Cook Beet Greens

While most people know how to cook beets or beetroots, not many people know how to cook the greens of beets. These are a little saltier and stronger-flavored than most greens, but can easily transform into a tender and delicious side dish.

Ingredients

Sautéed

• 1–3 bunches beet greens
• 1–2 tbsp (30–45 mL) extra-virgin live oil
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges or 2 tablespoons (30 mL) vinegar
• 1 shallot, diced (optional)
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 orange (optional)

Pesto

• 1 bunch beet greens (roughly 4 ounces / 113 g)
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ cup (120 mL) walnuts, pine nuts, or pistachios
• Up to ¾ cup (180 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1½ tbsp (22 mL) fennel fronds, 3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh parsley, and 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice (optional)

Steps

Sautéed Beet Greens

1. Trim off the stems (optional). The stems are edible, but not everyone likes their bitter taste. If you’re not willing to try them, cut off the stems just below the leaves. You can remove the thick stem base from the largest leaves as well, cutting them out in a V pattern.
   • Like all greens, these will sauté down to a much smaller volume. You can cook a large mound at once, as long as it fits in your skillet.
2. Roll up the leaves and chop them. Bunch the leaves together and roll them into a cylinder. Chop them into bite-size pieces, at roughly ½–1 inch (1.25–2.5 cm) intervals.
   • If using the stems, chop them into chunks of similar size.
3. Wash the greens. You can use a salad spinner, or submerge the greens in a bowl of water and rub off any noticeable dirt. Leave it for a couple seconds to let grit sink to the bottom. Lift out the leaves and repeat if necessary until the water comes out clear. Move the leaves to a separate bowl, leaving them damp.
   • If using the stems, wash them in a separate bowl.
4. Blanch-Green-Vegetables. This will preserve the bright, green color, but the beet greens will cook fine without it. Here's how to go about it:
   • Prepare an ice bath: a bowl of cold water and ice.
   • Submerge the greens in boiling water for one minute.
   • Remove the greens with tongs or drain them into a strainer. Place them in the ice bath until cold.
   • Drain into a strainer.
5. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add enough extra-virgin olive oil to coat the base of your skillet or frying pan, about 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 mL). Heat over medium heat until the oil shimmers, or a drop of water sizzles when flicked onto the oil.
6. Cook stems for 4 minutes (optional). If using the chopped beet stems, add them to the pan first. Sauté for 4 minutes, or until slightly softened.
7. Cook garlic for 1 minute. Dice two cloves of garlic and add them to the pan. Cook for about one minute, or until the garlic turns translucent.
   • Optionally, add a diced shallot and/or ¼ tsp (1 mL) red pepper flakes.
8. Cook the leaves and cover until wilted. Add the chopped leaves and ad them to the pan without stirring. Cover and let wilt to a much smaller mound, about 1–3 minutes.
   • The water from the rinsing should be enough to steam the leaves slightly. If the leaves don't start shrinking within 30–60 seconds, or if the garlic starts turning brown, add a couple more spoonfuls of water.
9. Serve or cook with acidic flavors. Vinegar or lemon juice cuts the bitter flavor of the beet greens. Provide lemon wedges to squeeze over the greens, or remove from heat and splash them with your favorite type of vinegar.
   • For a more intense acidic flavor, add 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 mL) vinegar to the pan along with the juice of one orange. Simmer for an additional 2–3 minutes or until liquid has boiled away. Serve topped with orange zest.
   • Beet greens are high in sodium already, but you may add a pinch of salt and pepper if you think the dish needs more flavor.

Beet Green Pesto

1. Trim and rinse the greens. Start with one bunch of greens, roughly 4 ounces (113 g). Cut off thick stems, or leave a few short pieces if you want bright red streaks in the pesto. Rinse off dirt.
   • Optionally, add a bunch of fresh basil leaves for a more familiar pesto taste, or a bunch of radish greens for a peppery flavor.
2. Blanch the beet greens. This will make the greens and stems a bit less tough. Get your kitchen tongs ready and blanch as follows:
   • Prepare a bowl of cold water and ice.
   • Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then drop the leaves in for 1 minute.
   • Transfer the greens to the ice bath until cool, then remove.
3. Dry-Roast-Nuts. Pine nuts or walnuts are the most common options, but you can try pistachio for a more unusual flavor. Shell them, then toast in a dry, hot pan over medium heat, stirring frequently. The nuts are ready when golden brown and aromatic. If the nuts have skins, rub them after toasting with a clean cloth to remove them.
   • Pine nuts take about 5 minutes.
   • Walnuts take 10–15 minutes.
   • Pistachios take 6–8 minutes.
4. Pulse garlic and nuts in a food processor. Add chopped garlic and toasted nuts to a food processor with a metal blade. Pulse until coarsely ground.
5. Blend with other ingredients. Tear the leaves into pieces and add them to the processor. Add Parmesan and pulse until coarsely ground. Continue blending as you pour in a thin stream of olive oil, until you get the thick, homogenous texture of pesto. Taste, then blend in salt and pepper as desired.
   • You may need more or less olive oil than the recipe calls for.
   • Optionally, complement the pistachio version with 1½ tbsp (22 mL) fennel fronds, 3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh parsley, and 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice.
6. Serve. Dip crusty bread into this bold pesto, or add a dollop to creamy soups. Thinned with water, you can use it as a pasta sauce. Make-Pizza, use it instead of tomato sauce and top with slices of roasted beets or other pizza toppings.
   • Store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week. For longer storage, pour into ice cube trays, cover with olive oil to prevent darkening, and freeze. Pop out into plastic freezer bags and store up to 6 months.

Additional Recipes

1. Serve raw beet greens in salad. Raw beet greens have an even stronger flavor, so they're best paired with other powerful ingredients. Mix with feta, Romano cheese, goat cheese, or anchovies. Make-Tahini, Make-Strawberry-Vinaigrette, or another strong or acidic dressing complements this salad well.
   • Beet greens become more bitter and tough as they age. When serving raw, it's best to stick with the young greens sold in late spring or early summer.
2. Add sautéed greens to soup. Sauté with other aromatic ingredients, then mix it into the soup for the last couple minutes of simmering. This works well in thick soups made from Make-Lentil-Soup or Make-Cream-of-Vegetable-Soup.
3. Bake leaves into crisp chips. These chips are a little thicker and taste a bit "plantier" than other leaf green vegetables. But if you've converted to the beet green fans and want them on the go, this is a great recipe:
   • Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC).
   • Cut off stems, wash and pat dry the leaves.
   • Toss leaves with a light coating of olive oil. Add salt and pepper if desired (taste first; beet greens are already salty).
   • Bake on parchment paper-lined pans for 15 minutes, turn, and bake for 10 more minutes.

Tips

• Beet greens pair well with many flavors, including garlic, nutmeg, Make-Hot-Sauce, Make-Cheese-Sauce, Make-Hollandaise-Sauce, ground cumin, or shallots.
• Add ginger to a boiled beetroot to get the vitamin C from the beets.
• Raw beet greens last about three or four days in the fridge, sometimes up to a week in a plastic bag. If they become limp, submerge them in room temperature water for an hour.

Warnings

• Eating beet stems or beetroot causes red urine in roughly 12% of people. This is harmless, but seems to happen more often to people with iron deficiency. Consider Eat-More-Iron and Increase-Iron-Absorption.
• Avoid eating beets if you’ve had a calcium oxalate kidney stone, or if your doctor say you are at risk for one.
• Beet juice will stain cutting boards, clothes, and just about everything else. You can Remove-Beetroot-Stains using bleach, detergent, or – if you’re quick – a piece of wet bread.

Things You'll Need

• Sharp knife
• Skillet or frying pan
• Lid for pan
• Saucepan
• Large bowl
• Ice
• Wooden spoon
• Food processor

Related Articles

• Clean Greens
• Cook Dandelion Greens
• Make Mixed Greens and Turkey Soul Food Salad
• Revive Wilted Salad Greens

Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Sourmus (Stuffed Cabbage With Sauerkraut)
• Make a Broccoli and Carrot Rice Topping
• Pickle Rhubarb
• Roast Rhubarb
• Make Stuffed Cabbage
• Cook Fresh Cauliflower
• Steam Broccoli
• Cook Brussels Sprouts
• Blanch Broccoli
• Cook Broccoli

Read more ...

What links here

• Braise Beef
• Peel and Cook Beets