Roasting beets seems to be the most common way of preparing the little red root veggies, and for good reason—it’s a tasty, easy way of cooking them. A few of the recipes in this chapter begin with roasted beets, so it only makes sense to start with a basic recipe for roasting. You can season them any way you want, but a great neutral start is with olive oil, salt, and pepper. SERVES 4 TO 6
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 40 minutes
8 beets, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- On a baking sheet, spread out the chunks of beet and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and use your hands to mix it all together.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, checking on them halfway through the cooking time and mixing with a spatula.
- Serve warm.
VARIATION 1 ORANGE-GINGER ROASTED BEETS: Season the beets with ½ teaspoon dried ginger. When you remove the beets from the oven, squeeze the juice of ½ orange over them.
VARIATION 2 BALSAMIC-ROASTED BEETS: Add 1 or 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar to the beets before roasting. Adding balsamic vinegar creates a wonderfully sweet balance of tanginess.
PALEO PAIR: Serve these roasted beets with Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken Thighs (here).
