Beets. Do you love them or hate them? Have you ever tried them before?
My mom has a thing for vegetables. In fact funny story. When my parents got married my mom asked my dad “what his favorite vegetable was” and he said he didn’t know because he didn’t eat vegetables!!! She just couldn’t believe it so she took it as her personal mission to first, get him to eat vegetables, and second to find to out what his favorite is. Needless to say my mom converted him to a vegetable lover. When I was growing up my mom loved to garden so we would always be outside picking things off the plants or vines to bring in and use for dinner that night –so we in turn had just about any and every vegetable under the sun.
There was always one weekend a year where my mom and dad would dedicate to canning all day. They would can tomatoes, peppers, green beans, and beets. Then they would store all those mason jars in our basem*nt for easy access. My brother and I loved it because we would just go straight for the beets every time!
We big puffy heart beets! They are filled with antioxidants and other good nutrients, are sweet, and absolutely delicious!
I ate them alot when I was growing up but then stopped around college. They weren’t exactly the easiest thing to get in college, if you know what I’m saying. (its ramen town when you’re in college) Well, a couple of years ago I went to a Salad bar restaurant in our area and they had BEETS! So of course I got them .. and was brought back to my first love…. mmmmm.
Now Cason adores them too, he could probably eat an entire meal of just beets. The kid cracks me up, “more beets mommy!”
So of course I needed to learn how to make them at home, buying already prepared beets (that are not in a can) can be a little pricey. Which meant it was time to call momma, the ever trusted source in cooking and figure out how to make my own!
You can cook beets two ways, you can boil them or you can roast them. I have done both and prefer to boil them because the skin is SOOOOO much easier to remove. It literally just squeezes off, and believe me, after my share of red hands the ease of skin removal is an important factor when deciding how to cook them. 🙂
Depending on your beet size, you boil them for 20-30 minutes put them in an ice bath immediately and remove the skin right away. Slice them up and store them in an air tight container for eating later.
I serve them as a side, eat them as a snack, put them in smoothies, or on top of salads.
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews
Author:Krista
Prep Time:5 mins
Cook Time:30 mins
Total Time:35 mins
Yield:4 cups of diced beets 1x
Category:How To
Method:Stovetop
Cuisine:American
Print Recipe
Description
An easy recipe for how to cook beets on the stovetop! Full of nutrients & antioxidants, beets are great forsmoothies, side dishes, salads & snacking!
Ingredients
Scale
6 beets, skin on (I used 3 red and 3 golden)
Instructions
Prepare a large bowl with water and ice.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add beets to pot. (if using red and golden beets, be sure to put them in separate pots or the red will dye the golden beets)
Boil for 20-30 minutes depending on size of beets. (test one of them – you should be able to easily remove the skin if you can’t them let it cook longer)
Remove beets from boiling water and place in an ice bath.
Remove skin from beets using your hands, rinse, and slice/dice beets.
Store in an air tight container.
Filed Under:
Gluten-Free
How To
Kid Friendly
Paleo
Vegetarian
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, BE SURE TO SNAP A PIC AND HASHTAG IT#JOYFULHEALTHYEATS. I LOVE SEEING WHAT YOU MAKE!
Steaming beets is a healthful cooking method because they retain most of their vitamins and minerals—they're not boiled out in water—and stay incredibly vibrant. Plus, steaming small beets or beet quarters is quick and easy for weeknights.
Keep checking whichever method you're using. Don't remove the beet skin before cooking.It's really not necessary and it's much easier to do so after cooking. Some also find that removing the skin prior to cooking takes away some of the beet's earthy test.
Keep about 1 inch of the stem attached to the beet to prevent loss of nutrients as it boils. Place prepped beets in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add a large pinch of salt. Bring water to a boil over high and cook beets at a rolling boil, until tender when pierced with a fork, 30 to 45 minutes.
Be sure to leave the lid on the pot the whole time it's on the stove. Otherwise, the temperature of the water will drop and your cook time will increase. Especially large beets or those that have been in cold storage may need closer to an hour to cook all the way through.
How to Boil Beets. Trim the stems and greens off of the beets, then scrub the beets clean and place them in a large pot. Add 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar to the pot with 1 teaspoon salt, then fill the pot with water, enough to cover the beets.
You can even enjoy them raw, either sliced thinly or grated. Choose beets that feel heavy for their size with fresh, unwilted green leafy tops still attached, if possible. Because dietary nitrates are water-soluble, it's best to avoid boiling beets if you'd like to maximize their nitrate content.
Takeaways. Packed with nutrition, beets have antioxidants like betalains that fight cell damage and inflammation, potentially offering protection against cancer and heart disease. Health benefits of beets include more stamina during exercise, heart disease and stroke prevention, and lower blood pressure.
Raw beets contain more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than cooked beets (yes, you can eat beets raw!). Like many vegetables, the longer you cook beets—especially in water—the more the colorful phytonutrients leach out of the food and into the water.
Store beets in a plastic bag in the refrigerator at or below 41 °F for 7 to 10 days. Beets may be frozen for up to ten months. For best quality and nutritive value, preserve only what your family can consume in 12 months.
Place the beets in a large saucepan and add water to cover and the lemon juice or vinegar. This will help to keep the beets from bleeding. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Place pot under running cold water and let rinse until beets can be handled.
Boil 20 to 40 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife. Smaller beets take about 20 minutes, medium beets about 30 minutes and large beets about 40 minutes or more. Allow the beets to cool for a few minutes, then place them under cool water and rub off the skins with your fingers.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of salt for every 3-4 beets. Boil whole beets for 20-40 minutes, depending on their size, or until they pierce easily with a fork. Smaller beets will cook more quickly than larger beets.
Cure your vegetables as you would a piece of meat for a couple of days. This can be achieved by rubbing the vegetable or mushroom with salt at a concentration of 1.75% of the vegetable's weight, wrapping it tightly in plastic or vacuum sealing it, and letting it sit in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Introduction: My name is Dean Jakubowski Ret, I am a enthusiastic, friendly, homely, handsome, zealous, brainy, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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