Tip of the Week – Wait! Don’t Throw Out the Beet Greens, Saute Them Instead

Sauteed Beet Greens, Photo: Simply Recipes

The temptation is no doubt great.  You take your large knife, slice off the woody stems of a bunch of beets, and toss them, along with their leafy greens, into the trash.  Before you do so, I strongly encourage you to reconsider.

When cooked properly, not only are they delicious, but they’re nutritious as well,  “Beet greens are emerging as a nutritional powerhouse, rich in potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, betacyanin (a potent antioxidant), leutin,  thiamin, riboflavin, folate and vitamins , A, B6, C, E, and K. In fact, researchers discovered that beet greens are even more nutritious than the roots!”

Having purchased a couple of bunches of beets at the local farmer’s market, I thought I’d give the greens a try.  After searching for, and finding, a number of recipes that seemed tasty and easy to prepare (and gluten-free), I settled on Sauteed Beet Greens with Garlic, Olive Oil and Persian Lime by Heidi on Melissas.com.   I loved them, even the leftovers, which I proceeded to eat cold the next day.

If this particular recipe doesn’t appeal to you, I came across two others that might: Beet Greens from Simply Recipes (bacon, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, sugar, and cider vinegar) and Sauteed Beet Greens With Garlic and Olive Oil (garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes) from the Fitness and Nutrition section of The New York Times.

Try them.  You just might like them.

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A quick addendum – in case you’ve never previously cooked the beets themselves, here’s what I do and it works like a charm.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees ( a bit higher if your oven runs cool).  Trim the beets (keeping the greens, of course!) and wash, skin on, under cold water.  Place the beet roots in aluminum foil, making a tent.  Drizzle with a quarter-cup of water, and then fold the foil over, creating seal.  Place on a cookie sheet (or another piece of foil) to catch any juices and then into the oven for 60 minutes.  You’ll smell the beets cooking.  Test with a fork to see if they’re done – the fork should go in easily (larger beets will take longer to cook).  If  they’re done, re-fold the foil and let cool on top of the stove.  Then open the foil and peel the beets – the skin should rub off.  If it doesn’t a paring knife should do the trick.  Slice the beets and serve with goat cheese, walnuts, olive oil, salt, and pepper, alone or on a bed of arugula or spinach.