Roasted Beets

If you are looking for the easiest way to prepare beets, this Roasted Beets recipe is just what you have been searching for. It is as simple as it gets, and works every time! The beets come out perfectly tender and the balsamic and thyme added in at the end takes the flavor to the next level.

Every summer, I make my mom’s recipe for Pickled Beets over and over, and I never get sick of it. But come wintertime, I want a beet recipe that will warm my soul. This Roasted Beets recipe is just what I want.

Last month, we talked a lot about Storing Crops. Storing crops are hearty fruits and veggies that can be harvest stored for long periods of time. Beets are yet another example of a great storing crop. While they are grown and harvested in the warmer months, once you remove the beet greens, you can store the roots all winter long!

That means if you are trying to buy locally grown produce in an effort to reduce your carbon footprint, while supporting your local farmers, then eating storing crops like beets in the winter is a great way to go!

Ingredients For This Recipe

• 2 pounds beets, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (I used Chioggia, golden and red beets)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Do you peel the beets before or after roasting?

Beets are unique in that they can easily be cooked in their skins, then peeled. This phenomenon is true when you boil them or roast them. The skin acts like a jacket and holds the moisture in and almost steams them!

Once they are tender, you can rub the skin and it just slides right off the beets. This seems like the best most hands-off method, but in reality, it has a few problems:

The problems with roasting with the skin on

1. You have to wait for them to cook through (which takes a really long time when they are whole. It can take an hour or two depending on the size of the beets.)
2. If you have beets that are different sizes, you will have to remove some from the oven and leave others to continue roasting. This whole babysitting thing kind of goes against the spirit of this being a hands-off method.
3. You also have to wait until they are cool enough to handle to get the skins off and cut them. That’s no big deal if you have to wait for them to cool anyway like for use in a salad. But if you are intending to serve them hot, it is a waste of time since you will then have to heat them back up again.
4. You can’t add flavor to them until after they are peeled.

The Way I Recommend: Peel First

I prefer to peel them while they are raw (with a vegetable peeler.)

• I cut them into bite sized pieces so they will cook more quickly.
• They can be done in literally half the time this way!
• You can season them before you cook them so the seasoning and additional flavors (like the balsamic and thyme in this recipe) cooks into the beets and makes them more flavorful!

What Kind Of Pan To Roast Them In

The key to getting the beets to cook properly once they have been cut is that you have to keep them covered while they roast. Otherwise they can get tough! Covering them will trap the steam (just like their skin would have done) and yields perfectly tender beets every time!

Normally I like to roast veggies like butternut squash or roasted turnips on a rimmed baking sheet. In the case of beets, I roast them in a 9 by 13-inch pyrex or ceramic baking dish and cover it with aluminum foil because I want to trap that steam in to help soften them.

Add Balsamic and Thyme

You can make this recipe without the addition of balsamic vinegar and thyme, but I really like the way the vinegar balances the sweet beet taste. The fresh thyme also makes it more delicious!

Feel free to use another type of herb, citrus zest or another vinegar. You can also try orange juice instead of balsamic vinegar. It is fun to experiment with flavors. This one just happens to be my favorite!

Add in the thyme and balsamic, toss them and then let them roast again uncovered so that the balsamic creates a glaze of sorts! In 10 more minutes the beets will be glazed and tender and utterly delicious!

Step By Step Photos How To Make This Recipe

More Beet Recipes

• These Beets with Cranberries and Spiced Nuts has raspberry vinegar and are an easy win for a potluck or covered dish.
• This creamy Beets with Tahini recipe was inspired by a dish I had at Zahav in Philadelphia. They’re enigmatic and earthy and just delicious!
• This Spinach Salad with Beets, Bacon and Maple Ranch Dressing is a lovely way to use beets in the springtime when fresh spinach and beets appear at the same time in the farmers’ market.
• This Green Salad with Beets and Prosciutto Chips has a creamy and umami caramelized onion salad dressing that will knock your socks off!
• These Beet and Caramelized Onion Bruschetta with goat cheese are tasty appetizers to try any time of year.
• If you haven’t tried raw shredded beets in a salad before, get ready to have a brand new experience. These Meal Prep Spinach Beet and Chicken Power Salads are a great place to start.
• You can also use these roasted beets in this 20 minute Pantry Dinner.

More Simple Roasted Veggie Recipes

• These Roasted Carrots and Onions can be made with or without onions. They have thyme and rosemary added to them for extra pizzaz!
• This Maple Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts or this more simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Thyme are both great ways to make them.
• If you love roasting veggies, and you have yet to try parsnips, these Roasted Parsnips are one of my most popular recipes!
• These Spice Roasted Delicata Squash are sweet and savory and have the best texture.

Thank you for reading! If you make this recipe, please come back and let me know by leaving a star rating and review. I really appreciate it!

Happy Cooking!

~Katie

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