How to Roast Whole Beets

How to Roast Whole Beets

January 23, 2017   16 Comments

This is the time of year where the local produce is limited. Where I live, it is imperative to know how to roast whole beets.

Why? The root vegetables are the only ones that you can find that are local. Everything else is shipped in from a warmer climate. I happen to love beets (and they were only 69 cents per pound!) so I am happy to cook a bunch.

The other recipes that I have featured - vegetarian hash and grated carrot and beet salad involve peeling.

This recipe makes peeling really easy!

Aren’t those beets ugly? I think the reason people don’t buy them is that they look like piles of dirt. The beauty of them is covered by their tough skin and, honestly, I wouldn’t buy them either if I didn’t know how easy it is to cook them.

If you don’t have a casserole dish with a cover, you can use foil to make a sealed pouch for your beets. Line a casserole dish with foil and put the scrubbed beets in. I used to wrap them individually – but that isn’t necessary.

Cover the beets with foil and put in a 400 F oven. It may take a while until these are cooked. These large beets took about 1 ½ hours until they were soft.

Check your beets with a fork to test for doneness. The beet should be soft (I hate crunchy beets). The peels should come off with water in your hand. Sometimes I do have to use a peeler but it is easier than when they are raw.

Now that you have roasted beets – what do you do with them? I love a salad with goat cheese and walnuts. Or you can toss them (when they are still warm) with my homemade salad dressing. I love how they taste with vinegar, mustard, and olive oil.

You can add them to your regular salads, add a slice to your sandwiches or on top of your hamburger. Beets are very versatile!

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Roasted Beets Recipe

Makes 8 cups

4 pounds beets

Heat oven to 400 F. Scrub beets and cut off tops. Line a casserole with foil and put beets in a single layer. Top with foil and bake until beets can be pierced with a fork and are soft (1-1 ½ hours) Peel and serve.

For one cup of beets = 85 calories, 0 g fat, 0.0 g saturated fat, 8 g carbohydrates, 7 g sugar, 1 g protein, 2 g fiber, 65 mg sodium, 0 SmartPts

Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes

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16 Comments:

These are delicious, we usually crumble feta cheese over them for the last 5-10 minutes in the oven.

on January 23, 2017

I love beets, especially when pickled. They are definitely one of my favorite winter vegetables because i don't mind having the oven on to roast them.

on January 23, 2017

I still remember the morning I was the 3rd of 4 siblings to whisper in my mother's ear that my pee was red....we thought we were dying. Yum yum. I'm going to look up one of those pickled beet and hard boiled egg recipes....

on January 23, 2017

My german grandmother often had a shallow bowl of sliced beets and raw onions dressed with vinegar [and I suspect a pinch of sugar] on her Sunday dinner table. I inherited the bowl with the memories.:) My mom served them warm with butter. I agree they're awesome with goat cheese and walnuts esp. over a bed of spinach with some red onion slices--a very pretty sight. Be careful, these beauties stain things like dish towels and cutting boards and fingers.

on January 23, 2017

Since the beets need to be in for that long a period, could you use a crockpot to do it in? I am thinking I can put them on at lunch to have them ready for dinner without much fuss.
Thanks, BarbL as I was going to ask about the staining.

on January 23, 2017

Beets are 0 smartpoints. Why does the recipe state 3?

on January 23, 2017

After roasting, I slice them & put them in a container in the fridge with a drizzle of olive oil & salt & pepper - they keep for several days. I haven't had beets since summer - good reminder!

on January 23, 2017

I get a big load of beets every few weeks through the food co-op I belong to. I love beets! I've been boiling them (which also makes them extremely easy to peel), but am going to start roasting them. It sounds so good, and so does the beet/walnut/goat cheese salad.

on January 23, 2017

@Lisa - That was a mistake. I have fixed it. Thanks!!!

on January 23, 2017

I LOVE BEETS!! I am going to try this super easy recipe. YAY!

Also, Lisa with the WW question - I think the reason the recipe says 3 Smartpoints has to do with the recipe building feature in WW. I had a similar issue building a mostly veggie recipe where the points were way higher than I thought it should be. My leader said that once the veggies are in a recipe, WW assigns points to them for some reason. Someone at WW can probably explain why.

on January 23, 2017

I have always liked beets but had never roasted them until a CSA I belonged to 3 or 4 years ago gave them to me. I had no idea what to do with them so I googled it and have been roasting ever since, delicious! I was wrapping in foil individually. Good to know that I don't have to do that anymore, thanks Lisa!!

on January 23, 2017

I boil a big batch at a time, but will try baking, as the rolling boil tends mess the stove with red splatter!

Once cooked, the outer skin comes off easily.

I then cut them up into a container, drizzle a touch of Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar, and store in the fridge for snacking as-is or adding to salads. They store a surpringly long time this way.

Love me some pickled beets...no points and so good for you‼

on January 23, 2017

Thank you so much for this idea. One reason I don't buy beets is because I hate to peel them. You rock !

on January 23, 2017

I roast just like you do. Peel. Slice. Sprinkle with Trader Joe's Chile Lime Seasoning Salt. Top toasted Dave's Killer 60 cal bread spread with 1 T soft goat cheese with these slices for an open face sandwich. Yum.

on January 24, 2017

Jan V-Wow, that sounds like my kind of sandwich‼ Thank you‼

on January 24, 2017

I used to boil beets but did find a recipe like yours to roast them in the oven - much quicker than boiling. I use a pair of the plastic throw-away gloves to peel them. No stains on hands.

on January 24, 2017

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