How to Roast Beets | Roasted Beets Recipe | Gastronomy (2024)

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Recipe

20Oct 2009

Roasted Beets

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  • Recipe
  • Side Dish
  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegetarian

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How to Roast Beets | Roasted Beets Recipe | Gastronomy (1)

Ever since tasting my first beet at Greens Restaurant in San Francisco during the summer of 2005, I’ve ordered them time and again whenever they appeared on a restaurant’s menu. Beets are so naturally sweet and appealing that most places prepare them very simply, with rich crumbles of goat cheese and a light vinaigrette. Every time I dug into one of these minimally fussed salads, I thought of how easy it would be to replicate the dish at home. I finally tried my hand at preparing beets in my own kitchen last week, and not only was it gloriously easy, but my hands weren’t the least bit stained.

This recipe for roasted beets comes from the most popular cookbook in my home, the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. When buying beets, look for bunches of uniformly sized beets so that they will roast for the same amount of time. If the beets are different sizes, remove the smaller ones from the oven as they become tender. Use this basic recipe as a starting point; the variations (Think: cheeses, herbs, nuts, vinegars) are deliciously endless.

  • 4 medium beets (1 pound), greens discarded and scrubbed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

How to Roast Beets | Roasted Beets Recipe | Gastronomy (2)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the beets individually in foil (photo 2) and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until a skewer can be inserted easily into a beet, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove the beets from the oven, open the foil packets, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. To peel, cradle a roasted beet in several layers of paper towels in your hands and gently rub off the skin (photos 3 and 4).

Slice the beets 1/4 inch thick, then toss with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

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  1. perfect! i was looking for how-to for beets this evening and here you are… thanks cathy.

  2. Yum! I can’t wait to roast my own beets… and then toss them with some quinoa! 😉

  3. roasted beets are great and so easy, buying from a can is not even an option. even fresh raw beets, thinly sliced is great too

  4. BEETS…I love them so much, especially roasted. I could eat a whole bowl plain, but they are also really good in a quinoa salad with feta and mint. (Tell Diana!) In the summer I also got into making a raw beet salad, just shredded and and tossed with lemon juice, salt and pepper. So easy and refreshing! Roasty beets are more autumnal though.

  5. I love beets & burrata!

  6. Food confession: I hated beets as a child when my mom made it. I find the sweetness out of place. Now, I try to give it a chance. I wouldn’t say I love it, but I can tolerate it!

  7. I guess beets are not big in Viet cuisine, so I was also a late beet eater. Awesome in salads … a little burrata, some greens … yum!

  8. Alejandro won’t eat beets. He swears he doesn’t like them, but I think he just hasn’t had them prepared the right way. I bet he would love this!

  9. Oh, what a nice *clean* way to prepare beets! I never was a fan but after trying a roasted one at a restaurant, yeah, that was rather good. Will try this!

  10. I love beets, too (good to know it’s a big crowd of beet-lovers here). When I roast them I scrub off the skins under running water. It washes them away and keeps my hands from being stained. You can also let them cool and just plop the foil packs in the fridge for a couple of days, getting them out as necessary.

    Once, for a party, I made a huge platter of gorgeous beets: yellow, striped, pink, deep blood red. No one ate them but me! Wah.

  11. No, No, No! Do not discard the greens of the beets – if the truth were known, there is more nutrition in them than in the beet roots! And they are delicious!

  12. I love beets prepared that way (with goat cheese and vinaigrette) and have been seeing them in the markets… greatly inspiring post!

  13. LOVE beets! The more simple, the better. And Logan does the beet greens in a risotto – turns everything agreeably pink!

  14. I love beets!!! I ate a lot of it growing up, they didn’t seem to be too popular in the states until recent years! which is awesome!

  15. Pingback: Valentine Week Begins: ‘My Heart Beets for You’ Roasted Beet Salad Recipe « Apron Strings

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How to Roast Beets | Roasted Beets Recipe | Gastronomy (2024)

FAQs

How to roast beets Bobby Flay? ›

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat beets lightly with oil. Wrap beets in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven until cooked through, approximately 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, and then peel and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.

What is the best cooking method for beets? ›

Steaming beets is a healthful cooking method because they retain most of their vitamins and minerals—they're not boiled out in water—and stay incredibly vibrant. Plus, steaming small beets or beet quarters is quick and easy for weeknights.

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.

Why not peel beets before roasting? ›

No need to peel before or after baking. The skin, which is perfectly edible, just seems to disappear during the baking process. The trick to pan-roasted beets is to drop the temperature a bit. I always roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and pretty much all the other veggies at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

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 put vinegar in beets? ›

Pickled beets are roasted, skinned, and fresh beets that are covered in a hot, sweet, and salty vinegar brine to help preserve their shelf-life. The incredible flavors that come from the combination of sweet, earthy beets and brine are nothing short of delicious.

Should beets be washed before cooking? ›

Wash beets thoroughly under cool running water. Do not use soap. Keep beets away from raw meats and meat juice to prevent cross contamination.

Do you have to peel beets before cooking? ›

TIPS FOR cooking beets

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. Some also find that removing the skin prior to cooking takes away some of the beet's earthy test.

What pairs well with beets? ›

Looking for a quick answer? The best side dishes to serve with beets are steamed vegetables, green beans, salad Nicoise, goat cheese dip, radish chips, potato rosti, zucchini noodles, roasted asparagus, quinoa salad, crispy kale chips, hummus, sautéed spinach, feta and watermelon salad, and corn on the cob.

How do you keep roasted beets from bleeding? ›

If you have some on hand, add a little lemon juice (1-2 tsps) to the pot. The lemon juice will keep the beets from bleeding so they will look extra bright after they are cooked!

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 brings out the flavor of beets? ›

Pair them with bright, fresh flavors- By adding vinegar, lemon juice, fresh herbs, tangy cheese or yogurt to your dish, you will help balance the flavor. This is why you commonly see roasted beets and goat cheese together.

Why do I feel better after eating beets? ›

Beets are high in fiber, which is great for digestive health. They also can help your heart. "Many people might not think that beets are a heart-healthy food, but, actually, beets contain a high level of nitrates, which have a blood pressure-lowering effect," says Guy.

How do you cook beets for maximum benefits? ›

Roast Them

Roasting is an overall healthy cooking method with minimal vitamin loss, particularly vitamin C. Roasted beets are rich and sweet with slight mineral flavors. Remember to avoid long cooking times and high temperatures, as these can reduce nutrients. Try using smaller bulbs if you want to prepare them faster.

How do you keep beets from bleeding when roasting? ›

Leaving the stem will stop the whole roasted beets from bleeding as much while they roast. You can also trim the pointy end of the beets, too. Wash the beets well, using a scrubbing brush to scrub away any dirt. There's no need to dry them afterward.

Are oven roasted beets good for you? ›

Health benefits of beets include more stamina during exercise, heart disease and stroke prevention, and lower blood pressure. You can roast, grate, or put them into soups and salads. If you're prone to kidney stones or gout, avoid beets or limit how much you eat.

How do you peel beets for roasting? ›

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. If easier, you can use a spritz of olive or avocado oil spray.

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