Roasted Red Beets
This recipe is so simple it doesn’t need to be a blog post. Really. In the time it takes you to read this, you can have your beets prepped and in the oven ready to go. Not a beet fan? No?
Are you used to canned beets? (I love them no matter how they come, but not my first choice). Used to seeing a pan of boiled, red water and big red lumpy vegetables? Remind you of eating dirt?
Well, if that is your backstory with beets, I get it. I do. I spent a long part of my life not a fan of beets, at all. As in, no thank you-big smile but inward cringe, not a fan.
That is, until…the beautiful art of roasting root vegetables came into my life.
How did I NOT know that these perfect little ruby jewels are sweet and seductive in color and texture?
Roasted Beets
Do they still taste like the earth? A little. Somehow eating roasted beets makes me think of Willa Cather, and My Antonia. Or, Little House on the Prairie, in that book where they make firewood out of hay. It’s the book lover in me. I link food and literature. But it is true. The earthy-ness of beets is what makes them so good. It isn’t a crunchy leaf of romaine, it isn’t a sweet snap of a carrot. It is a beet. Bring it.
To make this recipe you simply cut off the greens, take the tips off (I do this because it is easier to peel later and sits up better in the foil packet.
Then, making a little pouch of foil, you encompass the beet. You can do more than one per foil package, but part of the beauty of this recipe is it roasts- not steams. So overcrowding can throw of the moisture ratio.
Roasted Beets in Foil
Drizzle olive oil over the beet, sprinkle sea salt (or kosher salt) and put them in the oven at 350* Now walk away.
Roasted Red Beets
You will smell them when they are ready. Usually this is around an hour, maybe more. This is the perfect Sunday meal prep type of thing. A sheet pan of beets, a sheet pan of butternut squash or cauliflower, and you are good to go.
Allow the beets to cool and then with a paring knife, slip the outer layer of the beet off. This is a fast process. It is also potentially messy – beets stain. This could be a fun activity, or an un-fun activity depending on your stress level. I embrace it. And wear old clothes. It shouldn’t look like a blood bath, but be quick about wiping up surfaces, etc.
Now, what to do with these gorgeous beauties?
I eat them as is, cold, sliced, on top of salad (think baby spinach, sliced pears, roasted beets and some sort of amazing cheese), as a side dish, warmed or cold, tossed in balsamic vinegar with orange sections and red onion, paired with cucumbers and tomatoes, it is limitless. These babies also pack a nutritional punch – so it’s not only delicious, it is good for you.
Now, will I have converted the masses to the love of beets, maybe? Maybe not. But, before you rule them out of your pantry forever, try roasting them. You won’t be disappointed.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!
Chrissy
Click below for a printable recipe!
PrintRoasted Beets with Olive Oil and Sea Salt
Roasted Beets have a delicious flavor with olive oil and sea salt!
Ingredients
- two bunches of red beets
- olive oil
- sea salt (I love Himalayan pink sea salt)
Instructions
- Remove tops and greens from red beets and scrub to remove any dirt or debris
- Wrap in foil packets, leaving room at the top open for steam to escape
- Drizzle olive oil over each beet.
- Sprinkle sea salt over the top of each.
- Roast in 350* oven for an hour to 75 minutes.