Roasted Beets

No ratings yet

This ultra-simple method for roasted beets yields sweetly caramelized, tender wedges perfect for savoring on their own or adding to salads and grain bowls. With mostly hands-off time and minimal ingredients, this meal prep staple is a low-lift way to add vibrant nutrition to so many meals!

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Side Dish

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Author: Nisha Vora

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds (680g) red or golden beets (about 6 medium beets)
1 ½ tablespoons (21g) extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Flaky sea salt (optional)

Optional finishes

A small handful of flat-leaf parsley, mint, or dill, chopped
A drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar, champagne vinegar, or red wine vinegar (or a squeeze of lemon juice)
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of lemon zest or orange zest

Instructions

Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400ºF / 200ºC (if your oven runs hot, you may want to reduce the temperature by 15 to 25ºF / ~10ºC).
Remove any beet greens attached. Wash and scrub the beets, slice off the stalks and tails, then peel the beets (wear food-safe gloves to avoid staining hands).
For smaller beets, quarter them into 4 wedges. For medium beets, slice into 6 wedges. For large beets, slice into 8 wedges. The goal is for the beet wedges to be roughly the same size.
Transfer the beets to a parchment paper-lined sheet pan (parchment paper isn’t required but makes cleanup easy).
Toss with 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, or enough oil to coat the beets well but not so much that they’re oily. Season with salt and pepper to taste: for Diamond Crystal kosher salt, I use ¾ tsp; for sea salt, scant ½ tsp; for table salt, heaping ¼ tsp.
Arrange on the lined pan with any cut sides facing down. Roast for 20 minutes then toss. Roast for another 15 minutes, or until tender and browned in spots (light charring is also okay). If your beets were large, they may need an extra 5-ish minutes.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool a bit. Season with a pinch of flaky sea salt, if desired, and/or other optional finishes.

Notes

These roasted beets are unexpectedly delicious, but if you want a simpler method that doesn’t require peeling/chopping beets, you can steam-roast beets whole in the oven using the steps below:

Remove any beet greens attached. Trim most of the stalks but leave a bit intact to prevent beets from “bleeding”; don’t trim the skinny tails, as these keep the beets juicy.
Wash and scrub the beets, then add to a baking dish.
Coat the beets with a small amount of olive oil for a thin coating. Pour ¾ cup (180 mL) water into the pan and cover tightly.
Roast at 425ºF / 220ºC until a paring knife inserted into the fattest part of the beet comes out tender. Small beets: 45 minutes; medium: 55 to 60 minutes.
When cool enough to touch, run under cool water and slip off the skins. Slice into wedges, cubes, or whatever you like. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for 5 to 6 days.

Nutrition