How to Roast Beets
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How to Roast Beets
Description
How to Roast Beets shows how to prepare fresh beets by trimming away most of the stems while leaving about two inches attached, and keeping the tails intact to prevent juice loss during cooking. The beets are scrubbed but not peeled, preserving their skin to hold in juices. They are placed in a single layer in a well-oiled, covered casserole dish or baking dish covered with foil and roasted at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. The covering traps steam, allowing the beets to cook through evenly and stay moist.
The roasting process softens the beets' texture and concentrates their natural sweetness without drying them out. This method can be scaled according to the amount of beets available, with four pounds being suitable for a 3.5 to 4 quart covered dish or Dutch oven. Once roasted, the beets can be peeled easily, sliced, or used whole in salads, sides, or other recipes to add earthy sweetness and vibrant color.
This recipe requires basic kitchen tools including a covered oven-safe dish or a 9x13 baking pan with foil, kitchen shears for trimming, and a brush for oil. The roasting method is straightforward and yields tender, flavorful beets that can be served warm or cold.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds beet any color - you can roast more or less as needed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or as needed
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. If using a covered oven-safe casserole dish or Dutch oven, brush the inner surface of the dish liberally with olive oil. If using a 9x13 baking dish, brush it liberally with olive oil.
- As the oven is heating up, use kitchen shears to trim leaves and upper stems of the beets, leaving about 2 inches of the stems intact at the top of each beet. Do not trim the tails of the beets; if you do, you’ll lose precious juicy flavor that will drizzle out of the trimmed tails during roasting.
- Scrub the beets clean. You want to get the dirt off of them, but you don't want to scrub the skin off-- it will help to hold the juices in while the beets roast.
- Place the beets in the a single layer in the bottom of casserole or baking dish. Cover with lid. If using a 9x13 baking dish, you will need to cover it with foil. I am transitioning out of using foil in my cooking, so I prefer the covered dish.
- Place the covered dish in preheated oven. Roast the beets in the oven for 45 minutes to 2 hours (very large beets may take even longer).
- Use a pair of tongs to flip the beets every 30 minutes to make sure they roast evenly on all sides. Roasting time will depend on the size of your beets; small young beets are more tender and take less time to roast, while larger beets take longer.
- Start checking your beets for doneness at 45 minutes by piercing the largest beet in the bunch with a wooden skewer. If the skewer easily and smoothly glides through the center of the beet, they’re ready. If not, roast another 10 minutes and test again. Continue to test until they are tender.
- After cooking, uncover the beets and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes until you can easily handle them. Cut off the beet stems and tails.Peel the skin from the beets while they are still warm. There are many different ways to peel, all of them are messy. Beets have a lot of pigment, which tends to stain everything it comes into contact with, including your hands. You might want to wear an apron when peeling your beets, to protect your clothes from stray beet juice droplets.
- Some cooks recommend scrubbing the beets gently with a kitchen towel (that they don't mind staining) to remove the skin. Others use plastic gloves to protect the hands. I prefer simply removing the skin with my bare fingers under cold running water; the skin slides off easily this way, and the red beet juice comes off of my hands with a few soap-and-water washes. For stubborn skin stains, apply lemon juice.
- By the end of this process, you will have some beautifully roasted beets! And once they're roasted, there are endless ways to prepare and enjoy them. Search my blog for "beets" and you'll find many tasty recipes for this beautiful ruby-colored roasted root vegetable!
Notes
- Use a covered casserole dish or tightly cover a baking dish with foil to trap steam for even roasting.
- Trim beet leaves and stems but leave about 2 inches of stem and the tail intact to retain juices during roasting.
- Scrub beets clean without peeling to keep skin on, which helps hold moisture.
- Four pounds of beets is a good maximum for a standard 3.5 to 4 quart covered dish or 9x13 baking dish.
- Roasted beets can be peeled easily after cooking and used in various dishes or served as a side.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 112 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 112kcal | 6% |
| Carbohydrates | 21g | 7% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 2g | 3% |
| Sodium | 176mg | 7% |
| Potassium | 737mg | 16% |
| Fiber | 6g | 24% |
| Sugar | 15g | 30% |
| Vitamin A | 75IU | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 11.1mg | 12% |
| Calcium | 36mg | 4% |
| Iron | 1.8mg | 10% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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