I feel like a bad food blogger admitting that I refused to give beets a try until about four or five years ago. For whatever reason, I would always give them the side eye and question how on earth they could possibly taste good. After a lot of persuasion by my husband, I finally relented and agreed to try a salad with beets at a local restaurant. And of course I loved them.
These days I buy beets on a regular basis and roast them on the weekends to have on hand for meals during the week. Roasting really brings out a sweetness to the beets and makes them nice and tender.
Today I'm going to show you my preferred method for roasting beets. Rather than wrapping in foil and baking them whole, I prefer to peel, chop and then bake. Here's why:
- You can enjoy them immediately after they are finished roasting. There is no waiting for them to cool down enough so you can peel off the skin and then chop.
- The bake time is quicker. Since the beets are chopped into bite-sized pieces and then roasted, the cook time is shorter than baking a whole beet. This is especially true if your beets are on the larger size.
- You can roast other veggies at the same time. I like to chop up other vegetables, my personal favorites being sweet potatoes and onions, and roast them along with the beets.
So let's walk through the process.
Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
You can buy beets loose or with the greens attached. If your beets have the greens, remove them (you can save these for another use), then wash the beets thoroughly under warm water.
Beets stain your hands very easily, so if desired, wear gloves during this step.
Trim off the tops of the beets and the roots. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off the skin.
Next, chop the beets into chunks, about ¾ to 1 inch in size.
Add the chopped beets to a large rimmed baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. For three medium beets, I use about 1 ¼ tablespoons olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper, but you can use more or less to taste. Toss to combine and spread in an even layer.
Bake in the preheated oven until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once or twice during baking.
Enjoy the roasted beets immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can add them to salads, meal bowls, or simply serve as a side just by themselves.
Michelle says
I agree with you, Ashley! I too was late to discover that I like beets. I tried all the different methods and yours is by far the best, for the reasons you mentioned and also the flavor of the olive oil and seasonings penetrate much more when the skin is peeled away. Roasted beets topped with goat cheese and a bit of fresh rosemary is my absolute favorite winter side dish. Thanks for a great post and I hope it will inspire more people to try beets.
Ashley Jennings says
I feel like I need to make up for all my lost time! Ha! And now you have me wanting to go buy some goat cheese!
Val says
I never peel them, and I had always roasted them this way, but I finally tried doing them whole and I just love the texture. If you can get golden beets, roasting them whole allows you to keep the gorgeous color. Yum!
Ashley Jennings says
I love golden beets too! They are so pretty!
Megan says
I never liked beets until I roasted them! Great suggestion for beet newbies 🙂 As Val said above, you can also leave the skin on if you scrub them, makes for quicker prep.
Ashley Jennings says
Roasting really does transform them!!
mari says
sounds good, thanks!
i guess like this they go also well with my favorite way to have beets.
i usually cook them and cut them in slices.
then mix them/or layer them with greek sheep cheese and chopped walnuts.
pour a dressing of mild balsamic vinegar, olive oil (or, even better, walnut oil) and salt and pepper.
that makes a nice side dish, i also like to bring this to picnics.
Ashley Jennings says
That sounds delicious!
marcie says
I love roasted beets, and just roasted up a truck load tonight to use for the next few days. The purple ones can be a bit messy, and I totally agree -- wear gloves! 🙂
Ashley Jennings says
haha definitely messy! I bought a few too many this week at the store so I'll definitely be roasting this weekend!
Birgitta says
great advice! Thanks for sharing...
Marcia says
We absolutely LOVE roasted beets! Golden beets are our favorite with Di Chioggia beets (the ones with the red and white stripes inside) coming in at a close second. We actually like to BBQ them which gives them a smoky quality. I read the easiest way to remove their skin after baking, is to use a paper towel and just rub them off. I am looking forward to trying them as you suggested, thanks!
Ashley Jennings says
Ooo I've never tried them on the BBQ - that's a great idea!
Brian Huddleston says
Just checking, your recipe doesn't mention any oven temps. What is recommended?
Brian Huddleston says
My apologies, of course after I post a reply, I notice the "Preheat to 400f" :-/. sorry.