From ruby red to swirled Barbie-pink to warm buttery yellow, beets are one of the most vividly beautiful vegetables imaginable.
People have been enjoying this colorful root—packed with antioxidants, vitamins A and C, folic acid, and minerals—since Roman times (in fact, the name comes from the Latin word “Beta”). In the Middle Ages, beets were thought to be beneficial for the blood and digestion, and were prescribed as medicine. Modern studies somewhat support these claims, suggesting that beets might help lower your blood pressure, improve brain health, boost your libido, and even help you run faster.
Beets grow well in cool climates, and need to be harvested before the first frost, after which they store well through the winter, like most root vegetables. But the best moment for beets to bring a sweet splash of color to our tables anytime the inclination and inspiration strikes.
Raw beets should be scrubbed well, and peeled before being used in dishes. They can be eaten raw, roasted, steamed or boiled. As long as the leaves are still perky and crisp when you buy the beets, they’re edible, too; try adding them to salads, or steaming them just as you would spinach.
The shortest way from farmers market to dinner is probably beet slaw. This recipe from Lexis' Clean Kitchen combines grated raw beets with raisins and honey to draw out the vegetable’s sweetness, with apple cider to add zing and acid.
Bon Appetit’s hearty barley salad also uses raw beets—golden ones, this time—to lend a crunchy texture, along with fennel and chopped toasted almonds. Fresh mint brings a summery twist to a traditionally “wintery”vegetable.
Most beetroot recipes involve cooking the beets, then peeling away the tough outer skin. At first, this can seem like a barrier to entry—imagine all that mess! However, try it once and you’ll soon discover, that it’s not a big deal at all. This roasted beet salad from Ina Garten takes you back to basics. Each beet is roasted individually in a foil package. The steam makes the skin easy to peel once cooked, and balsamic vinegar brings out the natural caramel of the beets, while tangy goat cheese works as a foil to cut through the sweetness.
You’ve got the hang of roasting beets? Why not try putting them in a risotto, where the vegetable really has a chance to shine?
If you’re looking for a show-stopping appetizer, you won’t go wrong with a beet spread and crudités. Simply Recipe’s straightforward beet hummus brings a splash of brightest purple to the table, while Yotam Ottolenghi’s za'atar-spiced beet dip with goat cheese and hazelnuts uses Greek yogurt pureed with beets to create a light, tangy dip that’s sunset-pink.
Of course, the classic preparation for beets is pickled.This is the perfect way to take advantage of the fall harvest season and shore up provisions for the long winter ahead. Alton Brown’s recipe will convince you that pickles are absolutely something you can make yourself, and they taste so much better than anything you could buy in the store. Rosemary adds an fresh forest aroma, and tarragon vinegar brings out the earthy, herbal side of beets.
Step into a different flavor profile with Chowhound’s recipe for Indian-style beets fried with curry leaves. Chili, turmeric and mustard seeds all work as a spicy foil to the richness of the vegetable. Serve in a purple heap over rice.
Though beets have a slightly earthy flavor, they can also be used in desserts. Genius Kitchen’s beet cake is a gorgeous vivid scarlet, while Bon Appetite’s recipe for beet panna cotta uses Meyer lemon cream to cut through the sweetness of beets, and brighten up the taste.
No beet round up would be complete without borsch, the classic Eastern European beet soup, spiced with cumin, coriander seed and caraway. The sour cream is not optional: you know you want to.
