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Simple Spoonfuls

September 25, 2020 · Leave a Comment

How to Cook Beets and 3 Ways to Use Them

How to Cook Series

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Beets are a nutritional powerhouse and should be a staple in your diet! Full disclosure, it took me about 34 years to warm up to beets. Luckily, I challenged myself to find delicious ways to incorporate them into my diet and I’m excited to share those recipes with you! First off though, you have to know how to prepare them, so here’s how!

three raw beets

Precooked beets versus cooking them yourself

Chances are you’ve probably seen packages of vacuum packed pre-cooked and peeled beets in the refrigerated section of your grocery aisle. I used to keep a pack on hand for emergencies so that I’d have them to toss into any recipe at a moment’s notice.

That was before I realized how easy that are to cook yourself! Plus, after doing a side by side taste comparison, there really was no comparison. Not only was the flavor better, the color of home cooked beets was noticeably more vibrant and the most gorgeous shade of fuchsia.

I was always intimidated by beets, most likely because I didn’t grow up eating them so they were completely foreign to me. If you’re in the same boat, stick with me and I’ll break it down for you.

beets cut in half on a cutting board

second method of cooking beets-steaming

Once I learned you could steam beets, there was no turning back. It cuts the cooking time down by almost 75% and you can easily keep an eye on them as they steam away on your stove. Here’s how it works:

  1. First, run under cool water to scrub away any dirt and pat dry.
  2. Trim off the top stalk and any root. You can save the greens for later and sauté like spinach!
  3. For steaming, you will want to cut them in half, or even quarters depending on the size of your beets. For your average medium sized beet, you will halve them.
  4. In a medium sized sauce pan, fill 1-2″ deep with water and insert a steamer basket. Scatter your beet pieces in the basket and place a lid securely on top. Turn to high heat and steam for 15 minutes, or under the beets are fork tender. You should be able to slide paring knife into the flesh easily.
  5. Remove from the heat. One at time, place each piece into a paper towel and rub with your hands to remove the skin. It’s easiest to do this while they’re still warm. Be warned that the beets will stain your hands and any linens which is why a paper towel works best.
  6. Enjoy!
halved beets in a steamer basket

Second method of cooking beets-Roasting

The more traditional way of preparing beets is by roasting them. It deepens their earthy flavor and coaxes out their inherent sweetness, but it also takes about 45 minutes. It also helps the skin peel off easily!

You can get really fancy and roast them on a bed of rock salt but if you’re just looking to get the job done here’s what you need to know:

  1. First, run under cool water to scrub away any dirt and pat dry.
  2. Trim off the top stalk and any root. You can save the greens for later and sauté like spinach!
  3. For roasting, you can leave them whole or roast them in half. For larger beets, I like to cut them in half so they roast faster.
  4. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.
  5. Toss them in a light cooking oil and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Heat your oven to 400 degrees F.
  7. Depending on the size of your beets, you can start checking for doneness at about 30 minutes. You should be able to pierce them with a fork or paring knife with little resistance, aka “fork tender.” Most often, they will take about 45 minutes.
  8. Once they are done to your liking, rub each piece with paper towel to remove their skins and enjoy!
halved beets on a sheet pan

How to freeze beets

Using beets in smoothies is one of my favorite ways to include them in my regular diet. They add a layer of complexity to your smoothie and impart the most gorgeous pink color that will make you feel like you’re drinking a sunset!

Once you’ve cooked your beets following either the steaming or roasting method, cut them into 1″ chunks. Then spread them onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, taking care that they’re not touching one another. Freeze them until solid, about 2 hours. Then transfer to a freezer bag or glass container. This keeps them from sticking together in one big lump.

When you’re ready to make a smoothie, you can pop a few chunks into your blender! Or, you can defrost them and add them to the delicious lemon beet hummus below.

3 beet recipes you will love!

I’ve been finding all sorts of ways to sneak beets into my diet and these are a few of my favorite recipes! These recipes just go to show how versatile they are, and this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Creamy Lemon Beet Hummus

I love keeping this creamy lemon beet hummus in the fridge at all times for easy, healthy snacking. It’s also great as a spread inside veggie wraps for lunch time or using as a smear on your bun for a veggie burger. This was the gateway recipe that opened the doors to my love of beets. Even my kids got on board after giving this dip a try!

Raspberry Coconut Beet Smoothie

If you’re looking for new ways to pack more nutrients into your morning smoothie, look no further! This beet smoothie is like sunshine in a glass. The raspberries and beets marry together for the most beautiful magenta color you’ve ever seen. Lemon juice and fresh ginger keep it light and bright while coconut milk brings the tropical vibes. You’ll definitely want to add this into your regular smoothie rotation.

mason jar filled with raspberry beet smoothie

Root Vegetable Beet Hash

If you’re not completely sold on the earthy flavor of beets, an easy way to mellow them out is by balancing them with other flavors. In this breakfast beet hash, Yukon gold potatoes provide a blank slate to build on and yams offset their flavor with their sweetness. The trio of colors makes for a beautiful rainbow in this skillet!

plate with root veggie hash and egg fried over easy on top.
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How to Cook Beets

These are the two easiest ways to prepare beets, by steaming and roasting. Once you realize how easy it is, you'll be making them all the time!
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Keyword: beets, how to
Author: Katie Clack

Ingredients

  • 3 medium beets

Instructions

Steamed Beets

  • Scrub the beets under cold water.
  • Trim the stems and root tip from the beets and cut in half or quarters.
  • In a medium sauce pan, fill with 1-2 inches of water and place on high heat. Insert steamer basket. Place beet halves into steamer basket and secure with tight fitting lid.
  • Steam for 15 minutes, or until you can pierce the beets easily with a fork or paring knife.
  • Rub each piece with a paper towel while still warm in order to remove the skins. Enjoy!

Roasted Beets

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Scrub the beets under cold water.
  • Trim the stems and root tip from the beets and cut in half or quarters.
  • Place beets on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.
  • Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Roast for 30-45 minutes or until beets are easily pierced with fork or paring nife.
  • Rub each piece with a paper towel while still warm in order to remove the skins. Enjoy!
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If taco Tuesday can be a thing, why not wrap Wedne If taco Tuesday can be a thing, why not wrap Wednesday? 🌯😋 Wraps are the perfect way to use up a hodgepodge of ingredients you have on hand. 

I like to rely on a mix of things I’ve meal prepped (sweet potatoes, brown rice, and cilantro jalapeño sauce), pantry staples (black beans) and fresh finishes (romaine, bell peppers and tomato). 

Cheese or chicken would have been delicious too.  However i strive to eat less meat and I find that lunch is one of the easiest places to keep things plant-based since I’m usually fending for myself and not feeding my meat-loving troops. 

What’s your go to for a quick and easy lunch? 

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I have a secret to tell you...I don’t actually m I have a secret to tell you...I don’t actually meal prep every weekend. 🙊 Sometimes life is too busy or life is actually not busy and I’m able to make meals from scratch on the daily.  And sometimes I’m just too tired to even think about meal prepping.  But there’s something you should know:

-Meal prep doesn’t have to be done on a weekend. 
-Meal prep doesn’t have to be done all in one session.
-Meal prep doesn’t have to mean an entire weeks worth of meals.

So shake off whatever preconceived notions you have of what meal prep means and discover what it actually means to YOU.  Some weeks all I can muster up os a batch of hard-boiled eggs and that’s OK. Those egg save my ass when I’m starving and need some thing in a pinch.

During weeks like this, I try to focus on making extra of some thing to at least give me a leg up on the next meal. 

For lunch today I whipped up a batch of couscous which takes five minutes. Then I topped it with some of my favorite green vegetables and made a big batch of lemon basil vinaigrette.  And that’s it! Now I have extra couscous, asparagus, and vinaigrette to help me out come dinner time.

I hope this helps take some of the overwhelm out of meal prepping for you! Is there anything that stresses you out about meal prep?

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Ahhhh I’m so happy the weekend is finally here! Ahhhh I’m so happy the weekend is finally here! This last week was a blur but these open faced sandwiches with smashed avocado and egg salad were a life saver when I didn’t have anything planned for lunch. 🥑🥚🍞

Well that’s a wrap on this week’s meal plan.  Scroll through to see the highlights. 👉 I have a hard time picking a favorite but I think it might be the breakfast burritos.

Which recipe is your fave from this week? I’d love to know so it can help me plan more good stuff for you! Let me know in the comments 🙏👇

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Last but not least from this week's meal plan was Last but not least from this week's meal plan was a tasty caramelized onion, squash and bacon flatbread! 🥓🧅🧀🍕Since the onion, squash and bacon were already prepped, all I had to do was pop it in the oven at 400 for about 8 minutes. 🙌

I used a piece of pita bread since it's what I had on hand but pizza dough or naan would be equally delish!  For the base, I simply spread some olive oil with a minced clove of garlic and then added the toppings.  I kept it light with a sprinkle of goat cheese and some fresh arugula after bake.

The only thing that would have made this better would have been a drizzle of balsamic reduction if I had some on hand. 🤤

I forgot how quick and easy flatbread is, and it’s such a great option for helping clean out your fridge.

All in all, the flavors hit all the right notes but the fact that dinner was so stress free was just as enjoyable! 

What toppings would you add?

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Getting up close and personal with this delicious Getting up close and personal with this delicious lentil salad with bacon and squash!  I’m the only one who will eat lentils in our house, so luckily that meant I got it all to myself! 

In a skillet, I crisped up the bacon I precooked and warmed up the cubed and roasted butternut squash.  I ended up using a package of presteamed lentils to make things extra easy.  They don’t even need to be heated up! 

I assembled a bowl of the lentils, some fresh arugula, and the warm squash and bacon.  To take it to the next level, I added dried cranberries and goat cheese on top and drizzled it with my honey balsamic dressing. 

If you use the base formula of the lentils, greens, and balsamic dressing, the sky is really the limit with what kind of toppings you can add!  I love to mix it up with roasted Brussel sprouts or mushrooms.  How would you customize this salad?

#lentils #lentilsalad #butternutsquash #baconlovers #baconislife #baconislove #baconlove #baconmakeseverythingbetter #mealprepmonday #mealprepmondays #mealprepsunday #mealprepsundays #batchcook #batchcooking #mealpreps #mealprep #mealprepping #mealprepinspo #mealprepideas #healthylunch #workfromhomelife
Welp, everything I typed up got deleted so I’m g Welp, everything I typed up got deleted so I’m gonna keep this short and sweet! Tuesday’s steak tacos got repurposed into last night’s steak salad 🙌🥩🥗

Being super Irish, I’m a real meat and potatoes kind of girl, even when it comes to my salads!  If you’ve never tried warm, roasty potatoes on your salad, you’re missing out! I like to use arugula or kale because they can stand up to warm steak and potatoes without getting wilty. 

From this week’s meal prep I used the roasted butternut squash and potatoes, and honey balsamic dressing.  I seared off the steak fresh as well as the zucchini because it gets soggy easily if made too far in advance.  Then I added fresh tomato and goat cheese to take it to the next level. 💫

As far as salads go, this one will leave you completely satisfied!  Make sure you like and save so Instagram knows you like my recipes 🙏

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Never not looking forward to taco Tuesday! I made Never not looking forward to taco Tuesday! I made flank steak this week, sliced it thin and served it over mashed avocado and those yummy peppers and caramelized onions I pre-prepped.  Delish! You’ll definitely want to save this idea! 🙌🌮🥩🥑

In order to get two meals out of this flank steak, I cut it in two pieces before I seared.  One of them was cooked to perfection for the steak tacos.  The other piece I undercooked by about 10 degrees knowing I’d be reheating it for tomorrow’s steak salad.  That way it’s not not over cooked and tough. 

I love how easy this dinner was! It took 10 minutes to wear the steak which was just long enough to char some corn tortillas, reheat the veggies and mash the avo. 🥑🧅🫑 

The added bonus of meal prepping is knowing your plan for your meals.  Just knowing ahead of time what I’ll be making takes SO much stress out of meal time.  This girl loves having a plan.  Would you rather wing it or plan ahead? 

How many of you are having tacos tonight? Let me know in the comments! 👇

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Happy Monday! After meal prepping this weekend, I Happy Monday! After meal prepping this weekend, I was SOO looking forward to these breakfast burritos!  I loaded them up with all the good stuff like soft scrambled eggs, caramelized onions, bell peppers, crispy bacon, roasted potatoes, cheddar cheese, and salsa.  They are absolutely dynamite! 🌯💥

You actually assemble the burritos ahead of time and keep them in the fridge, or even freeze them.  Just make sure all of the ingredients have cooled to room temperature before assembling to avoid any sogginess.  Then wrap them tightly with plastic wrap or foil and store in the freezer inside an airtight container or ziplock.  To reheat, just microwave for about 4 minutes. 

I also like to crisp them up in a skillet or grill pan in order to add extra crunch and texture to the tortilla.  Once you do this, there’s no going back! 

Are you team Cholula or team Tabasco?  In our family we have an ongoing debate over which hot sauce is better, but luckily that means we never have to share our hot sauce with one another! 😁🌶

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