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Every Saturday my dad heads to the local farmers market and, if the season is right, comes home with a big bunch of beets, which he then scrubs clean, boils, quarters, and marinates in oil and vinegar.
So by the time I show up in the morning we have a bowlful of beets for breakfast or lunch. Boiled beets are fine; the method is fast, energy efficient, and since the beets are so naturally strongly flavored, combined with the dressing, it works.
That said, over the years I can’t count the number of people who have tried to get me to roast beets instead of boiling them. They’ve insisted that roasted beets just taste better than boiled.
I have roasted beets. Quite frankly, I haven’t been able to tell that big of a difference from boiled.
Until now.
The Trick to Great-Tasting Beets
Now I get it. These beets are great! The long roasting caramelizes the sugars in the beets, adding all sorts of awesome flavor.
The trick?
- First, make sure the beets are wrapped in foil so they don’t dry out.
- Second, cook them 20 to 30 minutes longer than you think you should.
I forgot to set the timer and by the time I took these beets out of the oven, they had roasted a full hour and 45 minutes. There was so much caramelization the peels were like candy. They were a little harder to peel, but wow, so worth it.
The orange zest and balsamic glaze? Double wow. Like orange-y beet-y balsamic-y fireworks in your mouth. These beets are addictive. Pace yourself.
Storing Roasted Beets
Store these roasted beets with their glaze in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Eat them cold or room temperature.
What Else to Serve with Roasted Beets
Want to make it a meal or serve these beets as a side dish? You could make an easy light lunch just by adding some mixed greens and poached chicken to your bowl.
As a side dish, these beets pair beautifully with roast chicken or pork chops. Enjoy!
More Ways to Enjoy Beets
- Borscht
- Beet Hummus
- Arugula Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese
- Red Flannel Hash
- Moroccan Grated Carrot and Beet Salad
Roasted Beets with Balsamic Glaze Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds red beets, medium sized, scrubbed clean, green tops removed (see beet greens recipe for what to do with beet greens)
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Preheat oven to 400°F and line pan with aluminum foil.
2 Prepare the beets: Place the beets in the pan. Rub olive oil over the beets, and sprinkle with salt. Cover the beets with another sheet of aluminum foil.
3 Roast the beets: Roast for 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of the beets and how old they are. After 1 hour, test every fifteen minutes by poking a beet with the tines of a fork. Once the fork tines go in easily, the beets are tender and cooked. Remove from the oven.
4 Prepare balsamic glaze: While the beets are cooling, prepare the balsamic glaze. In a small, shallow sauté pan, add the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Heat on high until the vinegar has reduced to a syrup consistency. Remove from heat.
5 Peel and cut cooked beets: After the beets have cooled for several minutes, but are still warm to the touch, peel off the outer skins and discard. Cut the beets into quarters or more bite-sized pieces.
6 Pour glaze over beets: Place beets in a serving bowl. Pour balsamic glaze over the beets. Stir in grated orange zest, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with a little orange zest to serve.
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Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
Roasted Beets with Balsamic Glaze
Great beet flavor, the balsamic vinegar really gives it a tangy flavor. This will make a good side dish.
xxxxxyyyyy
Delicious. I served this on a bed of arugula and micro greens fresh from my garden. This is a keeper recipe.
xxxxxyyyyy
Great flavour! I was just curious though…when I poured the syrup over the beets, the syrup hardened and became candy…granted I did eyeball the vinegar and sugar so maybe I put too much sugar?
xxxxxyyyyy
Hi TDot, if it hardened, it sounds like you just cooked it too long, past the syrup stage, and on to the candy stage.
Ok thank you! I’ll watch it much closer next time. It was still tasty though!
Very tasty and fresh! You may not be able to stop making it after trying.
xxxxxyyyyy
I do this, but on the grill.
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