Beets. Do you love them or hate them? Have you ever tried them before?
My mom has a thing for vegetables. In fact funny story. When my parents got married my mom asked my dad “what his favorite vegetable was” and he said he didn’t know because he didn’t eat vegetables!!! She just couldn’t believe it so she took it as her personal mission to first, get him to eat vegetables, and second to find to out what his favorite is. Needless to say my mom converted him to a vegetable lover. When I was growing up my mom loved to garden so we would always be outside picking things off the plants or vines to bring in and use for dinner that night –so we in turn had just about any and every vegetable under the sun.
There was always one weekend a year where my mom and dad would dedicate to canning all day. They would can tomatoes, peppers, green beans, and beets. Then they would store all those mason jars in our basem*nt for easy access. My brother and I loved it because we would just go straight for the beets every time!
We big puffy heart beets! They are filled with antioxidants and other good nutrients, are sweet, and absolutely delicious!
I ate them alot when I was growing up but then stopped around college. They weren’t exactly the easiest thing to get in college, if you know what I’m saying. (its ramen town when you’re in college) Well, a couple of years ago I went to a Salad bar restaurant in our area and they had BEETS! So of course I got them .. and was brought back to my first love…. mmmmm.
Now Cason adores them too, he could probably eat an entire meal of just beets. The kid cracks me up, “more beets mommy!”
So of course I needed to learn how to make them at home, buying already prepared beets (that are not in a can) can be a little pricey. Which meant it was time to call momma, the ever trusted source in cooking and figure out how to make my own!
You can cook beets two ways, you can boil them or you can roast them. I have done both and prefer to boil them because the skin is SOOOOO much easier to remove. It literally just squeezes off, and believe me, after my share of red hands the ease of skin removal is an important factor when deciding how to cook them. 🙂
Depending on your beet size, you boil them for 20-30 minutes put them in an ice bath immediately and remove the skin right away. Slice them up and store them in an air tight container for eating later.
I serve them as a side, eat them as a snack, put them in smoothies, or on top of salads.
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews
Author:Krista
Prep Time:5 mins
Cook Time:30 mins
Total Time:35 mins
Yield:4 cups of diced beets 1x
Category:How To
Method:Stovetop
Cuisine:American
Print Recipe
Description
An easy recipe for how to cook beets on the stovetop! Full of nutrients & antioxidants, beets are great forsmoothies, side dishes, salads & snacking!
Ingredients
Scale
6 beets, skin on (I used 3 red and 3 golden)
Instructions
Prepare a large bowl with water and ice.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add beets to pot. (if using red and golden beets, be sure to put them in separate pots or the red will dye the golden beets)
Boil for 20-30 minutes depending on size of beets. (test one of them – you should be able to easily remove the skin if you can’t them let it cook longer)
Remove beets from boiling water and place in an ice bath.
Remove skin from beets using your hands, rinse, and slice/dice beets.
Store in an air tight container.
Filed Under:
Gluten-Free
How To
Kid Friendly
Paleo
Vegetarian
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, BE SURE TO SNAP A PIC AND HASHTAG IT#JOYFULHEALTHYEATS. I LOVE SEEING WHAT YOU MAKE!
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.
Keep checking whichever method you're using. Don't remove the beet skin before cooking. It's really not necessary and it's much easier to do so after cooking. Some also find that removing the skin prior to cooking takes away some of the beet's earthy test.
Add a little lemon juice to some water and cover the beets. The lemon juice will keep the beets from bleeding and look extra bright after they are cooked! Bring to a boil. Then simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.
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.
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.
Place beets in a large pan and cover with water so they are submerged by 1 to 2 inches of water. Place on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil, covered. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or longer, depending on size of beets, until fork tender (see note). Cool beets slightly until you can handle them.
Directions. Place the beets in a large saucepan and add water to cover and the lemon juice or vinegar. This will help to keep the beets from bleeding. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
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.
Beets should cook until they're tender when pierced with a fork. Beets turn silky when cooked. Toss beets into a salad or top off a grain bowl, serve as an appetizer with ricotta, feta, or yogurt, blend into a colorful dip or use as a spread on a sandwich.
Aita's favorite (and least messy) way to make beets is to roast them under a thick layer of salt. The salt draws out moisture, which will reduce the amount of juice, he explains. To do it, you'll need about a pound of kosher salt for every pound of beets you use.
Beets are high in fiber and promote the growth of good bacteria in your gut. Having plenty of healthy bacteria in your digestive system helps fight disease and boost your immune system. Fiber also improves digestion and reduces the risk of constipation.
The best way to cook beets to retain nutrients is to steam them. Steaming beets for no longer than 15 minutes is recommended. If you have a steamer, steam them until you can easily insert the tip of a fork into the beets.
What is the healthiest way to cook beets? Microwaving or steaming beets are both healthy cooking methods that retain beets' nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Unlike boiling, these methods use minimal water and preserve the natural flavor and nutritional value of beets.
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.
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.
Introduction: My name is Msgr. Refugio Daniel, I am a fine, precious, encouraging, calm, glamorous, vivacious, friendly person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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