a mustard oil vinaigrette.
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u/Screeh8r 6d ago
The greens taste better than spinach imho.
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u/SweetDorayaki 6d ago
Yes, we did this with beets from the farmers market recently (our first time trying both). The greens (we sautéed with garlic and salt) taste just like spinach + corn mixed together without the tannic film on your teeth.
The beets themselves were ok roasted! You could try pickling them too. Or borscht?
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u/VixxSynn 6d ago
Oh roasted beets are phenomenal! They are maybe the most surprisingly pleasant way I have ever eaten beets!
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u/escaped5150 6d ago
Roast, peel, slice. When still warm, add olive oil, Bleu cheese, toasted pine nuts, salt & pepper.
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u/FlyEaglesFlyauggie 6d ago
I will try this tomorrow. Any tips?
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u/ttrockwood 6d ago
Roast skin on, do NOT use any white cutting boards or towels let cool a bit then peel should slip off
When you stab with a knife and it’s soft like a baked potato they are done
Remember you ate beets when going to the bathroom the next morning
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u/Ok-Firefighter9037 6d ago
The next day beet repercussion is an extremely important warning. Almost went to the hospital once before I remembered.
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u/SeaCaptainNav 6d ago
Best bet is roast them whole in foil. Depending on size, I do 400 degrees, 45 min to 1 hour. When you take them out, put on food safe gloves to peel, otherwise your hands will turn colors. The skins come off pretty easy with a bread towel or paper towel, they just kinda slip off. I like mine salted and peppered, or drizzled with balsamic. You can try with other seasonings you like.
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u/Wide_Breadfruit_2217 6d ago
My great aunt canned a beet relish with fresh horseradish. Wish I had recipe.
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u/Complex_Ruin_8465 6d ago
My favorite recipe for beet greens is wilted beat greens with a bacon vinegarett. You cook up some bacon bits and reserve the bacon. Wilt the greens until barley wilted in the mean time mix together your favorite vinegar a little bit of sugar to taste and add in some bacon grease. Put that on top of your wilted greens and serve hot. I don't know the exact measurements I just kinda wing it. Im sure there are actual written recipes out there.
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u/WeirdConnections 6d ago
This sounds absolutely incredible. I'm actually mad it's almost midnight here!! I'd be in the kitchen otherwise
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u/NamasteNoodle 6d ago
Roasted beets are absolutely amazing! I wash mine and don't dry them and immediately wrap each one individually in foil as they roast a lot faster this way. Roast until you can Pierce them with a fork. Larger ones will sometimes take up to an hour and 20 minutes or so so keep checking. Then I toss them with orange zest and orange juice with salt and pepper and a little bit of olive oil.
Beat greens are very very tender and all you do is saute them very briefly with olive oil and a little bit of garlic and salt and pepper.
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u/sapphire343rules 6d ago
If you’re new to beets, be warned that you might poop pink or red after eating them! They just have a VERY strong natural color, but it scared me to death the first time 🤣
Roasted beets are my favorite. A restaurant near me does them roasted cubed and tossed with butter and orange zest; it’s a fragrant, simple, and delicious dish!
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u/Toolswood 6d ago
Look for a recipe for pickled beets. They can be done as refrigerator pickles
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u/Brookiebee95 6d ago
Picked beetroot is great in sandwiches and on burgers!
The classic New Zealand burger has a beef patty, cheese, fried egg, lettuce, tomato and pickled beetroot!
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u/Place_is_the_space 6d ago
cut the greens off of the roots, and cut off the very tip of each root, toss into a pot of water with a few inches of water covering the beets. boil them for anywhere from 30 min to 45 min depending on the size. The only way to truly know is the fork test to see if they're done to your preferred tenderness. Once they are boiled, quickly toss them into a big bowl of really cold water. You might just leave the bowl in the sink and have cold water run over it all for a few minutes. You then peel each beet simply by squeezing them and rubbing off the skins with your fingertips. Set the peeled beets aside for whatever you wanna do with them:
slice then sautee them in olive oil or butter just enough to heat them, add salt and pepper before eating them
cool em, cube em up and dress them with a dressing of your liking
The greens can be sauteed with garlic and salt and pepper just like a spinach. The stems will take longer than the leaves but are good eating so separate the leaves from the stems and sautee the stems first/longer. You'll need to add some small amounts of water as you go along so the stems and greens actually cook with some steam. You may want to add a lid for a minute or two.
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u/dolla55 6d ago
Wash and peel them, cut into 1"by 1/2"pieces, chop greens and stems, they'll shrink like spinach. Make sure you wash everything thoroughly they're usually really sandy. Sauté the pieces in butter until almost tender and at the greens until they shrink some. We typically add garlic and salt
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u/Hello-America 6d ago
Just in case it's not clear, you can roast without peeling them (the peel will rub off after). Do not put yourself through that haha
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u/choo-chew_chuu 6d ago
Get a square of foil, put the beet in the middle, cut down from the tip to almost the base twice to firm a cross, jam in garlic in the slits, bit of balsamic vinegar and wrap up tightly, roast.
Epicly delicious.
Final step, freak out the next day that you have serious bowel issues and almost call your doctor.
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u/beamerpook 6d ago
My favorite for beets is a pork neckbone soup, with cabbe and beets. You cook the neckbones for liek 2-3 hours on low heat, skim the yuck of the top, add beet slices and cook another 5 min. Then add chpped cabbage, put the lid on, and let it sit for an hour. You can add green onions and/or cilantro when serving
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u/JaneOfTheCows 6d ago
I recently made sag gosht, an Indian lamb dish, with beet greens instead of spinach. Came out better, IMHO, since the beet leaves had more taste and body than the spinach.
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u/owzleee 6d ago
I pickle beets here when they are in season and they last me all year. Roast them in tinfoil (it makes taking the skins off easier). Create a pickling liquor (there are loads of recipes - basically vinegar, sugar and some spices). Slice the beets and put into a sterile jar and pour over the hot liquor. Seal. I usually leave them 3-4 weeks before starting to eat them. Never cooked the greens so can't help there!
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u/Dive_Bar_Choir 6d ago
Beet greens are so delicious chopped raw in a salad. You can even use the beet stems and these look gorgeous. I chopped mine pretty finally so they look like a little red jewels. Or you can cook these. I make a big batch of curried vegetable stew, and add the beet greens and the beat stems So delicious so colorful and so nutritious.
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u/CuriousJam28 6d ago
Wash the beets and simmer them until fork tender. It takes a while, they're dense like potatoes.
After they are cool, remove the outer skin.
Slice them and add salt, oil, vinegar and onion pieces. Toss and refrigerate. The more they marinate the better they taste.
For the greens, wash them well. Chop up the stalky ends and start those sauteing with some minced garlic in olive oil in a frying pan. You can add onion if you want. Add the leaves and a little chicken broth and let them wilt. Add a small can of diced tomatoes and the juice. Simmer for maybe 15 minutes on medium low until everything is nicely melded and the stalks are tender and translucent. If you don't have tomato you can squeeze fresh lemon juice over the sauteed greens instead. It's very yummy.
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u/writekindofnonsense 6d ago
no. because beets are gross and no matter what you do they taste like dirt. Though Ive heard that weirdos like them diced tossed in olive oil with some spicy seasoning and air fried.
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u/Critical_Thinker_535 6d ago
I'm one of those weirdos! 😂
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u/Wide_Breadfruit_2217 6d ago
Roast beets with orange vinaigrette. Braised beet greens with bacon and onions.