What to Cook With Beets — Salads and Beyond
If you have a few beets sitting in the fridge, it's easy to turn them into lots of simple dishes — from salads to warm mains. Beets are handy because you can boil or roast them ahead of time and then just combine them with whatever you have on hand: nuts, garlic, cheese, beans. Below are eight tried-and-true ideas that come together even on a busy weeknight.
A small tip so you're not stuck at the stove for an hour. You can boil beets faster by cutting them into cubes — that takes 20-25 minutes instead of an hour for a whole one. And the easiest way to roast them is to wrap each beet in foil and put it in the oven at 180 °C for about 40-50 minutes, until the flesh gives easily to a knife. Roasted beets come out sweeter and more intense than boiled ones.
1. Vinaigrette salad
A classic worth starting with: boil beets, potatoes and carrots, dice them small, then add pickles, sauerkraut and green onion and dress with oil. The flavor turns out bright and a little tangy, with a pleasant firm texture from each vegetable. If you cook the vegetables ahead, the salad itself comes together in about ten minutes. This is one of those dishes that only gets tastier the next day.
2. Beet salad with garlic and walnuts
The fastest salad: grate boiled beets, add crushed garlic, a handful of chopped walnuts and a spoonful of sour cream or mayonnaise. The flavor is rich, with a sharp garlicky note and crunchy nuts inside the soft beet base. It takes literally five minutes if the beets are already boiled. Let it sit for a quarter of an hour and the flavor deepens.
3. Roasted beets
The least fussy dish of all: roast beets in foil until the flesh is tender, cut them into wedges and drizzle with oil and a drop of vinegar or lemon. Roasted beets are sweet and silky, with a slightly caramelized edge. Active work takes about five minutes — the rest is time in the oven. Serve them warm as a side or as the base for any salad.
Not sure what to put together from beets and a few other things in your fridge? abc-eat suggests specific dishes from exactly what you have — no sign-up needed.
Find a dish →4. Simplified borscht
A faster take on borscht: simmer a broth with potatoes and cabbage, separately braise grated beets with carrots, onion and a spoonful of tomato, then combine everything in the pot. The result is hearty, with a pleasant tang and a deep beet color. The simplified version takes about 40 minutes instead of the traditional two hours. Serve it with sour cream and fresh herbs.
5. Beet hummus (a spread for toast)
Blend boiled beets, a drained can of chickpeas, a spoonful of tahini (or just oil), garlic and lemon juice until smooth. You get a bright pink, creamy spread with a nutty-garlicky undertone. It comes together in a couple of minutes in the blender bowl. Spread it on toasted bread or serve it as a dip with vegetables and flatbread.
6. Beets with feta
A quick, striking dish: cut roasted beets into wedges, arrange them on a plate, crumble feta over the top and scatter on chopped nuts and herbs. The pairing of sweet beets and salty creamy cheese is one of the best, and the nuts add crunch. It comes together in five minutes if the beets are ready. Drizzle with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar and you have a dish you'd happily set in front of guests.
7. Braised beets
A simple warm side: grate beets on the coarse side, then braise them in a pan with onion, a spoonful of oil and a drop of vinegar under a lid for about 15-20 minutes. The flesh turns soft and slightly sweet, with a light tang that rounds out the flavor. If you like, stir in a spoonful of sour cream at the end for creaminess. It goes with meat, with grains, or simply with bread.
8. Beet fritters
Grate boiled beets, mix with semolina or breadcrumbs, an egg, garlic and salt, shape into patties and fry until golden. Inside they're soft and juicy; outside they're appealingly crisp, with a faintly sweet flavor. They take about 20 minutes to make, frying included. Serve them with sour cream or a garlic sauce.
Why beets are so handy
Beets are one of those foods that keep for a long time and always come in useful. You can boil or roast them ahead and spend a few days building different dishes from them — from salad to fritters — without repeating yourself. They get along with almost everything: garlic, nuts, cheese, beans, onion, so even half a beet rarely goes to waste.
If you'd rather not puzzle over what to make from what's left in the fridge every time, head to abc-eat and just list your ingredients — it will suggest fitting dishes with beets and everything else you have, and it won't ask you to register anything.