My husband lurvs beets, so whenever they show up in my CSA box, I always prepare them using Alice Water’s recipe for lightly pickled beets from Chez Panisse Vegetables. Me? I’m not a super fan of beets, but this recipe works so well that even I will happily down a few – and not just so I can change the color of my pee to a pretty shade of red. These beets are tasty! (Hey! Wanna make beets faster in an Instant Pot? Check out this new post!)
Here’s what I gathered to serve 4 people:
- 6-7 medium sized beets (try to shoot for the same size so they’ll cook for the same amount of time)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Balsamic vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil
Here’s how I made them:
After preheating the oven to 400°F…
…I washed and trimmed the beets, removing the beet greens, leaving about a ½-inch of the stems.
I also trim the roots by snipping off the ends.
Next, I placed the beets in a single layer in a baking dish…
…and added an inch of water.
Then, I covered the container with aluminum foil (a heat-safe lid will work, too)…
…and popped it in the oven for about an hour…
…until the beets were easily pierced with a knife.
If you have little beets, 45 minutes in the oven may be enough; on the other hand, bigger beets may take up to 75 minutes. If I’m cooking beets of different sizes at the same time, I’ll take the smaller ones out earlier and let the larger ones cook longer rather than baking two separate batches ’cause that’s a pain in the keister.
I let the beets cool before I sliced off the tops and peeled off the skin and long tails.
Then, I chopped them into bite-size pieces and seasoned them with salt, pepper, and a liberal splash of balsamic vinegar.
I marinated the beets for at least 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. Before serving, I add a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil. (Per Ms. Waters, if you add the oil too soon, the vinegar won’t penetrate the beets properly and they won’t taste as good. So don’t dress with olive oil until you’re ready to eat!)
These beets are yummy eaten as is or thrown into a bunch of composed salads. You can store them in the fridge for up to a week. Don’t be alarmed if your poop and pee turn pink. You don’t have a kidney infection or a GI bleed – it’s just another stupid human trick.
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Marinated Roasted Beets
Ingredients
- 6-7 medium sized beets try to shoot for the same size so they’ll cook for the same amount of time
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Balsamic vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle.
- Wash and trim the beets so the stems are about ½- inch and the roots about 2 inches or less.
- Place the beets into a single layer in a baking dish and add an inch of water. Cover the container with a heat-safe lid (or aluminum foil) and pop it in the oven for about an hour or until the beets are easily pierced with a knife (~45 minutes for the little ones, ~75 minutes for the big ones).
- Cool the beets before slicing off the tops and long tails and peeling the skins and long tails.
- Chop the beets into bite-size pieces and season to taste with salt, pepper, and a liberal splash of balsamic vinegar.
- Marinate the beets for at least 30 mintues, stirring once or twice, before adding a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil.
- You can store the beets in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- These beets are yummy eaten as is or thrown into a bunch of composed salads. Don’t be alarmed if your poop and pee turn pink. You don’t have a kidney infection or a GI bleed – it’s just another stupid human trick.
- Per Ms. Waters, if you add the oil too soon, the vinegar won’t penetrate the beets properly and they won’t taste as good. So don’t dress with olive oil until you’re ready to eat!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
