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Cooking with Beets

April 01, 2013
Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Enjoy our favorite beet recipes for dishes with earthy flavor and great meaty texture.
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The Beauty of Beets

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Winter Salad with Roasted Beets and Citrus Reduction Dressing

Fresh beets offer great color, flavor, and texture, but preparing them can be intimidating. Use our beets guide for helpful prep tips and put this spring and fall vegetable to good use in a variety of yummy recipes.

First up is Winter Salad with Roasted Beets and Citrus Reduction Dressing. Don’t say you don’t like beets until you’ve tried them roasted. A tip for avoiding a horror scene in the kitchen: Use thin latex gloves to rub the skins off roasted beets hot from the oven so hands don’t get stained. This salad combines the glorious colors of red and golden beets with a tangy citrus dressing. The earthiness of the beets is a good contrast to the bright and bitter greens, too.

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Kale and Spinach Salad with Beets and Roasted Garlic-Citrus Vinaigrette

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Kale and Spinach Salad with Beets and Roasted Garlic-Citrus Vinaigrette

Filling half the plate with plants isn't as hard as you think. We make it easier with salty, crispy bacon—one piece is all it takes to elevate this bountiful bowl of fruits and vegetables.

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Kale and Beet Salad with Salmon

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Kale and Beet Salad with Salmon

White balsamic vinegar is slightly sweet; cider vinegar is tangier. Either will be delicious here. Canned salmon is an inexpensive, sustainable seafood option. Sub canned albacore tuna or 2 cooked salmon fillets.

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Spring Beet and Pea Salad

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Spring Beet and Pea Salad

Use your best olive oil to indulge both your veggies and your palate.

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Beets, Snow Peas, and New Potatoes with Garlic-Parsley Skordalia

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Beets, Snow Peas, and New Potatoes with Garlic-Parsley Skordalia
Skordalia is a traditional Greek garlicky puree enriched with potatoes, nuts, and bread. The skordalia base can be made up to 3 days ahead; stir in the yogurt just before serving. Skip bland crudités (baby carrots, celery sticks) and try earthy beets infused with cinnamon, red potato wedges, and crisp sautéed snow peas. In addition to a dip, you can use the skordalia as a spread for sandwiches or crostini.

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Roasted Beets with Dill

Photo: Christopher Testani
View Recipe: Roasted Beets with Dill

Here's a foolproof way to enjoy the earth's ruby gem. Tossed in lemon juice and sprinkled with dill, beets make a healthy, vibrant hummus topper.

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Afternoon Pick-Me-Up

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Afternoon Pick-Me-Up

Starting to slump? Snap out of it with this craveable combo of invigorating jalapeño, refreshing pineapple, and sweet beets, which naturally increase blood flow to the brain.

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Roasted Red and Golden Beet Salad

Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Roasted Red and Golden Beet Salad

This composed two-toned beet salad is a showstopping way to highlight the vegetable's natural beauty. We recommended dressing the red beets separately from the golden beets to preserve each one's rich jewel coloring (red beets aren't shy about spreading their natural beauty around).

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Whole-Beet Borscht

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Whole-Beet Borscht

We put a new twist on this hearty beet soup, using every part of the signature ingredient. Leafy beet greens take the place of borscht's traditional cabbage. You not only use the whole beet (less waste) but also get the most nutrition for your buck, as beet greens have nearly twice the fiber of other greens.

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Beet and Brown Rice Sliders

Photo: Nigel Cox
View Recipe: Beet and Brown Rice Sliders

If you roast beets for another recipe, make one or two extra to save a step in this slider recipe the next night. A seemingly unusual mix of flavors comes together well in a neat presentation that will wow your burger-loving guests.

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Potato-Beet Gnocchi

Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Potato-Beet Gnocchi

Using both the greens and the root of the beet is especially smart and nutritious. In this case, it also makes for beautiful presentation. Bull’s Blood is a favorite variety, grown sometimes as an ornamental in fall containers, though it’s entirely edible; Detroit Dark Red is one we’ve grown (to love) in the Cooking Light garden.

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Beet Wellingtons

Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Beet Wellingtons

Pair these sophisticated but earthy delights with a fresh spinach salad and a scrumptious tart for a complete vegetarian meal.

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Spiced Beet and Carrot Soup

Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Spiced Beet and Carrot Soup

This soup is tart, just sweet enough, and hearty, though not a protein powerhouse. If you want to pump up the protein, increase the walnuts or serve with a salad of greens, nuts, and goat cheese.

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Golden Beet, Greens, and Potato Torta

Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Golden Beet, Greens, and Potato Torta

Sophisticated, delicious, and worthy of a special occasion–make this tall, flaky pie the centerpiece for a family gathering.

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Beet Salad Pizza

Photo: José Picayo
View Recipe: Beet Salad Pizza

Golden beets adorn this pizza that's layered with arugula, crumbled goat cheese, and shaved Parmesan and prosciutto. Pre-made pizza dough provides a jump-start to this recipe–look for it at your local market.

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Beet, Blood Orange, Kumquat, and Quinoa Salad

Photo: Anna Williams
View Recipe: Beet, Blood Orange, Kumquat, and Quinoa Salad

This hearty grain salad featuring blood orange sections, beets, kumquats, and avocado is brimming with rich colors, textures, and nutrients from the vitamin- and protein-packed ingredients.

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Easy Pickled Beets

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Easy Pickled Beets

Just six ingredients go into this easy sweet-and-sour pickled beets side dish. Use a mix of red and golden beets, if you like.

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Roasted Beets with Jalapeño Cream

Photo: Johnny Miller
View Recipe: Roasted Beets with Jalapeño Cream

A creamy jalapeño dressing livens up earthy roasted beets. Seed the pepper for less heat.

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Rosé and Raspberry Pickled Beets

Photo: Johnny Miller
View Recipe: Rosé and Raspberry Pickled Beets

Well worth the wait, these pickled beets have an intense flavor and super sweet aroma.

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Roasted Beet Hummus

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Roasted Beet Hummus
The beet flavor (if not the color) in this dip is very subtle, with a nutty edge from walnuts and walnut oil and concentrated sources of fat and flavor. Pair with crunchy crudités.

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Spiced Pickled Beets

Photo: Anais & Dax
View Recipe: Spiced Pickled Beets

What a sweet addition to a summer veggie plate! Any kind of beets will work; we used golden ones for their lovely color. Although we love the softer flavor of white balsamic vinegar, you can also make this using 2 1/2 cups water mixed with 2 1/2 cups cider vinegar.

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Broccoli, Beet, and Pickled Onion Salad

Photo: Ryan Dausch
View Recipe: Broccoli, Beet, and Pickled Onion Salad

Pickled onions, feta, and capers add bright briny pop to an earthy beet and broccoli salad. Steam the broccoli while you are cooling and peeling the beets. Look for beets that are about 2 inches in diameter to match our steaming cook time. Don’t toss the broccoli stalks. They steam up even more tender and juicy than the florets.

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Marinated Beet Salad

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Marinated Beet Salad

Baby beets—both red and gold—are tossed in a creamy citrus dressing for a downright delicious dinner.

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Kale and Beet Salad with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Kale and Beet Salad with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

Together, hard-boiled eggs and walnuts give you the energy boost you need throughout the day. When you pair those two with pungent blue cheese and nutrient-dense kale and beets, you have one delicious, powerhouse salad.

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Shaved Yellow Beets and Mint

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Shaved Yellow Beets and Mint

Serve this colorful, healthier alternative to scalloped potatoes. The sweetness of the beets complements the cool flavor of fresh mint.

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Chocolate Velvet Beet Cake

Photo Courtesy of Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Chocolate Velvet Beet Cake
If you don't mention it, no one will ever suspect that this incredible chocolate dessert, with its smooth texture and rich flavor, is made with beets.

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Golden Beet Soup with Toasted Grains

Photo: Christopher Testani
View Recipe: Golden Beet Soup with Toasted Grains

Toasted amaranth adds a nutty flavor that's truly delicious; sesame seeds make a good substitute.

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Beet, Farro, and Watercress Salad with Fig Vinaigrette

Photo: Christopher Testani
View Recipe: Beet, Farro, and Watercress Salad with Fig Vinaigrette

Chock-full of naturally delicious ingredients like sweet, tender beets, crisp zucchini, chewy-tender farro, and crunchy almonds, this salad will quickly become your new go-to lunch this season. You can make it up to two days ahead; just leave out the watercress until shortly before serving.

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Quinoa, Smoked Trout, and Beet Salad

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Quinoa, Smoked Trout, and Beet Salad

Layering the elements of this flavor-bomb salad guarantees even distribution in every bite and makes for a lovely platter.

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Beet Hummus with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Beet Hummus with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

We love creating innovative hummus recipes, and Beet Hummus with Blue Cheese and Walnuts is no exception. This beautiful, crimson-colored dip is made with chickpeas, tahini, beets and garlic. 

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Smoked Barley, Beet and Grapefruit Salad

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Smoked Barley, Beet and Grapefruit Salad

This CL-perfected stovetop technique makes smoking food easier than ever (though the salad is still tasty if you choose not to smoke the grains), and smoke is such a fun flavor to apply to unexpected ingredients like barley. A sweet vinaigrette, earthy beets, and the intense citrus twang of grapefruit balance the robust smoky hit of the grains for a memorable salad. To make sure you're getting the whole-grain version of barley, look for hulled, and skip past pearled.

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Buttermilk-Beet Sherbet with Hazelnut Brittle

Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Buttermilk-Beet Sherbet with Hazelnut Brittle

If carrots can go into cake, there's no reason beets can't make their way into ice cream. It's a stunning dessert—absurdly delicious with a gorgeous magenta huge.

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Roasted Baby Beets and Blood Orange Salad with Blue Cheese

Photo: Kang Kim
View Recipe: Roasted Baby Beets and Blood Orange Salad with Blue Cheese

If blood oranges aren't available, substitute 3 large navel oranges to retain the same fresh flavor in this spring salad.

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Roasted Baby Beets with Creamy Goat Cheese Dip

Photo: Brian Woodcock
View Recipe: Roasted Baby Beets with Creamy Goat Cheese Dip

If using multiple colors of beets, roast the red ones separately to keep their color from bleeding into the others.

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Beet-Citrus Salad with Pistachios

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Beet-Citrus Salad with Pistachios

This is a fresh, bright, zero-effort side, thanks to precooked beets and precut fresh citrus. It makes a fine accompaniment to grilled salmon, pork, or chicken.

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Beets with Shallot Vinaigrette

Photo: Brian Woodcock
View Recipe: Beets with Shallot Vinaigrette

You can use red or golden beets. Try one of our variations: Beet and Blood Orange Salad; Beets with Couscous, Mint, and Almond; or Beets with Toasted Spices.

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Potato-Beet Gnocchi

Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Potato-Beet Gnocchi

Using both the greens and the root of the beet is especially smart and nutritious. In this case, it also makes for beautiful presentation. Bull’s Blood is a favorite variety, grown sometimes as an ornamental in fall containers, though it’s entirely edible; Detroit Dark Red is one we’ve grown (to love) in the Cooking Light garden.

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Crispy Root Vegetable Latkes with Beet Puree

Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Crispy Root Vegetable Latkes with Beet Puree

Incorporating potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, apples, and beets, these "kitchen sink" latkes have got it all. Get the latkes going first, and while they cook, puree the sauce.

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Beets with Walnuts, Goat Cheese, and Baby Greens

Photo: Nina Choi
View Recipe: Beets with Walnuts, Goat Cheese, and Baby Greens

If you're keeping kosher, you can have dairy before meat is served, so have this salad first, before the chicken soup or capon. You can roast the beets up to two days in advance. For a lovely touch, garnish with edible flowers.

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