Steamed or Roasted Beets and Beet Greens With Tahini Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to steam or roast beets? ›

While roasting will certainly yield flavorful results, we're fans of steaming beets. "Steaming beets softens them, making them tender and more pleasant to eat," says Jess Damuck, food stylist and author of the cookbook Salad Freak!

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.

To steam beets, place in a steamer above 2 inches water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cover. Turn down heat to medium. Steam small and medium beets for 30 minutes and large beets for 40 minutes, until you can pierce the beet to the middle with a knife or skewer.

second method of cooking beets-steaming

First, run under cool water to scrub away any dirt and pat dry. Trim off the top stalk and any root. You can save the greens for later and sauté like spinach! For steaming, you will want to cut them in half, or even quarters depending on the size of your 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.

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.

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.

Simple Oven Roasted Beets (No Peeling Required!)

Scrub and trim your beets. Preheat your oven to 400°F / 200°C. Rub the beets in olive oil, then wrap each beet tightly in foil. Transfer the wrapped beets to the prepared baking sheet and roast until completely tender when pierced with a knife,45 to 60 minutes.

When the fork goes through easily and the inside is tender, the beets are done cooking.

Betalains are highly concentrated in the peel and flesh of the beet, however, beets do undergo a steady loss of nutritional value with heat, so to get the most betalain benefit, beets should be steamed for no more than 15 minutes, if at all.

Can you eat beet greens? ›

Well, beetroot leaves are not only edible and safe to eat. They're delicious! Scrumptiously sweet, silky and tender, these leafy greens are hard to beet when it comes to taste and texture.

My favorite way to cook beets is to roast them, which gives a sweeter, richer, and deeper flavor than boiling does. Another advantage is that they don't bleed as much, especially if they're roasted whole. Incidentally, to get beet stains off your hands, wet them, rub them with coarse salt, then wash with soap.

Yes, you can. It's completely safe to drink water that has been used to boil beetroots. Why can't I eat them raw? Actually, beets can be eaten raw, especially when grated or made into a salad.

Essentially, if your aim is to preserve nutrients, light steaming is the way to go, but the thing is, flavour and enjoyment play a major part in food, too. “If roasting vegetables means you enjoy them more, then by all means roast them,” Hope says.

Roasting beets deepens their natural sugars while tempering bitterness. Bake whole, wrapped beets at 400°F for 60-75 minutes until easily pierced by a fork. Allow to cool before peeling and juicing. Incorporating roasted beets creates a smoother, mellower, almost nutty-flavored blended juice.

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.