How to Cook Beets
For a quick and easy appetizer, try Roasted Red Beet & White Bean Hummus. It’s like a nutritional powerhouse dip that you can serve with veggies or tortilla chips.
Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges and Walnuts might seem like a weird combination, but I promise, it is delicious. This cold salad on a warm day is a perfect side dish.
Grated Raw Beet Salad is an easy way to whip up a side dish with minimal prep work.
If you want to taper down the “beet” flavor try mixing it with potatoes. This Roasted Beet, Potato, and Walnut Salad does an amazing job of combining all of the flavors.
If you have have extra here are a couple of tips for ways to use them up or preserve them:
How to Use Beets
The great thing about beets is that they store reaaaallly, reaaaally well. So, preserving them becomes just about storing them in a way that they won’t go bad before the next growing season comes around and you can replenish your stocks. I’ve written an entire post on storing them, so just clickety-click on the link above to find out the details.
Can them. Pickled beets are basically awesome. They are easy to make, but be aware, you need to let them sit in their jars for about 2 months before cracking them open to get all of the flavors to come out.
Freeze them. This is a great option if you want to roast them in meals throughout the winter. To freeze them, just trim the tops, cook them in boiling water for about 30 minutes–a little longer if they are larger beets. Then peel them {remove the stem and tap root if you haven’t already}, then slice or cube them.
Lay them out on a cookie tray flat to freeze {that way they don’t stick together}. Once they are frozen all of the way through, put them into freezer safe bags and store them in the freezer until you are ready to eat ’em up.
Make dehydrated beet chips. Want to healthify your chips? Beet chips are the way to go. Just wash the beets really well, cut off tops and roots, then slice them. The food processor works best if you have one. Then, toss them in a little olive oil and salt {or whatever seasonings float your boat} and lay them flat on dehydrator trays {or cookie sheets if using the oven}.
Let them dry for about 10-12 hours. If you are using the oven, do the same at 140 degrees. When you are done, store them in an airtight container.
How about YOU, what is your favorite way to enjoy beets?
~Mavis
Kayla says
Try mashed, cooked beets with pureed strawberries. Dehydrate and make fruit leather. It makes the leather really red and my kids happily eat it.
Lisa L says
I love Beets! And I do think they taste like dirt, but it a good way. Earthy and real.
GBMAXX says
Today I love beets. For over forty years I hated beets, because all I ever had was those crapy canned beets as a kid. Yes they tasted like dirt and something worse! They my lovely wife and I went out for an anniversary dinner while we were in Pittsburgh. I ordered a salad with dinner and it came sliced roasted beets drizzled with olive oil. From that moment on, I have been hooked on their earthy goodness. I love beets, but there pretty pricy around here.
Amanda @ centsiblyrich says
I usually pickle the beets, but didn’t want to take the time with my latest round, so I just boiled and sliced them, then I cooked an onion in butter until translucent and added the cooked sliced beets with a little salt and pepper. My daughter who “hates” beets ate them this way.
Dawn says
I make a warm beet salad with roasted sweet potatoes, pecans, bacon, brussels sprouts, goat cheese and a balsamic drizzle.
Rosemary says
I make pickled beets and I love putting them on a salad. My hubby loves them now too! When we were first married, he said that he didn’t like beets. But then he tried my picked beets, and he has been eating them ever since. I like them as a side dish also. (I even like the canned beets!)
Honeybee says
Hello Mavis, The link for the roast red beat and white bean hummus recipe did not work for me. PLEASE post that recipe I would like to make it.
Anna
Honeybee says
Oh my goodness-that would be beet not beat
Angela W says
https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/easy-appetizers-roasted-red-beet-white-bean-hummus/
Claudia says
Yes I tried to open it and it went straight to pickled beets!
Does anyone have the recipe?
Angela W says
https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/easy-appetizers-roasted-red-beet-white-bean-hummus/
Heidi N. says
https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/easy-appetizers-roasted-red-beet-white-bean-hummus/
Kat says
Me too
Linda says
Love picked beets and doing yourself is awesome!
Angela W says
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
2 medium beets, roasted
1 15 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained {thanks Mrs. Hillbilly!}
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
After you have scrubbed and peeled your beets, cut them in half and toss with a wee bit of salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast beets in the oven until tender {about 45 minutes}.
Place cooled beets, peeled garlic, lemon juice, beans, olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper in a blender {or food processor} and blend until nice and smooth.
Serve with fresh vegetables or fancy crackers.
Melissa says
We grow beets mostly year round. My favorite way to use them is by making beet kvass. Delicious and so good for your gut and liver.
Kayla says
A friend of mine has a nightshade allergy and can’t eat tomatoes. So, we make NoMato (No toMato) paste, sauce, even ketchup all with beets and carrots as the base.
I like the NoMato ketchup and enjoy it as a dip with all kinds of stuff. The NoMato sauce and some roasted sliced eggplant (instead of lasagna noodles) makes an amazing lasagna too. It makes me think of Mavis’ Butternut squash lasagna. Yum!
Erin says
Hi Mavis, your feed stopped working in Feedly for some reason. I thought you may want to know. “Companion Planting” was the last post to come through. Thanks! PS – I’m moving to Maine this month! Eeek! Dream come true!